Disappointed with Georgetown

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:A red flag on campus beauty is when you do an internet search for the college’s campus & under “images” you get like 50 pictures of the one attractive building from every possible angle.

This exactly lol

And where did you go to college?

If I told you you wouldn’t believe it anyway. But suffice it to say there were many beautiful spaces and buildings on my campus. My kid is there now. He didn’t apply to Georgetown either. But it had more to do with wanting to be away from DC.

Are you ND mom, whose kid def would’ve gotten into Georgetown?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Both Georgetown and BC catfish prospective students with the creative photography of their respective campuses.

Ah yes. No other school hires photographers to make their campuses look especially nice.

Yes, but most other schools give the photographer much more to work with.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Both Georgetown and BC catfish prospective students with the creative photography of their respective campuses.

Ah yes. No other school hires photographers to make their campuses look especially nice.

Yes, but most other schools give the photographer much more to work with.

Oh FFS. Give it up already.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:OP, have your kid tour Notre Dame. Gorgeous sprawling campus and no jets flying above, except for game days.

Completely different school.

And isn't that a good thing?

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.

I’m sure they do. I also know that, in my decade in the federal government, no school was represented as frequently as Georgetown SFS.

That’s the reality.

I’m not saying you can’t get a job in DC from other schools. Of course you can.

But at Georgetown, I took courses from Madeline Albright, Ambassadors, etc. Being in DC meant I could go directly to embassies to do interviews with cultural attaches when I did a paper on cultural diplomacy. It was easy to do an internship on the Hill during the week.

It’s just on a different level. Many kids choose to sacrifice a nice campus for that access and those connections.

+1

Agree. Well said. I think that OP fully realizes the caliber of GU, but took this as an opportunity to knock the campus, which is purely subjective. My friends who have kids presently at GU tell me that their kids love it, and would not have it any other way.

OP, either you want to attend a school or not - the campus will not matter after four years, the school will. If you don't believe that, go somewhere else. Simple.

Not sure of the point of your post (actually, I am, hence my response).

Georgetown’s campus is lovely. I did my MBA in the gorgeous new Hariri building ten years ago.

I agree. I am not sure who the posters saying it is an “ugly” campus are fooling. It is one of the most beautiful campuses I have ever seen.

Also, many of the facilities issues described in this thread no longer exist. Most of the dorms were extensively renovated during covid/remote learning to the point where they look completely different on the inside. The worst offenders are in the process of getting knocked down and rebuilt. GU is also continually expanding into the city and opened both a satellite campus and residence hall on Capitol Hill and H Street within the last few years.

The "beauty" is deceiving. From afar it is beautiful. Once you step on campus, you come across a mishmash of buildings and concrete which are not aesthetically appealing and don't in any way visually seem like they belong in the same space. It was really a disappointment for us as well.

It’s a very old school—1789–in a small urban space. Very difficult to manage development, given those constraints.

I realize this, but it doesn't change the fact that aesthetically it is unappealing.

It objectively is not.

[Anonymous]

The basic impression of the campus would be … really? This is it? It’s unimpressive looking.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The basic impression of the campus would be … really? This is it? It’s unimpressive looking.

You need to contact a therapist to treat your obsession.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The basic impression of the campus would be … really? This is it? It’s unimpressive looking.

You need to contact a therapist to treat your obsession.

Yes, see a therapist. And while you are there, ask the therapist if he knows a good optometrist who has anything other than rose—tinted glasses for our Hoya buddies.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Both Georgetown and BC catfish prospective students with the creative photography of their respective campuses.

Huh? BC's campus is awesome (although I wish they hadn't built on top of the Dust Bowl).

As for Georgetown - I also think the campus is pretty. But I happen to like cities and like campuses that add old pretty buildings into a more compact space. My DC didn't like Georgetown but also didn't like USC (which I think is gorgeous "within its gates") and they refused to even get out of the car for Penn (which I also think is pretty within it's perimeter). These are much prettier than other city schools like GW, BU, Drexel, Temple.

Admittedly, Georgetown could use some sprucing up and have done a less effective job at constructing new buildings that match a cohesive theme over time. BC did a much better job has at that - with the only hiccups remaining being the library (which despite also being a large concrete block manages to look less awful that Georgetown with the help of the hill) and one leftover high rise dorm on lower campus. BC also does a great job at keeping campus look well maintained, well landscaped, and generally polished. It also has a huge benefit of not being in the middle of the city, so fewer "city" issues than campuses like USC, Penn, Georgetown.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Both Georgetown and BC catfish prospective students with the creative photography of their respective campuses.

Huh? BC's campus is awesome (although I wish they hadn't built on top of the Dust Bowl).

As for Georgetown - I also think the campus is pretty. But I happen to like cities and like campuses that add old pretty buildings into a more compact space. My DC didn't like Georgetown but also didn't like USC (which I think is gorgeous "within its gates") and they refused to even get out of the car for Penn (which I also think is pretty within it's perimeter). These are much prettier than other city schools like GW, BU, Drexel, Temple.

Admittedly, Georgetown could use some sprucing up and have done a less effective job at constructing new buildings that match a cohesive theme over time. BC did a much better job has at that - with the only hiccups remaining being the library (which despite also being a large concrete block manages to look less awful that Georgetown with the help of the hill) and one leftover high rise dorm on lower campus. BC also does a great job at keeping campus look well maintained, well landscaped, and generally polished. It also has a huge benefit of not being in the middle of the city, so fewer "city" issues than campuses like USC, Penn, Georgetown.

Forgot to add - that in the end - my DC chose based on SFS, forgoing other schools with campuses and locations that they would have much preferred if campus was all that mattered.

[Anonymous]

If my kids got into ND, BC, and Georgetown, I’d be crying with joy. Maybe they’d go to none of the above, but I’d be proud of them.

Signed,
ND grad with 25 years with the Feds who’s never worked with a GU SGF alum.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If my kids got into ND, BC, and Georgetown, I’d be crying with joy. Maybe they’d go to none of the above, but I’d be proud of them.

Signed,
ND grad with 25 years with the Feds who’s never worked with a GU SGF alum.

What’s SGF?

[Anonymous]

I took a Problem of God class at Princeton in 1992! For sure not unique to Georgetown.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I took a Problem of God class at Princeton in 1992! For sure not unique to Georgetown.

So great - what's the chance anyone is getting into Princeton (or Yale).... small.

[Anonymous]

I have three kids - one attended Georgetown and one attended a top 5 LAC. Let me tell you that the one with the highest paying jobs and the best job options by far has been the Georgetown graduate. They were also the one who enjoyed their undergrad the most. The top 5 LAC is unemployed and the college does very little to help alums depsite the big price tag. Plus, it doesn't have the name recognition.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I took a Problem of God class at Princeton in 1992! For sure not unique to Georgetown.

No one said it is. Yale girl just got all up in it.