Somebody’s kid got into Georgetown recently I think. 
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Still not lying.
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Actually, if anyone is interested in global rankings you should look at QS World University rankings. BTW, GT is not coming up in all those fields and certainly not on par with some of the names mentioned. It’s a great school, but I’d check rankings before making claims that it’s the best in all those fields. BTW, no school falls into everyone of those broad categories.
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Not sure what your agenda is but Foreign Policy magazine ranked a top global IR program and no one claimed it was best at any of those. It is top in Niche rankings in a number of those, if you need sources. I also happen to work on those regions and know the school’s reputation there, which matters a lot more than rankings in real life.
Foreign policy is one I would certainly see GT as being in the top group. Niche has a metric that I don’t find valid plus it isn’t international. When comparing international sources you usually should use sources which are global in nature. QS isn’t perfect but it is certainly international. You had mentioned GT being on par with other major international U’s hence bringing in the world data set.
You and others may work in a particular region/regions but I’m sure that opinions vary hence a data set is useful. One person’s opinion about reputation doesn’t include all the other metrics. I’d be happy to look at metrics which were global in nature. Not USNEws or Time as these are highly biased to US based programs.
Also, law is a tough one since many global U’s have a different type program. And so is business as one can’t interchange business (undergrad) with an MBA. And many foreign schools combine business with something else entirely.
For students who attend some of these global programs there are many which are highly focused in a specific area and hence very well known to that sub-group. To say one is better than another is silly unless you are very specific about outcomes and industries where data is widely available. Most non-US schools publish this.
IMO, GT excels in IR/foreign affairs. It’s strong in a couple of other fields but not top of the top by any means. There are hundreds of schools which are very good depending on the exact major your are talking about. Also, the rankings vary depending on the data set used.
Was surprised to see UChicago as 10 in the QS ranking
I don’t think the QS is perfect but I haven’t seen another ranking that is better for overall international balance. And the categories are broadly based.
UChicago is really up there in many fields. One of my kids really liked a couple of their programs. Seems like the academics are top notch.
My daughter is trying to decide between UChicago and Berkeley Global management program. Tough
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I don’t know which NESCACs your son is looking at, but I would push back against the idea that he’ll be “swimming in a larger pond” just because Georgetown is larger and in a big city.
The college years are about transitioning to adulthood and about beginning to develop a focus for one’s life’s work. The very fact that he will be in more of an adult world with 18-22+ year olds means that it’s it’s higher level regardless of the size of the pond. He will be expected to take more responsibility for his own learning and for managing his time and tasks. And there will more at stake in his decision making for shaping his future. Those are all a big deal.
Although Georgetown is a research university, NESCAC LAC’s may be even more research focused on the undergraduate level. So while his high school may have been rigorous, it’s a whole different game at college. The opportunity to do research and maybe to present a paper at a national conference as my niece did is a completely different kind of rigor. I’m not sure that Georgetown has the same amount of undergrad research opportunities as the NESCAC’s do although I know that it has some.
Finally, I’m not sure that this is an either/or decision. Some of the NESCAC’s have a semester or even a year in Washington available. There are also some exchange programs with universities in other big cities, Finally, he can study abroad for a year. Being at a SLAC does not mean that he’s completely locked into that small campus for 4 years. There is also the question of grad school. If that’s in his future, it’s likely that the grad school will be in a larger pond. If that’s in his future, is it necessary to rush into the larger pond now?
What is a larger pond? Depending on his major at Georgetown, he might eventually find himself in a very small cohort. Even though there are thousands of students on campus, he won’t necessarily be involved with all that many of them. And the same department at a NESCAC may actually be bigger than it’s counterpart at Georgetown, depending on the major.
In my experience, high school students are limited in their understanding of how big colleges are. If he’s in a small private high school of less than a thousand students, all of the “small” NESCAC’s are going to be bigger than his high school. Most of them range between 1800-3000 students. (I’m assuming that Tufts isn’t one of your choices.)
Ultimately what’s going to matter is not where he is and how big it is but what he’ll be actually doing while he’s in college. I would focus on how he’ll be spending his time. There are some amazing opportunities at these NESCAC schools. Not knowing which ones, I can’t comment further, but I suggest that he focus more closely on what he can actually do, what he can engage at all 3 of his choices. I’m sure that there are opportunities at each which can’t be duplicated at the others. That’s where his choice lies because regardless of which school he chooses, that choice will be eliminating some opportunities that he might have had at another. I hope he chooses the one that is most in line with the life he is headed for as an adult.
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I was in Georgetown for three days for My D22’s move in and convocation ceremony.
I went to a local state school and I also haven’t experienced other college dorms, buy my daughter’s building and the room were fine to both of us. They were clean and big enough for all of her stuffs.
I can’t comment on food myself, but the photos she sent us looked pretty good and she’s saying they are good enough. I just don’t know how much better other colleges are.
I think that the most important thing is that she’s enjoying every minute at Georgetown now.
She didn’t even hesitate for a moment choosing Georgetown over a top LAC(not like me), and she’s so happy with her decision to be a Hoya.
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It’s great going to school in DC and Georgetown professors are amazing. Sadly, the campus is not well cared for. Buildings are dirty, gross moldy dorm bathrooms, and worst of all mice and rats. Not just the occasional rodent, they are everywhere. Management just puts traps out but only in the dorms where students complain. Of course if there are mice and rats on one dorm room, the surrounding rooms have them too.
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I realized that I never updated this thread with my son’s final choice. He ultimately chose Bowdoin and couldn’t be happier. He is thriving academically and socially. I’m sure he would have thrived at G-Town as well. But Bowdoin ultimately felt like the better fit for him.
When it came down to it, he realized that he could always go to a larger school like G-Town for graduate school, but he could only experience a LAC as an undergrad. And grad school is definitely in this kid’s future.
Ironically…his favorite class this semester is politics. And his prof is recommending he attend a summer program at…you guessed it…Georgetown! Funny how things come full circle…
Bottom line - my son trusted his gut at the end and it steered him well.
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Take a look at the Georgetown University Parents FB group to see recent discussions about the facilities at Georgetown, including issues with rats and mold.
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This is my exact experience. I am also a sophomore, and I never eat in Leo’s. I remember there was the norovirus on campus due to the ill preparation of the food. I remember eating eggs and flipping the bottom side up and it was green mold! I remember people crouching on the floor that same week because of their stomach pain due to the food from Leo’s. Also, im pre-med, the advising was non-existent to the point I would be shocked If I would receive an email back from the administration. The administration is aloof and don’t expect much from them. especially as a student of color.
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