Hi all!
I was recently accepted to both Georgetown SFS and UPenn CAS as a transfer student (still waiting on Columbia). I’m having a pretty hard time deciding between the two and wanted to reach out for some input.
So, at GU, I’d be a Culture and Politics major, and at Penn, I’d be an International Relations major. As far as career goals, I’m honestly still figuring everything out. I’d like to work abroad one day, possibly in the NGO/intergovernmental fields.
Georgetown Pros:
-
Highly ranked for IR
- Opportunity to intern in DC (not sure how feasible this will be with a full course load + work-study, but still important)
- While I like Philly, I think there’s more to do in DC. My perception of it is also a lot nicer.
- From what I’ve gathered, I feel like it’s a more collaborative community without a super strong partying culture, which I really like.
Georgetown Cons:
- The campus seems nice, but I don’t really love it. It’s not super attractive
- Rep for being less socioeconomically diverse. I was accepted into the Georgetown Scholars Program for FGLI students, but I still worry about feeling out of place.
- Less prestigious overall
Penn Pros:
- Ivy League Branding, More prestigious overall (this is the big one for me)
- More overall FGLI support (maybe I’m off base with this one, not sure)
- Already familiar with Philly, have favorite stores/places to go
Penn Cons:
- I’m transferring from Temple in North Philly, where I always felt super unsafe. I don’t want to run into the same problem with Penn.
- not as strong in IR
- Weaker career services, which is a big deal to me as a FGLI student
Where things seem to be equal
- alumni network: both seem to have a strong international presence, although Penn appears to be slightly more widespread
- Grad school placement: both seem to send alum to top grad schools
Overall thoughts:
I like the idea of living in DC, but I like Penn’s campus a lot more (while aesthetics aren’t everything, this is still somewhere I’ll be living for three years). I like the General Education requirements at Georgetown way more, and I feel like the major there gives me more flexbility (incorporates subjects beyond just polisci). My heart is saying Georgetown, but I’m finding it hard to turn down an Ivy League school given that that’s always been my dream.
Let me know your thoughts. Thanks in advance everybody.
They’re peer schools. You may want to ask yourself why a school being in the Ivy League matters so much to you. By alumni accomplishments, they’re peers.
The Ivy League name matters to me because I’m FGLI, and I’ve always been told that those are the only schools that matter. I’m perfectly aware that this isn’t true. It’s just a reflection of my background.
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If you care about prestige, the choice is easy, SFS. SFS is world class in IR. Penn is just one of the of schools in the group of good schools that offer IR.
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Penn is fine for IR, but SFS is great. Also, SFS is more notably more diverse than the College. For NGO / Intergovernmental / State Dept, SFS is the gold standard.
Look at your pros/cons list: the two main pros for UPenn are 1) a brand and 2) a familiar location. All the reasons for going to college: the quality of the program that you will be doing, the location, the community you would be in- the pros tip to SFS. And when you finish, the people who will be evaluating you won’t be parents or classmates- they will be people who know that SFS is the better brand name for what you want to do.
I actually do get how hard letting go of a dream can be- but dreams can evolve. When you first started dreaming of UPenn you probably hadn’t heard of SFS, or know what metrics would be important for you when the time came.
But either way: a heck of an achievement to get such great choices! congratulations 
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SFS= Ivy
So, in terms of prestige/reputation/reach, they’re peers.
Are both affordable?
I think your conclusion says a lot - “My heart is saying Georgetown.” In terms of the rest - you’ve laid things out nicely. By way of background - my undergraduate degree is from SFS and my graduate degree is from Penn (Wharton) so I have spent time on both campuses. DC is a great place to go to school - especially if your goal is IR. Georgetown has placed a huge emphasis in recent years on FGLI support - I can’t assess how it compares with Penn’s but as an alumni interviewer for many years I know it is something really important to Charlie Deacon and there is emphasis on all kinds of support structures for this community. SFS also has a huge international emphasis so if working abroad is a priority, I think Georgetown will provide an advantage in that area - the requirement for not just language but understanding of culture can be useful. My focus at SFS was on the finance side and I worked abroad as well so if you have specific questions feel free to message me. I graduated a while ago so I’m sure there is a lot that has changed but for me Georgetown was a great choice for undergrad. I hope that helps. Good luck!
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Have you studied any foreign language yet ?
I understand & appreciate your situation fairly well including your discomfort in the North Philly area.
I think that you understand the pros and cons of both of your options.
I would like to know more about you prior to making a recommendation–but it really does not matter as either school is a great option. Philadelphia & Wash DC are, however, very different environments.
Being comfortable in Philadelphia is as important as exposure to DC in making your decision.
For what it’s worth, the area Penn is in is quite different from the area where Temple is located.
However, G’Town SFS is hard to beat (it’s kind of the Harvard of IR).
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Or another way to look at it is that Georgetown SFS is the CMU CS of IR.
No, CMU isn’t an Ivy, and some Ivies are strong in CS, but ask people who are actually in software what the top CS programs are, and they will say CMU CS is one of the top 4 (while no Ivy is).
I think you’ll find the same reaction among those in the field you want to enter. They would think considering an Ivy to be more prestigious than Georgetown SFS simply because the Ivy is in a certain sports league to be childish logic.
So it’s understandable if you want to impress people who aren’t in the know by going to an Ivy. Just don’t give that as the reason to people in the field you will enter. It would be like telling folks in a field that traditionally takes MBAs that you chose an MBA program (like Columbia over Stanford or Cornell over Northwestern) because it was in the Ivy League*. They would think you’re clueless.
Anyway, you can’t go wrong. You have 2 good choices.
*MBA programs definitely have a hierarchy as well, but it doesn’t map to sports leagues.