I’m a current freshman at Georgetown traveling home for my Thanksgiving break and I’ve got a little time on my hands. I remember how much I used College Confidential during my college application process, especially to find out what schools were really like (beyond the admissions brochures). So if you have any questions about classes, professors, overall academics, clubs, dorms, social life, what it’s like to live in D.C., feel free to ask
(Any other GU students feel free to answer questions too, the more the merrier!)
That is so kind of you! My son applied but it’s a reach. Is there an academically competitive atmosphere or culture? How about socioeconomic diversity and how you see students grouping together? Thanks!
@TS0104 I am in the SFS and I haven’t found it to be academically competitive at all. Even in Econ, where there is a curve, everyone is in it together and willing to help with homework, studying, etc. Your friends are willing to read your essays, talk about concepts, etc. My friends in the College have said similar things. I think the only school it may be a little different is the MSB, that is a little more competitive because the curves are harsher. And ROTC programs are competitive but that’s a very small cohort of students.
It’s no secret that GU has a lot of students come from privileged backgrounds. It definitely tends towards the wealthier side, especially with the number of international students. However, more than half of GU students are on financial aid, so it’s not overwhelmingly wealthy students either. My experience has been a good mix - there are people who have a lot of money and people who don’t, but no one I’ve met is very in your face about it.
thank you so much for opening this thread, as a prospective student i have so many questions, but not many people to ask. i have two questions, if you don’t mind.
georgetown has been known to be on the pricier side, my family is middle/upper middle class but paying 50,000 a year would definitely be a burden, considering that my sibling will also be entering med school the same year i go to college. does georgetown offer more money to more 'attractive' applicants than just is warranted by FAFSA?
i live in texas and attending georgetown has definitely been a long time dream of mine because of the city and opportunities, but as it gets closer to applying, i'm wondering if it is really worth it (the cost, distance, etc.) when i have some great in state options (ut, rice, etc.) what would be your advice to me? (i would probably apply sfs or msb, end goal is to go to law school)
Georgetown only offers need based financial aid, so you won’t get any more money for having higher stats (unlike what you might get at a school with merit aid). Georgetown also has a reputation (and this is hearsay but I’ve heard it from a lot of people) for “gapping” people and not always being great with FA.
I would say apply and see what you get in terms of FA, but if your instate options (including Rice, which is an amazing school) are much cheaper and Georgetown would be a burden on your family, go with the instate options. Even a school as great as Georgetown is not worth student debt.
@havingfunismy I can’t speak from personal experience because I am in the SFS, but I have heard from friends that it is more competitive because of the harsher curves. If any current GU students who see this thread are in the MSB and can give a better answer than that, please hop in!
@anniek360 I think it depends on your personality, but overall the social scene is what you make of it. You find most of your friends either through clubs or on your floor - so what you get involved in sort of determines what friends you make. In general everyone is friendly especially in the first few weeks. The whole club exclusivity thing is a little overblown, in my experience.
Hi, thanks for posting. My son hasn’t received his answer yet, I suspect deferral. It’s a reach for him with a 29ACT and 3.5 UW 3.9 W. Anyway though, here’s what I am wondering. If he were to get in, it’s a worry for me that academics will be a struggle or that he will constantly feel like he’s on the bottom or fighting to keep his head above water. He’s a bright student, A and Bs without much work to be honest, and always seems to manage to come through on stuff. He’s NOT competitive at all. Thoughts? PS It’s pretty nice that your final procrastination process is offering to help others out…rather than say watching Netflix or playing euchre. true Jesuit spirit I see!
Thanks haha. As for your son, Georgetown is definitely an academically rigorous school. If he goes here, he will be pushed and challenged along with every other student in the incoming class. It’s not so much about being competitive as Georgetown students aren’t really competitive with others (except maybe in the MSB) as they are competitive with themselves.
However, there are also so many resources to help students who are willing to seek out the extra help. There’s a writing center, freshman-specific classes, TAs, countless office hours, etc. Especially during his first year, professors will know that students are coming from a huge variety of educational backgrounds and some will be used to more rigorous curriculum and some won’t be and so they’ll adjust accordingly. I think he’ll be fine as long as he up for the challenge of putting in the hard work and effort to be successful.
Hi everybody! Congrats to everybody who just got in EA to Georgetown and welcome to the Hoya family! I really hope to see you all on the Hilltop next year. And to everybody who got deferred, you’re all incredible, amazing, talented people. You still have a shot at Georgetown in RD, but regardless of what happens, you’re all wonderful people who are going to do great things wherever you end up.
I’m a current junior in the SFS at Georgetown, originally from the Bay Area. I am currently procrastinating on a final paper and don’t want to pack to go home so I figured I’d spend some time answering any questions anybody has about life at Georgetown or the college process. I’ve done this before and I know it can be helpful so ask me anything; I mean it. I’ll answer as honestly as possible. Hoya Saxa!
Hi. I saw that Georgetown is ranked #22 by US News & World Report, which is very good. But when you look at its world rankings (like by QS, THE, and ARWU), Georgetown’s ranking averages about #250 in the world. Does anyone know why the school’s reputation is not strong overseas? Thanks
I would honestly take those ranking with a huge grain of salt. First- US universities apart from the Ivy League tend not to be super well known abroad. That being said, from personal experience, most people I’ve met internationally know what Georgetown is and regard it as a prestigious university. I wouldn’t focus on rankings because at the end of the day, it doesn’t really matter that much. Within a certain echelon, just focus on the schools that are the best fit for you.
@snowy2010 Adding on to the previous comment–the people who matter know about how prestigious Georgetown is, and that’s really all you need. Think of it like UPenn: I have a couple friends there and when they tell people they go to Penn, people constantly confuse UPenn with Penn State, which are two very different schools in terms of rankings and prestige. But for the people who matter, i.e. employers, they’ll know what Penn is. Same for Georgetown: anyone in government or IR-related fields will know Georgetown’s name, so who cares if other people don’t?
They’re certainly not perfect but I wouldn’t say every dorm on campus is as bad as the ones on the Instagram page. I’ve definitely had mice, issues with facilities responding to things quickly, clogged toilets, missing furniture, broken drawers, etc but I haven’t dealt with actual rats or things as bad as the instagram page shows.
@cristiano10s I live in Village C West and it is not as bad as georgetown hot mess portrays! That page has become a joke/venting outlet for students, because occasionally something horrifically disgusting will come up but in my experience it’s been rare. My dorm was pretty clean on move in (except the toilet - which ended up having to be replaced three weeks into the school year because it was clogging every other day, but that’s a rare case). Facilities will help you out but you have to get on their case about it. It’s a college dorm, it’s not luxurious, but it’s not disgusting either. Btw you will see rats when you walk around campus at night, especially by Epis, but I’ve never seen one in a building.
Hi! I recently got deferred and it really bummed me out — Georgetown is my dream school and a friend of mine got in :(. From your experience, how competitive is the RD pool (ex do you know a lot of people who were deferred and got in)?
Im trying to decide to EDII or keep with Georgetown RD if I have a chance as I would rather go there but I’m losing hope! For reference I have a 34 superscore (33 composite) and a 3.82 with some not good SATIIs (high 600s). Thanks!
Is there any truth to what I have heard about it being difficult to connect socially (having to "audition" for clubs, etc. Are students generally friendly and open to friendships or are there cliques?
2.What are the “best” and “worst” things about your Georgetown experience so far?
