<p>Do you have to be religious to go to Georgetown, since on their website it describes them as very “religiously centered”??</p>
<p>No. A significant number of students are not Catholics. I believe there is one required religion class but it’s not bent on converting people or anything.</p>
<p>You don’t have to be religious at all.</p>
<p>It’s around half Catholic (less than other major Catholic schools). Jesuits are usually the liberals of the Church (to an extent… obviously still pro-life), so Jesuit schools tend to be more mixed. They’re very welcoming of others, and it’s a top notch education.</p>
<p>That said, it is a Catholic school, and thus is different from other schools. If you don’t like the Catholic Church, don’t attend. I wouldn’t mind going to an open Buddhist school (might be interesting), but I’d stay away from an officially atheist one (don’t believe there are any in the US, though). It comes down to your preferences. A great deal of other students won’t be Catholic, you don’t have to go to Mass, and you aren’t indoctrinated; on the flip side, though, the faculty and administration does have priests, and you have to keep that in mind when trying to decide if you’re comfortable.</p>
<p>They’re very welcoming; you just need to decide if you want to welcome a somewhat Catholic atmosphere. It’s not for everyone.</p>
<p>John Carroll founded the school to be open and welcoming to all because, as a Catholic, he was precluded from studying in America, and had to go to France for college. Georgetown not only has campus priests, it has campus pastors, a campus rabbi, and a campus imam.</p>
<p>Didn’t Bill Clinton graduate from Georgetown?</p>
<p>No, you don’t have to be Catholic or religious.</p>
<p>Considered a flagship Catholic school.</p>
<p>Look at this Time magazine article from 1962 on the “Catholic Ivy League” Georgetown is mentioned and even way back then only half the school’s student body was Catholic. The magazine also discusses Notre Dame, Holy Cross, Fordham, and BC.</p>
<p>[Education:</a> BEST CATHOLIC COLLEGES - TIME](<a href=“http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,938328,00.html]Education:”>http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,938328,00.html)</p>
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<p>1962! That article may be a bit, ahhh, dated. For example Holy Cross hasn’t been single-sex for nearly 40 years.</p>
<p>The religion question for Georgetown, Boston College and Notre Dame seems to come up with a predictable frequency here on CC. I always have a number of (grumpy) reactions: Confusion - How can we possibly know what is “too religious” for an anonymous internet poster? Are seeing crucifixes on campus “too religious”? Annoyance - Nobody ever seems to ask if Yeshiva University is “too Jewish” or if BYU is “too Mormon”, why should Georgetown, ND & BC have to keep answering the question? Puzzlement - If you’re concerned at all about the religious nature of any school, why even bother applying? There are countless fully secular schools out there that can meet your needs; if you’re worried why even put the issue on the table?</p>
<p>Georgetown and Boston College are widely considered to be the most secular of the Catholic schools. There are no mandatory masses to attend nor even any marauding bands of wimpled nuns press-ganging unsuspecting students into convents or seminaries. But they are Catholic affiliated; there will be crucifixes in some classrooms and even a church for those interested in voluntarily attending Mass. Furthermore their religious affiliation tends to attract a somewhat more conservative student body, at least as compared to stereotypical Midwest and Northeastern liberal arts colleges. They will also offer you an opportunity at an exceptional education.</p>
<p>Sorry for being grouchy.</p>
<p>^^Somewhere on CC, a poster said that she crossed Boston College off her list of possible schools because during the campus tour, she saw a nun on campus!!! Horrors! LOL</p>
<p>^ That is a bit rediculous. Most schools have at least a few priests/nuns, etc. But to the OP, Georgetown is probably the top catholic school in the country, and ironically it lacks a religious feel.</p>
<p>“Top Catholic school” is misleading. Most academically rigorous/prestigious Catholic-affiliated school in the country, sure. But not the most Catholic school.</p>
<p>^ True. That is what I meant.</p>
<p>Georgetown says that their Catholic affiliation isn’t a big deal and it’s fine if you’re not, but when I visited I kind of got the sense that they’re just saying that. I don’t remember a lot of specifics but although they don’t force anyone to be Christian, a lot of things seemed to be centered around the church, which I personally didn’t like. I think the best way to get a sense of it is to visit campus, if you get the chance. Obviously I can’t really judge after only spending a few hours there, but that’s my personal opinion.</p>
<p>I think Georgetown is only the most academically rigorous/prestigious Catholically affiliated school when it comes to the school of SFS.</p>
<p>Overall, ND definitely has more prestige. It’s also higher ranked on US news report [though of course, just because they say the colleges aren’t ranked in that order doesn’t necessarily mean anything]</p>
<p>I’ve definitely heard that atmosphere at Georgetown is by no means heavily religious. If you want religion, you can find it. If you don’t, then you won’t see it [except for some crucifixes and such]</p>
<p>Academics-ND>Gtown>HC. Catholic Identity-ND>HC>Gtown.</p>
<p>informative ^ That is a bit rediculous.</p>
<p>I agree with vinceh. Why do Catholic colleges have to practically apologize for having a religious affiliation?! This isn’t some upstart cult that has suddenly appeared on the higher education scene and needs to convince prospective students that they will still get a first-rate education even though it’s a Catholic college.</p>
<p>For those unaware (or conveniently forgetful), let me restate that the Jesuit order has been educating the sons (and now daughters) of the very best families in Europe (and now in America) since about 1540 AD – nearly one hundred years before that most sacrosanct of sanctified colleges was founded here – you know the one.</p>
<p>Frankly, if Georgetown is somehow ‘ashamed’ of its Catholic heritage and pines away to be the ninth Ivy, let it go there – and good riddance!</p>
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They’re pretty much academically equal. SFS is a point for Georgetown, Business is a point for ND (though Georgetown has a rising business school), colleges are about the same.</p>
<p>Georgetown is ranked lower because of its endowment. In the Jesuit tradition, they’re not a fan of hording money for endowments. They spend the money on the school and students as it comes in, so there’s not as much just sitting in accounts and the market to call an endowment. While admissions rates play a large part in the ranking, the fact that Georgetown’s is ten percentage points less than ND (19% vs 29%) is counterbalanced by the endowment issue.</p>
<p>Of course, college rankings are flawed in nature, and each person has a different list of colleges that are the best for him/her. The academic calibers of these schools are so close that it is useless trying to declare one clearly better.</p>
<p>Prestige, of course, is relative. People in the Midwest will likely hold ND in higher regard, people on the East Coast will likely hold Georgetown in higher regard, and Georgetown has the better international reputation (given the number of heads of state and other foreign government members who have attended). Prestige is all about who you ask, so it’s not a good measure.</p>
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Historic American Anti-Catholic sentiment? I had someone on the “Christian Colleges” forum ask me if Catholicism was similar to Christianity… and refused to believe me that most of the world’s Christians were Catholic. The poster said Catholicism was “a bastardization of Presbyterianism.” It was among the stupidest and least historically-informed things I’ve heard.</p>
<p>Of course, most Catholic schools in the US formed because Catholics were being turned away or mistreated elsewhere.</p>
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It is not.</p>
<p>“It is not.”</p>
<p>Glad to hear it. Why, then, does it seem to take every opportunity to downplay its Catholicism? Georgetown has always come off as an Ivy-wannabe, which is ironic since the most famous of the Ivy’s has had a long history of vehement anti-Catholicism. </p>
<p>Ever wonder why Boston College struggled for so many decades to emerge as a high quality institution of higher learning? One of the main reasons was the virulent opposition to its advancement by the all but absolute power of that college across the river – which even now is the one against which all others must measure up. You all know the one.</p>
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What are you referring to here?</p>
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Again, how? One doesn’t need to be in the Ivy League Sports Conference to be an excellent university. Georgetown has a distinct culture and history, and is already better than every “Ivy” at some things, such as the School of Foreign Service. I’d say it’s more similar to the attitude of Stanford; not in the Ivy League (and doesn’t care), but academically on par, and while it may not be as good as a particular school in some areas, it is better in others.</p>