Georgetown vs Northeastern

Hi folks,

I just got in off the extended-extended waitlist for Georgetown, and I’m having a little bit of trouble deciding whether I should go to Georgetown or the school that I am currently committed to, Northeastern University. I’m a psych major who’s looking to become a psychiatrist, so I’m also pre-med. There are pros and cons to both schools, and it’s becoming a little stressful to make a decision (the fact that I have to have the decision in by Monday doesn’t necessarily help). I was wondering if you guys could give me your guidance as to what I should do.

Northeastern:

Pros

  • $19K Scholarship
  • Co-op program - obviously internships are very important at Georgetown but to my knowledge there isn’t anything as integrated as the Northeastern co-op program
  • Very very flexible in case I decide I want to change my major
  • I’m already very much set to go at Northeastern - classes mapped out, etc. It’s going to be difficult to have to redo literally everything if I switch to Georgetown this abruptly.
  • Very small, and probably doesn’t affect anything, but have two very close friends that are going with me to Northeastern, and a different friend’s brother, who is a year older than us, also goes there. It’s kind of nice to have a built in social group going into college, and to have a friend who already knows what’s going on with the school - someone I can go to if I ever have any questions or ever encounter any problems.

Cons

  • Northeastern is a great school, and has pretty good recognition, but it’s just not on the level of Georgetown
  • Boston is great, I love Boston and I’m more familiar with Boston, it’s the quintessential college town and I love that, but in terms of academic and career opportunities it just doesn’t compare with DC.
  • I think that Georgetown is handling the COVID situation just a tad better than Northeastern is

Georgetown

Pros

  • Prestige. As I stated before, Northeastern is great and has good recognition, but it’s just not on the level of Georgetown.
  • DC is a phenomenal city with great opportunities for internships, as well as being home to a bunch of great institutions
  • Georgetown has a medical school and a hospital, and since I’m looking to apply to med school that’s huge.
  • A lot smaller than Northeastern. To put it bluntly, Northeastern is a giant school, and although I feel I could still do well in that environment, it can be a little bit overwhelming at times. I kind of feel like Georgetown is the perfect size.
  • Another small thing, but the Georgetown campus and the Georgetown neighborhood are pretty gorgeous.

Cons

  • Much more expensive. I’d be turning down about $80,000, which is not chump change. I have a younger sister who’s going into junior year and looking at similar colleges, so, that $80,000 could help her, and my family.
  • I’ve always heard that Georgetown is extremely political. To put it bluntly, my personal mantra with regard to the political sphere is “politics poisons everything”. I very much like to keep my political beliefs to myself, and I really don’t want to get involved in political discussions. It’s not that I couldn’t handle that, but I would really prefer to not be in a hugely political environment.
  • It’s going to stink having to restart, especially in such a short time - not only with regard to me already being set at Northeastern and having chose my classes and met my advisors and such, but socially as well. As stated before, it’s nice to be going into college with a set social group
  • It’s a bit harder to get to from where I live than Northeastern. Not huge, but it’d be nice to be a little bit closer to home.
  • Another small thing, but I feel like if I jump ship from Northeastern right now I’d be burning a bridge for students from my high school who want to apply in the future. I’ve seen it happen with my own two eyes with other schools, and I really don’t want to be “that guy”.

I’m really having trouble with this, so I would appreciate any input you guys have. Thank you so much for your help in advance.

So you would be full pay at Georgetown but you got $80,000 total in merit aid at Northeastern? That $80,000 your parents save could go toward medical school expenses.

Also Northeastern admitted you during their initial decision rollout while Georgetown only admitted you (off their extended extended waitlist) because the students they preferred ended up going to other schools? Go to the school that wants you.

To pay 80k more for a Psychology degree I would have to be really rich that cost didn’t matter at all. If you were going into SFS or maybe the BSchool I might be ok with it hurts but we could make it without loans. I don’t quite put GTown at the level that major doesn’t matter.

Both schools “want” you or they wouldn’t have accepted you.

A more practical perspective is that $80K is a big difference in funds, you like NEU, and you like Boston.

Go to where YOU like. You being happy will help you through difficulties–all courses in life contain difficulties. The happier you are, the more likely you will be successful when the tough times come along.

NEU has a strong psych dept. I’m not sure about GU.

Psych can make a lot of money if you go into therapy–getting a Ph.D. in clinical would allow you to practice and it’s lucrative–info in case you decide not to pursue medicine.

Northeastern …80K is a big difference especially for upcoming med school. Boston is much better than DC for “college town” and Boston has so many internship opportunities plus you have the co-op program. Georgetown is extremely political.

There’s a reason Northeastern is offering money and Georgetown is not. Georgetown has a national reputation. Do you want to go to the best school in D.C. or maybe the 4th or 5th best school
In the Boston area? This is an important decision but I don’t think it’s super difficult. If you can afford to go to Georgetown, go to Georgetown!

if you are going to medical school, your “name” of the undergrad school won’t matter much. Debt will matter.

Also, if Georgetown was in the Boston area it wouldn’t be the best either. MIT and Harvard have that locked up.

On the Forbes America’s Top College List, Georgetown is ranked #15. Northeastern is ranked #182. Do not pick a significantly inferior college over $19,000 per year. Georgetown will pay dividends for the rest of your life.

Forbes uses the 4 year graduation rate which pushes Northeastern down in the ranking. With the coop program most students choose to do the 5 year program even though a four year option is available. USNews uses the 6 year graduation rate which puts Northeastern at #40. You are looking at the ranking that supports your opinion.

US News separates universities from colleges, while Forbes does not, so you’re comparing apples and oranges. I realize why a Boston guy is rooting for Northeastern. But let’s not give this young person bad advice. I realize that there may be some reasons to favor Northeastern but Georgetown is a no brainer.

The OP is considering med school. Coming off the waitlist likely puts them in the bottom 25% of the incoming class. That is not a good starting spot for pre med. If you look at the NRC PhD rankings as a proxy for department strength, Georgetown is 128th and Northeastern is 74th.

It seems like you would prefer G’town and that is fine, but i have some comments to add a little perspective to your impression about what a big school NU is, my son is going there and I went there for grad school. Class sizes will not be big at NU this fall due to the COVID situation and the need to reduce density in the classrooms. My son has already been contacted by an academic advisor, a student advisor, an orientation leader and had group chats with other NU students so there is a lot of personal attention and there will be many opportunities to meet other students and join clubs ( with some restrictions). Georgetown does have a beautiful campus but also rats and mold problems in the dorms (check NY Times articles) and the student body is pretty preppy (which may appeal to you, I don’t know). I knew someone whose 6 kids went to G’town, they like their legacies. Good luck either way!

I did a pre-med summer program at Georgetown. My summer at Georgetown led to me not applying at all…hence, I will be attending school in the Boston area. Georgetown has the name, but DC is not for everyone. I found the facilities at G’town to be lacking and dirty. I wouldn’t go into debt for undergrad, knowing I have medical school ahead. …and NU is a great school with strong coop program in a great city.

For $19k/year cheaper, Northeastern offers better value. OTOH, the Jesuits do education really well. And the co-op program is not all that valuable for a premed IMO.

But might I suggest that you run the NPC of Georgetown with 2 in college to see if you might qualify for any need-based aid when your sister goes to college (your Junior year?). That might change the $76k delta.

I would say that a paid research coop at Harvard Med would be good for a premed.

I’m interested that you think GT is handling the covid situation better than NEU. My son will be a sophomore at NEU this fall and I’ve been really impressed with the prep work done for this fall both for in person and online learning.

I’m not all that familiar with pre-med/psychology or Georgetown besides knowing that Georgetown does have a bigger reputation right now. Northeastern seems to be quite the up and coming university and appears to be making changes due to the pandemic that will also help with whatever happens over the next two decades.

Good luck with your decision and wish you all the best.