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[quote=Anonymous]I graduated from Georgetown SFS. I got to have some really great college experiences because of Georgetown's location and prestige in DC, but I don't know if it was worth the money. I was lucky because my parents fully paid for college, but I don't know if it's worth $300k. Maybe to people for whom that amount is chump change, but maybe not for the typical UMC family. The quality of teaching was great, but I don't think it was worth that much more (or was that much better) than any other good school in this area.

Some tangible positives - the name brand, the alumni network, and the recruiting opportunities (in some fields). I didn't participate in finance or consulting recruiting, but all the tippy top firms recruit at Georgetown. There are networking events starting freshman year, and on-campus recruiting at specific target schools is pretty much the only way the big firms hire entry-level candidates. Basically everyone I knew who networked, participated in recruiting, and didn't have a tragic GPA (even non-business majors) got a finance job after graduating. I had classmates who were making well into the six figures 2-3 years out of college, just with their BA degree. Those opportunities aren't really available outside a target school, even at great business schools - I had friends at UMD Smith who were surprised to hear that McKinsey/Bain/BCG hired undergrads, because no one they knew was getting hired. For kids who are set on finance, it's worth it - it's a much, much easier path. Personally, I've also found that the name brand and alumni network have been helpful. Georgetown gets lots of crap on this board, but in real life, people are generally impressed with the name (at least on the East Coast; I can't speak for the West Coast). I graduated with a mediocre GPA, but got a post-college paralegal job at a well-known DC biglaw firm. They never asked for my GPA; I remember clearly because I was nervous that they would. I applied through Georgetown's career office and didn't even submit a cover letter, just a resume - and got the job/interview largely, I assume, because of the name of the school. When I left, I interviewed my potential replacements, and the (few) candidates that they interviewed from UMD and similar schools were absolutely required to submit (and were evaluated on) their grades. I also attended an elite (top 10) law school, which obviously I got into despite the mediocre GPA. I don't know how much Georgetown was a factor in that, but I suspect it was something. And people, at all stages in and post college, generally have given me credit/respect for being smart without knowing much about me besides where I went to undergrad. Also, as a fresh graduate at my firm, several partners who were also Georgetown (undergrad) alums took a special interest in me and provided significant and ongoing professional mentorship because I was also a Georgetown grad. Maybe they would have done the same if I wasn't, I don't know, but I have found alumni connections like those to be valuable. I would assume that all of these things are magnified/even more pronounced at Ivies and schools ranked above Georgetown.

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