Hi again everyone! I am writing about my experiences with the online courses that The George Washington University offers during the summer. This is probably of interest to those of you who may have fallen behind on one or two requirements or are just interested in getting ahead!

GW offers some of the same courses that they offer during the regular school year throughout the summer online.  They are mostly six-week courses (the summer is divided into two sessions of six weeks each) and are all worth their usual credit amounts, be it 3 or 4 credits. They also fulfill the same requirements that they would during the regular school year.  These courses,  run mostly through your online Blackboard portal, can be a great way to take courses that you know will count for college credit while satisfying your GW major requirements as well – all while balancing a job and/or other summer activities! You don’t need to be on campus, in D.C., or even in the United States to take these courses – so long as you have access to the internet, you are good to go.

Professors are very available to talk via email and usually respond quite quickly. One heads up though is that the content of these courses are the same as when regularly offered at GW, so still cover the same amount of material but in just six weeks during the summer.  This means that the courses do require a fair bit of reading and time, but I have found that they are really worth it.

I took two courses online last summer and I am now in my second online course again this summer. Last summer I took ENGL 081 W – Intro to Creative Writing and REL 120 – Religions Wage Peace. Both of these courses counted towards my Humanities and Creative Arts requirements and I was able take these courses while having an internship at the same time! This summer I am at the same internship while balancing two more courses. These are HIST 182 – US Diplomatic History and GEOG 127 – Population Geography. So far I have really enjoyed my courses and am very satisfied with my decision to take them online during the summer.

If you are interested in learning more about what GW has to offer for summer online courses or anything else related to the summer take a look at their website

Elizabeth is a rising junior majoring in International Affairs with a concentration in Contemporary Cultures and Societies.  She is also pursuing a second major in Philosophy-Public Affairs and a minor in Applied Ethics.

Possibly related posts: (automatically generated)

• Need Help Balancing Your Schedule?

Hey there everyone! This post won’t be the most Elliott-related, but hopefully it will be just as helpful than some of the more germane entries. I’m graduating in a week, and, as I was walking around campus today running errands, I thought of a few of the practical tips about GW that I’ve picked up in the last few semesters. None of them are life changing, and they are all little things.  Some of you probably learned all of these at Colonial Inauguration; others may know of none of them.  So here goes . . .

Well summer time is right around the corner, and while many people already have solid plans for their summer, a lot of us don’t. Not having any classes makes it easy to get lazy, and before you know it… September has arrived, and your entire summer is gone. A key lesson that I wish I had had instilled in me early on was the value in maximizing every aspect of the summer, not just to relax, but to also advance my educational and career goals.

With that in mind, there are a few things that both upper and lower classman should keep in mind before heading into the summer. While there are no hard and fast rules about what makes for a “good summer,” there are definitely a few different avenues that can help you fully capitalize on all of the opportunities the summer months can provide.

These are a few main points to keep in mind.

If you can, find a field-contextual job or internship.

Yes, this is always easier said than done. And seeing as it is already May, if you haven’t found a job or internship already you will probably have a difficult time finding one now. Nevertheless, as you approach the end of your college tenure, it is vital to use any and all opportunities you can to gain valuable work experience. It is this kind of work experience that can help set you apart when you enter the job in the near future. Anything that can help to set you apart from your peers when you’re going for that dream job right out of school is absolutely worth sacrificing a few lazy months for. Of course, on top of that, finding a great job or internship is a great way to have fun and involve yourself in the professional field you’re most interested in. It’s a win-win from every angle.

Keep up your foreign language!

I’ve personally found this to be one of the more challenging aspects of the summer months. For anyone studying a foreign language (and most of us in the Elliott School are), those few months of no classes in the summer can really do serious damage to language progress. There are a few ways to tackle the problem though: if you’re staying in D.C. over the summer, the city itself offers a number of opportunities to use your language skills with other speakers. A city with the diversity (and number of universities and colleges) of D.C. enables you to find others with which to practice your language in the summer months, giving you the chance to at least moderately stem the inevitable regression of your language in the absence of classes. Another option to is simply continue taking classes throughout the summer.

If you’re in D.C., GW obviously gives you the ability to keep taking classes to enhance your language skills. But if you go home, check out any local universities or colleges that might offer classes in your language. If you think you can pull it off, traveling to country/countries where your foreign language is spoken is perhaps the best way to practice your language. Bottom line: engaging in even a little bit of practice over the summer can help to keep you a step ahead of your peers when you get going again in the fall.

Study for graduate exams.

If you’re an upperclassman, the summer months provide no better opportunity than to brush up on the GRE, LSAT, GMAT, MCAT, or whatever standardized test you might need before applying to grad schools. The abundance of extra time most people have in the summer makes for the perfect chance to get yourself ready to take that oh-so-critical exam that you’ll need to take the next step up to grad school.

These are just a few of many options available to students to utilize the summer in a way that advances your goals. Taking classes to kill those dreaded GCR’s, doing non-profit work, conducting field-contextual reading, writing, and research, along with a whole host of other opportunities ensure that no student has an excuse to let their summer slip away. Just don’t get to the end of your summer and look back and wonder what, if anything, you did that was at all productive.

The summer is one of the best ways to distinguish yourself from your peers, and prepare you for your post-GW life….don’t let it go to waste!

Alex is a junior majoring in International Affairs and Asian Studies.  He has studied abroad in Beijing, China, and hopes to continue studying East Asian relations in graduate school.

By Elizabeth Gerke

I am currently taking a course called Japanese Culture Through Film (JAPN 162) and I just wanted to let you guys know about it. We watch films made in Japan and discuss cultural themes presented through them. Topics include history, society, and anthropology such as time periods, gangs, traditions and modern aspects of life. Last semester I took a similar course called Chinese Culture Through Film and I also loved it. I highly recommend a course like these to help balance out your schedule, because they are usually offered at night and meet once a week for two and a half hours (most of the films are feature-length after all). Balancing out your schedule can really help with fitting in internships and other job opportunities. I have really enjoyed these courses and I hope this recommendation helps some of you out with your course options!

Elizabeth is a sophomore majoring in International Affairs with a concentration in Contemporary Cultures and Societies.  She is also pursuing a second major in Philosophy-Public Affairs and a minor in Applied Ethics.

We hear it all the time: one of the biggest advantages of going to school at GW is the litany of field-contextual internship opportunities, especially for Elliott School students.  But even in a city with such limitless possibility as Washington, D.C., it can still be difficult to know the right path to take when it comes to finding the perfect internship.

Based on my own experience there are a couple things that every student should know about getting an internship in D.C.

First, if you’re a freshman or a sophomore, you’re probably not going to be able to get your ‘dream job’ quite yet. The simple fact is that employers are often looking for upper-classmen for the better positions if they’re even looking for undergraduates at all. However, this is not a reason to lose hope. We may joke about it here at GW, but Capitol Hill truly is in many ways a pre-requisite for higher positions in D.C. Getting an internship in your Congressman’s office is often possible regardless of what year you are as a student.  It gives you a solid base of experience from which you can build, a good reference for future positions, and something to fill up your resume.

Once you can establish your ability to hold down a job somewhere like a Congressional office, it greatly increases the chances of getting an extended look from other employers later on. I’ve found that some of the best opportunities an international affairs student can find in D.C. are with any one of the many think tanks that base their operations here. No matter what you’re interested in, D.C. will have a think tank specializing in it. This is a fantastic way not only to work in an area you are genuinely interested, but it also gives you field-contextual experience and contacts that could prove to be invaluable later in your career.

Different think tanks will have different application procedures and duties, but a quick visit to their web sites and maybe an e-mail or two here and there can have all your questions answered in no time. Seek out the ones that deal with subjects you are most knowledgeable and interested in (presumably the field that you’re studying). These organizations are always looking for a smart and enthusiastic helping hand, and will almost always be quite flexible with scheduling.

Starting with something small and menial like an internship on the Hill might seem boring or not worth your time, but just remember that everyone has to pay their due, and everyone has to climb the same ladder. Going from something like the Hill to a think tank can then lead to that phenomenal government agency or consulting firm job. The key is to always think with the future in mind.

Alex is a junior majoring in International Affairs and Asian Studies.  He has studied abroad in Beijing, China, and hopes to continue studying East Asian relations in graduate school.

Ed. Note: For more information about internship and job opportunities available to Elliott School students, visit the Career Center.

Hi! My name is Elizabeth Gerke and I am a sophomore majoring in International Affairs with a concentration in Contemporary Cultures and Societies.  I am also majoring in Philosophy-Public Affairs and minoring in Applied Ethics.  I have recently joined the peer advising team here at the Elliott School and I love it.  I hope that my take on how to pick an International Affairs concentration will be helpful and stress-relieving!

The first thing that I recommend is to become familiar with the options available to you as an Elliott School student. The concentrations are listed online at the Elliott School website under the International Affairs major. The potential concentrations are divided into two groups: functional and regional. Regional group concentrations focus on geographic areas of the world and functional group concentrations focus on specific themes of international affairs that students can make their area of expertise.

From here you can decide if you want to focus in a world region or a functional group.  Are you especially interested in Latin America, the Middle East or Asia?  Africa and Europe/Eurasia are also potential concentrations here. If you can’t seem to decide on one portion of the world (or you would just prefer not to), then you should consider the functional group concentrations. These include Conflict & Security, International Economics, International Politics, Global Public Health and my concentration: Contemporary Cultures and Societies. For the full list of functional group concentrations please take a look at the website.

Each concentration requires that you take five courses out of those listed. Some concentrations have prerequisites recommended at the beginning of the course list as they are needed for many of the other courses listed below.  For your concentration to be considered complete, you must take courses from at least 2 different departments. One of the five courses that you take may be double-counted between your major and concentration requirements. Your concentration must be declared using the Group Concentration Form no later than the first semester of your junior year. This means that if you are considering studying abroad during your junior year, you should consider declaring your concentration your sophomore year. The form is simple to fill out and only takes about ten minutes.

I hope this guide to picking a concentration was helpful for you! If you have questions, please don’t hesitate to ask a peer advisor at esiapeer@gmail.com.

Elizabeth is a sophomore majoring in International Affairs with a concentration in Contemporary Cultures and Societies.  She is also pursuing a second major in Philosophy-Public Affairs and a minor in Applied Ethics.

My name is Christina Sin and I am currently a senior majoring in International Affairs and Women’s Studies.  As a peer advisor for the past year and as a student who received an incredible amount of help from peer advisors in the past, I think one of the best aspects of the Elliott School is that we have a great peer advising system.  My first encounter with a peer advisor was during my sophomore year when I was trying to figure out how to expand my International Affairs major to also incorporate my love of the social sciences and humanities.  I ended up talking to a peer adviser for over 30 minutes trying to figure out whether I wanted to take classes on human rights or peace studies or anthropology.

Though the Elliott School academic advisors are a great resource, it was nice to be able to ask a peer for their opinion and talk more casually about what classes they loved at GW and and how to better enrich the college experience.  I definitely think that all students should talk to a peer advisor, whether it is in person at the Elliott School office or online (email or gchat esiapeer@gmail.com).

It is a great resource that most people don’t take advantage of and though I did not end up taking classes on peace studies or human rights, meeting a peer advisor encouraged me to open my eyes to other departments and classes outside of International Affairs.  I was able to ask my peer advisor questions that I did not necessarily ask my academic advisor.  I was much more comfortable asking my peer advisor about what classes I should take or whether taking an internship for credit was something that would be rewarding to me.  I hope that more students will take advantage of this great service and resource.

Christina is a senior in the Elliott School, double majoring in International Affairs and Women’s Studies and double minoring in Geography and History.  She hopes to continue to live in the Washington, D.C. area after graduation and work for a University.

Search terms for the article:

• benefits of peer advisors
• gw peer advisors

Hey all!  My name is Hayley Haldeman.  I am the Head Peer Advisor for the Elliott School Office of Undergraduate Advising and Student Services, which means that I help coordinate the Peer Advising program in the Elliott School.  Peer advising is a great resource, as it allows students to speak with Elliott School upperclassmen who have received basic training in academic advising and can offer advice based on their own experiences with Elliott School classes, internships, and study abroad.

From my own experience in the Elliott School, I know that one of the most daunting administrative and academic tasks in your first year can be completing your four-year plan.  When I started this assignment, I wasn’t even sure what I wanted to take next semester, let alone the next three years!  There are several differents ways to approach this assignment, and I want to provide you with a few tips that I’ve found helpful, both as a student and as a Peer Advisor.

1. Relax! Contrary to popular belief, you will not be required to take the classes you list on your four-year plan — in other words, it is definitely not binding.  It is, however, a great resource that familiarizes you with the classes available at GW and the guidelines for graduation.  You should, therefore, take it seriously, but do not let yourself become overwhelmed.
2. Check Yourself! Remember all those AP, IB, etc. classes you took in high school that you are almost certain already count as credit?  Be certain!  One of the most important parts of registering for next semester is verifying in GWeb that all the credit you believe you should have received is in fact posted.  I have had students come in for advising who are missing various credits.  In order to fulfill the four-year plan assignment, you need to make sure that Bio class you took last year actually will count for the Math/Science Requirement…
3. Concentrate! The most daunting part of the four-year plan is choosing a concentration.  If you don’t know what area you would like to focus on, again, relax — most freshmen are in the same situation.  However, you will need to choose one for the purpose of the assignment.  If you have no idea whatsoever, here are two pieces of advice: First, go through the top five or so concentrations that appeal to you, and put stars by whatever classes sound interesting.  Whatever concentration has the most stars, go with that one!  Second, there are a few class options that pop up for numerous concentrations.  If you are still unsure during your sophomore year, consider taking one or two of these classes as opposed to something really specific that will only apply to one concentration.  This way you will have the chance to take a class that will give you an idea of several different aspects of international affairs.  Geography 120 (Regional Geography) and Anthropology 150 (Human Rights and Ethics) are great examples and fantastic classes for many concentrations.
4. Order! Another area of concern with the four-year plan is the order to take classes.  Some quick personal advice — definitely start Econ before your sophomore year.  No matter what concentration you choose, professors may touch on basic economic tenets from Econ 11 or 12 — it is very helpful to become familiar with them early.  Also, I know students will frequently try to get the Humanities requirement out of the way early, as these classes offer a nice balance to the more intense Political Science/History/International Affairs classes.  However, consider saving one or two for if/when you go abroad.  Although D.C. has great resources in regards to the Arts, it is much more impressive to take History of French Art while abroad in Paris, or Chinese Literature in Beijing.

Good luck!  For more help, come in to Peer Advising!

Hayley is a senior in the Elliott School, double concentrating in Europe and Conflict & Security and double minoring in History and Art History.  She will be attending the University of Virginia Law School in Fall 2009 to study International Law.

Search terms for the article:

• academic advising 101