Harvard vs. Walsh SFS

<p>Where would you go?</p>

<p>tough choice. my son was also accepted to both. we are in the same boat. it's going to come down to $ for us.</p>

<p>if you dont have a preference, I would say SFS. It's possible that it may be even more difficult to get into than Harvard. It's the most competitive undergrad school at Gtown and there are far less spots in this one school than in all of Harvard's freshman class. It's also legendary in the political world, if you're looking for that sort of thing.</p>

<p>Edmund</a> A. Walsh School of Foreign Service - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia</p>

<p>Take a look at the alumni list above. For a school that graduates about 350 undergrads and about 150 grads per year, the accomplishment level is truly extraordinary.</p>

<p>It's a matter of personal preference. Harvard will require you to take core classes that may be peripherally related to your interests. The SFS core is intense (plus there is the liberal arts core, but that can easily be tailored to apply to international politics) but it is all geared towards foreign affairs. </p>

<p>Harvard is much more intellectual than Georgetown. People (to make a generalization) here seek knowledge, but only to the point that it is knowledge to "change the world"...not knowledge for knowledge's sake.</p>

<p>So, at Georgetown, do SFS students tend to do their own thing? Is SFS viewed as a selective deal -- or do students from all undergrad programs hang out together? Also, the "preppy, elitist" G-Town image -- is this pretty much true?</p>

<p>I wish Gtown would have given my son a better fin.aid package. It was 3x more than Harvard. It is way too much for our family to pay. We have graduate school to think about also :(</p>

<p>My S graduated from SFS and his group was pretty mixed; a few friends from SFS, a few from the business school, a few from the college.
As for Harvard vs. SFS - I don't think you will make a mistake either way. The one thing I did notice is that my S's courseload was pretty narrow in focus, which is what it is suppose to be, I can't help but think Harvard would be a little more well-rounded. I'm just guessing - I don't know for sure.</p>

<p>Dogwood -- was the narrow focus of the SFS program a hindrance or frustrating for your son? And, generally-speaking, what are the SFS class sizes? (I know SFS attracts some big names, but do students ever really get to know the professors?)</p>

<p>I never knew Georgetown's SFS was really that highly regarded as to be on par if not surpassing Harvard (of course, this is on Georgetown's board, so it may be slightly biased).</p>

<p>That's fantastic. As related to your question, SFS will probably offer more internship opportunities due to its, obvious, proximity to DC; however, Harvard's alumni network is probably stronger. Yes, I saw the link to the SFS alumni, but Harvard is known to watch out for their own and if, by chance, you do not stay in international relations/government type things Harvard will be of much more use.</p>

<p>Georgetown's Walsh School of Foreign Service is probably the better choice for you as you clearly have a strong and convincing interest in that area. Diplomactic skills are becoming increasingly important in the business world. Plus you get to tell people that you turned down Harvard.</p>

<p>collegiate08 - My son loved his experiences at SFS and felt that he had a wonderful education. To be honest, the only courses he did not enjoy were the core theology courses. He had some great relationships with some of his professors (was fortunate enough to get into Albright's course), and had some amazing opportunities along the way.
I'm not sure of the class sizes - I do know he had one or two classes with 4 or 5 students (but I think they might have been language courses). I don't think he ever had any large classes - to be honest, he never mentioned that - he spent more time talking about the books he read, lectures he attended and the workload (quite a bit). It is an amazing place. If you decide to go - you will appreciate every minute you are there. We are definitely a Hoya family thru and thru. We love Georgetown. Whatever you do, be proud of the fact that you were admitted to one of the best, most selective programs in the US.</p>

<p>I graduated from SFS and my smallest classes were five and six students respectively. By the way, this was fewer than any of my classes at Columbia Business School,my graduate alma mater.</p>