<p>Is it wiser to apply ED to Penn College of Arts and Sciences or apply EA to Georgetown SFS, if your end goal is either foreign service or international law? In terms of the opportunities which will be present, and likelihood of getting into one of them, with the necessary test scores/grades/ec’s.
Also is the community at Georgetown more supportive? I’ve heard Penn can be pretty cutthroat, but I don’t know if that is the case overall.</p>
<p>The acceptance rate to Penn ED is 2-3 times greater than acceptance at RD and more than 1/2 the freshman class is accepted ED. Georgetown’s EA advantage is not as great as Penn’s ED. Penn is the stronger of the two universities. I’m not sure that the “cutthroat” reputation is correct. A more typical characterization is that Penn students have a stronger sense of where they’re going career wise than students at some other universities. </p>
<p>So what’s the best application strategy? Probably to apply ED to Penn unless you definitely prefer Georgetown. If you’re unsure about Penn then apply EA to Georgetown and RD to Penn. Doing it this way substantially lowers your chances of admission to Penn.</p>
<p>Applying ED improves your chance of admission compared to RD, but not as much as many people think. Basically, the ED applicants are, for the most part, not the same pool as the RD applicants - you cannot directly compare the admission rates and say you have X chance if applying ED, Y chance if applying RD. </p>
<p>Otherwise, I agree with @fogcity . Agreed that applying ED does improve your chances; they really like that commitment and are a little more willing to take a chance on applicants who choose that route. If you are a borderline candidate for admission AND clearly prefer Penn AND you know you can cover the cost regardless of FA, apply ED.</p>
<p>If you are uncertain, or if you need to see the FA package before making a decision, keep the Penn application RD.</p>
<p>My personal impression is that Georgetown’s SFS, given its history and location in the capital, better positions you for the career you say you want. I would hesitate to say any highly respected school is “cutthroat”; I think it’s more the case that students offered admission at those schools tend to have personality traits of being focused, fully apply themselves, feel driven to achieve, etc. It’s not about getting ahead of the other guy, it’s about excelling.</p>
<p>OP I am a Georgetown grad, have a child at Penn and am a lawyer so I am familiar with both schools and your career goals. IF you want to go into international law either school would be fine. If you desired the foreign service Georgetown SFS would be better, but not by much. Note, hoewever, that only a small portion of SFS students pursue the foreign service. Most pursue other careers. For example a few of my schoolmates went into the foreign service but far more (like my wife) went to law school. </p>
<p>I agree with @fogcity that Penn is the better overall university, but either school would be fine for your career goals. Both are excellent universities. </p>
<p>In making a choice between these schools it is far more important for you to focus on finances and fit. Both work for your career aspirations so other factors should influence your choice. For example my son also consideed both of your choices and chose Penn because he thought it was the better fit. AS he said, “I just feel more comfortable at Penn.” </p>