I am a junior in high school and have recently been looking a great deal into Georgetown University. I am pretty (about 89%) sure that I would be accepted, the only issue is that I’m not sure how good some of their programs are. I know that they are very renowned for things like political science, business, government, etc., but how do they stack up in respect to sciences, specifically chemistry, to colleges like Duke, WUSTL, or some of the Ivies? Thanks.
I toured there with my daughter who also loves science. If your goal is to go specifically into science as a career and eventually get a PhD in science, then I don’t believe Georgetown is the best choice for you. There is no comparison whatsoever with Duke, Ivies and other universities renowned for science. However, if you are interested in government policies and legislation related to science, and considering a career in foreign service dealing with international issues involving science and technology, then Georgetown would be awesome. Specifically, they have a rather new Science, Technology & International Affairs major that might be of interest to you. See http://sfs.georgetown.edu/stia/
Our overall impression though was that a student who loves science and who lives and breathes science could feel out of place there. The students we met made remarks like, “Oh, I’m so glad I don’t have to take a science for my major, because I hate science.” We were not offered any tours of science labs or anything, so I also don’t know what the facilities are like, or how many opportunities there would be to conduct scientific research there on campus. You could certainly look for opportunities for research around DC, but public transportation from Georgetown to DC is not that ideal.
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Depends on your goals here. Most reputable schools, including Georgetown, offer solid basic sciences (if not cutting edge research). If you are pre-med, or planing on a science degree backed up with a secondary degree in some other field, Georgetown would be a great choice. It’s not especially well known for producing future PhDs in the sciences, but not because of any weakness in the undergrad science programs.
On the other hand Georgetown is a great school overall, not intrusively Catholic, and DC is a great city in which to be a student. You would be living in ‘internship central’ , within walking distance of a national park (the 180 mile long runners/hikers/bikers/kayakers/birders paradise along the Potomac River - the C&O Canal National historical park), the weather is pretty good year round, and there’s lots of free or almost free things to do. No, the metro system doesn’t extend into Georgetown - but the bus system is extensive so plenty of public transportation.
What do you want to do with your Chemistry degree? I think they have a very strong premed program but they are overshadowed by Johns Hopkins. Students at Georgetown are hard workers and the school has great interdisciplinary programs. If you are doing research at the hospital, the hospital is right there on campus, not a bus ride away. That being said, it is not as strong as JH, Ivies, or Rice, etc.
Hi! Georgetown science major undergrad here. As other posters have said, it definitely depends on what you aspire to do with your science degree. We have an amazing, but challenging pre-med program. Stats I’ve heard from various sources indicate that about 80% of our med school applicants will be accepted to at least one medical school. Pre-med students (of all majors, not just science majors) are a very strong presence on campus. If you’re concerned about actual rankings of our individual science departments, I would just Google it and see if you can find the actual stats on US News and World Reports (or a similar site). If it’s research experience that you’re looking for, it is extremely easy to get involved in research. If research is what you’re interested in… you’ll be able to find a position (whether it is with a Gtown professor, someone at the hospital, or at the NIH). In terms of pursuing a PhD or similar program, it is not as common to see students who are pursuing a hard science degree with the goal of pursuing a master or PhD, but it definitely happens! I have several friends who have these goals. Overall, I chose to come to Georgetown because I wanted the overall amazing experience it offers, not just because of the rankings of the programs I was interested in. Hope this helps! And good luck choosing a school! You really can’t make a “wrong” choice when deciding where to go to college
I was in the Chemistry department a long time ago and decided to pursue graduate school. So, I believe I can somewhat chime in though my opinions might be a bit outdated.
Yes in raw numbers. However it places students into top programs though these tend to be the top students. My impression is that the majority to do something preprofessional (medicine, dental, business). The Ivies are not all the same in graduate outcomes and neither are Duke and WUSTL. Duke students tend to go less into graduate school it seems, but I think like Georgetown if a student wants to do a PhD they could probably get into one.
When I left it was somewhat common to go to graduate school in the chemistry department oddly enough. About 8 students ended up doing PhDs in my year though we were probably not the norm. 4 people attended top programs (Number 1 in their fields) 2 middling programs (top ten in their field) and 2 “weak programs” (these students applied to graduate school after the deadline and one students could easily have walked in to Stanford or Harvard he was brilliant, even then his group is still number 1 in his field).
About 2 of them have graduated with their PhDs.
In the year above me 4 students went to Stanford, Scripps, Northwestern and Penn. All completed their degrees. I knew of two students below me in years who went to JHU and another to Caltech.
Then across departments, I knew 3 people in Computer Science who did PhDs (2 Yale, 1 Columbia). Biology (1 Michigan, 1 Chicago, 1 Duke, 1 Stanford). My roommate went into a top 5 program.
The medical school placement rate was not as good but its much harder to get into a good medical school.
Somewhat. I would be honest, I never met anyone who lives and breathes science at Georgetown. But I have never met any undergrad or graduate student at the ivy were I am doing my PhD who lives and breathes science either. I have attended other schools apart from G’town with stronger science programs. It is mostly professors who do that. In my grad school there was a large segment that hated their graduate experience and had some level of depression. Most don’t even talk about their science when we are around and just want to forget about it. I spent time taking care of a friend who had 2 years of depression throughout grad school. I think people have a rosy perception of what happens at Ivy schools.
Research opportunities are plentiful at Gtown, and sometimes as strong as what you might find at a top school depending on if you land the right professor and are paired with a good graduate student. If your daughter shows aptitude she might probably get her own research project. A few of my friends published first author papers before they graduated from the program (I knew of about 4).
Obviously asking someone who doesn’t study science their impression of science programs is not really good way to judge a program. Most students who are not in the science program tend to be clueless about it, and this is not just a Georgetown problem. Science students spend excessive periods of time in the lab which cuts out of social time. This is not for everyone and a personal choice. I am sort of a misanthrope so not really an issue.
I personally think you should have been a bit proactive and tried to get a look at the labs. Also the biology program has the Howard Hughes Program and their are lots of research fellowships such as the GUROP and Adams Fellowship. The faculty in the chemistry and biology department actually have an active research program just not at the scale or breadth at top programs. Nevertheless, if you daughter is really a good student and good researcher she would have no issue getting into places like MIT, Stanford e.t.c for her PhD since it was very common during my time. It will not be Georgetown holding her back. Also I interviewed at 2 of the Harvard/Yale/Princeton schools and the faculty I met actually regarded Georgetown as an equivalent school. I don’t know where they got that idea from but that was the impression a lot of them had and were impressed I went to Georgetown.
@ OP I think they stack up well. While I do not have direct experience with all universities, I personally believe science programs are really roughly the same in about the top 30 universities. Research activity within a university brings it prestige but the course rigor tend to be very similar. Nothing impedes a university from making their programs rigorous except maybe the quality of students in the school. Schools like Williams,Amherst e.t.c run their science programs with 8-9 tenured faculty per department and lower research activity and they are still believed and probably do, provide “top-notch education.”
Rice and JHU attract students of a certain profile which might change the atmosphere and grading curve within a class. They might even be more rigorous than some of the top ivies. Ivies are not all the same. Also there is a big perception issue. Many people believe good science is not taught at Georgetown, so even the students would probably complain about the program. However, all the faults you will find at Georgetown you will find at Dartmouth, Princeton, Yale e.t.c in different measures. except you will probably overlook them when you are there because they are “Ivy League” and they are renowned for the sciences.
By the way, no one has an 89% chance at getting into Georgetown with the exception of maybe the relatives of the dean of admissions. I caution you strongly against using GU as your safety school. No one should.
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