<p>hey i'm a freshman admit this year!
congrats to everyone else who made it!</p>
<p>i'm deciding between georgetown and berkeley right now
and i heard some bad rumors of gtown ..</p>
<p>well first off.. i live in CALI.. yes.. the west coast
and i hear east coast people are extremely clique'ish.. and the first type of ppl they initially start avoiding are west coast ppl cuz for some reason they hate us.. also i heard if you're from the west coast.. you have to start dressing differently to be accepted at gtown.. they dislike cali surfer / skater casual clothes and are more into preppy ones</p>
<p>uhh.. i think its weird to even think about that in college
isn't that all high school?</p>
<p>and overall.. i heard ppl at gtown are very liberal and political minded
just snobbish in general (my friend put it .. "everyone there thinks they are going to be the next president").</p>
<p>are any of these true?
any other stereotypes?
good points of gtown from the current students?</p>
<p>It's not nearly that bad, but Georgetown is definitely a preppier and more formal environment than Berkeley, no question. It's also a Jesuit school, so it's more Catholic.</p>
<p>The neighborhood is very pretty, with old tree-lined townhouses. The Cal campus is much prettier though. There are lots of good bars and shops on the strip just southeast of GU's campus. You'll have to dress up a little bit to go down and get a beer at Tomb's, but it's a fun place.</p>
<p>This being said, Cal is a much better school and has much better rep and int'l prestige, except for IR and PoliSci where GTown holds its own. It's also a lot more laid back.</p>
<p>ur being ridiculous... no way is berkley a better school and it definately does not have more prestige... i'm not biased or anything, i can admit when some schools are better, duke is probably better than gtown but no way is berkeley</p>
<p>Yeah I haven't heard of many people that think Berkely is more prestigious than Georgetown.</p>
<p>plus...you will definitely be accepted. From talking to students, it's much less clique-ish than you're imagining. It seems like a lot of people are worried about that, so you already have a niche. And FYI, you can count on me and a ton of others to accept west coast surfer/skater types...we aren't all into Abercrombie preps</p>
<p>yeah. i think on any campus you'll find people you connect with. and i'm from the coast of socal which means i am extremely laid back too. plus my experience at cal is that the people might look like they're laid back, but the competitive nature of people i know going there and people i have met is somewhat slaughter-house. but that was only my experience.</p>
<p>Berk is an EXTREMELY good school, and well known, and a truly first rate academic institution. </p>
<p>That being said, Georgetown is NOT inclusive of the skater/surfer type. Maybe it is because I am from a town in California where EVERYONE is the skater/surfer type (and that is not a generalization) so maybe I notice it more, who knows. </p>
<p>Actually, I should re-phrase. I have never heard of any one excluding some one because they dressed that way (but, then again, I would never associate with any of those types of people), but, from what I have seen over the last year, there are not many who I would consider to be a skater/surfer. People coming from different areas might think that there are surfers/skaters here, but there aren't at least by any standard I know.</p>
<p>Really, my only suggestion is that you visit. You might get bad vibes from Georgetown and prefer Berkeley. It didn't make a difference to me how the people were, because I was willing to put up with anything because the SFS cannot be compared to ANYTHING in California.</p>
<p>In the end, East Coast people ARE different. I never lived outside of the same town until I came to Georgetown. I have talked to several people (professors, deans) who all agree. They have a different modus operandi, they're used to different things. And they ARE more standoffish. But this does not necessarily mean they're snobby or clique-y or not worth you taking the time to get to know.</p>
<p>Well, Gtown v. Berkeley depends on what you want to do with your life. If you want to work at CNN or on Capitol Hill, you could get an internship at Georgetown. You couldn't do that at Berkeley. And on the other hand, if you're more into science, maybe Cal is better. It really depends. (And I agree with notfadeaway that Berkeley people can't be categorized as "laid back." Everyone I know who has gone there was uptight and cut-throat about competing for grades in high school.)</p>
<p>Berkeley as a place though is fairly laid back. DC is generally speaking a more intense place. but I definitely DO agree it absolutely depends on what you want to do.</p>
<p>You'd be surprised about how many people have made the same decision you're trying to make. I was one of the many people that struggled with the choice, and I'd say that it's pretty evenly split between what people choose.
I wouldn't say that people here aren't accepting of typical californians, but on the whole, gtown is pretty preppy. I get crap for my socal slang, like gnarly, but I make fun of people from boston that say wicked too. It's all in good fun though, everyone's pretty accepting. Oh and I wouldn't say that it's cliqueish at all.
Georgetown is not very liberal (who is this person who is giving you this information??), it's actually more conservative than most colleges, but there probably are more liberal people just because college kids usually are. College Dems throw good parties too. A lot of people are politcally minded, we live in DC, the stuff happens right around us, so we pay attention. Not everyone does though and you won't be left out if you don't want to participate in debates. There's a stereotype that everyone in the SFS wants to be president, but it's just a joke. </p>
<p>Science issues- Berkeley has a great science department and they do very important research there, but there are sooo many students. I sat in on one lecture with over 700 people and it definitely was not for me. You really have to work to do well and compete with so many people. The freshman class at gtown has 75 bio majors- we know each other, help each other out, get to know our professors. There are great opportunities for research in DC too. I think gtown gives a lot more personal attention in general.
I don't want to write too much and bore you, so if you have more questions ask. One thing that I didn't expect but really love about gtown: after being through different weather and away from the beach and beautiful weather- I really appreciate going home so much more.</p>
<p>I agree with the amount of people...my friend visited and two of the lectures she sat in had over 500 people. Now that's just ridiculous. That's the size of my entire school.</p>
<p>i hate to break it to you all, but - at least in the international world - berkeley might as well be synonymous with harvard. it is more "prestigious" than gtown. in the states they're probably about equal - although gtown is probably better regarded on the east coast and berkeley better on the west coast.</p>
<p>hey just another thing...this year Georgetown has stated that their number 1 priority will be strengthening the science departments. They're working on plans for a new science building and creating a larger faculty for the sciences. There'll be a lot of student input too.</p>
<p>I am sort of hesitant to write this, but oh well. I visited Georgetown yesterday, and it was nothing like I thought it would be. From reading the viewbook and visiting the website, and based solely on the prestige of SFS, I thought I would love it. However, the first and lasting impression I got from visiting is that I would not be happy at all there. I am very preppy and confident, but I felt as if the sampling of the student body I saw was overwhelmingly wealthy and almost snobby. No one was blatantly condescending, but I felt as if the vast majority of the students would not interact with me if I was wearing different clothes. I was wearing Ralph Lauren and Seven for All Mankind jeans and I still felt as if people were looking at me and trying to decide how much money I have. I also felt as if the "jock/prep" scene dominated the vibe of the campus, and there was no real feel of quirkiness or vibrancy, the likes of which I had definitely picked up on at other campuses.</p>
<p>I can see how other people would love Georgetown, but it is not for me. Just my own two cents!</p>
<p>pinkandgreen- You are right about the preppiness of the overall student body but you have to keep in mind that people who come to Georgetown are people who are very serious about jumping into 'formal' careers, mostly in politics, law, or business. Georgetown may have a lot of guys walking around wearing suits, but wear else can you get an internship on the hilltop that requires formal attire like this? Although I don't know much about Berkeley, I'm sure it's a great school. It's just that people at Georgetown are faced with their future every day in DC- it's a very professional city and students tend to conform a bit.</p>
<p>I don't, however, agree with speculation that a lack of diversity in clothes makes for a snobby student body. Yes- most Georgetown students are wealthy and most care about looking nice, but they also have shown enough depth of character to get into a top school. I may be biased because I love Georgetown and I pretty much fit their stereotype, but I really wouldn't judge people by the way they dress.</p>
<p>pinkandgreen i just visited too and i can really see what you are saying. I knew g-town was a tad preppy, but seriously yo where are all of the hippies?? ha</p>
<p>Haha, I get teased about saying "gnarly" too. Then they try and say something witty like "tubular" and prove to me their lack of skill in the socal slang.</p>
<p>pinkandgreen, I am sorry you had that experience? I walk around in twice worn, wrinkled clothes pretty much all the time...but if the appearances of the Georgetown student body have had one effect on me, it would be, in a word, apathy.</p>
<p>Also, the professionalism is something to also take into account. Not long ago (ok, so like 30 or 40 years), Georgetown students (or the Georgetown men, rather), were required to wear a tie to lunch, dinner, and classes. The students you see walking around in suits are usually those who have entered the "adult" world already, and have crazy things like dress codes and hoisery rules (whattttt?!) It's Greek to me!</p>
<p>I was very shocked when I read your response, I imidiately created this account in order to be able to reply to you. I am torn between Berkeley and Georgetown as well, and it had been driving me crazy! I have visited both campuses, I have talked to students, and even thought the two schools are extremely different I have NOT been able to make a decision, and I am constantly changing my mind. I am very nervous about making the right choice. There are many things I like and dislike about both schools.
Berkeley- I love all the people, I like how there is so much stuff to do, and I like the fact that it's close to home. (Palm Springs Area) However, I was accepted for a Fall extension program, and I don't like the large clasess and the large campus distance.
Georgetown- I love the small campus, and the small classes, and it seems like I would have a good future there. However, like many others had mentioned, when I visited there it seemed very antisocial, and economically segregated. I come from a middle class family, and I hope that such an environment doesn't make me feel uncomfortable to the point of prevention of studing. Also it seems like there is more to do at Berkeley on our free time, that is.
I don't know...but I am tired of loosing sleep and evaluating the two schools. I would GREATLY appreciate it if students from both schools can tell me which school I would better fit into to. Thank you!
(I am a minority (Eastern European) student, middle class family, comfortable sence of style, very social and active)</p>
<p>diz, what are you planning to study? i'm sure you've thought about that in your decision, but i've found that for me gtown has the best resources and opportunities in what i want to study, and that's what made me turn down offers from other schools. i made my decision based on that, and not necessarily the appearance of the student body, because i feel that people who get along will be fine, no matter what, and that you can find those people no matter where you go. </p>