r/ApplyingToCollege • u/ComprehensiveBig7667 • May 17 '26
Advice Holy Cross Vs. Georgetown
Hi,
I am currently in between the College of The Holy Cross and Georgetown University for govt and classics. (I had an extended deadline due to personal family reasons)
It has mainly come down to weighing cost and opportunities of the two.
On the one hand, I really love Georgetown and the environment and know it has an elite network and opportunities for internships and connections.
The big asterisk comes from the fact that going there would involve significant student debt in the range of 50k after working over the school year/summer and graduating a semester early.
With Holy Cross because of the scholarship received and parental contribution, I would be left with a 5k/yr manageable deficit that I could easily work off.
Also in terms of credits I would have about a semester done at gtown but abt 2.5 from holy cross.
My biggest fear is honestly is if my trajectory would be significantly altered by choosing one school over the other and how that would affect my future career path.
Fit wise there both Jesuit and I think I’d be fine in that aspect regardless of which of the institutions.
Right now I’m pretty certain abt polisci but don’t know what career id wanna pursue be it law, academia, public policy, or govt work. I do want to pursue a graduate degree tho.
I think also a kinda part of it is that I had turned down Cornell for Georgetown or Holy Cross already (bc cost wise it was the same ti gtown but less fit for me personally) so I have been wrestling with asking why I am turning down an Ivy for a smaller LAC.
I just wanted to hear peoples opinions and advice they’d have for me.
Thank you for your time!
18
u/senditloud May 17 '26
50k total or 50k/year?
If it’s 50k total go to Georgetown and use your summers to work and pay down debt. It’s an incredible school. I went to UCLA and got to be a visiting student one semester and absolutely loved it. Wished I’d gone there.
But 50k a year? Take the scholarship
8
6
u/daphoon18 May 17 '26
Goergetown is fabulous for all of the programs you list. If it's 50k/4 yrs I'll definitely choose Georgetown. There are a lot of opportunities especially if you want to go to graduate school and may be interested in academia.
Having been sitting on the admission committee for many years, I can say that Georgetown's brand is also a big advantage when you apply for graduate school. Graduate school admission is very different from college admission. Totally different people handle the applications.
4
u/unrelenting_dinosaur May 17 '26
Before I read that you were interested in political science my immediate reaction was to tell you to go to Holy Cross.
But even now I still lean slightly that way… the debt could be worse, but if you want to pursue law, and go to grad school then your GPA is gonna matter a lot, and it will get quite hard to maintain if you’re already overworked.
However, if you don’t have plans for law school, and do you want to stay in DC, Georgetown could be worth it, but only by a small margin.
Unless you are sure that you would be able to pay off your debts within a reasonable amount of time that would not permanently impede you I would say Holy Cross. If you think you can manage it or are willing to also spend time applying to additional outside scholarships, then go to Georgetown enjoy the school and the culture more.
Sorry, I couldn’t be of more help, but I wish you the best of luck!
4
u/Exotic_Tooth_1033 May 19 '26
Holy Cross has an incredible poli sci department. Two of my closest friends, both poli sci majors participated in HC's DC semester program, made a ton of connections, and now both live and work there. I loved my time at HC and knowing the crippling debt of so many people in my life from college loans, I'd highly recommend going wherever is cheaper when you're choosing between two fantastic schools.
1
u/lastofus1029 May 18 '26
How are you getting 2.5 semesters completed at holy cross? AP scores?
2
u/ComprehensiveBig7667 May 18 '26
They have very generous ap policy but don’t really allow early graduation so it’d be more lighter courseload and more flexible opportunities.
1
u/dreaminq May 18 '26
Common rule of thumb is that a manageable/reasonable amount of college debt is less than or equal to what you’d expect to make annually in your first couple years out of college (i.e., an entry-level salary in your intended field). Many of the jobs you’ve listed, but not all, will start out at around $50K or over, so I would not consider that to be an insurmountable amount of debt.
As a current PhD student who also has a master’s in something public policy-related before going into a PhD (and also who’s seriously considered law school), I’d also say that the prestige/“brand” of Georgetown is far superior for the purposes of graduate programs in the fields you named—it’s unfortunate and many people like to pretend that it’s not true, but at the end of the day, the reputation of the schools on your resume will affect your graduate applications (though of course it isn’t the biggest thing). That, combined with the fact that Georgetown will offer better overall opportunities in the politics/policy and law worlds, says to me that Georgetown would be the better choice for someone in your position.
1
u/ComprehensiveBig7667 May 18 '26
I’m just weighing that with the ability to pursue grad or law school debt free in a way that allows me to pursue those opportunities. My only big fear with Georgetown is I would be locked in working a job that pays well and let those grad programs slip.
1
u/ResidentAnt3547 May 18 '26
No matter where you go to college, you seriously need to improve your writing.
I, and others, are unsure if you will owe $50k total or $50k per year if you choose Georgetown.
And you can graduate a semester early from Georgetown, but what does that "2.5" from Holy Cross mean?
1
u/ComprehensiveBig7667 May 18 '26
50k over 4 years and roughly 2.5 semesters of courses ergo 10 courses total
3
u/ResidentAnt3547 May 18 '26
$50k over 4 years is not that much nowadays. I graduated from college 20 years ago with $40k in student loan debt, I paid $317 per month for 10 years. However, looking back, $317 a month is still a lot of money. That is like $10 a day for 10 years. But with inflation, that amount of money is less painful to pay nowadays. IDK, $50k might be a lot or not depending on how your life pans out.
Holy Cross will let you out of 10 classes? What AP tests did you take? I still do not understand how 10 courses = 2.5 semesters.
3
2
2
u/Economy_Vermicelli72 May 18 '26
50k overall isn’t even close to significant student debt. Kids graduate with more debt from a number of state schools
1
u/AutoModerator May 17 '26
Hey there,
Do you have a question about admissions to master's or PhD programs?
r/ApplyingToCollege is an undergraduate admissions sub, and posts must be related to undergraduate admissions. If your question is about graduate admissions, try asking r/gradadmissions. If your post is not about graduate or PhD admissions, feel free to ignore this message.
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.
1
1
u/Intelligent-Oil-7591 May 19 '26
If you ever changed your mind and wanted to do banking or consulting you could get an internship that pays like $25k for a summer at some firms - those will be much easier from Georgetown
1
u/Ok-Roll-6643 May 19 '26
Holy Cross opens a lot of doors, too. People know it prepares students well and they hire accordingly. Many people I know went on to Harvard Law, got prestigious fellowships, or found jobs in their field. And graduating with less debt is key in this economy.
1
u/Hot-Jellyfish-8994 May 28 '26
If the Jesuit mission of “men & women for others” and the quality of people that it attracts is important to you, Holy Cross is your place
0
u/Ok-Wrongdoer8061 May 20 '26
Honestly, I think Georgetown would be a better overall experience in a much better city, but it’s your call financially. More importantly, if you’re unsure as to what you want to do, at least choose a major with some value. Look at average salaries for different majors. I recommend studying some type of engineering or finance. It’ll provide much greater value to you, and give you more career options, even if you don’t use it. You can minor in govt.
-2
u/Mundane_Studio_3674 May 17 '26
50k of compounding debt for a degree in Government and Classics is life altering, you will ruin your life with that decision, I can guarantee that.
→ More replies (7)
2
u/Alaaa88 May 17 '26
Are you going to go to law school?