The Verdict
After countless months, days, hours and minutes thinking about what school I will attend this fall- I have come to a verdict.
First of all, I want to thank everyone who put their input about where I should attend, and not only that but you all gave me support and encouragement throughout the year because this year was by far the worst year I have ever experienced in my life and I couldn't have gone through it without any of you (and of course my family). So thank you. Secondly, I want to say that I put much thought and effort, so I could look at this as thoroughly and at every single god damn angle so in the end I know that my decision would be a very good one. I got into contact with a lot of people out in the "real world" who gave me all their "professional" input which I truly am grateful for now. What didn't hit me until this past week was the reality that I need to be in Washington DC. The University of Washington is a very well recognized public school, however if I would have gone - I would have needed to move to Washington DC in the end to look for a job or attend graduate school there. There is also a lack of internship opportunities and the internships available would be extremely competitive if I stayed here in Seattle. So for me, it made sense to attend a school in DC now. That way I could get an internship with the Congressman I met who promised me an internship job (yes, I do realize he is a politician...so that might not go through), and move on to do another internship with a Senator for next year, and so on. This way I can get very appealing letters of recommendation for when I decide to attend Graduate School, and also find a job easily and quickly after graduating from undergraduate school which I plan to do. So the two schools that were left was American University of George Washington University.
For the past year, GWU has been my dream school to attend because it is right smack in downtown DC, many politicians admire it, the professors are extremely talented and it has a name and reputation. However, what I recently realized was that I cannot afford it unless I want to go into a huge amount of debt. If that was the case, I'd need to take out loans and I calculated that even if I got a decent job after graduation more than half of my income would go towards paying my loans leaving a ridiculously small amount for me to live with in a very expensive city. And unfortunately, GWU also has a lot of problems with the Administration and many students feel that it isn't really a school but a business. A lot of the students who attend GWU are extremely rich, and cliquish and I felt that this sort of atmosphere isn't one I want to experience, especially after dealing with a lot of crap at Gonzaga University. I want to go to a school that has some sense of community, acceptance, international lifestyle, security and overall an enjoyable atmosphere- and that's what I found at American University. I realize it isn't the most highly rated school, or the prettiest but for me it is the best and safest fit. It isn't a Harvard or Stanford but I know that I will make the best of it, and do everything I can to make the students from Harvard seem like 2nd graders by the time I graduate. I know I'm going to kick ass and do everything I can to stick out and land a superb job upon graduation. And later go to Harvard and attend the John F. Kennedy School of Government or maybe even Yale Law School! Then eventually land my dream job- as the Secretary of State for the President of the fucking United States of America! And I have a strong feeling and know that American University will help me become professionally, and personally prepared to succeed and kick some major ass.
So my final verdict is- American University. Thank you.
First of all, I want to thank everyone who put their input about where I should attend, and not only that but you all gave me support and encouragement throughout the year because this year was by far the worst year I have ever experienced in my life and I couldn't have gone through it without any of you (and of course my family). So thank you. Secondly, I want to say that I put much thought and effort, so I could look at this as thoroughly and at every single god damn angle so in the end I know that my decision would be a very good one. I got into contact with a lot of people out in the "real world" who gave me all their "professional" input which I truly am grateful for now. What didn't hit me until this past week was the reality that I need to be in Washington DC. The University of Washington is a very well recognized public school, however if I would have gone - I would have needed to move to Washington DC in the end to look for a job or attend graduate school there. There is also a lack of internship opportunities and the internships available would be extremely competitive if I stayed here in Seattle. So for me, it made sense to attend a school in DC now. That way I could get an internship with the Congressman I met who promised me an internship job (yes, I do realize he is a politician...so that might not go through), and move on to do another internship with a Senator for next year, and so on. This way I can get very appealing letters of recommendation for when I decide to attend Graduate School, and also find a job easily and quickly after graduating from undergraduate school which I plan to do. So the two schools that were left was American University of George Washington University.
For the past year, GWU has been my dream school to attend because it is right smack in downtown DC, many politicians admire it, the professors are extremely talented and it has a name and reputation. However, what I recently realized was that I cannot afford it unless I want to go into a huge amount of debt. If that was the case, I'd need to take out loans and I calculated that even if I got a decent job after graduation more than half of my income would go towards paying my loans leaving a ridiculously small amount for me to live with in a very expensive city. And unfortunately, GWU also has a lot of problems with the Administration and many students feel that it isn't really a school but a business. A lot of the students who attend GWU are extremely rich, and cliquish and I felt that this sort of atmosphere isn't one I want to experience, especially after dealing with a lot of crap at Gonzaga University. I want to go to a school that has some sense of community, acceptance, international lifestyle, security and overall an enjoyable atmosphere- and that's what I found at American University. I realize it isn't the most highly rated school, or the prettiest but for me it is the best and safest fit. It isn't a Harvard or Stanford but I know that I will make the best of it, and do everything I can to make the students from Harvard seem like 2nd graders by the time I graduate. I know I'm going to kick ass and do everything I can to stick out and land a superb job upon graduation. And later go to Harvard and attend the John F. Kennedy School of Government or maybe even Yale Law School! Then eventually land my dream job- as the Secretary of State for the President of the fucking United States of America! And I have a strong feeling and know that American University will help me become professionally, and personally prepared to succeed and kick some major ass.
So my final verdict is- American University. Thank you.