“Nightline” has chosen to profile Georgetown University in a series about the college admissions process. Over the course of several programs, the ABC nightly news show, hosted by Ted Koppel, will follow a handful of high school seniors as they go through the undergraduate application and decision process. Additionally, the series will look at the motivating factors behind a school’s decision to accept or reject applicants. The Georgetown admissions office will be used to help give viewers some insight into the process.
The show will be shooting segments at Georgetown throughout the year. Freshman move-in and New Student Convocation have already been taped, and producers plan to shoot several other events during the school year. Several students and members of the faculty and staff will be interviewed for the broadcast.
Though segments from Georgetown will be a part of the series, the broadcast focuses primarily on the experiences of the selected high school seniors. The bulk of the footage and information will come from high schools in the Washington, D.C. area. Georgetown is the only university that “Nightline” will use for the series.
“Georgetown has a strong reputation as a competitive, nationally ranked university with a diverse student population and faculty,” Karen Travers (COL ’00, GRD ’06), a researcher for the show, said. Travers is a former editor in chief of The Hoya. The school’s proximity to “Nightline’s” headquarters in the District was also a key factor. The amount of shooting time that is needed throughout the year required that “Nightline” use a school close to or in Washington.
The university’s administration sees the series as a positive experience for the school. “Georgetown ultimately decided to collaborate with `Nightline’ on this project as an opportunity to highlight the strength of the undergraduate experience here, the caliber of our student body and the seriousness with which we make our admissions decisions,” Assistant Vice President for Communications Julie Green Bataille said. “We hope that by participating in this project Georgetown will be able to play a unique role in helping to demystify the college admissions process for the American public.”
Green Bataille said University President John J. DeGioia and senior leaders throughout the university are supportive of this project. “We are all excited to be a part of it,” Green Bataille said.
Many students at Georgetown view the “Nightline” series as beneficial for the school. “I think that by using Georgetown in its special, the American public will develop an appreciation for the type of school that Georgetown is,” Sara Palmer (MSB ’05) said.
“With all the controversy over admissions process at schools like Princeton and Yale, I think that a disclosure of Georgetown’s admissions process could help to further its already prestigious image with applicants and the general public alike,” Chris Bobbitt (COL ’05) said.
Some students also thought a show such as this one would have been helpful to watch while they were going through the college application process. “I definitely think it’s a good idea. At that time in you’re life you’re looking for as much help as possible when making decisions, this seems like an intelligent source,” Palmer said.
Other students agreed. “In today’s modern world, information is the key to success; a high school senior in the college application process can’t get enough information about what to expect,” Alex Taft (COL ’03) said.
Though “Nightline” has not yet set a definite airdate for the series, producers said it plans to broadcast the stories beginning this November.