George Washington University is conveniently located in the heart of Washington, DC. Though it’s not primarily seen as a college town, the District appeals to the college kid who wants it all. The compact Foggy Bottom campus is bordered by Pennsylvania Avenue, 19th Street, E Street, and Virginia Avenue. The city offers a smorgasbord of experiences for eager college students; from internships and job opportunities to rubbing shoulders with national influencers, GW is a networker’s playground. Students love being a part of the District’s social action. DC offers endless culinary, retail, entertainment, and nightlife options and the Metro system provides an efficient and cheap way to explore the nation’s capitol. A favorite (and especially classy) pastime of GW students is boozing before embarking on group monument tours. When they say GW is in the middle of Washington DC, they’re not kidding. The campus is within walking distance of the White House, the National Mall, the Washington Monument, Georgetown, and dozens of museums. The city and surrounding area are Metro-accessible. American University, Georgetown University, and Catholic University are a few metro stops away.

Located in the center of DC, GW’s main “Foggy Bottom” campus has an urban feel that stands in contrast to traditional college campuses. The 18 city blocks that make up the campus are tagged with bronze bust statues, parks and plazas, and are distinguished from the rest of downtown DC by iron gateways. The Mid-Campus Quad is the hub of campus; with its open lawns and benches, it’s the perfect place to take a break from studying in the adjacent library or student union. University Yard is the other open quad just east of the Mid-Campus Quad that provides an airy hangout amidst bustling academic buildings. Mount Vernon (aka “The Vern”) is GW’s secondary campus. Also located in DC, students can opt to live in this more suburban area and take advantage of the athletic fields and recreational facilities without being too far from the main campus. A 24-hour shuttle provides constant transportation between the two areas.

George Washington has some pretty fabulous dorms. Many of them have been converted from hotels and apartment buildings and almost all are conveniently located on or very close to campus. They can range from singles to six-person suites, and the majority of the student body lives in one of the 29 dormitories. Thurston Hall is the most notorious dorm at GW. It houses over 1000 freshman in doubles, quads, and rooms for six. Some people get lucky and have only three people in their quads or five in their sixes, but overall the living space is pretty cramped. This party dorm provides the quintessential freshman college experience. It’s crowded, loud, and at times, smelly. There are no kitchens available. The location is a bit inconvenient because it is at the corner of campus. Some people find Thurston to be too much to handle, but it guarantees entertainment and a great social life. Crawford, Lafayette, and Madison are smaller, quieter freshman dorms. They are all near the center of campus. Madison is made up of doubles and suites with four people sharing a bathroom and kitchen. This dorm probably has the largest rooms and the kitchens are very convenient. Lafayette also has four-person suites, doubles, and triples. Crawford has singles, doubles, and quads. These smaller dorms are not as conducive to meeting people as Thurston, but many freshmen find them to be less overwhelming. Merriweather, Hensley, Cole, and Clark are the freshman dorms on Mount Vernon. These dorms are extremely small, and the residents become extremely close. This type of dorm is perfect for students who chose to live on Mount Vernon to experience the typical campus feel.

The most popular athletic programs are the men’s and women’s basketball teams. The GWU Colonials are NCAA Division I and also compete in the Atlantic 10 Conference. In 2004, the men’s basketball team topped the Atlantic 10 West Division and went on to win the Atlantic 10 Tournament.