SUNdeVICH

Last night, my culinary exploration of DC continued when my cousin and I cashed in our LivingSocial coupons for SUNdeVICH sandwich shop in Shaw (right off the Mt. Vernon Square metro stop, a bit northeast of Chinatown).

Sundevich was voted the best sandwich shop in DC by The Washington Post in an absolute LANDSLIDE.  So it was already on my radar.  Then, the coupon deal showed up in my inbox, and I just had to snag it!  So it was $10 for $20 worth of food, and obviously that meant I was getting 2 sandwiches.  One for dinner, one for lunch today; and I was NOT disappointed in either. 

For dinner last night, I had the Isfahan, which they describe as: “a soufflé of spinach, mushroom, walnuts, and barberry with feta.”  Sound intriguing and awesome?  Well, it was.  It was really interesting and just delicious, difficult to do justice to in a silly blog post.  I should be writing a poem.

Next I got the Capri, which was still fantastic leftover for lunch today!  This one was your basic mozzarella, pesto, tomato, and balsamic vinegar concoction you may find at many an Italian restaurant.  It was really good, though--nothing standard about these sandwiches.

I was particularly proud to represent my Italian and Iranian roots in my sandwich choices (the restaurant is owned by an Iranian-American, so that’s cool), and I didn’t waver from my newfound vegetarianism.  Double win!  Triple win if you factor in that it was half-price!

So yeah, SUNdeVICH is a definite return destination, especially since my buds and I plan on living in that neighborhood next year (but more on that later!)

Email with questions on anything!  Shireens@gwmail.gwu.edu

<3 Shireen

Food Trucks: Sauca, Take 3

Fairly recently, I happened upon Express Night Out ‘s “Best of Dining”, and I’ve been trying to cross items off the list.  I had already accomplished a few even before beginning the list, which was great, but I needed to explore more!  I mean, best food in my town?  I’m there!

One of the items, “best sandwich”, actually worked another of the culinary to-do lists I’m currently working on, DC food trucks being the 2^nd.  I’ve already visited the Sauca truck, but I like it a lot, so it was worth going a 3^rd time for their Pork Banh Mi—especially if it was rated best sandwich in DC! 

When I tried it, it was most certainly my favorite sandwich from Sauca, and one of the best things I’ve gotten from a food truck PERIOD.  And that’s a tall order to fill.  It was just good!  Just 100% good!  I’ve had it twice now, and I don’t like ordering the same thing twice when I’m trying to complete my food to-do lists!  I recently re-vegetarian-ed myself, so I won’t be eating it again for a good while, at least, but it was certainly worth my last meal before meatlessness.

So if you like really interesting and delicious fusion sandwiches, check out Sauca.  They get my triple recommendation—especially for the Pork Banh Mi!

Email shireens@gwmail.gwu.edu with questions about GW, DC, or food trucks!

<3 Shireen

Manouch, Part II

There is only one man who consistently keeps GW students coming back to campus after days, weeks, months, and even years away from their college days.  He is known quite simply as Manouch, and he opens his hot dog stand every Thursday to Saturday from about 10pm to 4am by the SMPA building (21^st and H).  This weekend, I chatted up a few alumni and plenty of fellow students while on line to get some of the best late-night food DC has to offer. 

Upon returning from a night out (or sometimes in the midst of a painful all-nighter at Gelman), students flock to Manouch’s cart to get some salty, smoky, cheesy, and all-around delicious fare.  He makes the absolute best hot dogs, half-smokes, and pretzels—all served up with nacho cheese, chili, or his famous GW Sauce: it’s a stewy concoction with herbs, potatoes, leeks, and possibly kidney beans? It’s actually a version of this Persian stew that I adore (Manouch himself is Persian, though he likes to be cryptic about his origins and life story).

More than the food, however, is the experience of Manouch.  He’s got the wit and charisma of a stand-up comedian, with the intelligence and plethora of experiences that one can only attribute to an esteemed academic.  He offers up advice on love, school, and friendships, whether you ask him or not, and he’s got some of the greatest one-liners.  One of the alum I spoke with on Saturday night (3 years out of GW and still coming back for Manouch!) told me that he once said to her, “Your face tells the story of a woman with many friends and suitors, but no time for homework.”  Another friend of mine had a lengthy conversation with him about time-space compression.

Simple perfection.  And thus goes another tribute to the man who has made my weekends at GW all the merrier.  I’ll likely post a third before I graduate, one to end the trilogy—and it will be packed with quotes.  Just you wait!  In the meantime, however, I implore all of you to pay a visit to the hot dog stand where everybody knows your name.

As always, email with questions! ShireenS@gwmail.gwu.edu

~~~Shireen

The Spring Swing of Things for Me

This semester is bound to be one of the busiest, but most exciting ones in store for me. I am working on switching majors (yes, AGAIN!) to the School of Media and Public Affairs to study Political Communication. I have never taken a single journalism class so it is tough starting at one of the best journalism schools in the country, but hey, I’m just learning from the best!

Come visit us this spring and summer
and we can't wait for our new students to walk through
these gates

As well, I am working with the Admissions Office and going through training for the VIP (Visitor Information Program) through the Admissions Office to stay here for the entire summer and give tours. As if that weren’t enough, I will be interning for an Austin-based consulting firm. Finally, this is the heat of basketball season and I am busy with Colonial Brass as we cheer on our men and women's team to post season play. It is bound to be a great summer and even more exciting summer as I hope to get to meet more of you since traditionally many of you, like me when I went through the process, view colleges during the summer.

To those of you who applied ED and are anxiously awaiting, hang in there! Decisions will be made soon and should be headed out in the middle of February. For others who applied Regular decision, take this time to breathe after putting in your application and hold on until the middle of March. I wish you the best of luck, be sure to put in your FAFSA (http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/) and CSS Profile (https://profileonline.collegeboard.com/prf/index.jsp)  with the Financial Aid Office, and as always reach out to the Admissions Office or me if you have any questions/concerns. We are always glad to help our perspective Colonials.

Peace, Love and Hippos,

Brandon Moore

brmoore@gwmail.gwu.edu

Food Trucks: Fojol Bros. of Benethiopia

So y’all may or may not know of my food truck experiment (I wanna try ‘em all!), and you also may or may not know that I already visited and loved the first Fojol Bros. truck.  Well, breaking news: I tried the 2^nd, and love it just as much (actually, maybe more?!!)

Express Night Out voted Fojol Bros. of Merlindia the 3^rd best Indian food in DC, which is quite an honor considering all the top-notch restaurants they were up against.  They opened up a new truck pretty recently that specializes in Ethiopian food, and it’s pretty exceptional.  I had the Shiro beef (like a few weeks ago, pre-vegetarianism!) and Berbere lentils served with injera, the spongey Ethiopian bread.  I really, really enjoyed it.  These guys are weird, wacky, and wild, but they make some delicious grub.

Basically, I’m ready to quit school and join the culinary circus that is the Fojol Bros.

(kidding.)

As per always, email with questions about GW or anything else! ShireenS@gwmail.gwu.edu

<3 Shireen

Beginning My Wrap-Up

Wait, graduation applications are due on Wednesday?!

I've known people who say college goes by in the blink of eye, but for me, that hasn't been the case at all. Each one of my years here at GW--the last of which is now more than halfway done--has been unforgettable and packed with great experiences, from the time I began Colonial Inauguration to today, shortly after returning from break for my final semester as an undergraduate.

That said, what about about after graduation? How has a GW education prepared me for a viable career?
What kind of resources does GW offer, and how far can they take you throughout your undergraduate years? All of these are questions I hope to answer for prospective students, who sit where I was four years ago.

Today I'll start with the first question: is my particular GW degree, a B.A. in International Affairs, marketable?

Notwithstanding the tough conditions out there right now, I think the answer is yes. International Affairs is a major with a good number of options; some students use the degree as a stepping-stone to graduate degrees while others jump directly into the job market.

To a greater degree than some other fields, International Affairs requires students to focus their energy on developing skills. This is in part because the program offers so many choices-- even within functional and regional concentrations--that it's easy to learn a little about a lot. In today's challenging job market, employers seem to be looking for just the right person to fill a given job, so it's worthwhile to develop a focused set of skills.

It's early in my job search, but I'll keep readers apprised throughout the semester on how it's going to provide a realistic look. I tailored my class schedule over several years to give me some good background knowledge of East Asian politics and conventional military developments. In the process, I've learned some valuable research and writing skills that have opened up a number of opportunities already.






Now if you'll excuse me, I have some applications to fill out.

Adam

--
Next Time: Making the most of GW's career resources.
Questions? Comments? Send them to me at ash1290@gwmail.gwu.edu.

Intriguing Classes

Hello all! So I finally have my class schedule figured out and finalized for this semester. And in my opinion, it looks pretty awesome. This is what I'll be learning for the next 3.5 months:

Techniques of Data Analysis: This class is the 2nd portion of the Social Research Methods course that I took last semester and is required for my Criminal Justice major. Last semester was all about the theories and overarching principles involved in social research, while this semester relies much more heavily on statistics, or the mathematical data retrieved from research.

Intro to Forensic Sciences: I am very excited for this class that counts towards Criminal Justice. It is all about how science relates to criminal justice and soling crimes. According to the syllabus, we are covering topics such as the “analysis of drugs, forensic toxicology, forensic pathology, forms of trace evidence, identification of biological fluids, and personal identification.” We also have to write a term paper comparing two methods that perform the same function, such as identification tests. I foresee myself looking forward to this class every week.

Psychology Research Methods: This is the Psychology equivalent to the Social Research Methods class from last semester and counts towards my Psychology major (I just recently decided to change my Psychology minor into a major, causing me to double major in Criminal Justice and Psychology). It will discuss issues such as research directions, data collection techniques, and ethical issues from a psycholgist's perspectives.

Federal Criminal Justice Systems: This is the other class this semester that I am really excited to take. I have taken a class with the same professor previously (last year I took Criminology with him) and learned a lot. This also counts towards my Criminal Justice requirements and will cover topics such as policy making in the criminal justice system and the role of law enforcement. It should be interesting as we have to visit the U.S. District Court here in D.C. and write a term paper about the experience.

Hope you are all enjoying the beginning of the semester and are back in the swing of classes again after break!

Feel free to email me with any questions: cbgraf@gwmail.gwu.edu

-Christie

Adjusting back to the everyday grind

Hi everyone!

After being at home working for the summer and then studying abroad for a semester, I realized that it's been far too long since I took a GW class or really studied.....

Before you start thinking study abroad is a piece of cake, let me explain. My program really focused on out-of-classroom learning, or experimental learning as they like to say. My program focused on public health, so we heard speakers from different branches of organizations (governmental and non-governmental), we visited HIV/AIDS clinics and mental health clinics, and wrote a 30 page independent research project... all in Spanish.

So, returning to DC and starting up again with 5 classes was a shock. After involving myself 100% in topics I am super interested and passionate about, I am now back to some of the requirements in the Elliott School that I have put off for awhile. While I am surprisingly enjoying some of the classes that I thought would be tedious, it is still hard to sift through several 20 page readings for one night of one class.

I'll detail my schedule for you all soon, but classes, an internship, student orgs, and volunteering catches up with me! Once I fall back into my routine, I'll have more time for blogging... and hopefully do some fun things around DC to tell you all about :)

I'm headed to New Jersey this weekend to a bat mitzvah.. this will be my first time in Jersey. I think I may have to watch a little "Jersey Shore" to prepare myself? Too bad I won't be on the beach :)

As always, email me with questions! marisaw@gwmail.gwu.edu
- Marisa

The Rundown of my Fall Semester Classes (Reviews)

Hello! I hope all of you had a wonderful break and holiday season! I enjoyed mine very much; I spent my time with my family and friends and worked at my old summer job to keep busy. I was a tad disappointed though that during the few weeks that I was home in Wisconsin, there were no snow storms. However, the day that my sister and I flew to Florida for the last 5 days of break, there was a snowstorm at home which resulted in at least 4 inches. And even right this very minute, there’s a snowstorm at my house. But, of course, not while I was home. Oh well.

Anyway, I meant to post this last week, but I unfortunately did not have internet access while I was in Florida. Overall, last semester’s classes went very well (not to brag, but I was extremely excited to learn that I earned a 4.0!) and I ended up liking every single class I took. Of course, some classes were more engaging than others, but there wasn’t one class that I dreaded going to every week, which was a definite plus.

Executive Branch Politics: This class was always very interesting and relevant since we constantly were discussing events and policies that are either affecting the country today or a major part of its history. It was extremely discussion based and was never just a lecture class. I also loved the professor, but unfortunately he is not teaching this semester.

Social Research Methods: This focused on research and experimental designs in the social sciences. Topics such as ethical issues and methods of sampling populations were covered along with many other research concerns. As predicted at the beginning of the semester, this was the most boring out of my classes, but that’s not saying much because it wasn’t too boring. The examples of research topics that have been studied in the past were fascinating (we looked into the Stanley Milgram pain experiment and the Philip Zimbardo prison experiment as they relate to ethical concerns).

Theories of Personality: This class will be particularly memorable since my professor was constantly using examples of personalities, such as Mr. T, and other contemporary celebrities. We covered 7 different personality theorists, for instance Adler, Freud, Jung, and Allport, and their corresponding theories on personality (which includes what they believe motivates people and how it affects their behaviors and personality).

Calligraphy: I was quite shocked at my progress in this class. I started off creating characters that were quite awful and very clearly done by someone who had never done it before, and by the end, while I am obviously not a pro at it, I got a great deal better. Even though this class was 2.5 hours long, it was quite interesting to learn about how calligraphy is not just considered a form of writing in Asia, but an art form. Here is a picture of my work on the first day of class and of my final exam project:

first day of class

my final exam project

Social Psychology: As I predicted in an earlier post, this was my favorite class of the semester, despite the fact that I missed this class the most due to volleyball conflicts (was a Wednesday and Friday class and we traveled a great deal). There were some topics that overlapped with my other psychology class, but thankfully not too much, so it wasn’t redundant. Probably my favorite part of this class was writing a paper (yes, I enjoyed writing a paper) about all of the different social psychological aspects present in the movie Shrek (2001), such as conformity, prejudice, and confirmation bias.

Once I have my classes finalized for this new semester, I’ll let you know what I’m taking!

Feel free to email me with any questions! cbgraf@gwmail.gwu.edu

Winter Break

My winter break is winding to an end. The part that I spent at home, at least. Like Brandon, I decided to come back to school early to help out with all of your applications for the coming freshman class! I am really excited to start work tomorrow and get back into having a daily schedule instead of just watching tv and hanging out at home.. I'm guilty of both of those things.

I also have a few other things that brought me back to DC so early! While most GW students are still hanging out at home for the next two weeks, I'm also going to start volunteering as an ESL teacher for a really awesome organization in DC and start an internship I just got. The first event that I have to attend for my internship is at the Newseum.. hopefully it is really cool.

the Newseum

Talk to you all soon! Email admissions questions to me! marisaw@gmail.gwu.edu
- Marisa

Celebrating 2012 in DC!!!

Good luck in a bowl for one :)

So, I'm probably on of the earliest students to get back on campus. Although classes do not resume until January 17th, I returned on December 30th for a multitude of reasons. Originally, I was going to go see the ball drop with a friend in NYC, but that feel through right before coming back. But you know what...no big deal!!!! There is always next year and anyways, there were plenty of things to in DC. On New Years Eve I went out to Alexandria to catch some of their First Night festivities, but came back before midnight to watch Lady Gaga and the ball drop. You will see on the side that I went to the Foggy Bottom Whole Foods and picked up their last 2 ounces of black eyed peas to cook for myself.

Despite campus being a bit dead because most students are back home, I got to go to three basketball games and witnessed the Colonials get back on track with a decisive defeat of Delaware State University and the Lady Colonials go toe to toe with the #11 Rutgers University Scarlet Knights and then defeat cross town rival American University. I was a very happy Colonial and look forward to further success as both teams head into their Atlantic 10 conference stretches.

On a final note, the reason I came back early is to help in the Admissions Office and process the applications hopefully many of you will be sending to us in the next two weeks before the January 10th deadline for both Early Decision II (ED II) and Regular Decision. Please oh please feel free to call us with any questions or concerns because we are here to help you and get everything clarified before the deadline so you can be reviewed for the stellar student you are.

Make a great decision to start of 2012
and apply to GW using Common App or
the GW Application

I hope you have a had a phenomenal Winter holiday season and wish you a happy, safe and prosperous 2012 and for many of you, I hope you make the right decision by sending us your application and then choosing to attend GW. As always, email me with any questions about anything under the sun and I will get back to you soon :)

Peace, Love and Hippos,

Brandon Moore
brmoore@gwmail.gwu.edu