<p>I don’t know what you mean by Washington and Lee + major scholarship, so I’ll assume the following: that you got a Johnson scholarship to W&L. I’ll also assume that Georgetown is not offering you anything near the same amount of aid, or else you wouldn’t have made it part of your post.</p>
<p>So for the purposes of this set of thoughts, I’m going to presume that you are considering turning down a four year/free ride in order to pay to go to Georgetown.</p>
<p>Frankly, if there is something so totally and completely superior to a Georgetown education over a W&L education, I am not sure what that could be. Granted, G’s location tops W&L’s, and it’s easier to get from G to anywhere else. The schools differ markedly in size, athletics, and class composition. If you can’t imagine yourself at a school with 2000 students in Lexington, then choose G. If you can’t imagine sitting in classes with over 30 kids (esecially in your first 2 years), then choose W&L.</p>
<p>W&L’s campus blows away G’s - the buildings are all awesome, the computers all work and are modern, the fields/gyms/facilities are better. We won’t even mention the library - G’s is a mess, and W&L is just finishing an awesome rehabilitation. These things might make up somewhat for the lack of location. </p>
<p>Students? They’re smart in both places. The question is, what type of student do you want to be? You’ll be able to flow thru G just fine without having to be an individual if you want. Nothing wrong with that, and many people imagine that as a perfect way to go thru college. If you want to be a leader, you can do so, as long as you do what it takes. With three times as many students, there will be more competition for those leadership spots. You’ll need to figure out how to climb to the top. At W&L, you won’t be able to hide - small classes, teachers who teach, small campus - you won’t be able to. The good news is that you will also have to work really hard to fail, because you won’t be able to hide.</p>
<p>I won’t spend a lot of time on the financial issues. A $200G scholarship saves you a LOT OF MONEY (or is it your parent’s money?) - and opens up a lot of potential opportunities. You’ll be able to afford a lot of fun, if you choose - or you will be able to afford a lot of overseas education - or you will be able to afford a lot of graduate school. Perhaps all three! There’s something to be said for leaving college without loans, as you set out on the rest of your life. Whether it’s out of your pocket or your parent’s pockets, the money has to come from somewhere. It is true that money doesn’t buy happiness. However, lacking money really sucks. One final comment on this, the area around G is VERY EXPENSIVE. Even a cup of coffee off campus is $3 or more, and most students don’t spend a lot of money there - mainly because they are spending it on tuition.</p>
<p>You never mention what you want to study - if you are planning to go into the government, G wins big on this score. Probably it has an edge on specialties too - like molecular biology, or quantum physics, or rare languages. G has more resources, period. If you are more interested in traditional liberal arts (History, Mathematics, Science, or even Business), W&L wins out, due to the fact that it focuses on those classes as its core mission. You need to think about what you are most likely to want to study, and evaluate each school against that goal. Although you may be like most entering freshmen, and change your major a few time before you finally decide, it is useful to use the online catalog to see what the requirements are, map a possible course of study, and see how it feels. If you can’t do that, you need to consider what type of student you are, and how you like to learn. Do you do better in lecture style classes, with tests and homework? Or do you prefer seminars where you have to participate in discussions and arguments with other students? Both schools offer plenty of classes in both forms, but I perceive G to be more of the former, and W&L to be more of the latter - mainly due to the number of students being served on each campus.</p>
<p>You have a difficult choice to make, as both schools are outstanding in many ways. Your goals after college might make you choose one over the other. If you plan to go to work, both schools have great alumni networks, and great access to the job market. If you plan to continue in school, both have great rates of acceptance - although, all other things equal, I think a debt-free W&L student might be more attractive to a grad school than a debt-laden G graduate, since $$$ for grad school is even tougher to come by than $$$ for college. Plus coming from W&L would make you a more unique candidate, since you can expect plenty of company from your G class when you start appyling for programs.</p>
<p>Finally, I know that you can’t win a Johnson without passing though one of the most rigorous evaluations in undergraduate education. Not only do you have to make it thru the paper application, you spent three days under the microscope on campus. The school picked you for a reason, and it went far beyond a file full of essays/SAT scores/transcript/recommendation letters. They evaluated you personally, and liked what they saw enough to offer you a spot in their class, free of charge. They rejected over 1000 other people to choose you - and all of those 1000 people are going to go somewhere great to college. Do not sell that selection short, and make sure you include it in your decision making process. </p>
<p>Hopefully these thoughts help you crystallize your thinking. Good luck. Let us know how you are coming along</p>