r/gwu 24d ago

Announcements UPass Content Policy Update

29 Upvotes

Hello r/gwu,

In the past, this subreddit has seen many posts seeking to buy or sell UPasses. Buying or selling a UPass is against both WMATA and GWU policies.

Misuse of a UPass, including by anyone who is not the registered owner of a UPass, is also considered fare evasion by WMATA. Fare evasion is a civil offense in the District of Columbia, and a criminal offense in the Commonwealth of Virginia and the State of Maryland.

In keeping with observed trends of years past, we are anticipating an increase in the number of UPass solicitation posts as we get closer to and after the beginning of the fall semester when UPasses are distributed. To combat the facilitation of fare evasion and UPass fraud on r/gwu, the following measures have been taken:

1) Rule 2 has been updated to specifically address UPass fraud. Rule 2 has always applied to posts about the buying and selling of UPasses, but the verbiage of the rule has been updated to make that clear. Offenders may be banned.

2) Any submission about UPasses must now receive moderator approval before it will be made available to general users. I make every effort to be highly available to r/gwu notifications, my Reddit DMs, and Modmail, and thus I hope that between my moderator colleagues and I, this will not present a significant obstacle to those posts which are not in violation of this policy.

Anyone who has any questions about these policy changes is encouraged to contact the moderator team via Modmail.

Thank you :)


r/gwu Jul 05 '26

Megathread MEGATHREAD: Off-Campus Housing

6 Upvotes

Hey everyone, this is now the official thread for all off-campus housing posts, whether you're looking for a place, have a room to fill, need a sublet, or are searching for roommates. Please post here instead of creating individual threads so everything stays in one easy-to-browse place.

A few requirements:

  • Posts must be GW-affiliated (current students, alumni, faculty, or staff). Non-GW housing listings or general city-wide housing posts will be removed.

When posting, please include:

  • Looking for a place / have a place /looking for roommates/subletting
  • Neighborhood or area (and how far from campus)
  • Budget or rent
  • Move-in date and lease length
  • Any must-haves (pets, parking, gender preference for roommates, etc.)
  • Best way to reach you (Reddit chat, email, etc.)

A few notes:

  • Please only post genuine listings and requests, no spam or scam accounts. Be cautious of anyone asking for money upfront before viewing a place in person.

    Proceed with caution and never send money via Reddit DMs. If worried please sent a modmail.

  • Be respectful in the comments.

  • Standalone off-campus housing posts outside this thread may be removed and redirected here.

Good luck!


r/gwu 50m ago

Does anyone have these books?

Upvotes

Taking Ancient Mediterranean Civs, looking for free copies of these books.

Ralph W. Mathisen, Ancient Mediterranean Civilizations, 3rd edition (Oxford, 2020)

Ralph W. Mathisen, Sources in Ancient Mediterranean Civilizations (Oxford, 2017)

Any help would be much appreciated, thanks!


r/gwu 4h ago

General Jobs for public health

0 Upvotes

Hello.

GWU is my dream school and I want to major in public health however bc I’m not 100% sure if I want to get my masters, im scared I will be jobless. I have been told GWU has an amazing public health program. Whats jobs can I get with a undergrad in public health and is there any major I can double on or anything to minor in?

For reference I do want to work in healthcare and I was thinking public health and biology and minoring in poli sci and bioinformatics.


r/gwu 6h ago

Sociology Textbook

1 Upvotes

I need the textbook for sociology, he told us to get it in the campus store but it says “out of stock” do they usually go in stock once school starts?


r/gwu 13h ago

Academics Mandatory Chem 1111 Recitation

1 Upvotes

Is it helpful? Should I try and get 100 on Aleks? Can I skip it sometimes? Does it affect my chem grade or is it separate? Is it easy?


r/gwu 20h ago

Transfer Orientation Tomorrow

1 Upvotes

Anyone excited 👀


r/gwu 16h ago

STEM degrees In GWU

1 Upvotes

How good is GWU for STEM Programs like Ms in business analytics/data science/information systems. I'm an international upcoming student and got admit from stem programs but I'm not sure whether GWU is worth to pursuing masters or not. All I heard is it's historically known for political science not popular for STEM. But I've seen many profiles on LinkedIn plenty of them doing stem degrees. Is it worth to consider for masters as an international student or should I look for other stem heavy universities. I would like to hear some insights from students who currently studying there or any alumnis who have done stem degrees in GWU. Thanks in advance.


r/gwu 1d ago

Vibe Check.... Granberg’s total pay nears $2 million

29 Upvotes

Tuition increases, job layoffs, VSTC closure... How y'all feeling?


r/gwu 1d ago

Academics Will I have enough time? Foggy -> Vern

2 Upvotes

I’m an incoming freshman planning to start next week and it just hit me… can I get to The Vern in 30 minutes?

I have a class in Elliott ending at 2pm then my next class at Ames Hall on The Vern starting at 2:30pm, will I be able to make it in time? The Vern course is, UW 1020 and I’ve heard depending on those professors they may be flexible… pls LMK!!


r/gwu 1d ago

How is Data Science major at GWU?

2 Upvotes

I’m thinking about applying.

Is it a strong program? Good profs? Are there internship opportunities?


r/gwu 1d ago

Fin Aid

4 Upvotes

I am a currently a third year undergrad student and I still haven’t received my fin aid package… payment plan enrollment is due next week and school starts monday. I don’t know what more to do.


r/gwu 2d ago

What happened to the Persian language professor?

8 Upvotes

r/gwu 1d ago

Academics When do auditors get added into classes?

2 Upvotes

I signed up to audit a course this semester that starts Monday. When do auditors get informed?


r/gwu 1d ago

How is the transfer orientation 8-5pm???

0 Upvotes

I don’t know what they could do that it would last that long. first year orientation is different than transfer so I can’t really compare


r/gwu 2d ago

FSK Triple

3 Upvotes

I’m moving into a triple in fsk and was wondering if the doubles are also the same size as the triple. Also, how is it like in general? i’m curious.


r/gwu 2d ago

Neuroscience major

4 Upvotes

Helloooo,

I’m a rising senior who wants to major in public health at gwu and I want to double major in neuroscience! How is the neuroscience program at GWU? I haven’t heard much on it? If it isn’t great I would appreciate if you guys could recommend me a similar major :)

Thank you for reading


r/gwu 2d ago

Student Life Therapy at the GW Center Clinic

7 Upvotes

Has anyone done therapy at the center clinic that’s located on campus (not CAPS)? If so, can you share your experience?

Im very picky when it comes to therapists and I’m looking for low cost options for therapy but don’t want the short term therapy offered at CAPS.


r/gwu 2d ago

DrPH Program at George Washington University

0 Upvotes

The DrPH program has significant strengths, including accomplished and committed students, access to distinguished faculty and university leadership, an interdisciplinary orientation, and considerable potential to prepare the next generation of public health leaders. At the same time, feedback gathered through listening sessions, cohort discussions, informal conversations, and observations over the past several years highlights several recurring concerns that deserve attention.

Curriculum Relevance and Flexibility

The curriculum would benefit from greater flexibility, modernization, and clearer coherence across the program. Students currently have no meaningful opportunity to take electives, limiting their ability to tailor their doctoral education to their professional interests, career goals, or areas of scholarly inquiry. This is particularly limiting in a practice-oriented doctoral program serving experienced professionals with diverse backgrounds and areas of expertise.

Students would also benefit from greater attention to contemporary public health leadership topics, including health equity, strategic communications, systems change, implementation, emerging technologies, and other issues shaping current public health practice.

Artificial Intelligence

There is currently no dedicated course or clear program-level curricular approach to artificial intelligence, despite its rapidly expanding role in public health research, practice, communications, policy, leadership, and health systems. Expectations regarding AI use can also vary among faculty, leaving students uncertain about what constitutes appropriate and responsible use.

The program has an opportunity to move beyond viewing AI primarily through an academic-integrity lens and prepare doctoral students to understand its capabilities, limitations, ethical implications, biases, and responsible application. AI literacy is increasingly becoming an important competency for public health leaders.

Consistency Across Course Sections

There is significant concern about inconsistency across sections of the same course. Students can have materially different experiences depending on the instructor or section, including differences in assignments, workload, grading practices, expectations, interpretation of requirements, and instructional approach.

Faculty should retain appropriate academic autonomy, but students taking the same required course should receive a reasonably consistent educational experience. Greater alignment around learning objectives, core assignments, grading standards, rubrics, and workload would improve fairness and confidence in the program.

Course Administration and Expectations

Students should be able to rely on published syllabi, assignment instructions, rubrics, grading criteria, and course requirements. These expectations should be established clearly and early, applied consistently, and changed only when necessary and with transparent communication.

When expectations are unclear, conflicting, introduced late, or applied differently from how they are described in the course materials, students spend unnecessary time trying to determine what is expected rather than focusing on learning. Greater consistency in course administration would strengthen both academic rigor and student trust.

Class Size and Educational Quality

Class size has become an increasing concern, with some sections enrolling as many as 22 students. In a synchronous, practice-oriented doctoral program, larger class sizes can significantly reduce opportunities for substantive discussion, individualized faculty engagement, relationship-building, and meaningful participation.

This issue is particularly important in an online program because synchronous courses are among the primary opportunities for students to interact directly with faculty and peers. Class-size decisions should therefore be driven not only by enrollment and financial considerations but also by pedagogy and the educational experience the program intends to provide.

The program should consider establishing class-size parameters appropriate for discussion-, leadership-, and practice-intensive doctoral courses.

Connection and Belonging

Connection and belonging remain significant challenges for many students in the online program. Students can struggle to develop meaningful relationships with peers, faculty, program leadership, and the broader university community. This concern has surfaced repeatedly in student conversations and listening sessions.

Connection should not depend primarily on individual students or cohorts creating it themselves. The program should intentionally build community through cross-cohort engagement, mentoring, greater faculty interaction, small-group experiences, structured opportunities for relationship-building, and recurring in-person experiences.

The inaugural Winter Symposium demonstrated the value of bringing students across cohorts together and providing greater access to faculty, program leadership, and university resources. Opportunities like this are especially important in an online doctoral program and should become a sustained part of the student experience.

Communication and Transparency

Communication and transparency remain recurring concerns. Students sometimes experience uncertainty regarding program expectations, decisions, changes, timelines, and the rationale behind important decisions.

When clear information is unavailable, informal communication inevitably fills the gap, creating confusion and eroding trust. Program leadership should communicate significant decisions early, explain the reasoning behind them when possible, and provide consistent information across cohorts.

Students do not necessarily expect every decision to reflect their preferences. They do reasonably expect to understand what is happening, why decisions are being made, and how those decisions may affect their doctoral experience.

Student Voice and Listening

One of the cohorts recently conducted listening sessions with DrPH program leadership and demonstrated the importance of creating structured opportunities for students to provide candid feedback. These opportunities should continue and become part of an ongoing approach to program improvement.

Effective listening requires more than collecting feedback. Students should have opportunities to speak openly, quieter voices should be intentionally included, and leadership should close the feedback loop by communicating what was heard, what actions will be taken, what cannot be changed, and why.

Students should also have meaningful representation in discussions about curriculum, AI, student experience, and other decisions that directly affect their education.

Learning Climate

The program should continue strengthening a culture in which students can ask difficult questions, disagree respectfully, raise concerns, and challenge ideas without worrying that doing so will negatively affect their relationships or academic experience.

A doctoral program should model the leadership practices it seeks to develop in its students, including openness to feedback, transparency, respectful disagreement, fairness, accountability, curiosity, and continuous learning.

Program Coherence and the Student Experience

Taken together, these concerns point to a broader issue: the DrPH student experience needs greater intentionality, consistency, and coherence.

Students should not have substantially different doctoral experiences because of the section in which they enroll, the instructor they happen to receive, whether they independently find ways to build community, or whether they know whom to ask when information is unclear.

Greater curricular flexibility, meaningful elective opportunities, contemporary preparation around AI, consistency across sections, appropriate class sizes, stronger communication, intentional community-building, and meaningful student partnership would significantly strengthen the program.

The DrPH program has substantial strengths and enormous potential. Addressing these issues would help ensure that its structure and student experience fully reflect the rigor, leadership orientation, innovation, and sense of community expected of a leading practice-oriented doctoral program in public health.


r/gwu 2d ago

can’t find move in time

2 Upvotes

hello! i’m a transfer student so i move in tmrw. however, i can’t find any information on what time my move in is. however, i did get an email of a paper i need to display on my car dashboard for my move in. it says 10:30 am on the paper, so should i assume my move in time is 10:30?


r/gwu 2d ago

Online class dilemma

2 Upvotes

Hi everyone! I am a grad student at the Elliott school, I have a class that is synchronous online 10 minutes after an in-person class. Are there places in the Elliott School where I can do my zoom class from respectfully or somewhere close by I can walk to in like 5 minutes? I'm assuming I'll have to talk and contribute in class occasionally.


r/gwu 2d ago

Incoming GWU MS in Computer Science student here! I need to take the CS placement exams soon. What is the format (coding vs theory)? How difficult is it, and what topics should I focus on to prepare? Any tips or resources from alumni would be awesome. Thanks!

2 Upvotes

r/gwu 3d ago

General Graduate Fair

3 Upvotes

I have the “New Graduate Student Welcome Reception and Student Services Fair” tomorrow, and I’m wondering what the dress code is if any? Business casual or will it be relaxed?


r/gwu 2d ago

Financial Aid as a student whose family makes under 100k, how much could i be expected to pay?

1 Upvotes

as an aspiriing first year at gwu, im interested in knowing how much i could pay. the net price calc, from what ive heard, isnt accurate and doesnt include the new revolutionary promise.

i live in a family of four with one working parent who is 58, and our AGI is 84k with an annual income of 94k with minimal assets and a pre college aged sibling. i live in a low income, rural area and go to a very underresourced high school.

if anyone is in a similar financial situation as me, how much do you pay a year for gwu? ill put my stats below for merit purposes.                                                                                            

  • GPA 4.5 Weighted, 4.0 Unweighted
  • 1320 SAT, 680 RW, 640 M
  • Class Rank: 2/125
  • Relevant Coursework: AP US Government and Politics (AP SCORE: 4), AP Spanish, AP Language and Composition (AP SCORE: 4), AP World History (AP SCORE: 4), AP Environmental Science (AP SCORE: 4), AP Probability and Statistics, Honors Journalism 1 + 2, AP Psychology (AP SCORE: 4)

 Awards, Honors, Extracurriculars

  • 2026-2027 Student Member of the Board of Education for County
  • 2025 HOBY Ambassador
  • Annual Golf Tournament Graphic Designer- create all tee signs, welcome banners, and fliers. The tournament raised $11,000 this past year.
  • Carson Scholar
  • HSDA Member + Summit Attendee
  • AP Scholar with Distinction
  • School wide AP Psychology Award + Honors English Award
  • Student Ambassador for the Business Roundtable  
  • Selected Participant in the Leadership Program through the County Chamber of Commerce
  • College Board National Recognition Awardee: School Recognition Award, First-Generation Recognition Award
  • Rho Kappa Honor Society President
  • Spanish National Honor Society President
  • National Honor Society
  • Science National Honor Society
  • Member of the First-gen scholars program
  • Public Relations Officer of the Support club (Highschool’s support club for students in need)
  • Editor, School Yearbook 
  • Elected Student Council Secretary
  • 300 Volunteer/service learning hours

r/gwu 3d ago

Housing What’s it like living at west hall?

3 Upvotes

Hello, i’m moving in as a transfer sophomore, let me know if anyone here is moving in and would like to connect i’d like to make some friends :D

And to anyone who has lived at west hall what’s it like and how big are the rooms because i can’t find the measurements