<p>The school is most famous for politics and international relations, obviously. How are the sciences? Do they get as much funding/attention as politics and the like? Are there a lot of internships and other resources available?</p>
<p>I plan to major in Environmental Biology specifically. And I have a really specific question: Does anyone know how hard/easy it would be for a Georgetown student to get an internship at the National Zoo?</p>
<p>Thanks for your input.</p>
<p>Sciences are a priority area and on the front burner now, after many decades of being on the back burner (despite the historical strength in and emphasis of the Jesuits on the sciences). Regents Hall is the physical manifestation of that, along with the attendant expansion of programs, research opportunities, etc. </p>
<p>Internships are as plentiful in scientific fields as in any other in DC, with things like NIH, HHS, EPA and the rest of the alphabet soup of government agencies, trade organizations (like the AMA or ACA) and the like around. There’s a biomedical research corridor in Montgomery County that might also be of interest in terms of private sector opportunities. No shortage, that’s for sure.</p>
<p>The National Zoo does have internships available - no idea how competitive they are. [Internships</a> and Fellowships - National Zoo| FONZ](<a href=“http://nationalzoo.si.edu/undergradinternships/default.cfm]Internships”>Internships | Smithsonian's National Zoo)</p>
<p>None of the DC schools are particularly known for zoology or veterenary sciences, so I don’t think a GU student would be at any sort of disadvantage relative to anyone else during the school year.</p>
<p>They’re not good…if you are looking for science, I’d suggest university of Vermont</p>
<p>^^Ha! Good one - recommending UVM over GU! Very funny.</p>
<p>One of the reasons why Georgetown is ranked at 21 (relatively low for its fame) is GU’s lack of strong natural science departments. Unlike UC Berkeley which is tied with GU at 21 in US news’ national ranking, GU focuses more on the political and legal side. Their medical school is also pretty good as well. But I don’t think Georgetown has a strong Physics or engineering department comparing to other colleges with the same rank. If you want to study law or politics, GU is your school. If you want to study business, stay with UPenn, Emory, etc. If you want to study Physics, go to MIT, CalTech, UCB, Stanford, etc.</p>
<p>^^ The OP asked about Environmental Bio, in which GU has a specific major.
While i might not push GU for graduate work in certain sciences, it is a first rate university and i have no doubt that its undergrad classes in bio, chem and enviro bio are fine. Generally speaking, at the undergrad level, I think it’s more important to focus on the reputation and atmosphere of the entire school, rather than on rankings of particular departments, which usually are about graduate rather than undergrad programs.
To the best of my knowledge, GU has NO engineering school.<br>
It does have a business school (McDonough), and while i wouldn’t compare it to Wharton by any means, i doubt that there’s much difference in the relative prestige of Emory’s and GU’s undergrad business programs.</p>