Hi all, I’ve got a pretty simple question: Georgetown or Cal? These are both schools that I would love to attend one day, so I thought I’d take some ideas on which one is better for what I want. I would like to major in Government or Political Science, and then either work in government/policy/lobbying/whatever or go to law school. If I go to Gtown, I’d come out with probably 50-70k in debt, because I don’t think I will get financial aid. If I go to Cal, I’ll come out debt-free.
So which do you think is better for what I want to do? Taking into account prestige, debt, and my major. Also, overall, which do you think is a more prestigious school?
I’m posting this in the Berkeley forum too. Thanks for your help!
Honestly, if you’re sure about the finances, Berkeley. Especially since you’re considering law school.
Berkeley without a doubt (and I’m a GT grad!). If the costs were equal, GT might get the nod for SFS, but it’s not worth the extra $$ IMHO.
Thanks for the perspectives you guys! To be honest, I was leaning towards GT as my goal, but now you guys are starting to sway me from that.
@SafeFromScience - Finances are a huge part of the picture. However what if I did go to a prestigious law school? Could I not conceivably count on a good job from that? Or even some high-paid private sector position, like a lobbyist or consultant? Could I count on good-paying jobs from those fields to offset debt from undergrad, even if I did go to Georgetown?
@LoveTheBard - Wow, you say Berkeley without a doubt! In terms of career, I think I’d like to work in DC somewhere, or at least on the East Coast. My perspective is skewed since I’m from California, but I would think that in that area, working in government or policy, a Georgetown degree would be better than a Cal one. Do you agree?
Overall, I was really starting to fall in love with GT since I thought that being in DC would be great for my career because of internships and etc. Also, I thought that Cal is overall a better school, and Cal is still better for the academic study of politics, but for actually working in government or public policy, GT would be better. Anyone agree/disagree? Also, to what degree could I count on good jobs from GT, and how easy would it be to pay off debt? I know these are a lot of what-if’s, but I would love any more thoughts!
You can apply to both and see what happens. Georgetown’s early action program is non-binding, so you would have that decision in hand before the UCs release their decisions.
I agree with @siliconvalleymom
Apply and see what the result is. Do NOT let CC ‘sway you’ away from your current thinking in this context. Sure, let a variety of people inform your decision making process, but take everything you are told with a grain of salt. Someone could have been rejected/have a kid rejected from a school you like, tell you its horrible for reasons XYZ and then you don’t apply, even though it might have been ideal for you.
Both wonderful schools. Assuming admission to both, huge cost disparity, I personally would choose Berkeley too, but you don’t have a decision to make until you have a decision to make 
Good luck.