Disappointed with Georgetown

[Anonymous]

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.

A 17-year-old middle class kid who loved politics and fantasized about running for office, Georgetown was my first choice. I got into the College. The financial aid package was very loan heavy, and a top LAC (recommended by my college professor neighbor) was very grant heavy. My parents strongly pushed the latter option, and I threw away my Georgetown t-shirt and maybe shed a few tears alone in my room. The social experience at the LAC was a bit lonely, mostly because of my own anxieties, but I made up for it with academic growth. Majored in mathematics. Took lots of classics and economics courses and ended up at a world-class economics department for my Ph.D.

Obviously this visit was about my son, but I honestly felt a sense of longing as we approached the campus. There were a few initial surprises. First, the campus had a very shabby feel. Asphalt everywhere. One big, beautiful historic building, but mostly a patchwork of 1950s-1990s buildings. 757s flying over every few minutes didn't feel terribly compatible with quiet contemplation and study. After the tour, I couldn't believe that my 17-year-old self found this so desirable. The next surprise was at the information session. Admission to the undergraduate College and SFS is even tougher than I had thought. They turn away nearly 90% of applicants.

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.

Here's my take:

Georgetown is a very good -- and very expensive -- school.

Many US cities/metro areas have very fine Jesuit universities (BC, Fordham, Santa Clara, etc.). I really don't think the quality of the undergraduate education at Georgetown is any better than what one would get at those schools. Candidly, I think its basketball program is emblematic of the university as a whole. There were moments of success, but the reputation has greatly outlasted those moments.

Georgetown got a boost in the late 20th Century for a couple reasons.
1. It's in DC.
2. It's in the fanciest part of DC.
3. There's not a lot of competition in DC for the title "best university in DC."
4. It has a lot of household names among its alumni, because it attracts aspiring politicians. Successful politicians are famous, for better or worse. The vast majority of Georgetown students who want to ultimately hold high office do not.
5. It has some famous faculty who worked in government before receiving a plum academic appointment. These people are extremely impressive to 18 year old students. With age and experience you realize that many of them are just stuffed suits.

If I could make one point to prospective students, it's this: any student who can get into the College or SFS could get into a top 10 LAC -- and maybe even Williams/Amherst/Swarthmore. There is no comparison between the quality of teaching and undergraduate academic experience between Georgetown and those schools. Any student who can get into the College or SFS would also have a good chance of getting into an Ivy League school. There is no comparison between the resources and research going on at those universities and Georgetown.

I decided to write this because I'm curious about how others in this area feel, since the school remains so desirable to so many outstanding young people.

If attending a Catholic school is extremely important to you, Georgetown is the nation's oldest and most selective. If you son or daughter absolutely must be in DC for college, it is the top school in the District. Otherwise, guide your your child somewhere else.

OP, you posted this a few months ago. We know how you feel about Georgetown.

Here's the thing: You have to be accepted first! GL applicants!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:Georgetown gets a major boost because there aren't any great universities in DC. If Johns Hopkins had been founded in DC, not Baltimore, Georgetown would have the same reputation as BC. Put reputation aside, and Georgetown is really on par with BC.

No, BC is a tier below Georgetown.

Not really. Pretty much the same. BC has been rising while Georgetown is falling

This is true

Again, in what universe?

Why are we dredging up this old and inaccurate post? Still mad OP?

[Anonymous]

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

nor if you want to study something that GW does better.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:UChicago is a great school and is a place plenty of people have as their top choice, especially in the Midwest. It just isn't a universally recognized top 10 or even 15 type of school (just ask Forbes and the WSJ). All these top schools are elite but some names resonate more with some than others. You don't have to hate on Chicago to also value Georgetown. They are two of the best real city universities. It is interesting that Georgetown has the name recognition Chicago would like (is it like a CUNY?) and Chicago has the $$ Georgetown craves.

Maybe among the general population, this is true, but that’s entirely to do with sports. You realize that, right? Most people know about schools because they see them playing NCAA football or basketball. UChicago opted out of all of that in the 1930s.

Anyone who knows anything about higher ed knows UChicago is a peer school to the Ivies, Stanford, MIT, etc.

I went to UChicago and Georgetown. While I think Georgetown is top of the line at preparing students for careers in the foreign policy establishment, UChicago provides a more intellectually rigorous education.

My husband works in higher ed and his view is that UChicago as an academic institution is among the top 2-3 in the country.

Until very recently, Georgetown undergrad was much more selective than UChicago and JHU undergrad (statistically, at least). I think the OP's point was that quality in the eyes of 18-year-old applicants doesn't perfectly match the reality of a university's quality. Georgetown is a very good university, but it is not a peer university of UChicago and JHU.

Georgetown students say that GW stands for Georgetown waitlist. How sophisticated. 25 years ago I was waitlisted at my first choice, Georgetown, and admitted to JHU and UChicago. Luckiest thing that ever happened to me.

My HS friends who went to Georgetown sell high end real estate in NYC, work as luxury brand managers, or bundled mortgages before losing their Wall Street jobs. My friends from UChicago write books, publish original research in major scientific journals, and have started 100+ million dollar companies.

Outcome wise, Georgetown does better with 10-year median salary than UChicago. There are outliers everywhere though. You just shouldn't typically make decisions based on them.
https://www.forbes.com/top-colleges/

The point wasn’t exact salary numbers but rather intellect.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Georgetown is not the fanciest part of DC.

pretty close

It is if you aren’t speaking of strictly residential areas, although AU is actually in a higher income area (Spring Valley, etc)

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Most kids don’t want LACs, size is too similar to high schools. But if that is what your kid wants, go for it.

Yep. I went to a NE boarding school. Our college counselors told us that LACs would basically be 4 more years of high school.

Sounds like your college counselor was biased and bad at their job. These kinds of people should not be counselors. How would college, even a smaller one, be the same as high school?

Exactly

[Anonymous]

Georgetown is equal to a Hopkins at a minimum from and undergrad perspective but way better career placement. Their EA acceptance rate was under 10 percent with their A&S being under 5 percent. Their outplacement to top jobs is strong along with law and medical school placement. IMO the cache schools have on campus recruiting from the top 3 management consulting (McKinsey, Bain, BCG) and financial industry (Goldman, JP Morgan) are strong indicators of a strong school with name brand appeal. Some will say it’s a ridiculous measure but if those companies aren’t conducting on campus recruiting with dedicated recruitment teams, it’s not a name brand school. https://careercenter.geor...-outcomes/

Example Hopkins McKinsey recruiting vs Georgetown for undergrad. Their recruitment team differences make it clear what undergrad institute they prefer.

https://www.mckinsey.com/...University

https://www.mckinsey.com/...University

[Anonymous]

My spouse and I both graduated from GU, and we are very grateful to GU for where we are today. We have made donations to GU for many consecutive years. Unfortunately, Compared to colleges of similar or high levels, GU lacks financial resources, which limits its financial aids to students, its ability to hire facilities and offer innovative curriculums. GU is very strong in some disciplines, but really weak in some areas. Because of this weakness, I had to insist that DC apply to GU.

I wish all GU alums donate to the school and make it a better one.

[Anonymous]

Georgetown has solid academics, Jon placement and grad school entrance. If you are looking for hotel like dorms, it’s not your school. The professors are strong and caring and will actually help advise. Their science and math areas are small and strong with SLAC like attention. The research isn’t as stellar like STEM schools but the labs they have offers mentorships and more access to directly working on projects and getting published.

[Anonymous]

I’m about to start my first year of college as a non-traditional adult undergraduate student at Georgetown this Fall of 2024. I’m getting a B.A. in Humanities. Excited to officially be part of Georgetown’s legacy.

[Anonymous]

OP LOL. Jealous much? Great school. Great experience there. Did great. Sorry you’re still bitter!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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

nor if you want to study something that GW does better.

GW does something better than georgetown? What?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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

nor if you want to study something that GW does better.

GW does something better than georgetown? What?

Real estate management.

(not the major or studies, I mean, being essentially a REIT)

[Anonymous]

This old thread again?

[Anonymous]

The pettiness in this thread is unmatched. Yikes.