Would you mind reading my essay fro SFS and giving me feedbacks on it?
Hi! Thank you so much for taking time to help!
Just some general questions I had (you don’t have to answer them all if you don’t want to):
What is campus life like/are people friendly?
What separates Georgetown from other universities?
Are they more focused on undergrads or grads?
How are the research facilities, and do undergrads get to participate often?
What areas of study are strongest at Georgetown?
@plzivy5978 I’m sorry, I don’t really feel comfortable with that.
@bluebird1234 Sorry for getting back so late but I’m more than happy to answer all of your questions.
Campus life- I’d say that in general Hoyas are really friendly and accommodating. People generally extend each other basic courtesies like holding the door and care deeply about the people around them. I would say that there does tend to be a slight pre-professional and competitive atmosphere at times, especially within the MSB and SFS, but for the most part, people tend to be really nice, incredibly smart, and super interesting.
What separates Georgetown- Honestly I’m not 100% sure how to answer this. For me, what separated Georgetown from its peer institutions was the SFS and the chance to be in DC. I knew I wanted to major in International Politics and the SFS gave me the chance to study in a world-renowned program with absolutely incredible professors. Additionally, the opportunities I’ve had by the virtue of being in DC have been amazing. Nowhere else could you go to an ambassador’s house for dinner because your professor is good friends with him and he’s an expert on the subject you’re studying. Georgetown also opens all kinds of doors for its students and the alumni network is unmatched. What really separates Georgetown I think is that it simply grants you the kind of opportunities that you really can’t find elsewhere.
Undergrads vs grads- So I would say that the undergrads are prioritized at Georgetown. Obviously the school has an incredible masters in sfs program, law school, med school, etc and there are definitely grad students around but the majority of the focus goes towards the undergrad students. Some programs, like the law school, are also in a different part of DC so you tend not to see them as much.
Research- Research is really good at Georgetown and there are absolutely opportunities for undergrad students, especially once you’re an upperclassman, to get involved. I wouldn’t say that it is super common for undergrad students to want to participate in research but it isn’t difficult to do so if that is what you want to do. Generally you just have to talk to the professor that you’re interested in researching with and if you have a good relationship and can contribute to whatever they’re working on, they will often be happy to have you involved. Some professors will also just casually ask for help. In a seminar I took last semester, my professor was having difficulties thinking of case studies for the question he was investigating so he asked my class to email him with suggestions if they had any ideas.
Areas of study- This is another hard and general question. Most programs are good at Georgetown but I would say that we are the most famous for the School of Foreign Service and any of the majors within. Georgetown also has good linguistics programs, government programs, the business school has incredible placement to Wall St and other finance jobs, etc.
I hope that helps!
Thanks so much for answering questions!
Do you know anything about the science program?
Are people there preppy?
Thanks again!
Also, are there a lot of popularity rankings and so forth?
Is there a huge drinking and partying scene? (I don’t drink!)
Did you intern at any governmental department? (Dept. of State, CIA, etc.)
If so, during the summer? During the school year? Is it possible to intern during the school year?
After going through their admissions process, would you say its a “lottery” the way some people describe the ivies or are they pretty consistent with how they admit/reject?
do you have any info on transferring into georgetown? @hoyabluegray
@hoyabluegray Thank you for the detailed response! 
Another question- I really want to visit Georgetown, but I might not be able to. Are there any alternatives to getting to know the school better (other than visiting their website)?
The science program is pretty good and there are lots of different possible degrees. Of course you can always do traditional things like biology or chemistry in the College but there is also an entire school, the NHS, for nursing and health sciences if you want to do more medical science. Either way, I know that the science degrees tend to be pretty tough but they’re prestigious and I have a lot of friends in them.
Georgetown does have a reputation for being preppy and if I’m being honest, there is some truth to that. People tend to dress nicer for class than they maybe would at some other colleges and you will see a lot of Sperrys and Vineyard Vines around campus. That being said, I’m not really a preppy person (I’m from the West Coast) and I’ve never felt out of place or looked down upon for not being part of a country club or something ridiculous like that. Georgetown is preppy, but I really wouldn’t worry about it if you’re not.
On the subject of popularity ratings, I don’t really know what you mean by that. But whatever you mean I don’t see it really existing. Popularity isn’t really a thing so much at college and there certainly isn’t any kind of formal list of rankings or anything like that…
There is a partying scene but it is very easy to avoid if you’re not into that sort of thing. Partying is mostly centered around school clubs and organizations as well as some nightclubs but if it’s not your thing, I wouldn’t worry about it. There is a lot to do in DC and a lot to do on campus on any given night without partying. It is also very possible to have a full social life and have fun with friends without partying. And finally, if you don’t drink but still want to go to parties then it is totally acceptable to do so. A lot of my friends don’t drink but will go to parties and just drink soda or whatever and nobody cares. Whatever your partying choices are, there is very little pressure and very little judgement.
So I am currently a freshman and haven’t interned at any governmental departments yet but it is very possible to do so if you are interested in it. Most people wait until their freshman summer/sophomore year but you can certainly start whenever you want. The nice thing about being in DC is that you can intern during the year (especially if you’re careful with your class schedule) and thus have a higher chance at scoring internships with coveted departments or congresspeople than if you were to apply during the summer. The Georgetown name also does carry quite a bit of weight with government intern coordinators, simply because so many Hoyas intern in government jobs in DC, so that’s another bonus. There are a lot of different opportunities and I would say it’s very common for people to intern at all times of the year. Another thing Georgetown will do which is nice is that you can get summer housing by working or applying to certain programs on campus and that way if you want to intern during the summer you don’t have to worry about finding housing in DC>
Georgetown is a pretty selective school. I think our acceptance rate right now is about 17 or 18 percent? So to some degree yes, it is a lottery. That being said, since we apply to specific schools here, there are some consistencies about who gets admitted to each school. For example, I’m in the SFS and most people here have some sort of background in international affairs whether that’s a multicultural heritage, or deep involvement with things like model UN and mock trial in high school or they lived abroad, etc. So in essence, it’s a little bit of both.
Unfortunately I don’t have a ton of info about transferring. I know that it’s not the easiest process but I will say that the transfer students at Georgetown all tend to live in the same dorm their first year so they get really close and form a community in and of themselves. If you have any more specific questions I can try to answer them but otherwise I can’t give you a lot of general information.
If you really can’t get to campus, there aren’t a lot of alternatives besides visiting the website. I mean, you could look up youtube videos, especially of GAAP weekend to try and see a little bit more for yourself or try to find somebody who went to Georgetown and ask them but it’s really hard to convey what the campus and general feel of the student body is like without visiting here. I would say just explore the GAAP website and they should be able to help you find out more about what Georgetown is like.
(Accidentally posted this comment on the wrong thread)
I have heard things about the club exclusivity and the importance/dominance of clubs on social life. Is the social life at Georgetown diverse? I am from the Bay Area as well, and I haven’t visited yet. I’m wondering if Georgetown will be starkly different from here socially.
I’m not going to lie, clubs are pretty important to social life at Georgetown. That being said, a lot of your friend group will likely come from other places as well. Most of my close friends are from my floor rather than from clubs. It’s more just that clubs are the ones that throw parties or social events so a lot of socializing takes place in the context of clubs.
As for club exclusivity, there are a few clubs that are very hard to get into (the Corp, Blue and Gray, etc) but there are also lots of clubs that accept everybody who wants to join or that have easier application processes. It can be frustrating at times but almost everybody finds their place eventually and it’s not as bad as it can be made out to be.
There are a lot of different options and people can be part of a lot of different friend groups. It’s definitely diverse.
Finally as for the difference from the Bay Area. I would say that the East Coast in general is pretty different from California. People here are more pushy, driven, and forward than Californians are. There can be a sort of East Coast school clique that all know each other. That being said, Georgetown gets students from all over and lots of Californians/ Bay Area kids. I love it here, and I miss California, but I’ve never had a problem socially.
Hi! Another question- is Georgetown considered a good school for science? Specifically, studies related to BME or pre med? I heard it was mostly focused on social sciences or business.
Thanks!
So like I told HopefulHoya1103 earlier Georgetown has a strong science program but we are definitely known more for our social sciences/business programs. That being said, there is an entire school, the NHS, dedicated to health studies and a lot of people are premed. Georgetown also has a med school of its own and they have an early admission program for Georgetown students. While we’re not maybe as well known as say Johns Hopkins for science related matters, Georgetown definitely has a great science program and a strong premed system.
Hi! I was accepted RD in the School of Foreign Service (thank god), and I had a couple (actually quite a few) questions:
- How good is Georgetown in terms of free speech? A couple of links (here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/58ac64bfe4b0417c4066c2f1 and here: https://www.thefire.org/schools/georgetown-university/) had me concerned.
- I know that Georgetown gets amazing internships for government and polsci students. What sort of internships and job placements/graduate schools have you and/or your friends gotten?
- In terms of the social scene, how important is Greek Life/partying/drinking/sports to meet new people and make friends?
- What is the average class size? Do you tend to have big lecture halls with loads of students crammed into one room, or small discussion-based classes? On a similar note, how accessible are professors at Georgetown? Can students contact them easily after class, and do they tend to be interested in talking to students outside the classroom? Are classes generally taught by TAs?
- What sort of study abroad opportunities are available, and how many students tend to go for study abroad? Is there the possibility of creating your own study abroad program?
- Finally, (a slightly more fun question to answer), what is your favorite part about Georgetown?
Thanks a lot for your help! I’m interested in international relations and politics (although I’m not sure if I want to commit fully), and am having a really hard time in deciding between Swarthmore, Georgetown SFS, and Yale-NUS college. Once again, thanks for your time!