<p>My son was accepted at Loyola for the Honors program and received a Presidential scholarship (merit based). My husband and I cannot find a single thing NOT to like about this school.</p>
<p>My son however, has applied to several other schools and is anxiously awaiting his letter from Georgetown. We have visited Georgetown twice and noticed that Georgetown does provide financial need-based assistance, they do not have merit based scholarships. The tour we took was basically a history lesson, and a list of distinguished grads and visitors. We saw 1 classroom which had ripped carpet and a chalkboard. No tour of dorms, classrooms or eating facilities.</p>
<p>Loyola, on the other hand, opened the doors for dorms, classrooms, eating facilities, etc. </p>
<p>Basically we just get the feeling that Georgetown may not be worth the $56 K price.
Any thoughts out there? Especially from current students or parents? Thanks!</p>
<p>I am sorry to hear your were disappointed with your tour. I’ve visited probably 25 schools with both my kids and we probably only saw dorm rooms at 2 or 3. Most schools don’t show the dorm rooms for security reasons. </p>
<p>If your soon is accepted at Georgetown, please consider attending the GAAP weekend program for accepted students. This time you will have an opportunity to see much more of the campus (including a dorm room I believe).</p>
<p>My S graduted from SFS in 2010. I have no idea what the classrooms looked like. It didn’t matter. He got an absolutely fantastic education. Just as important, he (and almost all of his friends) were gainfully employed before graduation. </p>
<p>Best of luck to you and your son. Sounds like you will have great options.</p>
<p>From a student’s viewpoint I would definitely choose Georgetown over Loyola for many reasons. First and foremost, the location. You can’t beat Georgetown for its location mainly because of all the opportunities available in D.C. If your son ever needs an internship or a job, there are many companies (as well as the US gov’t) here that look for students. Secondly, there are so many things to do in and around Georgetown on the weekend and your son would definitely appreciate those once he’s in college since the week really drains you. The classrooms are, for the most part, the same as every other school, but the MSB probably has the most upgraded classrooms. The dorms are as good if not better than other schools so that shouldn’t be an issue. Another thing to look at is the networking available at Georgetown vs. Loyola. While it may have seemed boring during the tour to listen to the famous graduates, it is important to take note of those because there are so many speakers that come to Georgetown to give lectures that may not go to Loyola to do the same. On top of that just the connections you make at Georgetown can prove to be very beneficial.</p>
<p>It sounds like you had the worst tour at Georgetown. Loyola does have exceptionally nice dorms so I’m sure they are happy to show them off. My son was accepted to Loyola this year as well with honors and a Presidential scholarship. Honestly, he had no interest in applying to Georgetown because he knows how rigorous the work is and he doesn’t like to work too hard. Loyola is one of his safeties. My d attends Georgetown and I can tell you if your son is top in his h.s. with SAT/ACT over 1500, he will be one of the top students at Loyola. Not so at Georgetown. Georgetown does give dorm tours but to accepted student during the accepted student weekend, which might I add is fantastic! Freshmen year dorms were very nice with views of the Potomac. Sophomore year dorm was typical, not as nice as freshman year. Junior year was a 4 story private townhouse in Georgetown - pretty spectacular place to live - that depends on your housing lottery number. If your son is accepted to Georgetown, go to the accepted student’s weekend with an open mind. Visit the classrooms in Healy Hall, Riggs Library (I’ll admit Laungier is really ugly), the breathtaking Gaston Hall, take a tour of the new, state of the art Hariri Business Building, Leo’s dining hall, etc. etc. Please take a walk around the Georgetown neighborhood itself. It’s an incredible place to live for four year with everything at your fingertips, not to mention the outstanding internship opportunities available in DC. Have lunch or dinner at The Tombs - a student sports bar. Enjoy! When my d applied she got no financial aid from most colleges but Georgetown was exceptionally generous. You never know. Most important, the school has to be the right fit. Your son will figure that one out. Good Luck.</p>