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George Washington University
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Inside Scoop

Quick Stats

School Slang
  • 2000 Penn: GW’s closest thing to a mall, located at 2000 Pennsylvania Ave., NW
  • 4-RIDE: The University Police Department on-campus safety shuttle service that runs at night
  • ABP: Au Bon Pain, the French bakery/cafe in 2000 Penn.
  • Big George/George: GW’s two Colonial mascots
  • CCAS: Columbian College of Arts and Sciences.
  • CDs and CRs: The College Democrats and College Republicans student organizations
  • CI: Colonial Inauguration, GW’s freshman orientation program.
  • Club G: The Gelman Library during finals—everyone who is anyone is there.
  • Colonial Cash: GW’s meal plan.
  • CRN: Course Registration Number, the five-digit number that identifies a course, used when you register.
  • EMeRG: Emergency Medical Response Group, a 24-hour, student-employed medical service.
  • ESIA: Elliott School of International Affairs
  • Fall Fest and Spring Fling: Outdoor concerts/festivals sponsored by the student-run Program Board.
  • GCRs: General Curriculum Requirements, the required lower-level introductory classes
  • The GW Hatchet: The independent student newspaper.
  • GWID: The student identification number
  • GWireless: Wireless Internet system found throughout campus
  • GWorld: GW’s ID card.
  • Hell Well: The Lerner Health and Wellness Center, the GW gym
  • Hippo: GW’s unofficial mascot.
  • Hippodrome: Fifth floor of the Marvin Center, with bowling, billiards, and Big Burger.
  • House Proctors, House Scholars, and House Mentors: Older in-dorm student advisers for freshmen, sophomores, and upperclassmen, respectively, similar to a Resident Adviser at other college campuses.
  • HOVA: Hall on Virginia Avenue.
  • J Street: GW’s food court on the first floor of the Marvin Center.
  • Kogan Plaza: The outdoor area in the center of campus.
  • Manouch: GW’s favorite hot dog vendor, comes out late on weekend nights next to the Marvin Center
  • Metro: The DC subway system
  • MPD: Metropolitan Police Department.
  • PB: Program Board, GW’s student programming organization.
  • Pizza I: Pizza Italia, the pizza restaurant across from Thurston Hall
  • ResNet: Internet connection service in the dorms
  • SA: The Student Association, GW’s student government.
  • SEAS: School of Engineering and Applied Science.
  • Sexiled: Getting kicked out of your room when your roommate is gettin’ busy.
  • SJS: Student Judicial Services.
  • SMPA: School of Media and Public Affairs.
  • STAR: Student Admissions Representative, a campus tour guide.
  • UPD: University Police Department.
  • U-Yard: University Yard, the biggest patch of grass on campus and frequent hang-out spot during nice weather
  • The Vern: The Mount Vernon Campus
Things I Wish I Knew Before Coming To School
  • It can get very windy and cold in DC during winter.
  • It’s best to get up early to register for classes as soon as registration opens on registration day or else you won’t get the classes you want. Even then, it will be a stretch to get every class you wanted, so make one, two, or three back-up plans.
  • The majority of the students are from the East Coast, specifically New England, New York, and New Jersey.
  • There are a lot of students who wear nice, designer clothes.
  • There’s a lot of red tape to get through and a lot of forms to fill out wherever you go if you want to get anything from the University.
  • Thurston Hall is the fun party dorm. The other freshman dorms are quieter, but you can still find parties if you search them out.
  • Try not to schedule a lot of morning classes because you will want to sleep late. Also, don’t take Friday classes because Thursday is a party night. You may want to intern on Fridays.
  • You walk pretty much everywhere, unless you are going way off campus, in which case you can take the metro or a taxi.
Tips to Succeed
  • Don’t give yourself the excuse that just because in DC that you can go see the sites anytime; unless you’re proactive about getting out to see them, before you know it the year has passed and you haven’t seen anything.
  • Figure out whether attending lectures or doing the readings is more important for each class. It will help you prioritize your time.
  • Get an internship.
  • Get involved in student organizations. That’s where you’ll meet the most people, make the most connections, and learn the most useful life skills.
  • Keep updated on campus news by reading the Hatchet. You can’t complain about GW policies and procedures if you’re not informed.
  • Research your professors before choosing your classes.
  • Spend some time at the Gelman Library.
  • Stay active—the Health and Wellness Center is great; there are some fun one-credit exercise classes. Intramural and club sports are also a great way to get involved.
  • Stay for a summer at GW—you will have a lot of fun, plus there are great job opportunities available.
  • Work hard, but above all, enjoy yourself. This is the only time in your life when you’ll be away from home, taking classes, and living with people your own age, unless you go to grad school. Going away to college is a unique opportunity, so make the most of it.
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George Washington Student ReviewsWhat's This?

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Inside Scoop at George Washington University

laxgirl12

Economics '14

4.2
A-

Good School, Obviously Not Ivy

I was in the honors program and this provided high academic challenges. I basically had a 4.0 in highschool and took 7 AP classes, and I found many students with similar backgrounds that could have gone to higher ranked schools but came to GW because they loved it. There are tons of kids that are really smart but also like to have a vibrant social life in the DC bar scene, etc.

May 19, 2012

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Inside Scoop at George Washington University

mdissen

Accounting '13

5.0
A+

Great Opportunities, Fun

The best part about GW is the opportunities it provides to students outside of the classroom. EVERYONE has at least one internship, most people have multiple. There are always fun activities around DC and plenty to see and do.

Apr 23, 2012

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Inside Scoop at George Washington University

laurabkk

International Business '15

4.6
A

Business School Experience

The Business School offers a very interesting program filled with resources for all majors within the business world. From the beginning in freshman year, students are placed in courses that promote creativity and knowledge. The business school has many unique resources such as focused career coaches, recruiters from the real world that teach and help the students create a resume, cover letter, and whatnot. There are numerous programs within the business school that allow the students to find out what their strengths and weaknesses are and how to use them to benefit their experiences in college and in the future. For example, the Mintz Getaway for sophomores, a trip for sophomore students, promotes team-building activities and interaction between the students and the faculty. There is also the New York trekk, which allows students to interact with different alumni and corporations which may be helpful when trying to figure out what they want their career to be, or to just expand their network. There are also professional fraternities and other programs that offer numerous resources and events for the student to live in the business world and find out what is it they want to do with their lives and how to do it in the business world.

Feb 06, 2012

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User rating for George Washington University - Inside Scoop is 4.6 out of 5 based on 15 user reviews.

Facts

Traditions
  • Commencement on the National Mall: Unless there are severe weather conditions, GW students graduate on the National Mall in front of the Washington Monument every year. Ending your four years at GW at this prestigious spot is beautiful and memorable.
  • Late-night trips to the monuments: When it’s a quiet, warm night, students love hanging out at the monuments. Whether with a date (it’s a really romantic spot) or a group of friends, nothing compares to staring at the reflecting pool from the top steps of the Lincoln Memorial at 2 a.m.
  • Martha’s Marathon: Every February since 1966 the Residence Hall Association has raffled and auctioned off the best rooms on campus to raise money for the University scholarship fund.
  • Midnight Breakfast: Each fall and spring during finals, the University hosts a midnight breakfast at the Marvin Center. Students race to get in line for eggs, tater tots, muffins, and fruit. There are also games and activities throughout the Marvin Center to help students de-stress.
  • Spring Break: Whether partying on the beaches of Cancun or Mexico or backpacking around Europe, most GW students take advantage of spring break to get out of DC with their GW friends. There are several special student deals to places in and out of the country. The most popular spots are the Bahamas, Florida, Jamaica, and Mexico. Get ready for a week of drunken madness.
Urban Legends
  • Students cannot access the roof of Thurston Hall because Secret Service does not allow it, given its close proximity to the White House.
  • The construction of Funger Hall was funded by the Shah of Iran.”
  • Thurston Hall is said to be one of the most sexually active dorms in the country.
  • Touching the Hippo in front of Lisner Auditorium will apparantly bring you good luck.

Become a Contributing Author Learn more »

Most Recent Student Author View all

Name
David Glidden
Hometown
Fuquay-Varina, NC
Major
International Affairs (Spanish minor)

College Prowler is seeking talented student authors to assist with writing and updating the College Prowler guides to their schools. This is a great opportunity for a student to gain experience and tremendous exposure, utilize new media techniques, and share advice with high school students about what life is really like at your college.

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How do we get our information? Find out here or report an error here. The statistics on our site are from the National Center for Education Statistics IPEDS database.
We update this information twice annually, most recently in May 2012, but it may not be the most recent information available for a particular school.
For additional information we encourage you to visit school websites or contact the schools directly.