Georgetown or Cal?

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of California - Berkeley
1

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 Georgetown forum too. Thanks for your help!

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Cal is generally considered a better school than Georgetown, but it really depends on what you are interested in. If you want to go into the foreign service, maybe become an ambassador, then Georgetown is the place to be. If you are not Catholic, you may not be comfortable with Georgetown, which is a very catholic school, with required religious classes. If you are religious or politically right-wing, you may be happier at Georgetown than at Cal.

3

I don’t know much about Government and Political Science so I can’t help with the OP’s question. But:

Is this from your personal experience? Or is it hearsay?

Read this thread: http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/1099997-is-georgetown-very-religious.html

BTW, a friend of mine is a Jewish. Not only that didn’t prevent him from getting his MSEE from Santa Clara University, a Catholic school (also run by Jesuits as Georgetown), but he actually liked it there.

My D is both religious and politically right-wing (in a test of political spectrum, she’s even more right than Ronald Reagan). She doesn’t have any problem, or even feel uncomfortable at Cal.

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With respect to the previous comments on liberal vs. right-wing campuses, it’s all subjective to your own comfort. As someone who’s greatly left-wing and irreligious, I still find Georgetown and Santa Clara University to be attractive schools with consideration to the fact that they are Jesuit schools, which are notably less bent on conversion and more on holistic theological education. As for the choice between the two schools, Georgetown is absolutely gorgeous, very prestigious in the law department, but also pricey. Financial aid is hard to come by in private schools (I can attest to this as I only got $8,000 from SCU, which barely dented the amount of debt I’d be in). Moreover, UCB is an overall exceptional school that is far more affordable as it is a public university. You should, however, take into consideration that it is extremely competitive and is sometimes characterized to have a hostile environment between students (at least, within the STEM department). In the end, it all depends on what environment you feel yourself growing in.

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Having no debt is a pretty big deal in my opinion. That opens up so many options and a lot of freedom after you graduate. You will also be more willing to go to graduate school if that option intrigues you. It’s harder to justify graduate school when you’re already significantly in debt.

Food for thought. Otherwise, visit both universities. While I have no been to Georgetown myself, I love it here in Cal but it also has a very distinct student culture that is either immediately enticing or a turn-off for many. Rarely have I met students who’ve been “it’s alright” about Cal. It’s either one or the other.

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$50,000+ debt is more than you can borrow on your own (i.e. need parent loans or parent cosigned loans). This is usually a bad idea, in addition to being a large burden when you begin working, since you may be forced to chase the money instead of choosing jobs based on interest and career development. Also, law school is expensive, so you do not want to drag along a bunch of undergraduate debt through law school.

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As a new freshman at Cal, I will say that the extreme-left wing lifestyle here is sometimes overwhelming. And I went tto a high school in Northern New Hampshire.

But OP, it seems like this is a pretty obvious choice - Cal is giving you better aid and prestige-wise, it is regarded much higher than Georgetown (at least in the places I’ve lived: Los Angeles, Boston, India, Israel, and Dubai). Also, I has a teacher in high school who studied Poli Sci at Georgetown and he was the guy who ran the school farm.

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Thank you all for the replies!

@kn0wledge - I don’t want to go into foreign service, but if I went to Georgetown, I would probably want to major in Government. I’ve heard this is the next best thing to SFS, is that true?

@Pentaprism - I’m less concerned about environment, more about prestige and career goals. That said, I’ve visited the Cal campus before, and while I’m definitely not classic “Berkeley”, I bet I would be able to carve a niche out there, like you said.

@InamoratiAnon - You say Cal is an exceptional school, and that’s obviously true. Simply comparing the Govt/PoliSci programs between the two, though, would you still say Cal is better? Not talking about research, but only if planning to go into the field professionally. Like, if I wanted to become a Chief of Staff for a Congressman or something. Would a degree from Georgetown or Cal be better?

@Burdened - Although I’m saying I want to go into the public sector, what if I did go to law school? 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?

@ucbalumnus - Debt is a huge huge problem I would have to consider. That said, I’d like to through you the same questions I gave the other guy - Although I’m saying I want to go into the public sector, what if I did go to law school? 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?

@humanperson - Yeah, you also say Cal is more prestigious. In general, that’s definitely true. Just in respect to non-academic government/PoliSci, though, is Cal still better? Or if I wanted to work in DC, would Georgetown be better?

If anyone else can answer these questions, please please weigh in! Specifically with regards to overall prestige, specific prestige in the field I’m interested in, and debt I’d love to hear more perspectives. Thanks!

9

Law school admissions is mainly based on GPA and LSAT scores:
http://lawschoolnumbers.com

Law employment prospects appear to be closely tied to the prestige ranking of the law school:
http://www.lstscorereports.com/schools/

It is unlikely to be a good idea to bring along a lot of undergraduate debt while you pile on more debt for a law degree.

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IMO, Georgetown would be the best choice for anything with law. Seeing as it’s in the heart of Washington DC, it can bring you a lot more opportunities than Cal, which while it is a great school, is in the heart of Silicon Valley, which is more suitable for someone studying business or engineering.

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@NewStudent6824 I just re-read my last post and noticed how terribly written it was. Apologies for that, I hope this one is easier to understand.

In terms of prestige overall, Cal is higher for sure. In terms of undergraduate political science, I’m not sure (that’s kind of a really specific field). However, here are the USNWR’s grad school rankings for Poli Sci: http://grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-humanities-schools/political-science-rankings

Cal is #6 and Georgetown is #40. I’m not sure what the correlation between grad departments and undergrad departments are, but I doubt the rankings are wildly different. If you want to go to law school in the future, note that Berkeley is ranked higher than Georgetown in that field as well.

Yes, Georgetown’s placement DC gives you a slight benefit as far as job opportunities/internships at governmental offices go, but law schools will not hold it against you if you went to a college that was not in DC (aka 99.9% of all colleges). In fact, if you exhibit leadership qualities at Cal through through student clubs and organizations, volunteer activities, class projects, work experience, etc, you will just as attractive a candidate. Plus, there’s always Sacramento if you really want a government job and are willing to commute an hour and a half or so.