Georgetown (McDonough School of Business) vs. UChicago

Colleges and Universities A-Z Georgetown University
1

<p>I am trying to decide between these two schools! Any thoughts?</p>

<p>Georgetown Pros:
- Georgetown is very pre-professional. Considering the cost of Georgetown and UChicago, a strong emphasis on attaining a great job is crucial.
- I would not have to work my way into the business school at Georgetown.
- The neighborhood area surrounding Georgetown is very nice.
- Georgetown seems to have the better name recognition amongst those that I have talked to. I know that well-educated people would probably recognize UChicago as the stronger national university, but it bothers me that many people do not know about UChicago's prestige.
- Georgetown has a strong basketball team, and I would be able to cheer on the Hoyas. </p>

<p>Georgetown Cons:
- It is much farther away from my home. I would only be able to come home during long breaks, and I would have to adjust to life on the East Coast.
- Overall, Georgetown is probably not as strong as UChicago in most aspects. </p>

<p>UChicago Pros:
- I have heard that the business opportunities at UChicago are very strong, even though the university does not have an undergrad business school. I would have the opportunity to take classes at Booth as an undergrad.
- I like the intellectual atmosphere at UChicago. I would enjoy being around people who learn for the sake of learning.
- It much closer to my home. I would be able to stay in the Midwest and occasionally come home on weekends. </p>

<p>UChicago Cons:
- I would have to apply to the Chicago Careers in Business program after my first year. Therefore, I would have to take the risk of not getting into CCIB.
- The south side of Chicago is not the nicest area.
- I may encounter students who are too quirky for my taste.
- UChicago is unfamiliar to the average person. I would like people to recognize my school when I tell them where I go.
- UChicago does not have very strong athletics. After graduating, I would not be able to root for its sports teams. </p>

<p>Overall, I believe that UChicago is the stronger national university. However, if Georgetown is stronger in my desired field of study, it would probably be more logical to go there. Your input is greatly appreciated. Thank you!</p>

2

<p>I am posting the response I gave regarding Georgetown vs. Duke:</p>

<p>Congratulations on two great options!!! I know Duke and Georgetown very well–I transferred from Duke to Georgetown, and my sister graduated from the business school at Georgetown. Even though the schools are similar in many ways–talented student body, great school spirit–they are remarkably different as well in terms of the undergraduate experience. Duke has a beautiful campus–the “Gothic Wonderland”–with a “bubble-like” experience–that is, there is little that occurs off campus that has any relevance to the Duke experience, mostly because Durham doesn’t offer much. Social life is dominated by Greek-life (don’t let them tell you otherwise–they’ll state that only 50% of the students pledge Greek life, but 25% can’t as freshman, and there are “selective houses” that aren’t Greek but might as well be–the Greek-social life of heavy alcohol parties in frats/dorms is the major social experience) and basketball, and there is a work hard-play hard mentality that creates a divide between academic life and social life. Georgetown has the best of all worlds in that it has a wonderful campus located in a phenomenal college-town atmosphere that is part of one of the best cities in the world. Washington, DC provides tremendous opportunities socially, culturally, academically, and professionally, so the life of a Georgetown undergraduate generally is more integrated (socially and academically), and you will find that Georgetown faculty and students utilize the resources of the city in a very compelling way. The social life is far more diverse–yes, you will find dorm/apartment/house parties just like the Duke frat party scence, but there are so many additional options (bars, clubs, restaurants, Smithsonian, Kennedy Center, Georgetown the town, downtown DC–all within walking distance or a short metro ride away). School spirit at Georgetown is incredibly strong, but you won’t find students “camping out” days in advance for basketball games like at Duke simply because there are far more options and opportunities that exist. </p>

<p>Additionally, the undergraduate experience at Georgetown focuses on real-life applications of knowledge as well, using DC resources. A big difference between the educational experience is that Georgetown is much, MUCH more undergraduate-focused whereas Duke faculty are generally more focused on graduate students. The relationships with the faculty and administration that you will develop at Georgetown are definitely stronger–it is not uncommon to have faculty meet you at The Tomb’s (great student-hangout on campus) or have class at their home. Resources for international business are incredible with The World Bank and International Monetary Fund in walking distance. Business students generally will not have Friday classes and will use that time for internship and work experiences like at The Bank or IMF. Georgetown undergraduate business students are highly recrutied on Wall Street–my sister received multiple offers and is at JP Morgan-Chase in their young leadership program; the Georgetown network in business is incredible, with Georgetown’s Wall Street Alliance–alumni who assist Georgetown students and graduates to obtain positions on Wall Street as well as in business generally, including internationally. My sister also worked for The Corp, which is the largest student run business in the world that provides multiple services for students on campus (“Students Serving Students” is their motto–they run grocery stores, travel, storage, coffe shops, textbook resales, a credit union, etc.–completely operated and managed by students). With all of these experiences and the location, along with one of the best and most comprehensive study abroad program in the country, I cannot imagine a better place to be for international business than Georgetown.</p>

<p>Lastly, there is a commitment to serving others that is intrinsic to the Georgetown experience–a desire to use knowledge to make the community and the world a better place. This is part of the Jesuit tradition that makes the Georgetown experience unique as well. I am not Catholic, but I found the Jesuit tradition to be one of the most compelling parts of my undergraduate experience. This tradition, along with a cosmopolitan, diverse student body in an international city would seem to make your decision a no-brainer.</p>

<p>Transferring from Duke to Georgetown was the best decision I ever made!!! Best of luck with your decision! Hoya Saxa!!!</p>

3

<p>Additionally, Georgetown vs. Chicago: Georgetown provides an experience which is less “ivory tower” than Chicago. Georgetown has much more social prestige (name recognition) than Chicago, which has a very strong “academic” reputation and much less national and international “social prestige.” Georgetown undergrad. business is extraordinarily well respected on Wall Street given the students’ strong business education but also diverse experiences that are intrinsically part of the Georgetown experience. Additionally, the Georgetown Wall Street Alliance is an incredible alumni network for business students. Georgetown will provide you with a much more diverse and exciting undergraduate experience and is in a much better location that affords many more positives than Chicago, and the UNDERGRADUATE reputation of Georgetown actually probably exceeds that of Chicago (which is an incredible university but focuses much more on graduate and professional programs).</p>

4

<p>Thanks for your insightful response medman! I really liked Georgetown when I toured it. I was impressed with the business school, and I think it would provide me with several great job opportunities for finance and/or accounting. I am not interested in International Business, but I would surely go to Georgetown if I wanted to pursue this major. The myriad of student-run businesses on campus would likely help me put my business knowledge into practice. I agree that Georgetown has a better social life than UChicago. I would definitely enjoy participating in the wide variety of social activities that exist in Washington DC. It is appealing that Georgetown professors utilize the resources of the city in their teaching. I would not experience this at UChicago. I have gotten the impression that Georgetown professors really care about their students (at least at the undergrad level). Since Georgetown emphasizes “care for the whole person”, I would likely have a more balanced college experience if I went there. The Jesuit tradition that exists at Georgetown is definitely a bonus as well. Several people have told me that the recruiting at UChicago is very strong, even though the university lacks an undergrad business school. I have heard that firms want to hire students who have gotten an outstanding education at a top tier school. In other words, elite corporations are not very concerned with hiring students who have earned their BBAs. After all, this is how so many Ivy grads are able to earn great positions in the financial world (excluding Wharton students). UChicago seems to be making an effort to become more pre-professional, and that is certainly important to me. When I did an overnight visit at UChicago and talked to several students, the heavy majority told me that their professors were willing to assist them if they made an effort to seek help. However, I do not know if the students and professors have relationships on a more personal level as well. I guess I will have to choose whether I want to indulge in UChicago’s academics or the more well-rounded experience of Georgetown!</p>

5

<p>Best of luck to you!!! Hope you choose Georgetown!!!</p>

6

<p>prudentstudent, it’s great to have those choices! Brings me back to four years ago.
Our daughter is graduating from Georgetown College next month, but had been BOUND AND DETERMINED to attend U Chicago! She visited Georgetown a couple of times during high school, but always in the off season. Not impressed. She also did an overnight at U Chicago, which confirmed her strong preference.
We went down to the admitted students weekend at Georgetown (I know she was just humoring me, but she went) and for the first time saw the place full of students and in session. The whole “vibe” changed for her, and by the time we got back home U Chicago had fallen by the wayside.
She might have loved U Chicago had she gone there too, you never can tell, but truly she would not trade her Georgetown experience for the world. She was very involved with early childhood education programs in D.C., among other things, and found D.C. to be a much more livable and accessible city than Chicago (at least U Chicago’s location, which is not the best).
I’m a Georgetown Law alum, so I’m biased. But I will say that I discussed it at some length at the time with one of my best law school friends, a U Chicago grad, and frankly he wasn’t recommending his alma mater.</p>

<p>U Chicago is all about “the Life of the Mind”. Georgetown is all about “Cura Personalis”.</p>

<p>Sounds to me like you’ve thought through the pros and cons very well.</p>

<p>You will be changed forever. And then, just maybe, you’ll go out and change the world.</p>

<p>Hoya Saxa!</p>

7

<p>Uchicago is a great school and probably is more respected than Gtown in academic circles but the georgetown name usually garners more prestige outside academia, such as in the political and maybe even the business world. </p>

<p>For school spirit gtown definitely is much bigger time than Uchicago. Also the neighborhood surrounding gtown is much nicer than the south side of chicago. I would strongly recommend Gtown because I think socially and culturally it is better than Uhcicago, but in terms of academics Uchicago definitely tops Georgetown. UChicago is affiliated with many Rhodes Scholars, 87 Nobel Prize laureates, and the avg SAT score is 100pts higher than at Gtown. Also, Uchicago’s endowment is six times that of georgetown and in 2008 chicago spent 430 million dollars in research.</p>

8

<p>^Nova2011: You continue to discuss things like endowment and research dollars as influential factors, which they certainly are as it relates to a university’s mission; but as a student-centered university, which Georgetown is, with an emphasis on undergraduate education, service, and cultural/academic/social diversity, how do you think endowment and research dollars affect the undergraduate experience? Also, I find it hard to believe that UChicago’s admitted students have a 100 point higher average SAT–Georgetown’s mean for the class of 2016 is 1440 (720 CR, 720 M)–is Chicago’s really 1540??? Lastly, Georgetown has more Rhodes/Marshall/Mitchell/Goldwater/Truman/Luce/Cooke/Fullbright undergraduate scholars than Chicago in the last 25 years. </p>

<p>But, I am glad to hear that you endorse Georgetown as the better option. How about if Villanova was in the mix (which it is not, for obvious reasons)?</p>

9

<p>“How about if Villanova was in the mix (which it is not, for obvious reasons)?” </p>

<p>There he goes instigating again. Medman, can you just give a civilized response and leave it at that for once? Or do you have to go after anyone who has anything uncomplimentary to say about Georgetown?</p>

10

<p>^Come on saman42–the “obvious reasons” comment is related to the fact that the OP didn’t comment on Villanova, so it was “obviously” not in the mix. I know that Nova2011 is a huge Villanova fan and loyal student, so my comment about his endorsing Georgetown and how it would go if Villanova were in the mix was with that kinowledge and mean to tease him/her a bit, knowing that the endorsement would likely shift to Villanova. If your interpretation of that comment was that it was uncivilized, the problem is yours.</p>

11

<p>

I would ask you to verify that, but I know you can’t. The last time someone compiled a list of all those awards, Chicago beat out Georgetown. Georgetown’s performance in the sciences, particularly NSF production, is particularly embarrassing.</p>

<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/798325-rhodes-marshall-truman-nsf-fulbright-scholars-private-universities.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/798325-rhodes-marshall-truman-nsf-fulbright-scholars-private-universities.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Now that Chicago has become as selective as the Ivies, expect that gap to continue to widen. Georgetown is good for people who want to play in DC. Chicago is where to go for an education.</p>

<p>Chicago is more selective, is wealthier, and is significantly more prestigious. Unlike Georgetown, whose only claim to fame is SFS and selectivity based on appealing to preppy northeasterners rejected by Ivies, Chicago has no academic weaknesses and is only a step behind colleges like Harvard and Stanford. Georgetown posters talk about undergraduate focus, which is empty rhetoric and meaningless since Georgetown lags other top colleges significantly in graduate school placement (Chicago has 16 students at Yale Law this year, Georgetown has only 5; only Caltech produces more PhDs than Chicago) and awards production. There is no question that Chicago is the better college and the better choice.</p>

12

<p>^I beg to differ. Georgetown undergraduate is certainly more prestigious than U. Chicago undergraduate, and is the preferred option for most individuals choosing between the two (see below). Additionally, Georgetown certainly has more social prestige and international appeal. Chicago is a stronger academic university, with stronger graduate and professional programs, but Georgetown undergraduate is undeniably more compelling.</p>

<p>[Compare</a> Colleges: Side-by-side college comparisons | Parchment - College admissions predictions.](<a href=“Compare Colleges: Side-by-side college comparisons | Parchment - College admissions predictions.”>Compare Colleges: Side-by-side college comparisons | Parchment - College admissions predictions.)</p>

<p>Also, hippo2718: What happened to your love for Georgetown? Not too far back, you rated it as your 9th best university, placing University of Chicago around 18th…What happened? Changing your mind a bit? How can anyone take you seriously???</p>

<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/856934-your-opinion-what-top-25-privates-universities-2.html#post9604545[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/856934-your-opinion-what-top-25-privates-universities-2.html#post9604545&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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<p>

If by “more compelling” you mean easier and more fun, probably. If you mean the better option, you’re sadly mistaken.</p>

<p>Fact #1</p>

<p>Chicago is more selective than Georgetown, and the selectivity ranking of US News notes this. Chicago has a lower acceptance rate, and its test scores are even higher than Stanford’s. Chicago’s yield is now on par with Georgetown’s and has been steadily rising. Unlike Georgetown, Chicago does not protect its yield and allows students to apply ED or SCEA elsewhere.</p>

<p>Fact #2</p>

<p>Chicago has better graduate placement than Georgetown. As noted, Chicago sent more than three times as many students to Yale Law. Chicago also has more students at Johns Hopkins Medical, despite having fewer premeds, having an excellent medical school if its own, and unlike Georgetown is not practically next door.</p>

<p>Fact #3</p>

<p>Chicago students win more awards. I’ve already discussed this.</p>

<p>Fact #4</p>

<p>Chicago’s Core requires students to learn and examine a wide range of topics, and the Socratic seminar style of learning engages students and requires them to think critically.</p>

<p>Fact #5</p>

<p>Chicago professors are world-renowned experts in their fields, and Chicago uses its wealth to pay salaries better than almost any other university and recruit new faculty. Georgetown’s faculty consists mostly of scholars who couldn’t or didn’t get jobs at a good R1 university.</p>

<p>Fact #6</p>

<p>Chicago offers more attention by offering smaller classes. 78% of classes enroll fewer than 20 students, compared to only 61% at Georgetown. Last year it bragged that 33% of its classes had fewer than 5 students.</p>

<p>Fact #7</p>

<p>Chicago has made the US News best teaching ranking every year since it started in 2009. Georgetown has not made it even once. </p>

<p>There is virtually no measure, except SFS and other things Chicago doesn’t have, in which Georgetown comes out better than Chicago. Chicago is usually considered one of the ten best universities in the world. I’m sure you think it’s a better university. That’s okay. Some people at Tufts probably think their school is better than Harvard. Neither position is right, but you’re welcome to your opinion.</p>

<p>

That website seems unreliable to say the least. For example, supposedly UC Davis and Wesleyan win 40% of students against Harvard. Who believes that? Or that more than half of students will choose U Penn over Yale? Seriously?</p>

<p>Even if those were real numbers, that says nothing except that Georgetown has good marketing and Chicago seems difficult.</p>

<p>

I noted that I was listing them alphabetically, and it is very obvious if you look at my list. My mind has not changed.</p>

<p>One of us can’t be taken seriously, and it’s not me.</p>

14

<p>Hahahahaha sorry the alphabetical list thing made me laugh out loud.</p>

<p>Maybe if medman had spent his Georgetown days studying instead of trolling, he would have been able to catch that.</p>

15

<p>How on Earth does G-town protect its yield rate? In addition, anyone saying that UChicago is significantly more selective than Georgetown needs their head checked, Georgetown, unlike UChicago, refuses to sell out to students checking off boxes by not moving to the Common App, even though doing so would drive their selectivity well below Chicago’s, who before their new marketing campaign had 40% acceptance rates. Georgetown’s is now only 3% behind UChicago’s, eben though moving to the CommonApp increases apps by a huge amount. The only people applying to Georgetown are people who really want to be there and prove this by filling out their incredibly antiquated admissions forms, while UChicago gets tons of apps from students who don’t even have to write their famous quirky essays. </p>

<p>Rant over. In any case both of these schools are fantastic, and the OP would do well at either, I know a person who turned down Princeton (full ride) for UNF. He is doing perfectly fine now. Go wherever you feel happiest.</p>

16

<p>

Fact checking fail. Chicago requires a supplement to the Common App, which includes short answer questions and a quirky essay as always. </p>

<p><a href=“https://collegeadmissions.uchicago.edu/pdfs/uchicago-fy-supp-2011-12.pdf[/url]”>https://collegeadmissions.uchicago.edu/pdfs/uchicago-fy-supp-2011-12.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Anyway, selectivity is about more than acceptance rates. Grades and test scores must be compared as well. Chicago is more selective by any measure.</p>

17

<p>Sigh, and this is where I point out essay prompt number 5, and they dont have short answer essay prompts, they have an optional reading list and a generic Why this college essay.</p>

18

<p>What about the cross-admit history? Georgetown consistently beats our U. Chicago for cross admits, and has since data has been collected (COFHE school data). Also, you are completely wrong about graduate school placement and awards–Georgetown beats Chicago. And I am at Hopkins med–I assure you that there are more Georgetown students here than U. Chicago–and, the number of premeds at Georgetown undergrad (not including alumni) numbers about 100-120 each year. Georgetown undergrads. tend to want to be in major cities (DC, Boston, NYC, LA, SF, Chicago, etc.) rather than less-desirable cities, given their experience in DC as undergrads–this is why many of my friends didn’t apply to great med. schools like Duke, Hopkins, Wash.U. (and my other GU friends admitted to Hopkins med. chose to go to other schools–UCSF, Columbia, etc.). Finally, I encourage you to look at the top 15 professional schools in each professional discipline (law, medicine, business)–Georgetown beats Chicago; this is, in part, because a larger percentage of students at Chicago go into PhD/graduate programs, but I can assure you, Georgetown undergrad. has a fabulous reputation with professional schools and graduate schools alike.</p>

19

<p>

According to the most recent catalog, Georgetown has 5, and Chicago has 8. See page 460.</p>

<p><a href=“http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/som/students/academics/catalog/SOMCatalog0910.pdf[/url]”>http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/som/students/academics/catalog/SOMCatalog0910.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>

Last year Georgetown and Chicago had 178 and 170 applicants each, respectively.</p>

<p><a href=“https://www.aamc.org/download/161116/data/table2-7.pdf[/url]”>https://www.aamc.org/download/161116/data/table2-7.pdf&lt;/a&gt;
<a href=“https://www.aamc.org/download/161090/data/table2-1.pdf[/url]”>https://www.aamc.org/download/161090/data/table2-1.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>

The only ranking that has done so placed Chicago ahead of Georgetown, and that was before the recent surge in selectivity.</p>

<p><a href=“http://www.inpathways.net/top50feeder.pdf[/url]”>http://www.inpathways.net/top50feeder.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Additionally, Chicago students outperform Georgetown students on both the GMAT and LSAT.</p>

<p><a href=“Bloomberg - Are you a robot?”>Bloomberg - Are you a robot?;

<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/1190895-mean-lsat-score-undergraduate-college.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/1190895-mean-lsat-score-undergraduate-college.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Any other unsupported claims you want to make? I’m willing to keep debunking. You can “assure” us of anything you like, but I’m not buying it, especially since you’ve brought in no support or statistics to support your position. Georgetown simply isn’t as respected as Chicago.</p>

<p>Georgetown is a good college, but its peers are USC, Rice, Notre Dame, and Vanderbilt. Chicago’s peers are Columbia and U Penn. After all, there’s a reason Chicago is ranked in the top 5 while Georgetown doesn’t even crack the top 20, and Dartmouth shows that it’s not because it’s not a major research university.</p>

20

<p>Yeah I’m not sure where medman is getting the stats for Hopkins med - it seems UChicago does just fine there.</p>

<p>Also, I’m confused about the “social recognition” point. Schools like Georgetown or Duke probably have better national recognition than, say, UPenn or Williams, but these are all great schools. As a poster said in another thread, how many people know of companies like McKinsey, BCG, or Blackrock? None of these companies have very high general social recognition, except within a very small spectrum of society. The folks that know these firms know the value of Williams, Penn, UChicago, Duke, etc. </p>

<p>I think the better question to ask is: does the school have a good reputation in the circle I’m interested in (i.e. business)? The answer is, both schools have great reps here. </p>

<p>Overall, I’m biased as a UChicago alum, but I think outside of SFS, UChicago is probably the better option, if fit is ok. It’s just a really great school across the board, and the resources for incoming students are continually improving.</p>