georgetown vs other colleges?

Colleges & Universities A-Z Georgetown University
1

<p>hi, i'm an international student who got into georgetown sfs, 2013, intending on majoring in intl political economy.
how do you guys think georgetown sfs measures up against:
-berkeley
-tufts
-university of chicago
-nyu CAS</p>

<p>in terms of academic rigour /housing /general student vibe?</p>

<p>also, waiting for financial aid packages to be released, does anyone know when they'll be out?
thanks in advance from a completely befuddled student (never expected to get in, and now in, suddenly afraid &confused!)</p>

2

<p>hey,</p>

<p>first of all, congrats on your admission! SFS is a great school!
I went to Georgetown SFS for a year. Housing is fairly good, the community is awesome. The perception of the general student vibe depends on what you want/expect. There are very smart students and others whose “academic rigour” is not very well developed.</p>

<p>in terms of ranking, i would put</p>

<ol>
<li>Chicago</li>
<li>Berkeley (its program and student body is better, however, the uni is huge)</li>
<li>georgetown</li>
<li>NYU</li>
<li>Tufts</li>
</ol>

<p>you say you are international, where are you from?</p>

3

<p>I would invite you to consider some important things about the colleges that jipperag pointed out.</p>

<p>First off, Chicago is very well-known for its academic rigor. It’s also got the worst neighborhood out of any decent college I’ve ever seen. It hurts to look at; it really does. I went there and I decided not even to apply after I felt its atmosphere (the tour guides and faculty were really disconnected and it just felt alien). Both the inside and outside of buildings seemed dingy. The personal effects of homeless people were visible on campus property.</p>

<p>Berkeley is high on a lot of lists… but its graduating students aren’t necessarily. It isn’t extremely hard to get into UC Berkeley as a Californian, and they have to accept a certain number of CC transfers a year that meet certain criteria set down for them by Berkeley. You’ll be competing for a lot of your classes and to get a good relationship with your professors you’ll have to take time out of your schedule to go to their office because classes are so large.</p>

<p>Chicago is well-known for its economics program, but I think International Political Economy at SFS and Economics at Chicago would be apples and oranges. While Chicago might include international aspects in its economic program, there’s a big enough difference in the foci of these two majors to make it a choice of plans rather than prestige.</p>

<p>Also keep in mind that when you speak about the School of Foreign Service, it has one of the best reputations for undergraduate degrees in the areas of study offered there.</p>

4

<p>SFS > Berkeley.</p>

<p>For four years at UC Berkeley you will be taking classes where there are 200+ students, rarely get to talk personally with the professors, and competing with many, many other people. </p>

<p>Are you an Asian international? You might feel more comfortable at Berkeley considering that there are around 40% Asians, but it can turn off other Asians. </p>

<p>There aer only 315 in the entire SFS freshmen class. Think about how much more advising and smaller classes you will get.</p>

5

<p>if you want to study international political economy, Georgetown SFS wins. I’m pretty sure that those other schools do not have an international political economy program. If you just want to study economics (with no international focus or specializations in political economy, international finance, etc.), Chicago is better.</p>

6

<p>I currently attend Georgetown and transferred in from NYU. Georgetown is a much better, more individualized school. I know that the thrill of New York is tempting, but DC also has a lot to offer, and Georgetown is nice because there’s an actual campus. You get the best of both worlds: city and college community.</p>

<p>I also looked at UC Berkeley for college, as I’m originally from San Francisco. I really loved Berkeley’s spirit and location, but I couldn’t see myself in such huge classes. It’s one thing if you’re paying in-state tuition; it’s a great deal. If you’re paying out-of-state tuition, you’re much better off going to a school with smaller classes, where you’ll have an easier time getting professors you want, and really getting to know your professors on a personal level. I have great relationships with my professors at Gtown, and know I can count on them for personalized recs for grad schools and jobs. </p>

<p>If you want to go into the foreign service, based on your acceptances, there’s no better place than Gtown. I’ve been consistently impressed with our politics classes. The professors are AMAZING, and the outside speakers have just been wonderful. You’re in such an exciting place for political events. My classmates have sat in on supreme court cases, EVERYONE inters on the hill, and this year, we all cheered as Obama was elected, and then ran 2.5 miles to the White House in the rain, cheering all the way. You’ll be in school for the next election (HOW EXCITING IS THAT?!)!! </p>

<p>Our econ program, however, is weak. The professors are almost too smart to teach. They’ve had remarkable careers and research, but aren’t very down to earth when it comes to leveling with their students. I took Econ classes at NYU, and the professors were better there, for that subject. But, you’re going to be in the SFS at Georgetown, and I think that the overall quality of your experience would be much better here. Besides, there are a few good econ teachers at Gtown, and the school is constantly trying to improve.</p>

<p>U of Chicago, I honestly don’t know that much about. I didn’t apply. I’m a California girl and Chicago weather is a bit scary for me. New York and Washington aren’t nearly as nice as home, but they’re mild compared to Chicago.</p>

7

<p>^ Do you go to the college? What’s your major?</p>