<p>I'm having a really tough time choosing between these two schools. I'm interested in studying political science, and I'm hoping to go to law school sometime down the road. I was really impressed with Georgetown's government department, and it has the benefit of being in DC, so I would be able to intern right in the city. On the other hand, I've also heard top-notch things about Duke's political science program, and I loved the school when I visited. $ is the same for both.</p>
<p>I would love to hear opinions (especially from current students) about the programs/academic climate at each school.</p>
<p>Law school is ALL about grades+lsat. EC’s/Internships are nearly worthless to all but Yale and Stanford. (Yes, you have to do something to show that you are not a mole, but it doesn’t much matter what you do.)</p>
<p>I’m guessing the conventional wisdom is that GU must be strong in PoliSci but the truth is that Gov/PoliSci is a standard major in any college. Law schools only care about the gpa, not where you earn it.</p>
<p>If you like GU better, by all means enroll. But if you like the environment better at Duke, go there.</p>
<p>If you are going to actually use your political science background to get a job-in the diplomatic corps, a Presidential Management Fellow position in a domestic agency, on a Congrssional staff, in a think tank or Washington based NGO or in an intelligence or national security position, rather than using the degree as a punch ticket for law school or a PhD in the field, then Georgetown is by far the better choice. The proximity to the adjunct faculty and the network overwhelm any other school. I think that you may well work before you attend law school, in which case Georgetown will give you more and I would argue better options.</p>
<p>Plus, at Duke a lot of enlightened professors will be able to teach you how to railroad lacrosse players and coaches with petitions and protests, and their superior political science professors will be able to teach you how to stand by and do nothing to stop the injustice. All of their study of laws and politics didn’t give them the common sense needed to give the accused the presumption of innocence. You can’t get that sort of insight and courage at just any college.</p>
<p>Academically, Duke’s Political Science department is better than Georgetown’s. Georgetown’s strength is International Relations and placement into federal agencies in DC. </p>
<p>Since you are pre-law, I don’t think it matters which undergraduate program you choose. If you told me that you wanted to pursue a PhD in Political Science, I would have recommended Duke. If you told us that you wanted to work in the State Department, I would have said Georgetown all the way. But in your case, both are excellent choices. </p>
<p>Personally, I would go for fit. Georgetown is in a nicer location (DC and M Street rock!)than Duke but Duke has a more spirited and fun campus environment. It is a tough decision.</p>
<p>Jesuits tend to be very enlightened and non-intrusive. Georgetown has one theology course requirement I believe, and it can be taken in any religion, be it Judaism, Islam, Budhism, Hinduism or Catholicism.</p>
<p>Still, the majority of students at Georgetown (60% I believe) are Catholic, and that should be taken into consideration when choosing.</p>
<p>I doubt that your Georgetown political science background will give you much of a leg-up into the diplomatic corps compared to a government (or any other liberal arts) degree from any other very selective university. You have to pass the foreign service exam to become a career foreign service officer. Does Georgetown have some secret sauce to help you do that? Well, maybe. More likely, if you are seeing high numbers of GU graduates in the foreign service, it reflects high interest (self selection) of GU students (combined of course with their high abilities).</p>
<p>Ditto for intelligence and national security positions. For most GU alumni, these are likely to be entry-level cubicle jobs starting at $40K or so. Georgetown can’t help you get a security clearance, which is one of the biggest hurdles you’ll have to jump. It offers good language training, but nothing far superior to what you could get at a couple dozen other schools. An immersion experience off campus will be your best path to language proficiency.</p>
<p>For a reasonably high status position on a Congressional staff, in a think tank or Washington based NGO, chances are you’ll have to punch that law school or PhD ticket anyway. I may be wrong, but I’d like to see the evidence that, armed only with a BA, Georgetown applicants get these jobs at significantly higher rates than graduates from peer schools.</p>
<p>I agree with Alexandre. Go for fit. Do consider the advantages of Georgetown’s DC location. GU does seem to do a great job of leveraging that. However, if you simply like Duke’s atmosphere more, that’s not a bad reason to chose it. They are both fine schools.</p>
<p>Oh, as for the Jesuit thing … I would not let that be much of a factor either way. There are crucifixes all over the place, but there must be at least 5 Jewish students (and half a professor) for every one of them. So unless you’re a vampire you should be o.k.</p>
<p>People assume that Georgetown’s Government department is first rate because it is in DC and Bill Clinton went there. The truth is that, although the Walsh School of Foreign Service is first rate, the Government Department (which is not in SFS) is at best ok. In fact, the best political science department in DC is at GW, and AU is probably #2. Georgetown had a few political science stars a few years ago–but they left. A number of PhD students have transfered out (something that is quite rare). There are reasons why academics rate GU political science relatively low (and rate SFS very high). Now that’s not to say that you could not get a decent education there–of course you can. But you have a better option.</p>
<p>Duke is both a much stronger university in general and much stronger in political science in particular as compared to Georgetown. I think Duke wins this battle on just about every factor except location. DC is a far better city to go to school in than Durham is and, for some people, that might be a deciding factor. But you will undoubtedly get a better education at Duke. </p>
<p>Actually, I did think of one other factor. Georgetown basketball fans are far less obnoxious than Duke’s :)</p>
<p>I will admit that this is the first time I have ever seen on cc a post that indicated that adjunct faculty was a plus… :D</p>
<p>agree with tk: the feds are prestige hounds. Any top school is a good thing. HYP even better. Brown sends a lot as well.</p>
<p>Plenty of internships offered by DoS offered to students from everywhere. My S easily snagged one and he attended a college in a NE forest. About as far away from the City as you can get.</p>
<p>Gu is probably the most secular of Catholic Colleges.</p>
That’s because Georgetown adjuncts are generally top people in their field who come by to teach a class or two every once in a while.</p>
<p>Both are excellent schools, and you can’t go wrong. It would be an easier choice if it was International Relations, but both are still good for Political Science. Georgetown will obviously be better for internships, but maybe Duke’s actual program is better. Either way, they’re pretty close.</p>
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Around 50%, which is double the US Catholic demographic (though I bet there are more Catholics in that part of the country than in other parts, so it may be less than double).</p>
<p>Thank you all for your helpful replies so far!! I’m still really torn, but I really appreciate your opinions on this decision. :)</p>
<p>The Jesuit-factor doesn’t bother me that much, to be honest. I’m Catholic myself, so that’s not a huge issue. I also didn’t apply to SFS because I’m more interested in Poly Sci than International Relations. If I don’t major in Poly Sci, I’m also interested in studying English.</p>
<p>Can anyone comment on the grading scale at each school? And also, what do students at each school do during the weekend? Thank you in advance!</p>
<p>I’m guessing you must not be familiar with Jesuit-run schools in general and Georgetown in particular. There would be no reason that a non-Catholic student wouldn’t be perfectly fine attending such a school. Please don’t make the mistake of conflating Jesuit education with evangelical Protestantism such as what you’d find at a Wheaton, ok?</p>
On a visit to Fordham, another Jesuit school, a Jewish professor who has been there for years said he felt far more comfortable being Jewish around the Jesuits than he did at his Ivy League undergrad and grad school alma maters.</p>
<p>
Yep, that’s what I was trying to say earlier. Funny thing is, these aren’t the anomalies.</p>
<p>Take a look at the above for the Presidential Management Fellows program. A simlar list for the foreign service would show the same high degree of performance for Georgetown versus all others.</p>