I know all of you love to give advice...

Colleges and Universities A-Z Georgetown University
1

<p>So dispense some:</p>

<p>I'm a sophomore at a relatively normal public high school in Ohio. I take a mixture of normal (math and science) and honors (English, French, history) courses. My GPA has been on the rise from 8th grade. I'm involved in a lot of extra curricular activities. I'm Roman Catholic and a first-generation American from a working-class family; my parents emigrated from Syria in the 70's and neither have college degrees. I love languages: I'm very, very proficient in French and read French literature for fun; I speak Arabic at home, though I'm looking into taking some post-secondary classes to learn it the correct and structural way. I'm also very interested in foreign policy and international relations (yes, yes, you're looking at a C-Span dork here). I am close to a lot of my teachers, have a lot of friends, and am pretty well-liked. </p>

<p>About a week ago, I was giving my schedule for next year to my guidance counselor. She asked me where I wanted to go to college and I confessed that Georgetown was my dream. This was a big step for me -- most of the people in my school are going to state schools and I hadn't divulged my Georgetown obsession to anyone else. I want it so badly; I can imagine myself there without any effort at all. It seems so perfect. I've even started on a quest to read the biographies of every famous Georgetown alum I can find (I just bought "My Life") and I've read The Hoya online for a year.</p>

<p>Well, my guidance counselor fixed me with something of a disbelieving look. "You probably can't get in there," she told me, "but I guess we'll work on it," and then handed me my transcript.</p>

<p>I was stunned. I guess in some naive way, I had never even thought of the admissions process: just an excited student and his perfect school. And then other thoughts began to fill my head: How could I ever afford $50,000 tuition every year? That’s pretty close to my family income! How would my parents ever let me go so far away? </p>

<p>What happens to a student deferred?</p>

<p>I’ve embarked on a mission to get into Georgetown and I’m going to worry about everything else after that; I’m even going to keep it a secret from my family until I get in. I've compiled a grand Word document with all my goals and grades and classes and activities and what I'm going to do every summer and year until I get that acceptance letter. I have perseverance and determination. </p>

<p>But I don’t have advice.</p>

<p>I’m lucky enough to start this process early enough to still make changes. What do you think I can start to do now to increase my chances? What should I capitalize on? What are some things the admissions team likes?</p>

<p>GUIDE ME. That is, if anyone made it through all of those words, haha. </p>

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<p>First, let me say don’t let the reaction of the GC at school get you down!! My son’s GC told him he’d be lucky to get into our big state university and he’s in Gtown’s SFS right now! In many ways, your background sounds like the kind of student Gtown looks for so keep your grades up, study hard for the SAT, keep up your independent reading and studying of languages, and find a mentor at school who will support you in your efforts and in attaining your dream (maybe a teacher, an assistant principal, or a coach) . You are on the right track. </p>

<p>My one suggestion of something that you should consider changing is to share your dream with your family. Introduce them to Gtown through brochures and the internet, tell them why you love the idea of attending, and ask for their help in getting you there. If you tell them you appreciate everything they’ve given you so far and that you’d like to repay them by making them proud, I think they will support you in your goals. </p>

<p>Best of luck to you</p>