As the oldest and largest school at Georgetown, the College has a rich and diverse history graced by many notable alumni who have succeeded in all walks of life. It may seem that College students have little in common, academically speaking, but there is one thing that unites them: They don’t have a career-focused, special interest in business, medicine or whatever it is that SFS kids do.
1. You will be a proud member of the House of Gryffindor. Yes, the comparisons between the four houses of Hogwarts and the four schools of Georgetown are numerous, and since the College is the most populous school and Gryffindor is the most popular house, well, you see where this is going. As the very first Catholic school of higher learning in the United States, Georgetown College has been blazing a trail for more than 200 years. From the very beginning, the College emphasized diversity both in its student body and curricula: John Carroll opened enrollment to devotees of different religions and backgrounds, and the school’s Jesuit tradition consistently encouraged the education of the “whole person.”
2. You will try a little of everything. Or at least you should. With almost 40 major programs, Georgetown College covers the academic spectrum. For students who want to dip their toes into a variety of things, the College is a perfect fit — a grab bag of widely differentiated fields, all united by a common liberal arts approach. For most students, this rejection of academic specialization is the College’s greatest strength and greatest weakness. On the one hand, the school’s rigorous general education requirements can be inconvenient: Who wants to take calculus or chemistry when English is one’s greatest passion? On the other hand, by asking students to explore different areas of study, the College encourages academic wellroundedness, while also aiding in the search for that elusive major.
3. Your general requirements don’t force you to take any one specific class. Since the College doesn’t have the same strict course requirements as the other schools, you won’t have to find yourself trapped in St. Mary’s or McShain Auditorium taking Intro to Bio or Political and Social Thought. There is no course in particular you are required to take.
4. You can always find good conversation — or a hostile, violent debate — if you bring up politics. While many of you will be government majors, for those who aren’t, it’s still likely that politics will be a frequent conversation topic. Don’t be surprised if you suddenly end up in a heated discussion about the state of the nation in your common room or over a meal at Leo’s. Although on the surface Georgetown College might seem like a collecting pool for the undeclared, it is truly a vibrant, diverse and academically superior school of liberal-minded study.
