<p>I heard the economics classes are GPA killers, and from what I've read on the Georgetown website, the core curriculum appears pretty intense--more intense than some ivies, in fact. Is there a great amount of grade deflation at Georgetown? How cutthroat is SFS? How much time do you have time for socializing?
What AP exams do you recommend taking so that I can get out of some classes?
And lastly, will I die (from the workload, that is)?</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>AP English and AP World/Euro could get you out of requirements that just take up time. Econ uses a curve so your grade depends on everyone else’s grades. </p>
<p>I definitely recommend taking AP Econ and the two mentioned above…AP Econ probably the most important to just get out of the way, but the curve isn’t that bad</p>
<p>SFS is rigorous in a good way, that is, if you are truly passionate about what you want to study. You will find that courses are inspiring and extremely interesting (aside from basic core classes). And though it’s a cliche, the core really does provide a fantastic foundation for an elite education in IR… you will find that courses really gel together to produce a fantastic multidisciplinary understanding of the international system </p>
<p>Not too bad of grade deflation…if you got into Georgetown then you know you can handle it </p>
<p>Plenty of time to socialize…don’t worry about that </p>
<p>Thank you both! That’s good to hear.</p>
<p>@njhoya
Do you mean the AP micro or macro test? </p>
<p>So SFS is not rigorous to the extent that I’d be swamped with homework on a Saturday night, right? </p>
<p>Both, but you have to get a 5 on either test to get credit, while the tests I mentioned require only 4s. And no, it doesn’t mean you won’t be doing homework on Saturday nights. Not every Saturday night, but you can expect it often.</p>
<p>Econ as a GPA killer: This really depends, I did fine and they actually helped my GPA. I find that it varies wildly by person but that “killer” is the wrong word even for those who perform below the average. Intensive languages when you don’t put enough effort in are far more likely to deserve the description.</p>
<p>Core: Yeah, there is a lot of it, some of it is tough (for me, it was the required philosophy class and language). But it is manageable, and all your classmates are right there along with you. I got impatient and actually started taking major classes early because I wanted classes I was really interested in. It was a great move and helped to keep my interest in courses, and also raised GPA as I did some of the core later with more experienced college skills.</p>
<p>APs are useful, though I would caution using too many as there is a reason they want you to take all these courses. I would really recommend taking the AP in English to get out of as many humanity reqs as possible as they just don’t help to prepare you for later courses (the writing is completely different, what you are looking for in reading is completely different, understanding the queer interpretation of Great Expectations will not help you with the security dilemma or nuclear deterrence, etc). Same goes with AP World/Euro, especially as some of the courses for those can be deceptively difficult. </p>
<p>Grade Deflation: minimal, the difference is that there is more grade inflation at ivies. I think the average for the SFS is around a 3.5 (could be wrong)</p>
<p>Cutthroat: not at all. SFS students are an awesome community and even in econ where there is a curve I always worked together with a group to study. </p>
<p>Will you die: only if you don’t time manage. The biggest thing to get used to is reading, a lot, all the time. The first few weeks will be a shock to the system probably, but you got into Georgetown, so you can more than manage it. The biggest mistake I made was to frequently leave a lot on the weekends. Its not the right strategy. </p>
<p>Saturdays/Socializing: Yeah really don’t worry about this, only when I have essays/midterms/finals do I not have my Friday and Saturday evenings (and Sunday mornings) free to do what I want. And this is with working 13 hrs + a week. </p>
<p>Generally how many hours of class do SFS students have per week?</p>
<p>15 credits is the minimum, 16 common due to 1 or 4 credit classes, and 18 is pushing the upper limit. Credits round up a little, so 3 credits is really 2.5 hours of class.</p>