Chances of Getting into Georgetown?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Georgetown University
1

I really want to go to Georgetown. I’m applying Early Action. Based on the information below, do I have a chance?

Academics:
I go to a public high school (top 50 in the us) in Atlanta.
GPA: 90.586 unweighted
Mostly A’s, but have a couple b’s, and have gotten 2 c’s (physics and chemistry-- science is not my strong suit, and only got b’s in two math classes)
AP/Honors Classes: AP World (5), AP US History (5), AP Lang (5), AP Art History (4), AP Euro (now), AP Lit (now), Honors Lit 9, Honors lit 10, honors latin II, honors latin III, honors biology, physics, chemistry
SAT: first time - 1200 (no prep, not good, I know), but I took it again in oct. and based on practice tests and actual studying, I’m scoring between 700-750 on English, and 650-700 on math, so predicted: between 1350-1450… could be better
SAT Essay: 21/24.
SAT II: 710 - us history, 700 - world history, 630 lit (I didn’t study, so I guess if necessary I could take again if I don’t get in early)

EC’s:

Sports:
Varsity Swimming – hardest working award, varsity 4 yrs, varsity captain, scholar athlete award every yr, year-round swimming, volunteer swim coach

Varsity Lacrosse – draw-taker/mid-fielder, varsity 3 yrs, jv 1 yr, most valuable player award (9th), volunteer at summer lacrosse camps for kids, club lacrosse in the summer, went to playoffs twice
JV Volleyball(9,10) – scholar athlete awards, setter, volunteer at volleyball fundraisers

Academic:
Junior Classical League (awards on National Latin Exam, and at State/county Conventions)
National Latin Honor Society
National English Honor Society
Model United Nations
Newspaper, staff (Joined this year, may not include it)

Charity:
-Relay for Life-- co-founder and president (My mother was diagnosed with cancer my junior year, and my grandmother died about a month before from brain cancer)
-church – mission trips every summer, volunteer youth choir, angel/narrator in the live nativity 6 yrs in a row, other volunteer work
-library volunteer

Work:
-Lifeguard at neighborhood pool (promoted mid summer to head life guard at age 15), pool of the week award
-Head lifeguard (youngest in company – age 16, in charge of team of 5 college kids), worked 50 hours per week

Good Recs (ap lang and apush teacher)

Essays… expecting good.

Interview is next Sunday.

Intended major: History.
Career in mind: Law.
College: Georgetown College

My mother fell ill with cancer in the fall of my junior year, and my dad continued to travel for work, leaving my brother and I to take care of her. I grew up in a poor area, and moved to a wealthy city when I was in middle school, so I’ve experienced the spectrum of lifestyles between the working and upper class. My parents raised me in an unconventional way-- abusive. My mother is an alcoholic, my father is easily angered, before my mom got sick, my brother would take his anxiety out on me. Emotional, and physical abuse and manipulation. I tried to get help in eighth grade after a particularly violent night, called the police. The police essentially didn’t believe me. Told me to be shut up, and bare it, if I ever want to go to college, because the alternative is worth. Because getting beaten daily isn’t so bad with wealthy parents. I did-- I shut up, and bore it, and here I am— working my ass off all these years in spite of them. I guess I should talk about that in my essays.

Do I have any chance of getting in?

2

First off, so sorry for the home situation you are in. No child should have to endure that. Perhaps you can speak to someone trusted at school and get some help.
With regard to Georgetown, there is no advantage to applying EA. In fact the admit rate can be lower there at EA. You would be better off applying RD making sure your first semester grades are very strong and your SAT score is more in line with what Georgetown looks for.
Good luck.

3

Thanks. I’ll know my SAT score this Friday, so I’m planning on deciding between EA and Regular once I know that. I’ve read no one is rejected EA from GT, only deferred. If that’s the case, wouldn’t it help to apply ea? And based on what I wrote, do you think I’ll at least be in the running for admission?

4

@cassandrawoods Yes, EA applicants can only be accepted or deferred. However based on their website and my personal experience with speaking with a Georgetown admissions counselor, there is really no advantage in applying early, nor is there a significant increase in admit rate for EA.

5

Thanks. SAT I scores aside, does everything else look like acceptance is possible?

6

I think you look like a solid candidate.

7

@1stTimeThruMom Really? Thank you. Do you know of other people that have gotten in with similar ec/stats/background?

8

A 1350-1450 is on the low end for Georgetown and the two C grades may also give them pause. Give it a shot, but make sure you have some solid matches and safeties on your list.

9

While you are at it, look at The College of the Holy Cross, Worcester MA and Boston College. they may be a little easier on admission, are well connected in the pre-law fields but are also not walk ins. almost everyone on the board of trustees at Clark University went to Harvard law (whatever that means). Check them out.

All very solid colleges/universities.

10

@wisteria100 Thanks. Is there anything else I could do at this point to increase my chances or is Georgetown extremely stat oriented to the point of not caring about other information? And while I want to attend Georgetown more than anything right now, I have a list with a few others. Other “reaches” would be Barnard College and Vanderbilt. Also, University of Edinburgh, American university, UC Santa Barbara, university of Vermont (safety), New York University, Georgia State (safety), UPitt, UNC, and UGA are being considered.

11

On Georgetown’s common data set, application essays and LoRs are checked off as very important so make sure to write compelling essays that show off your talent/character/personality. The interview is also checked off as important, so prepare for it. (Though I am not 100% sure of how much weight they put in on alumni interviews.

12

@retiredfarmer is right there are a lot of other great options!

Georgetown is going to be tough. I’m not going to give any false expectations. It doesn’t mean zero chance either. As a recent example I personally know a female val with 35 act and 1500+ sat and the sports and ecs etc. waitlisted at gtown. She had a friend with a slightly lower academic profile but other preferences and a gift for languages who was admitted. Just as an example of not really knowing what they seek exactly.

As for certain schools it can be very specific. As RF mentioned, Boston College as an alternative. The admissions rates are higher than gtown but the 2023 profile is 80 percent in the top ten percent of their class and an average of 3.9uw for attending students. Slightly higher admitted. Middle 50 percent was 33 to 35 for act and 32 to 34 for attending as a gauge. So they are very grade focused.

Georgetown is as well but has a real eye for standardized testing as well. They also seem to really love students with unique language skills.

However your back story is compelling and you sound like a wonderful kid.

Look at Villanova u Richmond Santa Clara and American university as well.

Good luck.

1 Like
13

The problem is that if you apply EA at Georgetown, you cannot apply ED anywhere else. (Of course, if you are accepted EA, the nice thing is you can still apply other places.) Given your stats, if there’s another school that’s captured your interest, you may want to use your ED shot there and apply to Georgetown RA (as other posters have mentioned, you actually will have a greater likelihood of acceptance).

14

@FlyerDad oh? I was under the impression that applying Early Action wasn’t binding (they don’t offer early decision which is binding)

15

What FD meant was EA in Georgetown is not binding, but since it is a private institution, applying EA to Georgetown means that you cannot apply ED (binding) to another college. I hope this makes sense. If not here is a little excerpt from their website:

“In keeping with this principle, students applying under the Early Action program may not apply to any binding Early Decision programs since they then would not be free to choose Georgetown if admitted. Students are, however, allowed to apply to other Early Action or other Regular Decision programs while simultaneously applying to Georgetown’s Early Action program.”

16

I do have one nephew who just graduated from Georgetown. He had two hooks and did ask the right questions:

  1. He had traveled in China for extended visits and had been studying Mandarin from 7th or 8th grade. He asked to meet with some of Georgetown's Mandarin faculty and they accommodated. After five minutes of Mandarin, he asked the faculty if they could switch to English as it would be easier for him. They responded "easier for you, harder for us!" ... a connection was developed!
  2. He wanted the Army and West point had accepted him. A brief contact with Georgetown ROTC told him a four year award was no problem if he was accepted to Georgetown.
  3. He wanted what he believed to be stronger academics and told them so.

He is now a second Lieutenant in Artillery with a fine background in Mandarin.

Look for your own personal identity and match… not just a general reputation you heard about in your social group.

There are MANY very fine Universities!

To each his own! Look for your spark/match. If it really is there, help them find it!

A lot of kids have “the stats.”

17

Nevermind. Took the SAT again – this time with weeks of studying. Got an 1180. Guess Georgetown won’t be happening:/

18

Missed 10 questions in the reading, 6 of which were probably the ones I filled in with “c” at the end of the section because I ran out of time. 7 on Writing – probably stupid mistakes. – without the random fill in I would’ve gotten a 730 w/online calculator instead of 640 (lower than the last time I took it). Got a 540 on math, which I don’t understand because I studied by taking timed practice tests and typically scored around 650-700 in math. I don’t understand what I could possibly be doing wrong on the actual test considering my practice tests. Do you think its worth it to take it again??