am I wasting my time?

<p>Georgetown is a school that I really admire, and I know that if I got accepted there, I would definitely attend. However, I kind of feel that the school might be a stretch for me. My unweighted GPA is about 3.7, weighted about 4.1, and I am retaking the ACT and hoping to get a 32 or better (now its a 30). However, I do not know if I feel very confident about getting in because there is an interview! </p>

<p>I am absolutely terrible at interviews, everytime that I have interviewed for a job I have never gotten it. Any advice here? Also, I was looking on the Georgetown website and there are so many applications to fill out! I kind of feel like if I am not positive that I will get in, then I should not even bother with this dream school. Will I be wasting my time applying here?</p>

<p>Wait, there is a mandatory interview?</p>

<p>You might as well apply. It’s better not going to Georgetown next year because you got rejected, not because you were too scared to apply.</p>

<p>@tydog07 - Yes, all Georgetown applicants must have an interview with a Georgetown alumni and they consider it to be an “important” admission factor.</p>

<p>@michplusdich Well, let’s address your concerns one at a time:</p>

<p>GPA - Though your GPA is slightly low, it’s still within range!
ACT - According to CollegeBoard, 30 is around the 50th percentile of students. However, only 5% of applicants submit the ACT score, so I would suggest you take the SATs.</p>

<p>Interview - Well for one thing, your job interview sounds like it might just be a cum hoc situation (correlation does not mean causation). If you want practice speaking, perhaps you could ask for a mock interview with your counselor? And remember, unlike employers, alumni interviewers are very kind and are simply trying to know who you are and help you communicate your personality better to the admissions committee. Also, one factor of the application won’t ruin you as an applicant.</p>

<p>Applications - Most of the application forms are either questions you can answer in five minutes or intended for other people (i.e. your teacher, counselor) and the other parts are a couple of essays and a short answer response… that’s not any different that most university applications out there.</p>

<p>And as wants2go2college pointed out, you miss every shot you don’t take. What can you lose from not applying? 60$ and some hours writing your essay is a much cheaper fee than a lifetime of regret.</p>

<p>thanks for the information! Regarding test scores, I was a bit concerned - since about five percent of applicants send ACT scores, does that mean that if I send an ACT score, my chances of being accepted will significantly decrease? I really do not like the SAT and in order to get scores considerable for Georgetown, it is going to take alot of effort.</p>

<p>About the interview: It is not designed to be threatening. We were lucky because we are only about 90 miles from Georgetown, so there are plenty of grads around here. My daughter interviewed with a lawyer here in town. My daughter had about two weeks between when she set up the interview until it happened. She mailed a resume to him, and when she went in for the interview, he had it highlighted and they talked about her activities.</p>

<p>He told her that the interview was recorded in a fairly straightforward way. I had the impression that it was reported some type of grid with comments, so you would get points for grades, points for activities, etc. </p>

<p>My daughter is shy and had (she has improved) a difficult time talking with people her age. I do think it was easier for her to talk with adults. She was not a kid who would have a really slick presentation of herself, but she could answer a question. She was admitted EA, but chose to go somewhere else (nice scholarship).</p>

<p>So, I say go for it. Good luck.</p>

<p>is there an advantage submitting the SAT over the ACT as implied in earlier post???</p>

<p>Agree with others above that you shouldn’t be too deterred by the interview. If you’re really interested in Georgetown, you ought to at least try, because you never know what will happen and you have 0 chance if you don’t apply.</p>

<p>MD Mom really hit it on the head…the interview isn’t scary or intimidating and, as much as there is always a lot of hype around Georgetown interviews and the admissions office doesn’t do much to tone that down, I wouldn’t read too much into whatever your interview ends up being like. My own interview was with an older woman who lived in my community and happened to live next door to and have a standing grudge against my best friend. Interview was OK but we never really hit it off and she was a bit cold and hard to read. I normally feel confident during interviews but this was not one I was particularly happy with and I felt sure it would affect me adversely in admissions. She may well have thought highly of me and just not shown it during our meeting, but I can’t imagine she wrote glowingly enough to really tip the scales in my favor or add anything of substance of my file. I was still accepted EA to SFS with stats that were pretty run of the mill.</p>

<p>As for the application’s voluminousness, once you break it down, it’s not too much work. I do suggest doing it on paper rather than online as the online format is pretty cumbersome if it’s anything like it was last year. The form itself is basically just personal information that you can easily get through in a half hour. Essays - most people use their Common App essay for the “tell us about yourself” one and then the others are short and it’s really a useful exercise to consider why you’re interested in what you’re applying for.</p>

<p>Go for it…you never know what will happen. I was not confident about my chances but I’m definitely glad I applied. PM me if you want more information, and good luck!</p>