In Transition

To all incoming members of The George Washington University Class of 2016, congratulations! If you haven't already received notification, you should within the next few days. For more information, be sure to check out the Office of Undergraduate Admissions website.

For everybody reading, I wanted to write a brief note about the admissions experience.

Waiting for those college acceptance letters can be tough. I still remember how concerned I was during the college admissions process. From my perspective, four years later, the most important thing about the experience is to learn as much as you can from it.

Stoicism is noble; it also fulfills general curriculum requirements

Even if I hadn't realized that decision letters were going out, I might very well have ended writing on this topic: it turns out graduating from college brings some of the same excitement, and the some of the same stress, as one feels going in. Waiting to hear back from prospective employers about interviews isn't easy--nor is waiting to hear those graduate school acceptances. Even when you are admitted or hired, financial considerations can complicate matters further.

There's no easy answer for any of the challenges life throws at us. But the same things that make college applications competitive--hard work, an early start, and perseverance--can really make the difference going out as well.

Whether you're at GW or another institution, that admissions season feeling will keep cropping up. Just keep working hard, and everything will work out.

Adam
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Next Time: More on my job search. For admitted students, I'll also share my personal "Top Ten Reasons to Choose GW."

Congrats to the Class of 2016!!!

Hey guys! I am back again, FINALLY!

Before I tell you my excuse for being gone so long, I would like to first and foremost congratulate all of you who have been accepted to GW!!! Watch your mail boxes closely the next few days for the beautiful admissions packages we send out. Hands down, out of the 26 schools I applied to, GWU was a.) the beautifulest admissions package I received (and it wasn't my only one, I promise :) ) and b.) was my cheapest option out of those schools I was accepted to. Sit down, relax, talk with your parents and consider your options as the acceptance letters flood in. I know you will make the right decision and know that GW has truly changed my life.

Secondly, the reason I have been gone so long is because I have spent all my free time taking over our visit and tour guide programs. I have a co-coordinator (who you will meet very soon as she is also a new blogger), but in the mean time, feel free to reach out to me for all overnight and classroom visit requests at gwvisit@gwu.edu. As well, when you have a wonderful tour on either Foggy Bottom or Mount Vernon, be sure to thank that wonderful student volunteers I oversee. 

I can't wait to see many of you as we reach our busiest visit time here in April! Be sure to stop by the Welcome Center to say hi and again always, feel more than welcome to reach out to me at brmoore@gwmail.gwu.edu. Congrats again to all the new Colonials and know that GW is the land of your dreams!

Peace, Love and Hippos!

Brandon

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

Why GW is a real choice: Part Deux

Here's the second part of my paean to financial aid at GW. Let me know if you find it helpful or confusing, or if you have further questions I can answer as a student, at ash1290@gwmail.gwu.edu.


Overview of Financial Aid
Financial Aid at most private schools, GW included, consists of two portions: need-based and merit-based aid. For the most part, these are handled by two separate departments; here at GW, need-based aid is the province of the Office of Student Financial Assistance while merit-based aid is handled by the Office of Undergraduate Admissions.

Need-based Aid
This depends on a family's financial need as reflected in information from tax returns, the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, the CSS Profile and elsewhere.
For the most part, only U.S. Citizens (and maybe permanent residents, I'm not sure about that) are eligible, since funding comes from taxpayer dollars.
Need-based financial aid consists of some grants, primarily for low-income students and those from otherwise challenged backgrounds. However, many of those families who consider themselves middle class (the vast majority of Americans, if generations of introductory political science textbooks are to be believed) are likely eligible for some kind of merit aid.
One of the most common non-grant programs is the Subsidized Stafford Loan program, under which the student borrower is responsible for paying back only the principal, not the interest accrued, on loans up to a statutory maximum for annual borrowing.
Another kind of need-based award is the Federal Work-Study program. FWS students have an easier time finding jobs, since participating employers are granted a subsidy to support wage payments. This is most an option on-campus jobs, but some off campus employers also participate. Check out the Career Center website for more help.
My first job at GW was with the Office of Undergraduate Admissions, where my FWS award helped support me throughout my freshman and sophomore years. Working at Admissions was not only convenient, it was a lot of fun--definitely better than a grocery store or 7/11.

Merit-based Aid

All students are automatically considered for this when they apply. Unlike need-based aid, merit aid doesn't take a family's financial situation into account. Those students who are admitted with merit aid typically graduate with a fairly high rank within their graduating class, and are pretty competitive academically. This is just anecdotal, but I've found GW to be very generous with this kind of aid. That said, each incoming class here seems to be more academically competitive than the one before, so if you want merit aid, get good grades in high school!

Common Problems and Financial Aid Scares
I've either gone through these myself, or one of my friends has. Remember, I'm just a student and not a financial aid professional, so use these for illustrative purposes and not as a definitive guide to life (however tempting that might be).

1. I can't register for classes because of a financial hold! What do I do?
Go to Student Accounts and pay down your balance--you don't even need to pay the whole thing, so long as no more than $500.00 is outstanding by registration time.

2. My FWS award disappeared! Why?
If you don't use your FWS award, it will be canceled for the next semester/ academic year unless you explain the situation to the satisfaction of the Office of Student Financial Assistance.

3. My financial aid package isn't reflected on my billing statement! Have I been tricked?
Don't panic. This is typically because one of the following things relating to your student loans has happened:
--you haven't yet accepted your financial aid award (you can do this through the GWeb portal once you have an account, something only applicable to admitted students)
--your loans haven't yet been certified (this has to do with communication lag between GW and Sallie Mae, the only loan student service provider in the United States. It'll clear up by itself.)
--you may have made a mistake when looking at the bill (I've done this, easy when you're tired/stressed)

4. I thought you said tuition was only $40,000 per year. Why does my bill say $25,000 per semester?
There are also room and board costs involved (and no, you can't just sleep on one of the Marvin Center couches). Search for GW Housing Programs' latest rates to get a better idea of what you'll be paying in the end, and how best to deal with cost management.

5. My merit aid is gone?! What's going on here?
In most cases, merit aid is automatically renewed--as long as your GPA stays above a 3.0. Fall below that and merit aid may be canceled.

--
I hope you've found these posts helpful. When financial aid applications for 2011-2012 roll around in a few weeks, I will publish an update on this topic. In the meantime, if you doubt GW can work for you, ask me (ash1290@gwmail.gwu.edu) or any of the other bloggers--we're from diverse backgrounds but we've all made a GW education work for us.
 
Next Time: ジョージワシントン大学入学--学生ブログ：部活外伝 (GW Admissions Student Blog Side Story: Extracurricular Club Activities!)

Why GW is a real choice: Part I

So the end of February has come again, and the college applications are in. My younger brother just finished submitting his last month, and so this year's college competition is one I'm taking much more seriously. 

I want to address this post to all of the applicants out there who may like GW, like our programs, and believe that they can get a good education here, but may be dissuaded by the cost.

Dear Prospective GW Students,

As you'll hear from our world-class political science faculty sometime early in your freshman year, any rational decision maker--that is, anyone who uses logic to figure out the most efficient way to get what they want from any situation in life--takes both cost and benefit into account.

Most people looking at GW seriously have a pretty good idea of one half of that equation: the benefits. Especially for history, journalism, social science and international affairs, a GW education opens doors that few competitor schools can. This is increasingly true for science and math as well--President Knapp is invested in improving our institution's natural science research output, and the new faculty members and facilities slated for the next few years put GW on track to do just that...

...but you know all that. It's your perception of the other side of the cost-benefit equation--whether the seemingly high price tag of a GW education is worth it-- that I want to address.
First of all--let's get this out of the way--it's worth it.
Second, the cost isn't nearly as high as you probably think.

I graduated from a small high school in suburban New Jersey with a decent, but unspectacular, GPA (about 3.77, including weighted courses--without weighting it would be more like 3.2 or 3.3). I had good test scores and my grades had improved a lot since freshman year. I loved GW when I first visited in summer 2007, the academic programs were perfect for my interests and I really enjoyed my interview. (I like to think that in academic terms I have repaid the trust Admissions and Financial Aid put in my application--my GPA is higher now without weighting than it was at any point during high school.)

But I was still worried, back then, that I wouldn't be able to go to college where I wanted to because of financial concerns.

Long story short, coming here to GW turned out to be less expensive and more predictable in for my family's tight budget than attending my state universities. Here are a few reasons why:
-Due to generous grants, my base tuition rate is under half of GW's regular rate.
-Combine that with subsidized (no-interest) Stafford loans, and total cost of attendance (room and board too) is knocked down around 60%.
-GW's five-year fixed-tuition guarantee policy means that I knew from August 2008 what I would be paying until May 2012, when I will graduate. Any additional costs, like room and board, are also predictable well in advance, and a variety of housing options lets you keep those under control as well.

I've shared some personal details not because I'm awesome or exceptional, but because at GW I am unexceptional. This is just anecdotal evidence, but I think it's significant: in my five-and-a-half semesters here so far, I have personally known only one person who paid full tuition.

GW is a real choice. Do your financial homework and you can make it work for you. And if you think I or any of the other bloggers can help, don't hesitate to email us.

--Adam

Next time: I'll bring up some common financial-aid questions and challenges, along with GW resources that will help you out. For expert advice, email finaid@gwu.edu.

Questions, opinions, comments or protests? Let me know at ash1290@gwmail.gwu.edu.