Disappointed with Georgetown

[Anonymous]

Depends on what the kid wants. Georgetown is unparalleled for its connections into DC. If that’s what a kid is looking to do, career-wise, Georgetown is the best.

Notre Dame is more your typical strong school with storied sports legacy.


Um, you do realize lots of ND kids end up in DC. My son just graduated and has an excellent job in a top consulting firm. He has several friends working in DC as well. Some kids want the best of both worlds (sports, academics, great campus, strong networking), and ND offers all of that.

My DS was accepted to ND, Georgetown, BC, etc. He is very interested in government and politics, and initially wanted to pick ND. We were impressed with the campus. However, DS had a conversation with an ND poli sci professor who essentially told my kid that, based on his interests, Georgetown has more to offer in the way of guest speakers, internships, etc. Of course kids from ND end up in DC (but note your kid is a consultant) - but for a kid that's passionate about law, govt, politics, etc., Georgetown makes a lot of sense.

[Anonymous]

Georgetown's ability to do a better job fundraising has helped a lot more recently. It impressed me that they had such impressive student and faculty profiles with a comparatively tiny endowment. The DC location and name recognition as the oldest Catholic university helped a lot. I do think you still see the $$ difference in some of the buildings. Peer schools are more likely to have nicely renovated interiors.
Georgetown does need to modernize their admissions office, which I agree will happen in the next few years.
Finally, the post 9-11 air traffic patterns are a tough pill for Georgetown to swallow. Members of Congress clearly want to be able to get home easily from DCA, so I don't expect the plane noise to drop soon.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Depends on what the kid wants. Georgetown is unparalleled for its connections into DC. If that’s what a kid is looking to do, career-wise, Georgetown is the best.

Notre Dame is more your typical strong school with storied sports legacy.


Um, you do realize lots of ND kids end up in DC. My son just graduated and has an excellent job in a top consulting firm. He has several friends working in DC as well. Some kids want the best of both worlds (sports, academics, great campus, strong networking), and ND offers all of that.

My DS was accepted to ND, Georgetown, BC, etc. He is very interested in government and politics, and initially wanted to pick ND. We were impressed with the campus. However, DS had a conversation with an ND poli sci professor who essentially told my kid that, based on his interests, Georgetown has more to offer in the way of guest speakers, internships, etc. Of course kids from ND end up in DC (but note your kid is a consultant) - but for a kid that's passionate about law, govt, politics, etc., Georgetown makes a lot of sense.

+1 Georgetown is a better choice than ND in that scenario.
Georgetown also has better professional schools than ND and both schools have a lot of dual degree alums.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My son and I did our first college tours this week. Although we don't live that far away, this was the first time I had seen Georgetown since my own tour nearly 30 years ago. It was very insightful. .......

When we left, I mentioned none of this to my son, asking instead what he thought. His take: "Dad, if I could manage to get in here, I think I could also get in somewhere much better, so why bother applying." He's much more astute than I was.

.........

He sounds like a prestige whore. What "much better" schools does he think he would get into?

Seriously. Kid sounds like a jerk.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Georgetown's ability to do a better job fundraising has helped a lot more recently. It impressed me that they had such impressive student and faculty profiles with a comparatively tiny endowment. The DC location and name recognition as the oldest Catholic university helped a lot. I do think you still see the $$ difference in some of the buildings. Peer schools are more likely to have nicely renovated interiors.
Georgetown does need to modernize their admissions office, which I agree will happen in the next few years.
Finally, the post 9-11 air traffic patterns are a tough pill for Georgetown to swallow. Members of Congress clearly want to be able to get home easily from DCA, so I don't expect the plane noise to drop soon.

I was there from 2005-2009 and really didn’t notice a lot of air traffic noise.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Georgetown's ability to do a better job fundraising has helped a lot more recently. It impressed me that they had such impressive student and faculty profiles with a comparatively tiny endowment. The DC location and name recognition as the oldest Catholic university helped a lot. I do think you still see the $$ difference in some of the buildings. Peer schools are more likely to have nicely renovated interiors.
Georgetown does need to modernize their admissions office, which I agree will happen in the next few years.
Finally, the post 9-11 air traffic patterns are a tough pill for Georgetown to swallow. Members of Congress clearly want to be able to get home easily from DCA, so I don't expect the plane noise to drop soon.

I was there from 2005-2009 and really didn’t notice a lot of air traffic noise.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Depends on what the kid wants. Georgetown is unparalleled for its connections into DC. If that’s what a kid is looking to do, career-wise, Georgetown is the best.

Notre Dame is more your typical strong school with storied sports legacy.


Um, you do realize lots of ND kids end up in DC. My son just graduated and has an excellent job in a top consulting firm. He has several friends working in DC as well. Some kids want the best of both worlds (sports, academics, great campus, strong networking), and ND offers all of that.

My DS was accepted to ND, Georgetown, BC, etc. He is very interested in government and politics, and initially wanted to pick ND. We were impressed with the campus. However, DS had a conversation with an ND poli sci professor who essentially told my kid that, based on his interests, Georgetown has more to offer in the way of guest speakers, internships, etc. Of course kids from ND end up in DC (but note your kid is a consultant) - but for a kid that's passionate about law, govt, politics, etc., Georgetown makes a lot of sense.

Yep. You can’t beat taking a class on diplomacy from Madeline Albright or the Former Ambassador to the Netherlands, or learning about US foreign policy in the 90s from Richard Holbrooke.

I had the opportunity to do all of that. I got to ask a question of Hamid Karzai when he came to give a speech when he was President of Afghanistan. I heard Barack Obama and Prince Philip speak as well.

It’s very common for national security/foreign policy leaders to teach upper level seminars at Georgetown—especially to SFS kids—because they assume SFS grads will be very likely to go into government and they want to pass on some knowledge to the future generation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Also, I don’t understand how you can conclude Georgetown is overly selective when they are inflating their acceptance rate by 2x, at least, through mandatory test scores, interviews, and no common app.

I'm not saying that the selectivity is fake. The selectivity is extremely real and extremely rigorous. My point is that the school itself -- the one you actually attend after being accepted -- isn't as strong as other schools that are that hard to get into.

That is actually not true.

[Anonymous]

I relate to OP in that what turns me off about GU is a multitude of smaller things rather than one obvious issue. Just a few:

1. I hate how it’s so Catholic but pretends not to be. The school touts their endless number of chaplains and residential ministers—more than any other college I believe. There is religious iconography and signage everywhere. And yet people claim it’s nominally Christian. They should pick a lane and it can be uncomfortable for non-Christians. ND is clear about its identity. It’s also such a waste of money. I mean, chaplains for the crew team?

2. I’ve never seen an undergraduate population that is so showy in terms of status gear/logos, and where the rich and poor kids feel as far apart. 19-year-old girls look like rich sahm’s. Plus all the minor nobility hanging around. I prefer colleges where kids can at least pretend to rise above class fissures.

3. The local neighborhood really hates the school. I’m sure this isn’t the only town/gown conflict but it’s definitely the worst I’ve seen. Living off campus means being around people who hate you on sight. And the dorms are full of rats.

That said, I would still send a DC there for IR or business school for all the reasons PPs state.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, your post presents a lot of things about "facts" that are really just your opinions, and not well-informed ones. You sound a little insufferable, like the kind of person who thinks they know everything. You don't.

+1. Understatement.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Georgetown's ability to do a better job fundraising has helped a lot more recently. It impressed me that they had such impressive student and faculty profiles with a comparatively tiny endowment. The DC location and name recognition as the oldest Catholic university helped a lot. I do think you still see the $$ difference in some of the buildings. Peer schools are more likely to have nicely renovated interiors.
Georgetown does need to modernize their admissions office, which I agree will happen in the next few years.
Finally, the post 9-11 air traffic patterns are a tough pill for Georgetown to swallow. Members of Congress clearly want to be able to get home easily from DCA, so I don't expect the plane noise to drop soon.

I was there from 2005-2009 and really didn’t notice a lot of air traffic noise.

It is pretty bad now with DCA getting so busy:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/06/02/dca-reagan-perimeter-rule-congress/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I relate to OP in that what turns me off about GU is a multitude of smaller things rather than one obvious issue. Just a few:

1. I hate how it’s so Catholic but pretends not to be. The school touts their endless number of chaplains and residential ministers—more than any other college I believe. There is religious iconography and signage everywhere. And yet people claim it’s nominally Christian. They should pick a lane and it can be uncomfortable for non-Christians. ND is clear about its identity. It’s also such a waste of money. I mean, chaplains for the crew team?

2. I’ve never seen an undergraduate population that is so showy in terms of status gear/logos, and where the rich and poor kids feel as far apart. 19-year-old girls look like rich sahm’s. Plus all the minor nobility hanging around. I prefer colleges where kids can at least pretend to rise above class fissures.

3. The local neighborhood really hates the school. I’m sure this isn’t the only town/gown conflict but it’s definitely the worst I’ve seen. Living off campus means being around people who hate you on sight. And the dorms are full of rats.

That said, I would still send a DC there for IR or business school for all the reasons PPs state.

I’m Jewish and never felt uncomfortable with the Catholicism. Actually, I had some very insightful conversations about theology with a Jesuit priest when I was there. It was fascinating. I also took a course on the Bible taught by a priest, rabbi, and Imam. One of the best classes I’ve ever taken.

On the topic of status gear: go to any rich private university and you’ll see the same thing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I relate to OP in that what turns me off about GU is a multitude of smaller things rather than one obvious issue. Just a few:

1. I hate how it’s so Catholic but pretends not to be. The school touts their endless number of chaplains and residential ministers—more than any other college I believe. There is religious iconography and signage everywhere. And yet people claim it’s nominally Christian. They should pick a lane and it can be uncomfortable for non-Christians. ND is clear about its identity. It’s also such a waste of money. I mean, chaplains for the crew team?

2. I’ve never seen an undergraduate population that is so showy in terms of status gear/logos, and where the rich and poor kids feel as far apart. 19-year-old girls look like rich sahm’s. Plus all the minor nobility hanging around. I prefer colleges where kids can at least pretend to rise above class fissures.

3. The local neighborhood really hates the school. I’m sure this isn’t the only town/gown conflict but it’s definitely the worst I’ve seen. Living off campus means being around people who hate you on sight. And the dorms are full of rats.

That said, I would still send a DC there for IR or business school for all the reasons PPs state.

I’m Jewish and never felt uncomfortable with the Catholicism. Actually, I had some very insightful conversations about theology with a Jesuit priest when I was there. It was fascinating. I also took a course on the Bible taught by a priest, rabbi, and Imam. One of the best classes I’ve ever taken.

On the topic of status gear: go to any rich private university and you’ll see the same thing.

+1

OP keeps spouting and pontificating, hoping to stick on one of his points, but he makes no sense.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My son and I did our first college tours this week. Although we don't live that far away, this was the first time I had seen Georgetown since my own tour nearly 30 years ago. It was very insightful. .......

When we left, I mentioned none of this to my son, asking instead what he thought. His take: "Dad, if I could manage to get in here, I think I could also get in somewhere much better, so why bother applying." He's much more astute than I was.

.........

He sounds like a prestige whore. What "much better" schools does he think he would get into?

Seriously. Kid sounds like a jerk.

I don't even understand the logic. it's like saying, "if I can get into Vanderbilt, I can get into Yale, so why bother applying to Vanderbilt."

I wouldn't call it "astute," that's for sure.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:GW stands for Georgetown waitlist. Always has.

LOL!

Until Whoretown stops ducking GW in basketball, they have no leg to stand on.