<p>im a transfer student from GW majoring in government and philosophy. ive already gotten into georgetown, havent heard yet from columbia, so yes, this is a bit speculative, but i want to start thinking about it now just in case. i want to go to a top 10 law school and my current GPA is around a 3.97.</p>
<p>pros/cons:</p>
<p>georgetown is literally half a mile from all my good friends (including my girlfriend) at GW and the social scene seems to suit me better. i have also wanted to go to georgetown for a very long time now. georgetown also is more likely to accept more of my credits and it will be easier for me to double-major or major-minor and still graduate on time. georgetown also has that campus spirit i like which comes from its athletic program. </p>
<p>columbia is far away from my GW friends (even though a lot, including the GF live near the city) but a few of my best friends from high school are there. still, the social scene (clubbing in the city, heading off campus) seems less my style. columbia is in the ivy league though, and might be more prestigious. the academics are stronger and the student body is probably more intellectual, which i like. that said, i wonder if ill fit in, being more of a well-rounded athlete than a chain smoking hipster. </p>
<p>not sure which way im leaning. any thoughts? please?</p>
<p>Georgetown!! As an incoming freshman, though, I'm incredibly biased. Putting my biases aside, though, I'd still go with Georgetown. Is your concentration in American politics? If so, I'd definitely do Georgetown.While your instruction is bound to be excellent at Colombia, the experience of being in the nation's capital and being surrounded by politics 24/7 is something you won't get at Colombia. But since you're already at GW, I guess you know more about this than I do.</p>
<p>it'd be in political theory most likely, maybe international relations. being in DC is neat, but NY and DC are comparable in terms of internships and those sorts of opportunities. both schools are also politically active, but you make good points. </p>
<p>thanks for the input even if its a bit biased hahaha. best of luck at georgetown, maybe ill be there too.</p>
<p>Georgetown. With your GPA level at GW, I'm assuming you'll be near the top of your class at either Gtown or Columbia. With this in mind, there will be little difference in terms of grad placement. Gtown's record with law placement is on par with Columbia. It seems to fit you far better socially and the prestige difference is marginal at best, particularly in government circles. I would easily pick Georgetown.</p>
<p>so the prestige difference is really only marginal? i've been hearing a lot about how columbia is supposedly more prestigious, but i've always really considered georgetown to be on the same level (at least in humanities and social sciences) as the "cusp" schools right below HYPS (columbia, penn, cornell, brown, dartmouth, duke, northwestern, uchicago, etc.) </p>
<p>am i wrong?</p>
<p>Columbia definitely is more prestigious. I'd go for Columbia over Georgetown.</p>
<p>Columbia is more prestigious, but its not going to make a difference for someone going to law school or into policy. Gtown is very strong in this area. if you were going into finance or consulting, or even into academia I might have a different view. But as far as policy/ law: Gtown is hard to beat.</p>
<p>Trading a superior social life at Georgetown for prestige that's likely to make zero difference in your life wouldn't be worth it for me.</p>
<p>Columbia is deffo more prestigious -only Gtown diehards would argue otherwise- but it seems like Gtown might be a better fit for you from what you said about the pros/cons. Either way, both good schools.</p>
<p>I'd say go to Columbia. Georgetown is where people go if they don't get into Columbia.</p>
<p>Yeah but Gtown is going more fun and IMO for someone going to law school it won't make one iota of a difference. Transferring into Columbia isn't the most social experience as most people there form bonds first year (mostly first year housing) and people start going out in the city. I wouldn't want to do it.</p>
<p>Go to the cheapest one. Law school admissions is ALL GPA, and LSAT. The exceptions are Yale, Stanford, and to a lesser degree Harvard. Keep that GPA and score 170 or above and you will get into the top 14 law schools with ease, except for HYS, and you MIGHT get them depending on your LSAT/ soft factors.</p>
<p>"georgetown is where people go if they don't get into columbia"</p>
<p>i dont know about that...i've heard several people turn down columbia for georgetown to study government or IR. </p>
<p>more accurately, id say "Georgetown is where people go if they don't get into Harvard Yale or Princeton," which isnt a bad thing, its just a consequence of those schools having sub 10% admit rates. the atmospheres at those schools (H, Y, P, Gtown) seem similar and i think most people who go to columbia wouldnt have wanted H Y or P in the first place. </p>
<p>they are different types of schools, and columbia is arguably the best at whatever you want to classify it as (core-y, uber intellectual, progressive). georgetown, i guess, is near the best at its "type," but there are other schools within its category (H, Y, P) that rank higher on prospective students preferences.</p>
<p>Actually I sort of disagree. When I went to Columbia I felt a lot of people had HYP envy. Columbia is a step up from Georgetown in many areas, but for people looking to go into law and govt its not.</p>
<p>Slipper is highly anti-Columbia Undegrad...he can explain...Not the OP's point, but...COlumbia University last 10 years and benefits of NYC:</p>
<p>? Columbia University Faculty have won many Nobel prizes in the last 10 years, e. g. Horst Stormer (Physics) Richard Axel (Medicine), Edmund Phelps (Economics), Joseph Stiglitz (economics-although he just came to Columbia), Orhan Pamuk (literature-new Faculty addition in SIPA), Eric Kandel (Medicine), William Vickrey (Economics-awarded 1996 now deceased), RObert Merton (SEAS grade-Economics 1997/I know this is not fair, but it's a recent one), RObert Mundell (Economics-1999), Richard Hamilton (foundation for Poincare Proof-over 40, but would have received Fields Medal otherwise with Pearlman), wow....Columbia University is def slipping...lol. What is wrong with playing of the fact that Columbia is located in NYC (the greatest city by an objective measure in the US and maybe, just maybe the world)? Part of the college experience is gaining real-world (read internship) knowledge while in college to apply to various fields. While it is true any IVY will allow one to be competitive for a Wall-Street position, most other industries require work experience prior to the entry level job, e.g. Journalism, TV, Marketing, Fashion, etc. Perhaps all students want to go to Wall Street? Also, the Columbia area has improved (due to gentrification) by leaps and bounds. The endowment investment returns have finally started growing competitive to Columbia's peer schools, e.g. 18% last year. Renovations to labs and facilities throughout campus etc...I am tired of writing, but I await your response ;)</p>
<p>And Georgetown has all the benefits of DC. This kid wants to go into law/ government which DC is the place for. I don't see how Columbia has an advantage here. Columbia's social life is not campus based, and since upperclassmen already form friendships and go out in the city I think its a tough place to transfer into socially.</p>
<p>i understand your point about columbia having great professors, and one of my friends is taking IR classes from some of the leading academics in the field there. but wall street isnt really where im aiming and i can get the sorts of internships i want in DC as well as NY. </p>
<p>im sorta leaning towards georgetown if you all couldnt tell, but i feel that columbia might be one of those places you can't say no to. like getting into harvard or princeton or yale. you get in, you go. </p>
<p>but maybe georgetown is the same way...</p>
<p>Georgetown is the same way. </p>
<p>As an alum of SFS and Columbia Business, I can tell you that you can't go wrong with either. But Georgetown is a little more intimate at the undergrad level.</p>
<p>basically columbia has the slight edge in academics/prestige, while GU has an edge in just about everything else. </p>
<p>i guess if anything, going to georgetown might be a little easier and my GPA would be higher than it would have been at columbia. i doubt law schools would dock me for having a higher GPA at a "less prestigious" school. </p>
<p>speaking of which, i know my 3.97 pre-transfer GPA from GW won't factor into greek honors (summa cum laude, etc.) at Columbia or Gtown, but will law schools see it?</p>
<p>I just got into SFS at Georgetown. I am waiting for Yale, Upenn, and Columbia. I do not think I am going to get in Yale. But, even if I do get into Upenn and Columbia, it would be a very hard decision to choose between SFS and an ivy league school.</p>
<p>I am also looking forward to going to law school or possibly working at the State Department.</p>