Carnegie Mellon and Georgetown - why so low endowments?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wow, a lot of bitter folks on this thread. Perhaps you (or your kids) got rejected from GU.

Thanks for proving the point.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wow, a lot of bitter folks on this thread. Perhaps you (or your kids) got rejected from GU.

Thanks for proving the point.

It is weird, re: Georgetown. Even the university of Maryland has a lot of big donors. What’s with the Georgetown grads? Is no one successful or are people who go there just immensely cheap?
We have family members who went there but I’m glad DC was accepted at another great university early decision instead of GU as I know that DC wouldn’t have been offered any aid to go there (wrong demographic) and it’s just too expensive.
So, it’s a school for the rich but the school isn’t rich - I don’t get it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wow, a lot of bitter folks on this thread. Perhaps you (or your kids) got rejected from GU.

Thanks for proving the point.

It is weird, re: Georgetown. Even the university of Maryland has a lot of big donors. What’s with the Georgetown grads? Is no one successful or are people who go there just immensely cheap?
We have family members who went there but I’m glad DC was accepted at another great university early decision instead of GU as I know that DC wouldn’t have been offered any aid to go there (wrong demographic) and it’s just too expensive.
So, it’s a school for the rich but the school isn’t rich - I don’t get it.

There are some interesting comments on here. Also have a family member who went to GU. She is incredibly successful and attributes it in part to college opportunities and she loved her time there. I'd be surprised if she isn't a donor. But, she is very shallow, she's always grooming herself to match her perception of the crowd to impress and she's only so-so at that. If GU was full of people like her (and the PP who described the student council striver, nailed it) I could see how donations wouldn't be organic. These people will donate to the extent they think it keeps up appearances, but they don't entirely believe their own hype, and they have no actual passion for their school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My DD turned down CMU because the buildings were in such a state of disrepair. She thought the buildings were beautiful but falling down. Of course, it didn't help that the students seemed depressed and overworked. Her classmate enrolled and, while she likes the school, she is stressed. I know everyone rants about how the luxuries are a waste of money but when you turn off students because of a lack of upkeep, you are going to far in the other direction.

CMU. Where fun goes to die.

I agree. Even our tour guide seemed stressed. It was not what we though and we just happened to do a Pitt tour since we were right there and my daughter fell in love. Night and day. I honestly much rather my child go to a healthier happier school, than competitive - especially for just a BA or BS.

[Anonymous]

My husband I are both CMU grads. We haven't really been targeted hard for money, we have been hit harder from where we got our advanced degrees. We did not find CMU particularly stressful (very different majors), but it seems like that has changed? The expectation, though, was that you were there to work hard. I would say that we didn't have majors, it was more lifestyles.

One great thing about CMU though is that over the past 5 years they have pushed for gender equality in tech. They go hard after the best STEM female faculty and students.


I wonder if some of it has to do with sports. The long running joke with CMU is that in the 90s they would try to bribe students to come to sports events by giving us floppy disks.

[Anonymous]

GU Undergrad. I went to class but never felt apart of the community. I moved the day after graduation and never saw anyone from there again. I’m not even friends with my old roommates on FB.

I don’t give to GU because there is only so much money in the well. There are other organizations that I am more invested in and want to donate to.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Georgetown's relatively small endowment has been a problem for a long while. When I was in college (early 90s) my senior year there was not enough financial aid to go around. Seniors were told they could go to their flagship state university and still graduate from Georgetown. At the last minute, there was some deal where funds were found at the law school and loaned to the undergrad operations so that financial aid could be provided to seniors . . .

I'd always heard that the reason for the relatively small endowment (relative to the prestige of the school and success of its grads) was because it's a Catholic institution and people feel like when they give to the church, they're "covered" or something like this (even though the Catholic church does not financially support Georgetown U.)

But then why do Boston College and Notre Dame - which are arguably more “Catholic” than GU - both have significantly larger endowments than Georgetown?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wow, a lot of bitter folks on this thread. Perhaps you (or your kids) got rejected from GU.

Thanks for proving the point.

It is weird, re: Georgetown. Even the university of Maryland has a lot of big donors. What’s with the Georgetown grads? Is no one successful or are people who go there just immensely cheap?
We have family members who went there but I’m glad DC was accepted at another great university early decision instead of GU as I know that DC wouldn’t have been offered any aid to go there (wrong demographic) and it’s just too expensive.
So, it’s a school for the rich but the school isn’t rich - I don’t get it.

There are some interesting comments on here. Also have a family member who went to GU. She is incredibly successful and attributes it in part to college opportunities and she loved her time there. I'd be surprised if she isn't a donor. But, she is very shallow, she's always grooming herself to match her perception of the crowd to impress and she's only so-so at that. If GU was full of people like her (and the PP who described the student council striver, nailed it) I could see how donations wouldn't be organic. These people will donate to the extent they think it keeps up appearances, but they don't entirely believe their own hype, and they have no actual passion for their school.

Yeah, that’s kind of shooting yourself in the foot there. Is there something in the school culture that breeds selfishness?

Trump keeps sending his kids there but we know how his donations turn out - big fat zilch.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:GU Undergrad. I went to class but never felt apart of the community. I moved the day after graduation and never saw anyone from there again. I’m not even friends with my old roommates on FB.

I don’t give to GU because there is only so much money in the well. There are other organizations that I am more invested in and want to donate to.

See? Very helpful. Perhaps the school can work on that. That’s pretty unusual.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Georgetown's relatively small endowment has been a problem for a long while. When I was in college (early 90s) my senior year there was not enough financial aid to go around. Seniors were told they could go to their flagship state university and still graduate from Georgetown. At the last minute, there was some deal where funds were found at the law school and loaned to the undergrad operations so that financial aid could be provided to seniors . . .

I'd always heard that the reason for the relatively small endowment (relative to the prestige of the school and success of its grads) was because it's a Catholic institution and people feel like when they give to the church, they're "covered" or something like this (even though the Catholic church does not financially support Georgetown U.)

But then why do Boston College and Notre Dame - which are arguably more “Catholic” than GU - both have significantly larger endowments than Georgetown?

I’d say school pride from attending sporting events, but Georgetown has great basketball.
ND graduates have great pride in their school. Forever.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wow, a lot of bitter folks on this thread. Perhaps you (or your kids) got rejected from GU.

Thanks for proving the point.

It is weird, re: Georgetown. Even the university of Maryland has a lot of big donors. What’s with the Georgetown grads? Is no one successful or are people who go there just immensely cheap?
We have family members who went there but I’m glad DC was accepted at another great university early decision instead of GU as I know that DC wouldn’t have been offered any aid to go there (wrong demographic) and it’s just too expensive.
So, it’s a school for the rich but the school isn’t rich - I don’t get it.

There are some interesting comments on here. Also have a family member who went to GU. She is incredibly successful and attributes it in part to college opportunities and she loved her time there. I'd be surprised if she isn't a donor. But, she is very shallow, she's always grooming herself to match her perception of the crowd to impress and she's only so-so at that. If GU was full of people like her (and the PP who described the student council striver, nailed it) I could see how donations wouldn't be organic. These people will donate to the extent they think it keeps up appearances, but they don't entirely believe their own hype, and they have no actual passion for their school.

Bingo

[Anonymous]

I wonder if its because of a high number of international students at both colleges and they're less inclined to donate back to the colleges

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do grads not like these schools enough to give after they graduate?

Gtown too high a % international students. They don't even tip at restaurants let alone donate to their ugrad in America. That plus all the peace corps and FSO workers aren't where the donor market is.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Georgetown's relatively small endowment has been a problem for a long while. When I was in college (early 90s) my senior year there was not enough financial aid to go around. Seniors were told they could go to their flagship state university and still graduate from Georgetown. At the last minute, there was some deal where funds were found at the law school and loaned to the undergrad operations so that financial aid could be provided to seniors . . .

I'd always heard that the reason for the relatively small endowment (relative to the prestige of the school and success of its grads) was because it's a Catholic institution and people feel like when they give to the church, they're "covered" or something like this (even though the Catholic church does not financially support Georgetown U.)

Wow -- I graduated in 1993 and had significant financial aid. Not once did I hear that there wasn't enough to go around.

GU didn't start raising money for an endowment until the late 60s I think -- at least that's what I remember hearing when I was on campus. Worked in admissions for 2 years and vaguely remember hearing it. I donate a meager amount every year.

I was also a public school kid -- I steered clear of the "BP"s whenever possible. ("Beautiful People, usually the business school kids who were products of private school.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do grads not like these schools enough to give after they graduate?

Gtown too high a % international students. They don't even tip at restaurants let alone donate to their ugrad in America. That plus all the peace corps and FSO workers aren't where the donor market is.

But isn't high int'l a symptom of low endowment? Maybe one that will exacerbate the problem longterm but which came first?