I recently visited George Washington University in Washington D.C., where I toured campus and spoke with the admissions office about the latest trends in admissions. Here are some takeaways from my visit:

· George Washington University is a mid-sized private university of around 11,000 undergrads located right in the nation’s capital, only five minutes from the White House.

· At GWU, much like NYU, the city is the campus. The green Mid-Campus Quad, however, provides a small sense of seclusion from the hustle of the city that pervades the rest of the campus. Freshmen can also opt to live on the more traditional Mount Vernon campus (“The Vern”), which is served by a bus connecting it to the downtown campus.

· Students at GWU take advantage of the school’s prime location to secure internships (nearly three-quarters intern), which can be completed during the semester for academic credit. The career center brings first-year students in to learn about their resources through a partnership with the first-year writing program. One-third of alumni live in DC, so GWU can be a great choice for students interested in building career connections in the city.

· Classes run small: 71% are under 30 students, with the average class running 29 students. The largest lectures reach up to 150-200 students.

· GWU is well known for its School of International Affairs, a top program in its field that is located directly across the street from the State Department and offers over 20 concentrations to choose from.

· For those looking to spend extensive time abroad, GWU offers a global bachelor’s program where you spend three semesters of study abroad on at least two different continents, as well as the ACE Cohort Program that takes international business students to Italy and Beijing for one year each.

· The arts are not neglected at GWU: there are multiple theater and music productions throughout the year (students don’t need to be a major to join), and multiple arts degrees are offered in the form of BAs and BFAs. Student performances are popular on-campus events, although students also explore DC together in their free time. While there is no football, sports are D1.

· Unsurprisingly, students here are very interested in politics, and the university houses the largest College Democrat, College Republican and Independent student groups of any college.