DS has been focused on Georgetown from the very beginning and, except for a brief love affair with Northwestern (WL), set on attending. I was knocked out by GU when we toured. He applied to USC really as an afterthought, but having been accepted to both, I am really beginning to appreciate what USC has to offer.
Here are some of the things I’m looking at both pro and con:
*USC has better dorms and food (by a wide margin, it seems)
*Both have beautiful (and very different) campuses that embody east coast/west coast
*DS would love to experience east coast weather–so GU actually wins on this one
*USC has smaller student-faculty ratio and lots and lots of money for physical improvements
*USC has more “upward movement” potential in rankings given the huge silicon valley/hollywood connections and $$ (e.g. Dr. Dre); GU has a relatively small endowment.
*USC more accessible socially (GU relies on clubs, USC dorms are a hub for social activity)
*Georgetown has stronger national and international reputation, but USC has incredible alumni network on the west coast and strong connections to Silicon Valley and entrepreneurship
*Programs DS is interested in are competitive in both schools (e.g., not interested in SFS or film school)–Econ, business, sociology are all highly regarded
*Being on the east coast and exposed to an international student population would offer a completely different experience (in a very good way) to a west coast kid
*USC may be more diverse economically (very rich, but a lot of Pell) than Georgetown–but both are quite privileged.
*Son plays water polo–better shot to play club at GU (water polo is a religion in CA)
*USC offered a small merit scholarship and invited him to apply to Honors program, which could also offer a more intimate experience with professors and classmates (also seems like they really want him!)
Of course, it’s my son’s decision and I’ll stay out of it. We are going to admitted student’s day at both schools so I’m sure that will nail this down one way or the other. But I’d be interested in other’s thoughts and to get me more comfortable with GU if that’s where his heart is.
Georgetown is a more academically focused school as a general rule. Students work very hard and are uniformly talented. But USC is right there but definitely more of a Cali vibe.
Sunshine is a good thing.
Fall and early spring is really nice in DC. Winter stinks. It’s not cold enough to be Vermont pretty and skiing type fun. But it’s cold enough and dreary enough.
The on campus activities and clubs are like a mini religion and students are competitive about these. But still lots of fun.
GU has basketball but they play pretty far away. USC for school spirit type things is better. GU access to speakers and proximity to DC is huge advantage.
The local Georgetown area is far nicer than usc. Lots of cool shops restaurants and coffee places. Awesome place.
Georgetown has problems with some of its dorms which I won’t highlight here. But not their finest attribute.
it’s not just a they are too small thing. But it is not why you should choose a school or not. But you do live somewhere for four years and its worth a small asterisk.
How does your son feel about the Jesuit influence/culture?
In your summary, I’m not sure the international student population one is really a difference (I haven’t looked at stats, just going on what I saw at our visits).
I personally wouldn’t be concerned with endowment or upward mobility differences…I think that the GT reputation kind of offsets those concerns. And GT likely has just a strong an alumni network and east coast/DC connections for internships.
I also agree that dorms and food aren’t really a factor, for us anyway. I don’t think there are enough differences to make it any kind of factor in the decision. Also depends on your kid and special dietary needs. But I feel that most kids nationwide are “relatively satisfied” with their food options no matter where they go!
The couple things you mention your son’s opinion on all point to GT. But I would imagine it will become clear after the visits! Two good choices, kind of different.
The East Coast has good (by American standards) public transportation. So if you go to school in DC, you can take buses/trains all throughout the Eastern seaboard, exploring NY, Philadelphia, Boston – some of America’s most iconic cities. For me and my kids, the ability to travel and getting to know a vibrant part of the US without having a car was a huge plus for the East Coast, and something West Coast kids/parents might keep in mind.
Purely anecdotal: had a friend whose daughter had the same dilemma. She chose Georgetown and it wasn’t perfect, so she transferred her sophomore year to USC. And guess what? Also not perfect. She actually went back to G-town for her junior and senior years.
Georgetown is a superb choice for those interested in Foreign Service, Government, Nursing and Languages. For other subjects, it is a good college, but not necessarily a hands down choice. The Jesuit influence is strong and it is very patriarchal. The campus has very little green space, although the Georgetown neighborhood is a fun location for students. I can’t comment on USC, but it is much larger, so I would expect a different feel.
Hopefully your visits will clarify the choice for your son.
I can’t comment about the “patriarchal” insight, but I will say that both a Jewish and a Muslim told me they had no religious issues or difficulties due to Georgetown’s “strong” Jesuit influence.
@katliamom , indeed, there is a full time rabbi on Georgetown campus and I am sure there is good representation for other religions too. We were not at all put off by the Jesuit culture (in fact we loved the service ethos) and we know a number of non-Catholics and non-Christians who have been very happy there.
To add, a quick skim shows full time religious-issues staff on campus including Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, Protestant, and orthodox Christian as well as catholic… I may have missed some
I agree that the Jesuit influence does not cause religious issues for students of other faiths. It is that the administration is very socially conservative, for example they may not authorize organizations that are against Catholic doctrine. Patriarchal in that the administration is male dominated, like the Catholic Church. I am an alum and definitely encountered both of these issues. A current professor recently told me the administration is still a patriarchy.
Socially conservative? Our tour guide was clearly not straight, and told us there is pretty decent support for LGBTQ on campus, including a university-sanctioned/run resource center.
I can’t speak to the patriarchy …
Thanks everyone. I’m not concerned about the Jesuit influence–I attended GU as a graduate student (law school was nowhere near the campus though) and all faiths were respected (in fact, best high holy day services I ever attended). We went to USC admitted students day on Tuesday and tomorrow heading to DC for their admitted students weekend.
My biggest concern is social–USC seems to rotate around the dorms (hence my obsession with the dorms) and clubs, which are open and accessible to everyone. I understand that Georgetown clubs are the hub of social life, and you have to apply and it can be quite competitive to get into a “good” club. It seems like the competitive aspect may also extend to academics, where USC seems a bit more laid back. Definitely appreciate the feedback–and glad to see so many positive comments about GU.
FlyerDad, USC’s student to faculty ratio is not better than Georgetown’s. USC simply chooses to mislead applicants about its true student to faculty ratio while Georgetown does not.
Universities are instructed to include all students, undergraduate and graduate, enrolled in schools and colleges that enroll both undergraduate and graduate students. USC misleadingly chooses to leave out all graduate students form its calculation.
Viterbi and Marshall alone enroll close to 8,000 graduate students. The other schools and colleges that enroll undergraduate students also enroll over 3,000 graduate students. If you add those 11,000 graduate students that USC conveniently omits, the student to faculty ratio at USC would be 13:1 instead of 8:1. Georgetown’s student to faculty ratio is also in the same range (12:1 I believe).
It should be noted that USC’s practice of omitting thousands of graduate students from its student to faculty ratio is common among private universities. Until the 1990s, nobody paid attention to student to faculty ratios, so universities did not attempt to embellish their figures. But since then, rankings such as the US News started including student to faculty ratios in their methodology, and overnight, private universities saw their student o faculty ratios drop from 11:1-14:1 all the way down to 3:1-8:1. In fact, very few research universities will have student to faculty ratios lower than 10:1.
In fact, very few research universities will have student to faculty ratios lower than 10:1.