by Barbara Harris

The Washington DC area offers a Host of Amazing Colleges. some of the finest in the nation, such as Johns Hopkins and Georgetown as well as some lesser known but hidden gems including American University and George Washington. The area's access to leaders in all fields from governmental, IR, Science, Communications and the Arts: Cororan are hard to beat. Plus it is such an amazingly vibrant place to attend college, with so many fellow students and interns. So let's take a quick topline tour from visits to some of these stellar institutions.

Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore Maryland

Probably one of the most physically beautiful and vibrant campuses I've ever visited. Even in the dead heat of a hot July day the campus is literally buzzing with activity, filled with both graduates students completing project research, high school hopefuls attending summer camps and clearly hopeful to be admitted to this dream school. The massive campuses includes such outstanding research facilities as a mock operating room, a gaming lab. Billboards are stuffed with opportunities to participate in research projects. As a former neighbor of the Hopkins, the University has spread even further into the surrounding neighborhood and it is clear there is a good integration of Hopkins into the surrounding area with students having the choice of both on and off campus dorms. "The Beach", the huge grassy lawn still gets patronized with students even during these dog days of summer. JHU remains one of the top schools in the nation not only in science. 97% of students participate in internships.

Georgetown University, Washington DC

The iconic buildings remain the same as does the campus's lock as the most "elite" school in Washington. It is a much smaller footprint than the other schools but is definitely the closest to the Mall and all the "action". Georegtown still retains the "we are Georgetown" vibe and they still take their own unique approach to admissions, with their own application and their own unique approach to admissions decisions. They openly state that unlike most schools of their status you have just as strong a chance of admission applying regular admission as you do ED. They also make it very clear that they are serious about their Jesuit mission of community service and thus volunteerism may be more highly valued than a higher SAT score. Georgetown still remains a top school for International Relations, Languages, Public Policy and of course Nursing and Pre-med. Interviews are critical to the application process and yes famous alum such as Jim Gaffigan, the comedian, may interview you, (not Bill Clinton though), so be prepared!

American University, Washington DC

Located in the heart of Embassy Row, American University is also an excellent choice for students interested in access to all the amazing opportunities DC offers. From the largest international Relations school in the country to a School of Public Affairs founded by Roosevelt with close Washington DC connections, American offers an amazing array of majors including unique interdisciplinary majors such as PPL (Public Policy, Gvt and Law) in these areas, however it is also a major player in the field of Communications. Not only is National Public Radio broadcast from and headquartered on the campus but students have access to broadcast studios. American is of course strong across many disciplines, including Business where there is a strong emphasis on entrepreneurship. Students in Science can take advantage of the small student to faculty ratio as well as uniquely small student-advisor ratio to gain access to top undergrad research projects including those at the, the small student to faculty ratio should as well as the fact that they have the highest student to advisor ratio in the country, (76 to 1 vs the national average of 300-1), including research opportunities and internships with the NIH. 90% of undergrads participate in one internship prior to graduation. 

George Washington University, Washington DC

Another highly selective institution. George Washington University is completely integrated into DC's Foggy Bottom and Mount Vernon neighborhoods, with campus buildings interspersed with Government and other local buildings. The University still remains one of the "it" schools for Public Policy, particularly International Relations, which given it's location adjacent to the State Dept. The urban location may not be for all students but for those who really want to be a part of it all it is perfect. Students are serious about their degrees and it shows with some amazing internships and projects taken as undergrads. George Washington is also well known as one of the strongest pre-med schools in the country with an extremely selective early assurance program. Again this is a great school for a student with the maturity and direction to take advantage of all it offers.