Why does Georgetown Require 3 SAT IIs, get over yourself

<p>I mean 3 schools require 3 SAT IIs Harvard, Princeton and Georgetown. Lets be honest, Georgetown is nowhere near the caliber of those schools. So it makes no sense and I bet it definitely hurts them with applicants, because who really wants to take 3 stupid Sat IIs. I know plenty of my friends who won't bother to apply and I may or may not depending if I decide to apply to harvard and take the test. It really is just dumb for them....</p>

<p>i am applying early. i have taken two
if i don't get in early i will have to see whether or not i should take another one. I always think being deferred has a very low chance of leading to an acceptance. so i dont know if i would even bother taking a third if i was deferred. they dont reject so ya.
but! its simply a requirement. and the international affairs at georgetown is arguably the same calibur as harvard and princeton. so ya</p>

<p>I hate to break it to you, but Georgetown isn't going to cry over losing you as an applicant. Their acceptance rate is nowhere near 100%, so they're certainly not dying for applicants.</p>

<p>Wait, Georgetown shouldn't require three because two other schools of many that require three are Harvard and Princeton, and Georgetown doesn't deserve to be associated with them in any way? Should it's change its name to "Georgetown NOT-University-Because-That's-What-Harvard-and-Princeton-Call-Themselves?" </p>

<p>I don't think Georgetown is the one who needs to get over itself. Every student I know has taken 3 SAT IIs. Hmmm...</p>

<p><<every student="" i="" know="" has="" taken="" 3="" sat="" iis.="">></every></p>

<p>I didn't. :(</p>

<ul>
<li>I certainly would have taken a third if it was a requirement, or even a suggestion at the schools I applied.</li>
</ul>

<p>"I didn't."</p>

<p>:( Sorry, I meant personally. Most I know take the SAT Is more than once, and at least 3 SAT IIs. My school is pretty competitive in terms of college admissions, so students generally take 3 SIIs, and then use the third if needed.</p>

<p>Georgetown has exercised a tried and true formula for producing leaders that seems to have been working for decades as its alumni have run everything from the USA and the European Commission, to MIT and the AFL-CIO, to the CIA and the US Defense Department, to the Catholic Archdiocese of New York and the Philippines. That formula has included requiring three SAT IIs and the predecessor achievement tests from its prospective students. I posit that Georgetown seems to know what it is doing in selecting its freshman class, and could care less what other top 20 schools do or don't do. </p>

<p>If you don't want to apply to Georgetown then simply don't take 3 SAT IIs. Go build up the statistics of another school that is more concerned with adding to its applicant total rather than selecting the best prospective students. .</p>

<p>If georgetown really cared about making it easir to apply, they would have shifted to the common app a long time ago. Obviously they don't, so I don't see how requesting more information from applicants (presumably leading to a more informed decision) is a bad thing.</p>

<p>Besides, if you apply EA, they don't expect 3 SAT II's</p>

<p>That's the point. Georgetown doesn't want to be another school that you just check a box to apply to. By having it's own application, only students that have a genuine interest will apply.</p>

<p>
[quote]
Georgetown has exercised a tried and true formula for producing leaders that seems to have been working for decades as its alumni have run everything from the USA and the European Commission, to MIT and the AFL-CIO, to the CIA and the US Defense Department, to the Catholic Archdiocese of New York and the Philippines. That formula has included requiring three SAT IIs and the predecessor achievement tests from its prospective students. I posit that Georgetown seems to know what it is doing in selecting its freshman class, and could care less what other top 20 schools do or don't do.</p>

<p>If you don't want to apply to Georgetown then simply don't take 3 SAT IIs. Go build up the statistics of another school that is more concerned with adding to its applicant total rather than selecting the best prospective students. .

[/quote]
</p>

<p>wow was that a dumb reply. Did you actually just try to explain the success of Georgetown alumni by the fact they require 3 SAT II subject tests. Wow. You realize that every school used to require writing as a third, now its in the SAT I, so it makes sense to require 2. I am not that worried, I would get into Georgetown with a crappy score on a third sat II, but its still stupid for them. There is absolutely no debate that they do lose applicants. Think about it. Your applying to Yale, Columbia, Hopkins, Wash U and Tufts...you would rather go to any of those schools opposed to Georgetown, with the exception of Tufts because they are better. Why would you remotely bother to take a third sat II? I would bet their acceptance rate could drop 5% by dropping to two and using the common app. Georgetown is not at their caliber, and its not nearly as hard to get into, so why should it make these artificial standards that hurt it.</p>

<p>What you say is true. Yes, Georgetown could drop its acceptance rate by 5%with the common app and 2 SAT IIs. It could probably further drop the acceptance rate by not requiring an interview. All these things would boost its ratings. Georgetown requires a level of commitment from an applicant that is extraordinary. Its process is arguably the most rigorous in the nation.</p>

<p>But Georgetown is not in the business of wanting to look good. It is all about being good, even when it frustrates alumni like me who want to see it receive the greater level of recognition it deserves. </p>

<p>To this end, it does a lot of other things as well. It does not sacrifice its five course per semester curriculum to build up its faculty resources rank, does not give the boot to high level diplomats and teaching heads of state to bring up its part time faculty rank, and spends its fund raising dollars on new buildings rather than building up its reported endowment number which reduces its financial resources rank. Frankly, it is almost as though Georgetown has complete and total contempt for the rankings and almost ignores its relative position versus other elite schools. But you know, one really cannot argue with the results. The quality of the undergraduate experience and the success of its alumni in the world attest to the fact that this institution knows what it is doing.</p>

<p>when I applied to Gtown 4 years ago, there were about 15,000 applicants, and the acceptance rate was around 23%. For the incoming class, they had over 18,000 applications, acceptance rate around 21%. I don't think Gtown has any problems finding students.</p>

<p>word to the wise: if your attitude of entitlement to admission to any school at or "above" georgetown's caliber is at all evident in your application (interview included) you'll get in nowhere. maybe your state school. definitely not georgetown. send your comments to dean deacon--i'm sure he'll care what you think.</p>

<p>Think about it. Your applying to Yale, Columbia, Hopkins, Wash U and Tufts...you would rather go to any of those schools opposed to Georgetown</p>

<p>For people who give serious thought to what they want to study, yes. For folks who only consider the relative USNW rankings when they are considering schools to attend, you are correct.</p>

<p>I only took two and I applied regular decision and got in...</p>

<p>But don't copy me.</p>

<p>Also, you sound like an ass. Apply somewhere else if you don't want to take three SAT II's.</p>

<p>And for the record, US News rankings do not mean that any one school is better than another. UVA is ranked above Brandeis, NYU, and Tufts. No offense to anyone who goes to UVA, but generally speaking you need better grades to get into the rest.</p>

<p>I got into Hopkins and I didn't rather go there.</p>

<p>what's the big deal about taking 3 SAT II's anyway?</p>

<p>Higher requirements. Specialized application. That makes Georgetown full of itself or possibly you dear prospective student full of yourself to think that a school demanding a more thorough look into your academics is silly. Georgetown has been offered IVY status and has declined to join. Before you sell yourself on rankings and numbers, realize that the Master's Program at the SFS school is #1 in the nation. Yes, dear, that puts it ahead of your beloved Harvard. </p>

<p>Georgetown does not look solely at numbers, they are necessary but not sufficient (as they are at other Universities). Many of Georgetown's students exhibit personality, passion, and drive. This cannot be found through a common application, but through a rigorous process that is tedious on both the student and the readers part. Understand that Georgetown does not look to the reports to know its value, it looks internally at the products of its curriculum. While Georgetown has issues that need to be ironed out, a rigorous application process is definitely not one of them. Sorry you feel the way you do, and if Georgetown is too arrogant for you, better luck elsewhere. I assure you the 5% who drop out due to an extra SAT II were not the type of students that would have fit into the Hoya Community. So you are not only doing yourself a favor by removing yourself from that category, you are aiding the University as well. </p>

<p>As for your opposition argument: I was accepted into Columbia, JHU, U of Chicago and rejected from Tufts and still opted for Georgetown. Do not be so silly as to assume "rankings" are more meaningful than the intent behind an application process. Best of luck in your college pursuit</p>

<p>
[quote]
Georgetown has been offered IVY status and has declined to join.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Huh? Please provide supporting documentation.</p>

<p>While I don't have a dog in this fight, y'all should recognize that the "5% who drop out due to extra SAT II's" includes many URMs and low income kids. Obviously, GT has both on campus so they are somewhat successful in recruitment, but they are limiting the underrepresented pool by the SAT II requirement.</p>

<p>Your applying to Yale, Columbia, Hopkins, Wash U and Tufts...you would rather go to any of those schools opposed to Georgetown.</p>

<p>Wrong. I was accepted to Tufts and Hopkins (Hopkins gave a full scholarship when other schools gave $15000-20000 less) and I still chose Georgetown over both schools....</p>

<p>Correction about Gtown denying IVY Status, that's a unverified rumor, most likely created by students who are constantly put under the heat for constantly being compared to IVY schools. Fiske's Guide places Georgetown's acceptance difficulty very close to IVY schools and Stanford. However, to say that a third SAT II is going to hinder URM, you are wrong. There are waivers for SAT II fees, it ultimately comes down to how bad you want it. You obviously don't see the need if other "IVY" schools don't. They do not set the precedent for Georgetown. If it's a name game you're going with for your ultimate college decision, best of luck with the top 3 schools. Undeniably, many students at Gtown were not accepted into Harvard; however, many were accepted into other Ivy league schools. To say that this is a pretentious university that needs to get over itself only reveals your ignorance. While your antagonistic attitude would be a great asset at Georgetown (insomuch to see it change over your four years here), maybe you're right... a University asking for a requirement that Harvard doesn't require is just ridiculous, but I would be hard pressed to find many people who agree with you.</p>