1.) Political leanings, as with most elite schools and any college more generally, are very liberal. Though conservatives exist here, they are highly outnumbered.
2.) In my experience as someone who is also non-religious, Georgetown’s Catholic identity has been a pretty small, but overwhelmingly positive feature of the school.
There is a two-course theology requirement, however, most people fulfill it by taking a course called “Problem of God,” which is usually either more philosophical (i.e. “Does God exist?”) or world religions based, and then finish the requirement by taking any other theology elective (which can be about any religion). You can also fulfill the requirement by taking with PoG and Intro to Biblical Literature.
Another way Georgetown’s religious identity comes into play is with the Chaplains in Residence who live throughout the residential spaces on campus. They are leaders from various religious affiliations (usually Christian, admittedly) who offer programming every month and are generally another place to get support. The aim is to aid in spiritual and emotional fulfillment, rather than to teach doctrinal dogma, obviously.
One controversial aspect of Georgetown’s religious identity, however, is the university’s position on certain political issues because of its religious background. Most notably, Georgetown does not recognize the pro-choice group on campus (which has the tangible effect of limiting what they are allowed to do and where), and doesn’t allow on-campus venues to sell condoms. Because of this, you may find the university lacking in certain related services. On the other hand, the university is very LGBTQ friendly as was the first Catholic university to open an LGBTQ center.
Overall, like I said, I think the university’s religious affiliation is a very positive thing, as much of what we as a university do revolves around the idea of men and women for others, as well as caring for the whole person (as much of a marketing cliche that that may sound like). In short, though you may find a slightly higher proportion of religious persons, you won’t be pressured to be religious or join religious activities, though they are available for people who want them.
3.) It’s 100% true that clubs on campus are the main vehicle of socialization. However, there is a certain “teer-ing” of clubs, and the most popular ones are also the most exclusive. For example, The Corp, the tour guides, the credit union, and a couple of the other pre-professional clubs can be really hard to get into, and are very clique-ish for the people that do get into them. Almost every club (like, even the ones that accept everyone) require some sort of application and often an interview, which quite frankly, can be nauseating and exhausting, but it is what it is.
4.) My favorite things about Georgetown are the opportunities available in DC, and its religious focus/focus on helping others.
On the other hand, at the risk of somewhat contradicting myself, one of my least favorite things is the pre-professional/competitive culture here. Starting with competing for clubs, and finishing with the competition for prestigious internships in Finance/Consulting, Georgetown students are quickly swept up in something of a rat-race to nowhere. Things become about building your resume, and picking majors that will help you get a job rather than doing things for intrinsic value. I do think that this is somewhat indicative of highly ranked schools in general though, because its impossible to expect students who worked extremely hard in the past to get where they are now to suddenly become care-free intellectuals. I do want to be careful about generalizing all Georgetown students though, because there are a lot of people here that are passionate about service, social justice, etc. as well.