*****GovLoop has partnered with CampusSplash for a series of Back to School Articles****
You were on the debate team. You’ve seen every episode of West Wing. You are shocked when people don’t know the current Chief of Staff of our fine country.
Of course you want to work at the White House. So how do you get a job at the White House? What schools provide a path to those long nights of Diet Cokes and saving the world?
Using data from GovLoop and LinkedIn, we’ve researched the profiles of White House staffers and found out the top 5 schools where White House employees went.
Does it surprise you that 4 of 5 schools are in D.C.?
1) George Washington University – At only .7 miles walking away, GWU is the closest school to the White House and the most prevalent. Students flock to GWU to be in the nation’s capitol where the action happens and it pays off with a ticket to the White House. Guess being the most expensive school in America does pay off in the end.
2) Georgetown University – Georgetown has produced a long list of political leaders from former President Clinton to Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia (no, we won’t mention the Allen Iverson years). And added to the list is a bunch of White House employees working behind the scenes helping run our country.
3) University of Michigan– Who knew there was a direct line from The Big House to the other big house (White House)? With a top 10 public policy school and a top 10 political science program, University of Michigan is full of super smart political nerds looking for the first trip to move to D.C and the Big House. Notable alumni included former President Gerald H. Ford.
4) University of Maryland – The White House has had a love/hate relationship every since famous Maryland drop-out Carl Berstein won a Pulitzer for Public Service for his coverage of the Watergate scandal. President Obama recently hosted a townhall event in College Park at University of Maryland. No doubt a lot of his staff were proud to see him at their alma mater. Now if the Terps could just get their basketball team back up the top 25, those Georgetown/Maryland trash-talking could get heated in the White House.
5) American University –It is only fitting that one of the top 5 feeder schools to the White House has the word America in its name, Eagle as its mascot, and is in the Patriot league. Attend this school in the idyllic trees of Northwest and with professors like Bob Lehrman, former speechwriter for Vice President Al Gore, giving the lectures, you are well-equipped to make the move to the Oval Office.
Bonus – From our friends at Campussplash
Top 5 Majors if You Want to Be a Senator