<p>As a devout catholic and a major proponent of the catholic school system, I really have had to question whether or not Georgetown should be called a catholic school. I think it is a privilege, not a right to be a catholic school, because catholic schools are bastions for all the morals that this country should be built upon, so to be a catholic school is a great honor and nobody on this board should forget that a school like Seton Hall, Saint John's, Dayton, or DePaul is any less of an institution built on pride and integrity than Georgetown. I bring this up because I have become disturbed by some of Georgetown's policies and attitudes. As a person moderately well connected to many things catholic I take issue with Georgetown because I have felt that they have forgotten who they serve. Students applying from Catholic schools/students with Catholic backgrounds should be given preferential treatment in the admissions process, end of story. I look at Notre Dame, the finest catholic college in the country, and I see a school sticking by my principles...the number of catholic high schools in this country dwindles every year and Notre Dame defiantly opposes this, they take the qualified catholic applicants first, everyone else second. Georgetown, this standard does not exist...the best students get in, regardless of whether they come from a catholic background. There is nothing wrong with this, and a recent motto of catholic schools in this country has become something along the lines of "educating regardless of faith, color..." I am not saying that every student should be catholic; what I am saying is that if two applicants are equally qualified and one has been brought up in the catholic faith and the other one is applying from Pakistan, the catholic kid is not getting admitted to Georgetown, and this makes me angry. If the same thing happens at Notre Dame, the catholic kid is in. All I am saying is that if a school has the privilege of having the distinction of being a Catholic University, then they need to remember their own.</p>
<p>Right now Georgetown might be the hottest college in the country. The basketball team is basically the new Duke, the campus is cool, fancy buildings are sprouting like flowers in May, and above all the Academics are second to none. An avid hoop fan, I go to any games I can and I hear lots of arrogance from students towards other schools-George Washington is Georgetown Waitlist...It disgusts me that Georgetown is the second most expensive college in the country, when catholic schools like Georgetown were once built to educate poor catholic immigrants. Now I am not saying that Georgetown doesn't give out financial aid or anything, but lets remember our fellow catholics too, okay?</p>
<p>Sorry for my random rant, but this has been inside me for a while</p>
<p>A little anxious about the admissions process I see? </p>
<p>I just want to clarify a few points to help you understand Georgetown and its place in American higher education. When Archbishop John Carroll founded Georgetown in 1789, he proclaimed it would be open to "every class of citizens" and students of "every religious profession." Much of your (really outrageous) rant was about how Georgetown has "forgotten" the students it was meant to serve. In reality, GU was never meant to serve exclusively Catholics, so not much has changed in that respect in its 200+ year history.</p>
<p>I'll give you the benefit of the doubt and assume you were raised outside of the US and are not familiar with American law, but not admitting an applicant to a school solely because he/she is not Catholic is discrimination.</p>
<p>Your observations of Notre Dame's admissions policies are just that...purely observations...anecdotal evidence. You really have no idea how the admissions process there works. </p>
<p>Georgetown is NOT the second most expensive school in the country. It's not even in the top 10 (according to Forbes' 2007 list of the most expensive colleges). Ironically, GW (the school upon which you insist we Georgetown kids all look down) is #1 on that very same list.</p>
<p>My guess, and I speak for the 48% of Georgetown students who aren't Catholic (ouch I bet that statistic kills you), is that you're a little concerned that we non-Catholics will likely be admitted over you. Having spent 3 years at Georgetown, I've never heard an opinion regarding our student body as close-minded and intolerant as yours. That is just one of the reasons why you will probably never get into Georgetown. Enjoy Notre Dame, where you won't have to put up with us second-class non-Catholics.</p>
<p>First -"I am not saying that every student should be catholic; what I am saying is that if two applicants are equally qualified and one has been brought up in the catholic faith and the other one is applying from Pakistan"..what if the person applying from Pakistan is Catholic?</p>
<p>Second i go to a Catholic High school and im telling you right now probably less than 5% are actually practicing Catholics. About 75% percent of the people in my school, probably even more, wouldnt go if if their parents werent frocing them to go. Ill say my school and other Catholic high school in the area are as bad as some public schools. The only difference is that most stuff that kids do that would get them suspended in publi school would get them expelled at my school. Also ill say we do way less drugs than public school but we drink we more alcohol. By the time a persons a senior ill say something around 70% of the kids drink and many are hiving sex( which is a sin in teh catholic faith). So why would someone who is a baptized cvatholic who does drugs, lies, and hasnt gone to church in years get in over a person who may not be catholic but follow morals similiar to that imposed by teh Catholic Church. I mean i could understand maybe catholic schools getting a little bit preference over public schools cause catholic schools are kind of like feeder schools to catholic colleges but it shouldnt matter what religion you are. Doesnt the catholic faith try to help everyone in need regardless of religion and that as long as a person is good and does good works, a person could go into heaven</p>
<p>BTW im not catholic myself but i go to a catholic school and i know many noncatholics in catholic school</p>
<p>No I graduated from Seton Hall in th 80s and loved it. Best college I could have gone to.</p>
<p>Georgetown's tendencies in the admissions department IMO say to me that they don't care about maintaining a relatively high percentage of catholics within their student body. This is fine, but they shouldn't be allowed to trumpet themselves as a prestigious Catholic University, just a prestigious university.</p>
<p>"That is just one of the reasons why you will probably never get into Georgetown"</p>
<p>This is the arrogance I was referring to. Like I said, I went to Seton Hall and I loved going there...you go to Georgetown, and you enjoy it and I think that is awesome. Georgetown is a better school on paper than Seton Hall, it is a great place to receive an education, but the school is forgetting to look out for who they serve. Lightzout, having gone to a catholic high school you should be given preferential treatment during the admissions process, but you won't be. And that is a shame because you would be at Notre Dame (the only reason I use Notre Dame is because I am somewhat familiar with their stance in regards to this argument that I have brought up. Notre Dame is the most prestigious catholic college in the country and it is the best college for me to use in comparison to Georgetown. Notre Dame has over 80% catholics i think. Gtown at 52%? 80% is pretty ridiculous to be honest...65% is where these schools should be. I am not some catholic elitist scum bag, but Georgetown needs to remember that it is lucky to be able to call itself a Catholic University.</p>
<p>I think you may be forgetting the entire basis of the catholic education system in this country: Catholic exclusion from colonial America's pro-protestant elites. Catholic universities were founded upon the ideal that everyone regardless of faith or class should have an equal opportunity of advancement, and furthermore that no one should given better opportunities solely on the basis of those irrelevancies. The Jesuit ideal is one of tolerance and acceptance, giving Catholics an edge in admissions would be throwing that centuries-old ideal in the proverbial garbage, not to mention hypocritical in light of its history. A Jesuit education is not about bringing Catholics together to learn, it's about bringing everyone together to learn under the general auspice of spirituality. The only thing Georgetown owes anyone is a non-discriminatory education, and that's something it already does wonderfully.</p>
<p>I think I understand what this guy is trying to say. Sure it is a very different opinion on this matter, so it is going to be difficult for people to see the light. And who are all you people to say that Georgetown doesn't discriminate during its admission's process? If you are african american or asian you have a better chance than a Caucasian person does, and that is a fact. This happens at all colleges in the country. What this poster is trying to say is that if Georgetown is going to be discriminating students, then it needs to be trying to let in as many catholics as is feasible. </p>
<p>My problem with his argument is that its a free country and Georgetown U. has every right to do as they please in the admissions process.</p>
<p>That's the first time I heard someone say that Asians have a better chance than Caucasians hahaha - does this only apply to Georgetown?</p>
<p>Hey pclscout12, just take a deep breath and calm down. Catholic oppression went out with in the 1880s. I understand what you are saying - for example, Wheaton College is a Christian college and requires on the application information about your religion and signing something that promises not to drink, etc. However in the case of Georgetown, this university doesn't "play up" its Catholic-ness when promoting itself - you hear about the Hoyas, the different schools, the amazing internship opportunities, and you begin to understand that Georgetown is prioritizing the best education possible for its students. In the case of Wheaton, it caters exclusively to Christians.</p>
<p>It seems to me like Georgetown draws a much more diverse student body than a school like Notre Dame. This makes the university want to be diverse, therefore lowering the % of catholics admitted.
Plus Georgetown has a very international flavor too it. Much more sore than ND. so i think it really prides itself in being one of the most international places out there.</p>