UNC Chapel Hill or Georgetown (Please Help!!!)

College Search & Selection
1

Hi everybody!!

I have just recently been accepted to UNC Chapel Hill as well as Georgetown’s School of Foreign Service (SFS), and I am torn between the two. I am interested in pursuing a degree in International Relations/Global Studies and also (perhaps a dual major) focusing in Cybersecurity. I am most drawn to UNC-CH for its more well-rounded education, where I could explore all of the different things that interest me, however, I am equally drawn to Georgetown for its fantastic International Relations program.

Also worth noting is that I have been offered positions on both of these school’s varsity rowing programs. Georgetown is known for having a more rigorous rowing team, however I feel as if the intense academics paired with an equally intense athletic program would be too much to handle (as I do enjoy to have fun too…). However, UNC-CH, while it still has a great rowing program, would not be as intense as Georgetown’s, thus allowing me to further focus on my studies.

I realize that these two schools may not be exactly comparable academically, but I have read that UNC is considered to be a public ivy school, and is still academically impressive regardless of its public nature (I hope I don’t sound like a snob here). I also am in-state for UNC, so the price is unbeatable.

Any insight that you guys could give me would be awesome! I am currently favoring UNC for its favorable price (and also the fact that I can pursue a more focused education in the field that I end up choosing during Graduate School). Any thoughts?

Thanks in advance!!!

2

Congratulations on the acceptances to the schools and to the rowing programs. Georgetown’s rowing is a fine program, and if you’re going to do IR where else would you want to be than in the center of the universe, rowing on the Potomac every morning? To me, UNC doesn’t really stand up to Georgetown in either IR or rowing, but that’s just me. Both are very good schools outside of IR, too.

Here’s a list of the money these schools spend on women’s rowing. You can find out what the school spends for the program and what it spends per athlete. Also, you can see how many coaches each program has. In several categories, UNC comes out ahead:

http://athleticscholarships.com/womens-rowing-scholarships/georgetown-university/

http://athleticscholarships.com/womens-rowing-scholarships/university-of-north-carolina-at-chapel-hill/

Part of this difference can be accounted for by the difference between Div I-A and I-AA, but it’s worth considering. Equipment dollars per rower is really important to success on the water. However, you might also want to consider that UNC is operating at a very significant deficit; how long can/will this continue and will it affect your four years of school?

If someone gave me the chance to row for Georgetown AND attend their SFS (and do cybersecurity at ground zero–see UMD-CP, JHU, DoD, NSA, CIA, and a couple dozen agencies that can’t be named), I’d be spending my mornings gliding past Key Bridge and running The Exorcist steps.

3

If money were not in the equation I’d favor Georgetown for your particular IR Cybersecurity focus and the plethora of internship opportunities in DC. But UNC is no slouch here - poli sci in general is very strong and arguably a stronger academic program than Georgetown (where its strength lies in the applied/pragmatic not basic research with heavy reliance on practitioners/adjuncts, not scholars, and the good + bad that implies). I would also argue that the two schools will likely pose much more similar than different academic challenges than you suspect, no cake walk in CH.

4

I don’t know about that, @Bala. I think the average GU student is going to be much stronger than the average UNC undergrad if only because about 80-85% of the u/gs there come from a state with one of the worst public school systems in the nation. Your peers matter to your education. I’d want to know how strong the OP’s peers on the rowing team are as students. Granted, they could be very good, as rowers tend to be better than average students. It’s a question worth asking, “how good are the students with whom I will be spending a good deal of my time, my fellow rowers?”.

5

Would agree Georgetown student body stronger, but not much stronger. Large very bright cohort in Chapel Hill attracted to low cost, high quality, beautiful campus, etc. What’s often forgotten by HS students is there’s no level playing field out there. The median grades handed out at State Us remains significantly lower than at comparable privates. In 2006, for example, Georgetown median student GPA was 3.42. UNC? 3.16. Which school will prove the tougher A?

6

which school has better students? could that account for the higher GPA you refer to. I don’t know any people who came out of Georgetown, and I know a lot of them, whom you might consider sub-average intellectually. (It’s true that I didn’t and still don’t hang with the athletes.) can UNC say the same given the state of the public school system there and the size of the u/g body that is in-state?

7

UNC draws many extremely bright and talented students, and several of UNC’s biggest feeder schools are highly regarded (e.g. NCSSM). If you want to find intelligent and engaged peers, it’s really not at all difficult to find them.

As for the “intensity” of the two universities, I suspect rigor is much more likely to vary between specific departments than between UNC and Georgetown as overall institutions.

SFS is Georgetown’s bread and butter, and about half of its undergrads are studying IR, econ, poli sci, area studies, and other related fields. Business, biology, and nursing make up another 30%, resulting in one of the most unabashedly pre-professional universities around. If you’re really set on IR (or related studies), you really can’t do better except perhaps Harvard/Princeton/Stanford.

That said, Bala is correct in noting UNC’s strength in political science. Duke, linked to UNC through a cross-registration agreement, likewise has very good political science and public policy programs. Though UNC has gotten more expensive recently, it’s still a pretty good bargain, especially for IS students.

Things to consider…

[ul][li]Evaluate whether Georgetown gave you sufficient financial aid. Can you shoulder the cost without too much strain? Since you were admitted to Georgetown SFS, it’s not unlikely you’ll receive merit money from UNC, so stay tuned on that front.[/li]
[li]If getting a MA in IR (or a graduate degree of any sort) is a strong possibility, keeping costs down for college is not a bad idea. If graduate school is not for you, Georgetown (and its connections and internship opportunities) may be a more appealing option.[/li]
[*]Don’t neglect the fit factor. Chapel Hill (somewhat stubbornly) remains a quintessential college town, though the area around it is growing rapidly. Georgetown’s DC location, meanwhile, offers the wealth of opportunities of a big city. There are other differences in academic offerings, campus atmosphere/“feel,” student diversity, etc.[/ul]

8

If money is not a factor, it’s really hard to turn down Georgetown SFS. That’s their crown jewel.

9

When you are torn between two colleges, the next issue you need to look into is the money aspect.
If money is not an issue and you won’t drown in student loans -> Georgetown
If money is an issue -> UNC

You need to assess your financial situation if you went to Georgetown and see how bad of a position it will put you in. If it doesn’t sound that bad, then go for it.

10

Thank you all so much for your help!!! You have no idea how much your input has helped me! Just as an update, I have decided to attend UNC Chapel Hill for my undergraduate studies. For me, money played a huge part in the choice, seeing that my family is not in a position to realistically afford Georgetown - even with the financial aid.

I do plan on attending graduate school one day, and at that point, perhaps I will be able to pursue Georgetown (as it always has been a dream of mine to go there). For any other people facing a similar situation as mine, the college “feel” also played a large role in my decision. As many others have stated, Georgetown has a VERY pre-professional feel which, in my opinion, is ideal for graduate school, but slightly a buzzkill with regards to undergrad. Personally, I wanted a quintessential college experience with world class academics, and for that UNC-CH was the best fit.

Thank you all so much again!!!

11

congratulations on your decision, OP. You will get a great education there and be rowing for a fine program.

12

Excellent and informed decsion tbfrc113. Best of luck to you at UNC-CH!

13

Best of luck to you.

14

@tbfrc113‌ If you don’t mind me asking, how did you find out so soon that you were accepted to UNC? I was under the impression that decisions haven’t come out yet…Do they do rolling decisions or something?

15

Best of luck! As somebody who chose UNC over many options, UVA, Emory, and Vanderbilt, I can say that UNC offers an amazing college experience - quintessential college town, world-class academics, top-notch athletics, and down-to-earth, but intelligent peers. Also, most of the bright students from NC attend UNC and we also get amazing OOS who worked extremely hard to be admitted out-of-state.