From the news reports since Sept. 11, GW appears to be an unpopular place to come next year – terrorist attacks, anthrax scares and a heightened state of paranoia are not the ideal atmosphere for classroom learning. But judging from application trends since the attacks, high school students have not been deterred.

As of Oct. 14, undergraduate applications totaled almost 4,000 in comparison with 2,600 last year – a 51 percent increase.

“We’re a hot school,” said Robert Chernak, vice president for Student and Academic Support Services.

But the rise in applications may not mean much, Chernak said, adding that the real test will come when students choose the school to attend.

Right now, all a parent must supply a child with is the application fee as opposed to next spring, when parents will take a bigger role in the decision-making process, he said. That is when factors such as safety, convenience of travel and terrorist targets get scrutinized more.

“Students started looking at colleges last spring, and the only thing they need their parents for at this point is a $60 check,” he said.

Chernak said the attacks did have an effect on applications. The increase would have been even larger had the Sept. 11 tragedy not taken place, he said. Most students decided to apply before threats of terrorism developed, he said.

Chernak sent the numbers to The Washington Post last week in response to an Oct. 18 column by Bob Levey that incorrectly reported a 40 percent decline in applications at GW. Levey used information from an unnamed source, referred to as “a pal on staff at GW.”

“The article was nowhere near what is happening here,” Director of Media Relations Gretchen King said.

King said visitors on campus and requests for information are also on the rise.

GW hosted 660 students and parents Columbus Day weekend. Last year, 600 visitors came to campus, said Michael O’Leary, senior associate director of Admissions.

“The Visitor’s Center is packed, and the families have been overwhelmingly positive,” King said.

Local ABC television affiliate WJLA took part in a campus tour, talking to prospective parents and University President Stephen Joel Trachtenberg. The segment was broadcast last Friday on the 11 p.m. news.

Trachtenberg said on the show he thinks D.C. is one of the safest places to be in the nation because of added security.

Parents interviewed on the show had a positive reaction to their children wanting to attend, saying they felt their children were in the most secure city in the nation and they would not let terrorist actions dictate the dreams of their college-bound children.

Director of Admissions Kathryn Napper said GW is becoming a first choice for more students.

“Students have a lot more control on where they apply than where they go,” Napper said. “After last year, a lot of students see GW is strengthening and are deciding to apply here earlier.”

Although students may be interested in the University, some parents have not yet taken part in the decision to apply, she said.

“Parents are most concerned about how GW students reacted to the
attacks, whether they are nervous and how the University reacted to Sept. 11,” Napper said.

Herricks High School in Long Island, N.Y. sends about 10 to 15 students to GW every year. Jan Goldstein, director of guidance at the high school, said she has not noticed a significant change in the number of people applying to GW.

“Students have no qualms whatsoever,” she said. “Parents, on the other hand, are full of fear.”

Goldstein said students are near a big city already, and living in a city like D.C. is appealing.

She said the real decisions take place once students get accepted and parents have to send their kids here.

“Parents will have to look and see how scary the threat is (in April) and decide, but some kids will fight for what they want,” Goldstein said.

Other universities in the affected areas are also waiting to see how their application numbers change.

A spokesperson from Georgetown University said it is too early to see their application numbers for the 2002-03 school year. Admissions officials at American and Columbia universities also said they did not know if there was a change in applications compared to last year.