Applying to Georgetown

[david]

I just sent in Part I of my application today. I am excited yet nervous. I will be applying Early Action. Any advice would be appreciated.

[DFW HOYA]

Congratulations on taking the first step.

The Early Action (EA) process is extremely competitive. Applicants need to be very near the top of their high school classes and have the SAT's to prove it. Georgetown could fill a class just with EA applicants but accepts a small number. If you feel an extra semester of grades and/or SAT could help, remember, most of the class is filled after EA, so there's no penalty applying for January. If you're ready, otherwise, go for it and best of luck.

Profile Of The 2004-05 Applicant Pool:
www.georgetown.edu/undergrad/admissions/Information1YRProfile1.htm

Early Action FAQ:
www.georgetown.edu/undergrad/admissions/EarlyActionFAQ.htm

[Nevada Hoya]

The only thing that I think you could do now is to pray. ;D Actually, you will have to go through the interview process. For that you should strive to make a good first impression. This means getting to the interview on time. You might get there early as there might be traffic, lack of parking spaces, etc. Treat this like a job interview. No sloppy clothes. A bad interview could hurt your chances. Some students bring their resumes. I like this to check what I have written down on the interview proper against the resume.

The main determining factors are standing in class and SAT scores, plus activities. Good luck!

[StPetersburgHoya (Inactive)]

Hey David - I am a current undergraduate who was admitted through the EA process - it is actually pretty nice if it all works out and you can sort of throttle back (read: slack off) academically your second semester senior year. Congrats on getting your application done this early - unless you feel that you need to take the SATI again or still have outstanding SATIIs all you have left is the interview process. The interview is conducted with an alumnus/alumna of Georgetown - try to make a good impression - be sure to call to confirm directions to the interviewer's house and show up on time and send a thank you card and keep your interviewer updated as to what is happening with your application - if you should decide to matriculate at Georgetown it is always nice to know an alumnus who can be a source of advice and, if you should be really lucky, a summer job, internship, or post-grad job. Remember that the interview is really just a conversation - my interviewer and I talked about local politics and high school football. Don't treat it like a job interview because that really isn't what the interview is supposed to be.

[jerseyhoya34]

In terms of advice, I think the best advice is that the process is arbitrary, so don't read much into it. Some of the less than stellar students that I know were valedictorians of their classes. Obviously, folks can come out and say that there are some basic parameters in that we might have a ballpark for SAT's and might give certain weight to the interviews, and so forth. When you boil it right down, it is tough to make heads and tails out of the whole thing, and it is an imperfect science. Given the arbitrariness, I think the best bet for anyone is just to show who you are in the components of the application. Only you know how to do that.

Much of what might be said in this thread is based on subjective experiences, especially with the interviews. What works in one interview might not work in another, and that depends on you and the interviewer.

[david]

Thanks for the advice you all have offered. I really appreciate it.

[Nevada Hoya]

As far as I can tell, the interview (and I have been conducting them for about 15-20 years) is like the OOC schedule for the bball team. A great season in conference (SATs, rank in class, etc.) will get you to the tourney, a bad season in conference probably won't let you dance. If you are on the bubble, the SOS might dictate that. So too the interview: if you are on the bubble, 8 or 9 might get you in, a 3 or 4 will probably rule you out.

A thank you note to the interviewer? What a novel idea! I think I have gotten two or three over the years. No wonder you were accepted, St. Pete's.

[nychoya3]

What Jersey said. There are so many great students going for so few spots. Don't take it too hard if you get waitlisted or rejected or whatever, and realize that the process is incredibly arbitrary. Also, transfering works great! In a great example of arbitrarity, I was waitlisted by Georgetown, got into Penn, Duke, and Cornell, went to Ithaca for a year, and than transfered to Georgetown. Oh, and no matter what happens, you are not allowed to stop supporting Hoya sports. Once you're in, you are not allowed back out. I'm serious - Jerseyhoya will hunt you down!

[StPetersburgHoya (Inactive)]

What nyc said about hoya sports should be underlined three times and in bold. Once you drink the kool-aid you can't leave the cult.

[david]

I will still support the Hoyas whether I attend the college or not. And, under no circumstances, will I attend a safety school like Syracuse or Pitt.

[StPetersburgHoya (Inactive)]

Well done. Oh and I forgot - on the part of the Application where it asks you if you have anything else to add i wrote out the entire fight song and explained what a Hoya was - I am sure that this actually made no difference, but looking back it is kind of funny.

[david]

I just may take that page out of your book ... sounds like a good idea.

[Jack]

David- Best wishes on your application. Jersey probably gave the best answer here in terms of not taking the admissions process personally or getting too worked up about it. Your academic performance is likely to be the most important factor, with weight also given to standardized tests, activities, essays, recommendations, and interviews. It is fair to say that any one of those factors could make the difference for you, but silly to say that any one of them would torpedo your application so long as you are giving an honest effort.

In particular, I hope you will relax a bit about the interview- it is no way similar to a job interview in its importance. For one thing, everyone gets an interview, whereas for most jobs not everyone who submits a resume gets an interview. The interview is conducted by one of over 4,000 volunteer alumni, and the vast majority of them want to see you get in but and will be happy to spend 30-45 minutes learning about you and trying to represent you as an individual to the admissions committee. Most of them have never read an application and many will tell you they have no idea about why a student gets in. They have not seen your transcript or your application, and more importantly they have not seen the rest of the pool, so they are not in any position to make a final judgment on who should be admitted and who should not. They provide valuable context for the admissions committee to consider, but so do all the other factors listed above.

None of that is to say that it is not worthwhile to prepare for the interview by thinking of some thoughtful questions about the alum's experience, to dress neatly (although no one should be expecting a suit), to show up on time, and perhaps to follow up with a thank you note. Those are the touches that show you care, but it is not intended to be a high-pressure environment and almost all interviewers understand that.

[tgo]

One more interview suggestion. Dont go in and rattle off a million things you have done and expect to impress anyone because every applicant has done a million and one interesting things. Talk about some things you have done that were really interesting or important to you, why did you do them and what did you get out of them, also -if you started some group or club or activity, how have you provided for it to continue after you are gone. These things will set you apart from the pack and give your interviewer something to write about.
Also, remember to ask the interviewer about themselves and their GU experience, everyone likes to talk about themselves and you might learn something about GU that you didnt know that could be valuable to you as you make your decisions on where to go to school.

Good Luck!

[david]

Thanks for the tips. You guys have all been a great help.

[JimmyHoya]

If you were anything like me (a borderline applicant), keep your application "active".

By this I mean send anything you can over your senioryear that reflects well on your and/or your love for the insitution. I was intially differred, but I sent a heartfelt letter explaining why and what positives I thought I would bring the school. They'll remember you. And when it comes to crunh time, they are going to look at your application again because they want to accept pople who'll go to the school. G'town really doesn't have the problm of dealing with underqualified candidates. It's just finding the ones who'll bring the most to the school in non-academic ways.

In the interview, I'd also use the opportunity to support things on your resume, but also talk about other activities that mean a lot to you, but don't really translate well in resume form or even are your "traditional" activities.

The hoops fan in me talked about my fforts to get guys in my school to attend our basketball games. For whatever reason, there isn't much school spirit at my small private high school and gettng people to attend games, much less to cheer, was difficult. So, a friend and I took our free time to pump up soccer and especially baksetball games later on, running a tshirt sale, making posters around the school, dragging anyone we could to the game and leading cheers...i.e. doing our best CA, SFHoya, etc. impressions ...it wasn't a formal leadership position it was at our own initiative. I talked to my interviewer about it and tried to show that while I'm not going to be the valedectorian, I can still work hard and help OTHER areas of the school to grow.

Try to show that you want to go to Geeorgetown for the FULL experience, not just the academics/degree. I know I haven't even been to one class but something tells me there is a little more to college than simply doing homework. Hope this helps and hope to see ya next year.

[Gold Hoya]

Also, know that every EA candidate who doesn't get accepted gets deferred, and at that point your record from the first semester of your senior year can come into play.

[StPetersburgHoya (Inactive)]

Actually they made me send my 1st semester grades when I got in EA and I have heard that if you bombed your courses they can change it from an admit to a defer

[hoya01]

If you get deferred from EA or get waitlisted after the regular admissions process, BE SURE to write the admissions office to reiterate your interest. This can play a big role in who they pull of the wait list.

[david]

Thanks for the tip. Another question: when did most of you have your interview? Fall or late summer?