George Washington University Law School

I am a law school grad from GWU, so this applies only to their law school.
Other than perhaps the top ten law schools in the nation, I believe that it is important to select a law school in a region of the country in which you plan to get your first job. GW Law's reputation is extremely good in the DC metro area and up and down the Mid-Atlantic, and I credit it with definitely helping me get my first job out of law school. However, when I have travelled to other parts of the country with my work, people know less and less about the school. This is worth keeping in mind if you, say, want to practice in Los Angeles but are thinking of attending GW Law. As a Federal employee, I also have found that many agencies have a very high opinion of GW Law.

Alumnus Male -- Class 2000

Starting Job: Federal trial attorney; Preparedness: A Reputation: A

I attended GW, transferred out for two years, and then transferred back for my senior year.
As a freshman, I was immature and whiny. Coming from a poor family, I complained every day about the rich people at GW, the Prada bags, the New Jersey people, etc. I complained that there was no campus, that DC was boring, and that my professors graded too harshly.

To those of you complaining: you really need to visit or attend another school for a semester! I attended two universities in my time away from GW, searching for that perfect dream school with the beautiful campus and brilliant students.

Both schools I attended were ranked much higher than GW, but the education I received did not come CLOSE to GW's standards.

As an underclassmen, I complained about GW's student body. I met a few bad apples, dated a few jerks I never want to see again, and decided that the entire student body was like that. It took me a while to realize that you will never meet a group of people who are as enthusiastic, passionate, caring, and interesting as the people you have met / will meet here.

The money is still prevalent on campus -- it's the same way at pretty much every private school. There are the rich kids, and the poor kids who take out a ton of loans to pretend to be rich, etc. It's not unique to GW, nor does it define the students or university.

The opportunities here are endless. You will not get them at your local state school (unless it happens to be Maryland or something). I'm not saying it's worth the 50K to attend here, but a GW education is definitely not = to a "local community college's" as some of you have said.

Finally, if you think that our facilities are lackluster, or that the campus is "ugly," you really need to get out more because the two "top" schools I attended had beautiful campuses on the OUTSIDE, but the inside were shitty and old and equal to maybe my middle school's facilities.

3rd Year Female -- Class 2006

Starting Job: Federal trial attorney; Preparedness: A Reputation: A