<p>Of couse people can spend their money as they chose, but these boards are here to debate and work through these issues.</p>
<p>I totally see your point, Youdont. As I write these posts I am trying to grapple with my own conflicted feelings on these issues, and throwing out a different point of view that I think is more than worthy of discussion.</p>
<p>The other thing is, Youdont, my kids would be full pays, subsidizing your childâs education, although we are not rolling in money ourselves.</p>
<p>As an immigrant I donât think baseball (or football or basketball) is American favorite sport. It is anti-elitism 
So nothing is new for the sentiment expressed here, youdonâtsay.</p>
<p>You choose Georgetown for the faculty not the prestige IMO: [SFS</a> Faculty - Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service - OLD - Georgetown University](<a href=âhttp://www1.georgetown.edu/sfs/learning/faculty/list/]SFSâ>http://www1.georgetown.edu/sfs/learning/faculty/list/) Whether or not they provide more than U of T, I have no idea, I actually thought there were more practitioners and fewer academics. (I believe that may be the case at American and GW, but havenât compared lists there either.) My son considered the DC schools (didnât like GW, didnât get into Georgetown though), but ended up at Tufts.</p>
<p>When DD was making up her mind, her college counselor at her private prep school told her that her classmates would find it hard to believe that she would choose another school over Georgetown, but that the school she was considering was a great school. Some of her schoolmates had last names like Ripken and Unitas, so that was kind of a different circle. </p>
<p>Name brands carry a lot of power in this country whether it is cars, colleges, or computersâŠ</p>
<p>JvtDad. You seem to be covering up my words under the blanket of anti-elitism. I think there is more nuance here, and itâs worth examining.</p>
<p>I like the idea of being able to cover the tuition at a state school with enough of a cushion that if your child decides he wants to do something incredible one summer â i.e. attend a conference overseas, go to Middlebury to perfect his Arabic, do a semester at sea , etc. â that youâre not in a position where every dime is already committed to the undergrad.<br>
On the other hand, the idea that if you do well at a school like Georgetown, you could get some type of defense languages scholarship to cover the rest of the tuition â thatâs a really good point and one I hadnât thought of. Thatâs certainly a possibility, but a risk, I suppose.</p>
<p>Hereâs my favorite review I read about Georgetown: âGeorgetown students expect to be treated likely royalty, which is appropriate because many of them are.â</p>
<p>Our HS sends a few kids to Georgetown every year, and with 3 kids of my own in the school system I know practically every parent whose kid has gone to GT. About 50% of them have said that their student was not very happy there, but had adjusted/resigned to being surrounded by super-rich students who had island homes, or yachts, or private planes. Most of the parents themselves had gone out to dinners with roomie parents, and found them either snooty or condescending. The only info. I have is from these parents, but the place does sound elitist. This year a dear friendâs D is transferring into GT from a full-scholarship State school with the reason being âThe contacts and network that she will establish there is SO WORTH the extra 50K per yearâ. Ha ha.</p>
<p>^^it worked for Bill Clinton!</p>
<p>A friend of our sonâs is a recent grad of Georgetown SFS. I asked the studentâs mom about her experience there. Mom commented that her D loved it, but that based on her experience they did not encourage their other children to apply or attend (the siblings chose Notre Dame and Villanova). Mom said Georgetownâs facilities and buildings were not well-maintained, and yet the school is quite expensive. Also, the student did not land a job in her field after graduation (had top grades), and after working a so-so job for a year, is now off to law school (not her original plan and costly). In addition, the SFS students naturally do a lot of foreign study, which was an additional cost for this family since the kids always want to travel around while they are overseas. Again, a good experience, but something to keep in mind as a potential additional cost.</p>
<p>My son was very interested in SFS as well and we were impressed with our visit to the school. Our concern was whether or not heâd actually be able to get a good govt. or diplomatic job without significant connections, which we donât have. Thatâs a question I would ask if I were you.</p>
<p>The Foreign Service is all about that exam, and many schools have prep sessions. And, most people who pass the foreign service exam are multiple years out of college with real world experience. I donât know that connections would be super helpful, beyond being able to tell you about the exam process (I think itâs like 5 rounds and they cut people after each round).</p>
<p>And for a lot of government jobs, people donât give a crap where you went to school, unlike in various parts of the private sector. The name on the diploma doesnât open the same doors.</p>
<p>To the OPâCongrats to your son. Iâm sorry this thread is turning into a G-town bashing session. Perhaps that tells you about the type of people you will find outside G-town too⊠I think it is cruel to refer to G-town students as elitist. I know a wonderful child who was admitted to G-town from a public HS on the strength of their hard work and solid ECs (no paid trips to do charity work, etc)âŠIâm sure there are other hard-working down to earth students at G-town just like this person.</p>
<p>To shun G-town because you donât want to mix with elitist people is a bit narrow-minded. Will you limit your career choices and all your future life choices to avoid them? No, you find your niche and proudly stand alongside those types without giving up who you are.</p>
<p>Try to go back to how you felt before he was accepted and go with your gut. Also, do the accepted student weekend to confirm your/his decision, but I say go for it!</p>
<p>(PS-my children will be 100% fullpay, but it is what it isâŠI went to college on 100% scholarshipâŠmy experience could have been VERY differentâŠ)</p>
<p>âIs there anything that actually sets Georgetown SFS apart from other schools that have programs in International Relations or International Studies?â</p>
<p>Yes. Its network is one-of-a-kind in this area. Whether that difference is worth $5k or $200k+ is open to debate, but there is some real added value there.</p>
<p>âThe Foreign Service is all about that examâ</p>
<p>No, getting in the door of the Foreign Service is all about that exam. If you hope to have a career there, passing the exam is something you move past immediately. All kinds of other considerations then come into play, just as they do when a person seeks leadership positions in any other sort of job. The world goes around based on who you know and who you can get to know.</p>
<p>In my opinion, no UG is worth the expense, We were happy that D. has chosen the UG where she received full tuition Merit awards (she recieved Merit packages at every place that she applied, but she did not apply at any that do not give good Merit packages). That allowed us to have money for her Grad. School and allowed her to choose the one without cost consideration.</p>
<p>DS2 just finished his first semester in the SFS. He loves the school and being in DC. He finds his classes to be interesting, challenging, but manageable.</p>
<p>He has commented about obnoxiously rich kids who flaunt their money, but he chooses not to hang with these kids. He has made some good friendsâŠsome he describes as super rich and nice, other that are 100% scholarship. Obnoxiously rich kids can be found everywhere, they are not exclusive to GT.</p>
<p>As a NMF, he was offered a lot of merit money at other schools which he turned down to go to GT. It isnât fun paying tuition, but we feel he is getting a quality education, the fit was right for him and we have no regrets.</p>
<p>Speaking of NM, when my daughter interviewed with the language prof, she asked what NM would get her at Georgetown. The prof answered :âA pat on the back.â</p>
<p>âHe has commented about obnoxiously rich kids who flaunt their money, but he chooses not to hang with these kids.â</p>
<p>This is the solution to the problem. If thereâs a school where pretty much everyone is rich/obnoxious, I donât know what it is.</p>
<p>"Yes. Its network is one-of-a-kind in this area. Whether that difference is worth $5k or $200k+ is open to debate, but there is some real added value there.</p>
<p>I agree there is significant added value. But if he got into the Global Scholars Program at AU, heâd end up with a Masters Degree in International Service after four years (rather than a Bachelors), would have essentially the same internship opportunities (most folks say more), and, if he got merit awards, it would cost $80k-$100k less.</p>
<p>It is true that GTown has one of the lowest percentages of Pell Grantees and highest percentage of full-pays among prestige colleges. That will affect some folks positively and others negatively. It is worth knowing, but the value judgment attached should be withheld (it could act to advantage or disadvantage.)</p>
<p>Many of these recent posts are painting a negative and elitist version of the Georgetown. Many of these posts are past on third hand information. My S is SFSâ10 - gainfully employed before graduation in his chosen field (no connections) as were almost all of his down-to-earth, non wealthy friends. If they had to do it all over again, every one of them would return to The Hilltop. </p>
<p>I will send you a PM when I get a chance.</p>