Sept. 8, 2004

GW Is Red-Hot This Fall

University Selected as the Hottest School for Political Junkies By Kaplan/Newsweek

The 2005 Kaplan/Newsweek “How to Get into College” guide named The George Washington University to its “Hottest Schools” list for the second time in three years. The annual college guide picked GW as the hottest university in the nation for “political junkies.” GW is commended for its blend of academics and politics in the classroom and throughout campus, as well as for its fixed tuition program.

“There aren’t many universities that hosted John Kerry, Tom Ridge, foreign diplomats, US ambassadors and government officials for speeches and campus programs in a single academic year,” said GW President Stephen Joel Trachtenberg. “However, at GW students expect and receive attention from those in the global political arena.”

The magazine, which hit the newsstands Aug. 16, cited the University’s proximity to the White House, the State Department and the World Bank, as well as large number of political professionals in the classroom as reason for the high praise. Kaplan/Newsweek also lauded GW for attributes such as professors who engage in political consulting; internships with government agencies, non-profits and policy and advocacy groups; the many guest speakers in government and international affairs; study abroad programs; as well as Crossfire, which is produced daily on GW’s campus, and the University’s sponsorship of the 2004 Battleground Poll. GW has nearly limitless opportunities for those interested in politics and a real-life laboratory setting.

In addition to its political science, public affairs and international affairs programs, GW is a “hot school” in general. The University received a record 20,000 applications for the 2004–05 academic year and welcomed nearly 2,600 freshmen making the class of 2008 among GW’s most competitive in admissions.

GW also moved up the rankings of other elite college guide books. Barron’s Profiles of American Colleges 2005 tabbed GW as “Most Competitive,” the magazine’s highest ranking.

US News & World Report ranked GW 52 among the top universities in the nation, and rated GW’s School of Business 48th in the “Best Undergraduate Business Programs” category and 16th among undergraduate business programs specializing in international business.

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