<p>Hi! I've recently been accepted as a transfer student to Georgetown and Amherst, and I'm having a lot of trouble deciding. As far as academics and prestige go, which school is better for a Government major? I want to go to law school, so which school would be best for that path? I've visited and love the atmosphere of both schools, so campus life isn't an issue. I'm more concerned with academics and networking. Thank you!</p>
<p>I think that campus life is the big difference. Georgetown is in a major city, and one with an outstanding array of cultural resources. Georgetown also boasts of its professors and visiting professors who are prominent government figures.</p>
<p>Amherst is a great choice for a future lawyer. They have a lovely campus in a classic college town, and great prestige. They also have that one interdisciplinary major that sounds fascinating: “Law, Politics, and Society” or something like that?</p>
<p>It’s a hard choice.</p>
<p>I know! This is so difficult. I love the DC vibe but I also love Amherst’s rural environment. Do you feel Amherst is known amongst most people? A lot of people in California have never heard of it, so, of course, they’re telling me to pick Georgetown.</p>
<p>Unless I’m mistaken, Amherst has more admits to top law schools.</p>
<p>Amherst College is as good as it gets for liberal arts colleges. It is a very impressive school, (assuming that an LAC, as opposed to larger universities, is a good fit for you). It generally vies with Williams College for the distinction of the best LAC in the country. Occupational recruiters, and the educated community in general, know Amherst.</p>
<p>another vote for amherst.</p>
<p>Thanks, Colm. </p>
<p>I wonder if I’m going to be deprived of some great opportunities if I go to Amherst. I don’t know if most schools can compete with Georgetown when it comes to DC internships. BUT I love Amherst College</p>
<p>Does anyone know how many students Amherst sends to Harvard Law or any other top law school? </p>
<p>I know Georgetown has a sweet deal with Georgetown Law. If you have a 3.8 by your junior year, you don’t have to take the LSAT to apply to Georgetown.</p>
<p>I doubt Amherst has more admits to top law schools because it’s a much smaller school. %'s I’m not sure of. I would bet they are roughly similar. Here is a link to all of the law schools that accepted Georgetown undergrads. As you can see, Georgetown places very well in top law schools. Don’t pass up DC OCCTransfer. Amherst’s area can’t even compare.</p>
<p>[Law</a> School Admission Statistics for Georgetown Students (2007/2006)](<a href=“Cawley Career Education Center | Georgetown University”>Cawley Career Education Center | Georgetown University)</p>
<p>I cannot believe that someone who is serious about government, political science and/or law would have to think about this at all. Georgetown by far…</p>
<p>Also check out this thread about the number admits to Harvard Law and Yale law from each of the top schools. Georgetown does very well comparatively again.</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/243007-new-harvard-law-s.html?highlight=law+school+admissions[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/243007-new-harvard-law-s.html?highlight=law+school+admissions</a></p>
<p>Does anyone know if either school practices grade deflation or inflation? I’m just not a big fan of cut throat competition. That’s why I didn’t bother considering CAL</p>
<p>Amherst is certainly not known by ‘most people’, but it’s well known by your future employers and grad schools.</p>
<p>My DD was a transfer into Amherst after not being accepted as a freshman. What she would tell you is she thinks it’s limiting for a transfer. The very small size was tough coming from a school with more choices. She does appreciate the consortium though.</p>
<p>For a junior government major, I’d go to Georgetown for the great internship opportunities, amazing speakers and the DC experience.</p>
<p>Georgetown has been associated with a bit of grade inflation, as are many of the top schools. I was pre-med at Georgetown and never experienced a cut throat atmosphere. I don’t think Georgetown has ever been considered a “cut throat” school as some schools have been stereotyped on these forums.</p>
<p>Here is the Wall Street Journal’s list of the top feeder schools for elite law, med, and business schools (in PDF format):</p>
<p>[WSJ’s</a> list of Best Feeder Schools to Elite Grad Programs](<a href=“WSJ in Higher Education | Trusted News & Real-World Insights”>WSJ in Higher Education | Trusted News & Real-World Insights)</p>
<p>While Georgetown fared well at #17, Amherst did even better at #9.</p>
<p>Also, Amherst is the type of school that has relatively small class sizes, and gives solid attention to the needs of individual students. LACs are known for catering to students, and Amherst is the one of the best liberal arts colleges … if not the best.</p>
<p>wow, you guys. This is only making it harder. They’re such great schools? Shall we begin to focus on the negatives?</p>
<p>Also, hmom5, how was Amherst limiting for a transfer student?</p>
<p>Yes…7.6% versus 5.1%…huge difference. We are talking about apples and apples here mainly. While Amherst does hold the position of being one of the top three LACs, Georgetown has many advantages that Amherst does not have. Small classrooms won’t get you into Law school. Georgetown’s class sizes are just the right size for getting to know your professors, and many smaller seminars are offered. You have to remember that Georgetown has more large science classes than Amherst which would sway the overall avg. size of classes. Many of the humanities and IR/poly sci classes are taught in smaller settings.</p>
<p>I think one big positive for Georgetown is that it has its own top law school, not to mention it’s early assurance program for Juniors interested in going to Georgetown Law. Georgetown Law routinely has supreme court justices and legal scholars speak on its campus. You have the nation’s legal hub a few metro stops away.</p>
<p>how large are we talking?</p>
<p>How large is what? Intro Bio and Chem probably had 150 or so, maybe less. But after that is dropped precipitously. I don’t know exact numbers of humanities/SFS classes. But I think the whole “small classes” debate on this forum has been blown out of proportion. At some point, your return on smaller and smaller classes becomes negligible. When we are talking about class sizes of 10 versus 23, or 15 versus 30, it doesn’t make that big of a difference. You will have plenty of opportunities to get stellar reviews from faculty, including our celebrity faculty including political stars. Georgetown will have many more course offerings than Amherst, so I think that makes up for the slightly larger class sizes.</p>
<p>I’ve read the posts and been thinking about this, and my conclusion is that I would personally have gone to Amherst as a freshman, but as a junior…it depends what you are looking for. What school are you coming from, and what made you decide to transfer?</p>
<p>OCCTransfer, one of my favorite novelists – Scott Turow – is also an Amherst alum. One of his books, OneL, is a classic. It’s about his experiences at Harvard Law School. He is still a practicing attorney, as well as being a highly regarded legal-oriented writer.</p>
<p>[Scott</a> Turow and Amherst](<a href=“https://www.amherst.edu/campaign/amherst_lives/scott_turow/node/73789]Scott”>https://www.amherst.edu/campaign/amherst_lives/scott_turow/node/73789)</p>