Washington DC Part II

All righty, so now comes the second part of my trip to DC. Right away I can tell you that it wasn’t nearly as exciting as the first part. Sorry for the spoiler, but I promise this; it was pretty funny! After going to Georgetown, I had a feeling I would be underwhelmed by the other campuses I saw (I was right).

Mom and I went shopping in Georgetown, did some sightseeing on the National Mall, saw South Pacific at the Kennedy Center, and then walked around George Washington University.

 Now for those of you not familiar, GW is a very urban school, similar to NYU. The university buildings looked fine, the dorms too, but I couldn’t help but think “why is this place so attractive to people?” A year at GW costs $42,905, not to mention the extra costs of living in an expensive city. According to a study in 2009, GW graduate with an average of $31,300 in debt; that’s ridiculous!  Money is one my biggest concerns when deciding on college, and while I see the draw to city living in college, how would I ever pay that much back?! I didn’t get to talk to any school reps and only one student (who only talked about his massive debt- the poor bastard) so maybe I’m overlooking something, but, truly, I can’t let myself be sucked in without an amazing financial aid package.

Final stop: American University. This was where shit got interesting.

We went to the Arts Center, where we were COMMANDED by the stoplight to “WAIT!” and finally found our way to a meeting with an admissions officer, including Madre and I with two other “family units” of moms and two guys. Let’s call them Beevis and Butthead.

Beevis was really interested in American. He snagged all the brochures. He asked thoughtful questions. He giggled with anticipation when he thought I couldn’t hear.

Butthead, on the other hand, was an ass like you read about. He pissed and moaned. He was completely silent in the meeting, picking his nose and facing away from the admissions officer. AND HIS MOM WAS ASKING QUESTIONS AFTER EVERY OTHER SENTENCE! This kid obviously could not care less, and she obviously was going to be writing all of his applications for him. Do you know a Butthead? I have a sinking feeling that these are much more common than anyone wants.

After the meeting, we walked around campus. The buildings at American are all concrete, and while the newer ones look pretty cool, the dorms and older ones just looked “meh.” Mom absolutely hated it, but I think it’s something I could deal with. And for the record, the guidebooks have it wrong; American is near Embassy Row and the VP’s house. It is by no means in the heart of the city, which is why they have free busses to the Metro station (which, also for the record, have the longest, creakiest escalators, going down a dark tunnel that makes you feel like you’re descending into hell!).

Unfortunately, AU had already gone through finals and the students were all gone. I might go onto some online forums to hear what people actually have to say about American.

ACTUAL USE OF BLOG! WHOAAAA! Washington DC Part I: Georgetown University

oh.

hey.

this is awkward.

Ah well. I'm just going to go with it. Due to major technological issues in the past few months, I have ignored my blogging duties. But no more! I will now try to post once a week, cross my heart!

So about a month back, in December, I went to visit some of my top pick schools in my favorite city; Washington DC! My future career will hopefully include politics, international affairs, and education, Washington is definitely the place to go. I went there before when I was eleven, and it's one of the craziest cities in the country, but OH MY GOD is it fun.

Our cabbie was probably just taking us on the scenic route, but when we pulled out of the airport at seven o'clock at night in a freak snowstorm, the city was mute and cleanly coated in snow. We cruised by the Lincoln Memorial, illuminated and incandescent against the black sky; I couldn't stop grinning. I'm not exactly the "celestial will" type, but this felt as though the city was trying to seduce me. It worked, too.

First stop: Georgetown, my ideal school. 

In our usual form, Mom and I showed up late to the informational seminar because we were chatting with possibly the coolest girl I have ever met walking up campus. She said she was from New York, studying international economics at the Walsh School of Foreign Service (my goal), and she was the complete antithesis of all the bad things I have heard about Georgetown. She had cornrows, a nose piercing, and seemed so cool and down to earth. After hearing so many complaints about the uber preppy Hoyas, she was the best possible person to meet on my first visit- wish I caught her name though! The seminar was all pretty standard; statistics, pictures of grinning students on foreign exchange, and famous alumni mentions (including my hero, Madeleine Albright). Then it was time for the tour.

As the college-bound kid's Bible, Fiske Guide to Colleges 2010, describes it, "from its scenic location just blocks from the Potomac River, Georgetown affords its students an excellent vantage point from which to survey the world"(Fiske 259). (And yes, I did just use a citation. My English teacher must be so proud.) I'm going to gloss over the tour, but basically Georgetown is full of really interesting and involved people, though the uber preppy vibe is no joke. 

The town itself looks like Santa's Village, with bright paint colors and brick sidewalks, but overall the town seems a little self-contained. That cool girl I met walking in? When I asked her about this, she said some people would never leave campus if they didn't have to. But there's a large enough contingent of people who DO appreciate the city that there's always something to do.

So those are my first impressions- we'll see if I can get in! Part II coming soon, featuring the other two (well, 1.5) colleges I visited, and some pictures actually taken by yours truly (sorry, but this was pre-Christmas, so I didn't have my new Canon yet.)

Peace, Love, and Happiness in all your college endeavors!

Em