There are many things I like about Washington, DC and I’ll try my best to come up with 30 different topics as I try to write a daily blog this month.  In regard to what I like about Washington, DC, education is another topic that immediately pops up.

I have my BA and MBA degrees from American University, teach undergrad and grad courses at Georgetown University, have served on the Leadership Council at George Washington University’s Dept of Travel and Tourism — so I know first-hand about the excellence of these world-class universities.   But, there are many more universities in the greater Washington, DC area, including Catholic, Howard, University of Maryland, US Naval Academy, George Mason, Marymount, Bowie State, Trinity, etc.

In addition, there are terrific community college systems in Northern Virginia and Montgomery County.  There are several more world-class universities within a tw0-hour drive — such as University of Virginia, James Madison, Johns Hopkins, etc, but for this topic I’m focused on schools in the greater DC metro area.

I strongly recommend attending college in Washington, DC.  Why?  Well, first, it is the most powerful city in the US (as well as in the world).  There are so many fantastic opportunities for students to intern, work part-time or even full-time.   Back in the day, most of the best opportunities were working on Capitol Hill or anything government-related.  But, over the past 15 years, the DC area has also become one of the top technology centers in the US (thanks to companies like AOL, MCI and MicroStrategy — and now hot companies such as Living Social).   So there are now a wide variety of industries for ambitious students to intern and / or work while pursuing their degrees.

In regard to research, it’s invaluable for the students to have access to the world’s greatest library, the Library of Congress.  Before the internet made it so easy to do research, I used to go to Library of Congress to do my research (how things have changed!) for my papers and projects.

Studies show that Washington, DC is the most educated city in the US.   In addition, this city is a magnet for smart, young bright minds.  This is particularly the case the last two and a half years as so many well-educated and smart people moved to DC to be part of the new administration.

I blogged recently about Graduation Week at Georgetown University.  It was a great honor as a faculty member to sit on the stage for both the Sports Industry Management (School of Continuing Studies) and McDonough School of Business graduation ceremonies.   So, yes, I’m a proponent of attending college in DC.   It’s another one of the great things about Washington, DC.