Hope everyone had a good break and a chance to prepare for the rest of the school year. There are just a couple of days before the general application period ends and I hope that anyone who knows for certain that they want to apply for early decision II does so. It is a great opportunity to be in a somewhat less competitive pool and get early notification of acceptance. Believe me, the early notification will take off weeks of stress.
My name is Paul Waters and I am a junior double majoring in political communication and international affairs. I plan to go to law school directly after college and I hope to practice international human rights law. I have an internship with the Department of the Interior and I am studying to take the LSATs in June (more on that later).
This semester I am living in the Focus on Fall Study Abroad housing in Philip Amsterdam Hall. Last semester I traveled abroad in Costa Rica studying sustainable human development through the International Center for Development Studies (ICDS, http://www.icds.ac.cr/) and GW Latin America.
I spent six months in Costa Rica lasting from June to December. During the summer, I spent five weeks with ICDS in an intensive language Spanish course that was free due to my participation in GW Latin America. I am also in the Focus on Fall Study Abroad community, which entails a small scholarship and guaranteed housing for the spring semester.
Ask questions!!!
Paul Waters
More Links:
Focus on Fall Study Abroad
http://www.gwu.edu/learn/internationalprograms/studyabroad/focusonfallabroad
GW Latin America
http://www.studyabroad.gwu.edu/index.cfm?FuseAction=Programs.ViewProgram&Program_ID=06067A764F00717000750570071F04010D0F1B010E08066B7200737376067102757077737B707173&Type=O&sType=O
Do study abroad credits count towards graduation?
ReplyDeleteI am applying to GW's Elliot, possibly Early Decision II, and am also interested in majoring in International Affairs, with international human rights law in mind. I have already applied to other university's in D.C. and I was just wondering if you feel that GW is the best for studying international development?
ReplyDeleteI think that GW has a great International Program through the Elliot School. There is not an international development major at GW, but it is one of the most popular concentrations. I also know one girl who created her own major focusing on human rights. Additionally there are many on and off campus organizations where you can gain knowledge and experience on the subject. For example, the International Affairs society is the largest non-political student group on campus and much of their work focuses on development issues. I also have had an internship working at the Peace Corps, which gave me a hands-on feel to the subject.
ReplyDeleteAlso, the study abroad credits do count towards graduation and major/minor requirements, but they usually are not added into GPA.
ReplyDeletePaul is right, unless you do an all GW program. We have GW study centers in Madrid, Paris, Rome, London, and Buenos Aries. Those courses would transfer over directly and would factor into your GPA, but for courses from non-GW study centers you would just receive credits, which would not impact your GPA.
ReplyDeleteHi Paul, I was wondering if there are specific programs focusing on sustainability at George Washington? I am applying regular decision and I probably want to major in environmental studies with an emphasis on policy and the legislative aspect. I am also really interested in human rights and sustainable living so I'm wondering if you think I will be able to incorporate everything into my studies at George Washington?
ReplyDeleteHey Paul,
ReplyDeleteI just sent in my application to ICDS to do their Spanish for Development Studies over the summer. I was wondering if you could give any advice about the program and your general impressions of ICDS? I'm a little concerned because my Spanish skills are not exactly the best, were you a relatively strong Spanish speaker before you went and do you think I would struggle with the course work?
Hey Paul,
ReplyDeleteMy name is Paul too. I wanted to know if you could inform us about your admissions process. As an Black male from Philadelphia, I also wanted to know how your experience at GW has been. I would like to enroll in the B.A/M.A Program (Political Science/Public Policy). Do you have any advice for me?