<p>Georgetown is far more prestigious in the Northeast and in New England.
Glance at the enrollment numbers from our top boarding, private, and independent schools, and you'll quickly realize this.</p>
<p>Rank is irrelevant, because Georgetown is a Jesuit, Catholic, institution, and it is thus condescended to by the WASP establishment.</p>
<p>"Quality of education" and assertions of "academic superiority" depend on rankings biased against Georgetown.</p>
<p>Bill McDonough Georgetown '61 did a much better job than Geithner as Chairman of the New York Fed. We can never know for sure, but I doubt McDonough would have let the Lehman Brothers catastrophe occur as Geithner did.</p>
<p>The New York Fed situation reminds of another event. When Chief Justice John Roberts fumbled the oath of Office with President Obama at the inauguration, former Presidient Bush ,who almost chose Antonin Scalia Georgetown '58 for the job, was undoubtedly saying to himself "always choose a Hoya if you can."</p>
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Rank is irrelevant, because Georgetown is a Jesuit, Catholic, institution, and it is thus condescended to by the WASP establishment.
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</p>
<p>kwu,
Ranking are mostly based on faculty achievement in research which can be reflected by prestigious awards/fellowships they have gotten. If WASP bias is that strong, then how do you explain the numerous winners that have, say, Chinese last names (mostly in science/math)? You can try the Sloans Fellowships database (math/science/economics): The</a> Alfred P. Sloan Foundation</p>
<p>If any secular institution had the number of Rhodes, Marshall, Mitchell and Fulbright scholarships that Georgetown has won in the past two decades, coupled with the selectivity of the Georgetown Student body year in and year out, that institution would be rated near the top of any "quality of education" measurement. Academia still has legacy prejudices from the days when Anti-catholicism in intellectual circles was so great that,as of 1967, only four Catholic Colleges had been granted Phi Beta Kappa chapters. All we can do, Sam Lee, is just pity those small minded people.</p>
<p>As far as international studies goes--the argument is rather silly since both GU and JHU are top ranked programs. You can't go wrong either way. GU sends more people to the U.S.Foreign Service than Hopkins does--and if that is your career goal, it may be a better choice. Conversely, JHU sends more people into international finance (including IMF, World Bank, etc.) and international development. If those are your goals, Hopkins may be a better choice. Hopkins is better known internationally because SAIS has full campuses in Europe and China. In fact, about 50% of EU diplomats are JHU Alumni. And while SAIS is a graduate school, the undergraduate program in international studies at Hopkins is very highly regarded. I know a number of employers that consider a Hopkins BA in International Studies to be equivalent to a MA from other schools.</p>
<p>Outside of international studies (and law), there is little question that Hopkins is stronger academically than Georgetown. Look at any list of top ranked departments. Hopkins has a plethora of top ranked departments across a wide range of fields. Georgetown, while undoubtedly a good school--has few elite departments.</p>
<p>@ simpson98</p>
<p>I just read through my post and I saw a stupid mistake! I meant to say I applied to all three of these schools. But I was accepted to SFS for EA. I had a brain fart and was thinking I was already accepted, just being hopeful. :)</p>
<p>Thank you guys for being so helpful. I think I will have to make a choice between Georgetown and JHU, if I get accepted.</p>
<p>I am going to go outside the box on this one and say Wash U. Gtown SFS is unrivaled for its field, but in terms of your college experience, many things are more important than simply academics. Gtown has priests I heard living in the dormitories and is definitely a catholic school (not sure if you are catholic). I feel as if hopkins if hyped up on this board, such its academic program strength is there, but kids do not like it that much and I think peope overestimate the value of a stronger math department. For the combination fun, quality of life, academic excellence, prestige (there all similar, but what if you don't want to work in IR?...SFS is constricting) than I say Wash U. Yet, honestly you can't really go wrong.</p>
<p>lol, I am catholic and I don't have a problem with the whole jesuit aspect of Georgetown. Besides I heard that the religious aspect of Georgetown is not as constricting as it would be in a school like Notre Dame or Holy Cross.</p>
<p>That is really outside the box.</p>
<p>Ummm. How is Georgetown SFS constricting? If you check the data above. Many don't even go right into government. Many go to law, and even med school. Many also end up in Banking, Industry or Consulting.</p>
<p>Plus, one doesn't simply attend SFS. They attend Georgetown, and can cross register into many of the other colleges. That's how someone with a BSFS can get into Med school, or get a job at McKinsey or Goldman, just as easily as with the CIA or Defense Dept. How many WUSTL IR majors do that? I don't know. We'd have to check the data.</p>
<p>As for religion. Yes Georgetown is a Catholic school, but clergy of all faiths live among the students. Rather that's an asset more than a liability especially when studying IR. It would be intellectually dishonest to ignore the role of culture and faith when studying international relations. To have those types of "outside the classroom" learning opportunities is yet another asset.</p>
<p>As for fun. When was the last time WUSTL went to a Final Four? Were WUSTL students able to attend one of the most historic inaugurations in history, and take a cab to free concerts by U2 and Beyonce? I posit that fun things happen in DC too.</p>
<p>Perhaps the OP should look back inside the box. Georgetown is a gift box.</p>
<p>In terms of location I can see why Georgetown is so much more appealing. I really don't see how a top ten mathematics department at JHU would benefit me if I want to go into IR. </p>
<p>I still have to wait for my financial aid package and see which one would be more economically viable. Thank you all for the help. :)</p>
<p>WUSTL is D-III. No D-III went to the Final Four, but they did win nat'l championship in their division in Men's B-ball and women's V-ball. Only one city had the inauguration, that doesn't mean that all other cities don't have fun. Also WashU has hosted more Pres. debates than any other school (including Georgetown) because they give more tickets to the students rather than faculty, press, VIP's, etc. They also hosted the debate that generated the most interest-Palin v. Biden.</p>
<p>There's plenty of fun at both places.</p>
<p>honestly, if u are POSITIVE about International studies, why is this really a debate? Go to Georgetown. You will simply love it and enjoy it there and you are located right within steps of all the action that DC has to offer to you political junkies.</p>
<p>However, if you want all studies outside of International Studies, than JHU is the clear winner in this match up of these three schools. It has more acclaimed programs and name recognition in all of its fields than either Georgetown or WashU, anywhere from Writing, Art History, Math, Biology, etc even down to Egyptology, and yes, International Studies has a very prominent name as well as SAIS is regularly seen as a peer of SFS, if not better in some respects. </p>
<p>There are tons and tons of rumors going on about the social life and whatnot of these schools, but to be honest, if you are a sociable person, you're going to have a great time at either of these three schools. It's only the nerdy bookworms who are often too shy to come out of their own dorms that have this issue...but if you are a social butterfly or at least amicable, you will find great friends and a great social scene at all three schools. Despite its bad Rep, I've actually visited JHU and seen the party scene over the weekends...and I assure you, it was just as fun as the parties I went to during other overnight stays (with friends from other unis). +, the rumors of social kids, geeks, competitive *****es, etc...are just that. Rumors. Every school has them and every school should have them because you need different types of people to be a functioning community.</p>
<p>As for locations: DC has a plethora of interesting things and places to check out, but I suspect after the first two years, visiting touristy sites gets kinda old. Baltimore has a nice inner harbor area, but has its known problems as does St. Louis, etc. The good thing about DC and Baltimore is that they both have one another via a $7 metra and 45 min ride so that maybe Georgetown kids can see that Peabody Conservatory Performance, or maybe that JHU student can intern for a Congressman a few days per week, etc. St. Louis, outside of St. Louis, is rather isolated in that there's not many places you can explore once you're through with the city...so keep that in mind. For DC and Baltimore, basically the entire east coast is your oyster with easy trains, buses, planes, etc running from philly, nyc, boston, baltimore, DC, etc etc.</p>
<p>So anyways, to break it down for you if I were in your situation:</p>
<p>if 100% sure on Internation Relations:
60% leaning Georgetown. 38% leaning JHU. 2% WUSTL</p>
<p>If not sure, but will judge on overall:
65% leaning JHU. 20% Georgetown. 15% WUSTL.</p>
<p>If looking for med:
50% JHU. 30% WUSTL. 20% Georgetown.</p>
<p>If looking for law:
45% Georgetown. 30% JHU. 25% WUSTL.</p>
<p>For prestige:
Basically, JHU slightly over Georgetown. Both, over WUSTL.</p>
<p>That's my 2 cents.
Explore the campus, try the food, the dorms, the people, etc, and find your best fit! My opinion is certainly not as good as yours for what YOU should do :-)</p>
<p>“Georgetown SFS is number one in the world according to the Carnegie Endowment's Journal "Foreign Policy." That about as hands down as it gets. JHU was in second place for masters prgrams in the field in the survey.”</p>
<p>Yeah, but wasn’t JHU SAIS ranked #1 in 2007? I think the difference b/tw SAIS and SFS in both years was negligible (like 1% difference in number of votes). </p>
<p>“Hopkins is better known internationally because SAIS has full campuses in Europe and China.”</p>
<p>Really? I’ve worked and studied abroad for a couple of years in both Asia and Europe, and everyone I met who knew anything about IR mentioned Georgetown SFS, Columbia SIPA, and Fletcher, among other schools, but never JHU SAIS (and these are coming from European IR students and Asian government officials, by the way). And most of them who’d heard about SAIS had no idea it was considered to be such a good program in the US. Which I think is weird, b/c you’re right, there are a lot of SAIS alumni in prominent positions abroad. I hope it’s just the people I happened to have met, b/c I seriously would like to go to JHU (if accepted) but am wondering if it doesn’t have as good of a reputation abroad as it does in the US?</p>
<p>Anyone have a clue as to why this might be? I hope JHU SAIS is in actuality more internationally renowned than what my own experiences seem to be telling me…</p>
<p>if you're looking into IR, Georgetown wins due to the number of offerings within IR at the undergraduate level. JHU SAIS is irrelevant to this discussion, as it is a Graduate School.</p>
<p>oh, whoops, I thought this was the grad school forum (found this page after googling SAIS vs Georgetown, for some reason). sorry, didn't realize the OP was talking about college :S</p>
<p>G-town. Great reputation in that area, and being in Georgetown beats outside Baltimore.</p>
<p>
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For prestige:
Basically, JHU slightly over Georgetown. Both, over WUSTL.
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</p>
<p>What a joke. Georgetown more prestigious then WUStL. Maybe once, but not in the last 10 years. I can tell you from a NE boarding school perspective, gtown may be more popular, but the smarter kids go to WUSTL and it has the prestige. Hopkins and WUSTL are equally prestigious (WUSTL is more fun) and both are a good amount more than gtown. SFS is different, but were talking generally here. OP be aware people on this forum are rather biased to hopkins, because they care so much about departmental rankings, which are mostly irrelevant.</p>
<p>Georgetown is one of the most prestigious and oldest Catholic institutions of higher learning in the United States, next to the University of Notre Dame.</p>
<p>Don't belittle Georgetown based on your narrow life experiences.</p>
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the smarter kids go to WUSTL and it has the prestige
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<p>No, and no.</p>
<p>Bescraze, WUSTL's undergraduate prestige is centered mostly around the midwest and high school children who buy into WUSTL's marketing strategy and whatnot. However, go further into the business world, the graduate/professional school world, and the rest of the world, and you will find that both a Georgetown and a Johns Hopkins degree easily trumps one from WUSTL. As for graduate school, the only WUSTL graduate degree that would get you a "WOW" would be a medical degree. </p>
<p>Georgetown and Johns Hopkins are both worldwide names, each very well known and acclaimed for their famous alumni and specialties in international relations and medicine (to list a few) respectively.</p>
<p>However, beyond the United States, WUSTL has little to no of this same shared name recognition.</p>
<p>Even in the United States, WUSTL has a pretty low academic peer ranking in comparison to other schools of similar ranking in USNWR.</p>