What You Make Of it!

Introduction
I chose GW because it was gaaaay (Ed. note: we assume he means accepting of all orientations) and my mother approved because it has a large Jewish population. Coming from the Northwest, I would say it was a bit of a culture shock...but now that I've gotten used to the atmosphere I NEVER want to go back. This is a largely pre-professional school and there is a heavy emphasis on internships, but I feel like just about any student can find his/her place in the campus social scene. Coming from a "dirty hippie" city like Seattle, I can say that the kind of "stick it to the man" college activism is sorely lacking here, but the people I have met at Student Global AIDS Campaign have been amazing and awe-inspiring individuals.

Campus Life and Social Life
Honestly, the social life here is incredible. I have made so many friends with very diverse life backgrounds. I'm not even going to mention that there is a large rich kid scene because you probably already know that. Yes, it exists...but you by no means have to be a part of it. On weekends, I have gone to jazz clubs on K Street, lobbied for AIDS legislation on Capitol Hill, gone to gay clubs (where I've found some date-able young gentlemen!), rocked out at indie-rock clubs like The Black Cat and 930 Club, and, of course, partied it up in Freshman dorms like Thurston and HOVA. I have friends from Jamaica, London, Haiti, Manhattan, Miami. All over the map. And everyone seems to get along quite well. D.C. is an incredible city. This morning, my teacher was sick so a friend and I went down to the Smithsonians and wandered around. Advertisement
Academics
First semester was amazing. I should preface this: I come from a shitty Public School where no one really cared about learning except the AP Newspaper geeks (of which I was one)...so obviously, I was impressed by the academics here. Anthropology classes were incredible, as was my writing class on Culture and Memory. Classes fill up quickly, so it's essential that you log in at the right time which is QUITE annoying. However, switching out of crap classes is easy, so theres no excuse for staying in a class you don't like. I've realized that the Journalism School is geared towards the business/political side of things, so I think I'm going to try to switch into the Elliot School to major in International Development to actually do something that helps people. I've also heard good things about the History Dept., Anthro Dept., Psychology Dept. and of course any dept. that has anything to do with International Affairs.

Student Body
As I've said before, the students vary at GW. The typical student is from the East Coast, has money and is ambitious in whatever field he or she is are trying to pursue. This means often juggling internships with plays, sports and partying. I live in a special "Living and Learning Community" called "Project G Street" where we all make a movie together. It was a good idea, but so far hasn't gone too far. Nonetheless, everyone goes out of their way to include one another and it is a very accepting atmosphere. Being gay is really not a big deal here because a good 20% of the boys here are gay, I would say. This really helps out the straight guys as many girls here are desperate for some lovin'.

In Closing...
GW is a vibrant, exciting school with a lot of opportunities if you can afford the steep tuition. The trick is to learn how to sign up for the right classes (some of which are incredible), meet the right people and get involved with the right activities. It's really not that hard to have an amazing freshman year here...I know because I am having the time of my life.