<p>Perhaps it is fairer to ask as a question. </p>
<p>What encourages you to think you will do far better than the average Georgetown student? For example, my sister was a mediocre standardized test taker but she pumped out the A’s left and right. We don’t know you, so why not share some more info?</p>
<p>What school are you currently going to and what is your current G.P.A.? Will you be a sophomore or a junior transfer?</p>
<p>I don’t know. I’m a really hard worker, and I’m never happy with anything lower than an A. I’m at a California community college right now with a 3.93 (1 B), I work full time, I’m fully independent, and I’ve done over 400hrs of community service. I think since I won’t be working when I transfer, I can focus more time on my studies. I’ve never been great at standardized tests, but I always work my butt off to get As. </p>
<p>Why do you automatically assume I’m going to be average?</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Is that question directed at me? If so, why do you say that?</p>
<p>“What encourages you to think you will do far better than the average Georgetown student?”</p>
<p>I dunno. Sounded like you were insulting me.</p>
<p>I’m not assuming that you’re average, nor am I downplaying your accomplishments.</p>
<p>I’m just letting you now that it’'ll be damn hard for you to get a good GPA at either college, no matter how hard you try. I’m not discouraging you either, nor am I saying you can’t do it.</p>
<p>I have friends who struggle very, very bitterly with academics, balancing their social and extracurricular commitments, and can’t break Bs. I’m frustrated myself that my first year has been tougher than I imagined, and I’m starting to become self-conscious of my intellectual ability. It’s just that, sometimes, no matter how hard you work, you don’t always make it.</p>
<p>Just a reminder that it’s easier said than done. I apologize if I’ve offended you.</p>
<p>“It is more accurate to say that Georgetown is on the outskirts of a cultural hub like U of Maryland is. Only important difference is that College Park has a metro line on campus.”</p>
<p>This is WAY off. You can walk to the Smithsonian from Georgetown in half an hour, significantly faster that you can Metro there from UMCP. Or you can bike there, or take the GUTS shuttle to the Foggy Bottom or Rosslyn metro stop. Georgetown itself is a far cooler environment than Amherst, though Amherst is a very nice college town.</p>
<p>The GUTS shuttle is actually to Rosslyn and Dupont Circle metro stations, not Foggy Bottom 
It also goes to the Georgetown Law campus, which is downtown. Foggy Bottom metro is about a 20 minute walk. Georgetown is also surrounded by various bus stops, so there is much public transportation available.</p>
<p>My mistake; thought I had seen GUTS at Foggy Bottom, but Dupont is better anyway since it gets you access to the Red Line.</p>
<p>My mistake; thought I had seen GUTS at Foggy Bottom, but Dupont is better anyway since it gets you access to the Red Line.</p>
<p>There seems to be an echo in here.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Why? Because there should be some expectation that you are more gifted than the average Georgetown student? </p>
<p>The best and brightest two-year community colleges feed very good candidates to some very good schools. Having said that it is far better to be realistic about your likely success than for us to blow smoke up you know what. My opinion is that you are likely to find the talent pool at both Amherst and Georgetown significantly beyond that of say Diablo Valley College (my guess of where you go to school). And find great grades harder to come by at Amherst and Georgetown than what you have experienced there or in your high school.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>That wasn’t meant to be a criticism of Amherst any more than any of those other schools you listed. I mean, Brown at an avg GPA of 3.61, that’s just ridiculous. That would have been ~ top 7% of my college class at a time when Brown’s avg SAT was only ~ 40 points above us not that many years before 2007. What’s the point of a 4-point scale when you’re only using the top point of it? Everyone is all bunched up on top of each other and you can’t tell anything from GPAs. Do you know how much have these figures changed over the last decade? </p>
<p>These kinds of changes would make it hard to even compare someone applying to law school who was seven years out of Wesleyan to someone who was one year out of Wesleyan; nevermind those applying from different schools.</p>
<p>I guess you have point. I’m from Orange Coast College, by the way. If I was coming from UCLA with a 3.93, would you be telling me the same thing?</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Nope. I’d be telling you to stay at UCLA. ;)</p>
<p>I got into UCLA and Cal, I prefer Georgetown and Amherst.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>And? Sorry to be harsh but with the value of that information and two dollars - you would have two dollars. </p>
<p>At one point, you were a happy camper going to Amherst. Then you brought up concerns about possible ‘grade deflation’ at Amherst. Then we find out that the differences between Amherst and Georgetown average G.P.A. are pretty minimal. Now, I don’t know what you’re arguing other than having some chip on your shoulder about your 3.93 at the community college.</p>
<p>Net, net, just make the decision you think is right for you. Both great schools with the possibility that Georgetown may offer an option into their law school; an option unavailable at Amherst. If you think that even if you don’t get into Georgetown’s law school through early admit, you would be just as happy at Georgetown then you would have been at Amherst, the answer becomes simple. </p>
<p>Candidly, I really don’t even care to know what your decision is. I WOULD really like to know how it all turns out post grad. That would be very interesting.</p>
<p>With your above comment, you made it seem like UCLA was the better option. I merely replied by saying I prefer Amherst and Georgetown to UCLA.</p>
<p>I don’t have a chip on my shoulder, and I honestly would be happy to go to either school. That’s why I made this thread. I just don’t know. And I asked about grading because GPA matters to law schools, and, honestly… I just don’t know how I’ll do at either. I’m terrified because I haven’t had a traditional education. I’m afraid I’ll fail out or something, and that’s basically why I’ve been on the defensive when someone says anything about my grades. I just feel like I have a lot to prove. And there’s always this stigma when it comes to community college students. My friends who had great grades at OCC still had great grades at UCLA, Columbia, and Cal. </p>
<p>I might flip a coin at this point or just wait for financial aid.</p>
<p>So, you’re afraid of failing out or not doing as well as you’d like?</p>
<p>Then, I’d recommend the small and intimate learning environment of Amherst.</p>
<p>A common criticism of liberal arts college is that there are too many safety nets: professors are far too accommodating and willing to reach out to help students, and administrations and advisors keep track of student performance and intervene when it is necessary.</p>
<p>At Amherst, there’s the Writing Center (directed by two tenured professors of English and Philosophy, run entirely by the most accomplished writers at Amherst), the Quantitative Center (again, run by the most accomplished students of math, the sciences, and Economics), one-on-one language tutors (one only has to ask for one), and a plethora of other supportive academic groups.</p>
<p>You can be confident that professors will always be willing to meet with you to discuss papers, ideas, course material, personal issues, everything.</p>
<p>The luxury of such significant personal attention is uniquely available at small colleges like Amherst.</p>
<p>It’s silly to “flip a coin” when you know what your concerns are and what you need from your college.</p>
<p>If you can’t decide between them by now, I think it best to choose neither. And I think law is probably a poor idea for someone so indecisive.</p>
<p>Anyhow, good luck to you!</p>
<p>Thank you, kwu! That was really helpful. I probably do need the one on one attention. And I’m sure I can get a DC internship during the summer, right? I can get the best of both worlds, I guess. </p>
<p>I just got my Financial Aid package from Georgetown, and it was pretty good. I’ve received better packages, but it’s definitely a…reasonable package. $45,580 in scholarship, $6,500 in loan and $3,200 in work study.</p>
<p>I still need to hear from Amherst. </p>
<p>“If you can’t decide between them by now, I think it best to choose neither. And I think law is probably a poor idea for someone so indecisive.”</p>
<p>lol, college confidential… yes, because I can’t decide between two great schools, I should just pick a mediocre one instead. To top that, I should give up on my chosen career path.</p>