Northeastern University (full tuition) vs. Georgetown (w/ 20k grant)

smoughon7
Thu, 26 Apr 2012 12:24:04 +0000

I’m in the same boat as you bbbblaahhh. I was accepted early action into Georgetown’s SFS, but I also have a full ride at the University of Alabama and a spot in their honors program (My family would have to pay full price for GU). I agree with medman that Georgetown will probably offer you a superior education. For me the two biggest pros of GU are the student body (and the plethora of opportunities that flow from a motivated and diverse group of people) and its Middle Eastern languages program (arguably the best in the nation). I think there is little doubt that turning down Georgetown will make your life more difficult in the future. As a professor at UA put it, graduate schools (or businesses) will look at an education from UA (or Northeastern) as inferior to one at GU. To compensate, (in addition to making excellent grades and becoming very involved in extracurriculars) you will have to make connections with superlative people who through their recommendations, etc. can push you forward. I think it’s a dangerous bet to pick Northeastern over Georgetown; there is definitely more room for failure.

All that said, I am heavily leaning toward UA. I know that if I had a quarter million dollars I would not spend it on a bachelor’s degree (I would start a business or invest it). Like you I am very didactic, and I cannot stomach sending my parents’ retirement to a school with a billion dollars in the bank. There is also something incredibly attractive about forging my own way, knowing that my success depends upon my hard work rather than upon the name of the institution which I attend. If this is how you feel, no argument will be strong enough to convince you to matriculate at Georgetown. If not, you shouldn’t handicap yourself by turning down GU.