#Georgetown SFS vs Stanford

86 messages · Page 1 of 1 (latest)

cunning thorn
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Schools: Georgetown University (School of Foreign Service) vs. Stanford University

Intended major: International Politics (Georgetown SFS) / Political Science, minor in Philosophy (Stanford);

Similarities: Both have exceptional political science / international relations departments, strong pathways into government and diplomacy, access to influential networks, and are in major metropolitan areas with nearby family (though proximity varies).

Unfortunately, still waiting on financial aid packages from both schools and this may come in v, v close to the enrollment deadline. Will update once I have numbers. (Transfer student, so this is TBD.)

Georgetown SFS

Georgetown Pros:

  • Unparalleled pipeline into diplomacy, State Department, and IR jobs right out of undergrad - arguably the best in the world for this
  • Washington, DC is the ultimate city for anyone interested in government and international affairs; internships, networking, and jobs are literally down the street
  • SFS is a tight-knit, highly focused program with a global reputation specifically in international politics
  • I love how walkable and accessible DC is; I was really looking forward to the independence and growth of living there
  • I have family within driving distance (not as close as Stanford, but I wouldn’t be completely alone)
  • I’ve already visited campus and could picture myself there; the pre-professional energy is exciting to me
  • Four seasons weather is a plus (though not a dealbreaker either way)

Georgetown Cons:

  • SFS is very pre-professional - could feel siloed and might limit exploration of other academic interests outside IR (and maybe less of a balanced college experience?)
  • Less overall institutional prestige and cross-field flexibility compared to Stanford if I ever pivot away from pure diplomacy/government
  • The intense IR focus might make it harder to step back and explore broader intellectual interests (like philosophy) as the minor system works differently
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Stanford

Stanford Pros:

  • Stanford is Stanford - enormous prestige and connections that open doors across virtually every field, including political science, tech policy, academia, and beyond
  • Political Science department is strong; I wouldn’t be sacrificing quality, just a different flavor of it
  • Much more flexibility to explore broadly; easy to combine interests like philosophy, tech, public policy, etc.
  • Campus is a bubble, but that also means a tight-knit community and an incredible student experience
  • I have family very close by in the Bay Area, so built-in support system
  • Sunny weather year-round is not my usual but I’m genuinely fine with it for the Stanford opportunity
  • Visiting soon for an official tour, which will help me gauge fit

Stanford Cons:

  • The “bubble” feeling - it’s not embedded in a political capital the way Georgetown is; fewer spontaneous government/policy experiences right outside your door
  • DC’s IR ecosystem is unique and Stanford can’t replicate that day-to-day immersion for diplomacy-specific careers. There are not internship and employment opportunities at Stanford like there are in Washington. And, I've been told that the professors at Georgetown are much more counted in this area of study to the work world than Stanford profs.
  • Could feel less independent since I have family so close, and I was looking forward to the growth that comes with being somewhere completely new
  • I haven’t seen the campus in person yet, so I’m still building that gut-level sense of fit (but I'll have a tour in the coming days!)

Tiebreaking considerations

  • How different will the actual day-to-day feel of a pre-professional IR school vs. a multidisciplinary university be for me, especially as someone who already loves the diplomacy path but still wants to explore philosophy and other interests?
  • Does SFS’s direct pipeline to diplomacy outweigh Stanford’s broader brand and flexibility for the specific career I want right now?
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  • Financial aid packages could change everything - I’ll reassess once I have numbers, but in all likelihood, since I'll only be spending two years, it's much more manageable than all four years. Also, I'm very confident my parents will help me pay whichever I end up choosing.
pastel snow
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If you want to work in diplomacy, I would go SFS

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I don't see why you wouldn't be able to take philosophy couses at Georgetown

jagged fossil
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I’m going to GU for politics and I’m on the Stanford waitlist lmao, so kiiiinda in the same situation but absolutely I think SFS is the move

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I’ve decided I wouldn’t even go to Stanford

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Mostly I think that Stanford is just so much more isolated, and the opportunities are fewer

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Georgetown is literally down the street from all the embassies

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When I was at GU’s accepted students weekend I got to take a mock class on international industrial policy from a guy who had worked for Bush in the treasury and I think that’s a generally pretty common experience among those profs

cunning thorn
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thats what i think too, but everyone else seems to think its a joke im even debating it, haha 😅

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wowwwww

jagged fossil
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Dude he was so fucking cool

cunning thorn
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no thats so freakin awesome

jagged fossil
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Idk I think georgetown has a less academia vibe to it

cunning thorn
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that was both a pro and a con to me - sorta swing both ways

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but the campus is so gorgeous

jagged fossil
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also the preprofessional stuff tends to be more for business majors, or at least that’s what i heard from gu students

cunning thorn
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as i frantically ask gu students, thats what i heard to!

jagged fossil
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the selective clubs all appeared to be like, consulting stuff

jagged fossil
cunning thorn
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thats another plus above stanford 🙄

jagged fossil
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also georgetown as an entire university has a ton of gen eds which requires two philosophy classes

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so they’re definitely on board with you doing philosophy

jagged fossil
cunning thorn
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NO ITS SO NOT JUST U

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gtown > stanford campus any day

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i unfortunately likely wont get a chance to get an official gtown tour, but ill be touring stanford in the next few weeks

jagged fossil
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also like if this matters to you idk but gu is obviously a lot more urban than palo alto, that’s one reason why i almost declined the waitlist

cunning thorn
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the problem is i feel like no matter which i pick, ill regret not going to the other, which is such an unhealthy mindset

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yes exactlyy

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i loved how dc was RIGHT there

jagged fossil
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lol

cunning thorn
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LOL ik omg i sound so pretentious 😭

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this is such a first world problem

jagged fossil
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nono i get what you mean haha

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i was happy i didnt get into stanford

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because i didnt want to make the choice

cunning thorn
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lowk that would be easier haha

jagged fossil
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but i think regardless of where u go ull be able to succeed

cunning thorn
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i have a friend who literally transferred to georgetown the year before me and she absolutely loves it

jagged fossil
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especially getting into stanford transfer

cunning thorn
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do u mind if i dm u ? i lowk have to dip bc were going out to eat - but i have sm questions ab stanford vs gtown and i feel like were in similar boats :))

jagged fossil
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yes ofc

pastel snow
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Find their rejection letter and make some changes so it's from your perspective

cunning thorn
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I'm lowk considering this... Or DC internships if I go to stanford

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But idk how difficult those r to get

cunning thorn
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Harvard '30? Ahah

cunning thorn
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I've heard of a couple DC programs - primarily bing Stanford in Washington - that I'm hoping to ask about when I visit 🤞

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That would be the dream I think, but I'm sure those r difficult to get haha

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I just love DC smmm

spice egret
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Stanford is the move imo

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If you decide to go a different route Stanford will be much better

spice egret
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My friend is a bio major from UCLA and got it

cunning thorn
spice egret
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Internship

cunning thorn
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I have had an internship w a rep! But other than that, not much other formal experience in govt

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DMed you!

jagged fossil
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I would add that you probably are giong to want a summer internship in DC, I looked into the SIW program and it was kinda just like "you go to DC and grind out an internship and take night classes" so might not be the best social experiences... the FAQ was all like "yes your time will need to be balanced very well and yuo might not have a good social life"

cunning thorn
cunning thorn
spice egret
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Idk what edacyly he did

restive lichen
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Hi I transferred if you have any questions lmk

hearty isle
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But

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Absolutely stanford and its not even close

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I feel like the pipeline at georgetown might be a slight misunderstanding in that

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Yes many people go into those fields

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But also how many people chose / applied to georgetown expressly for those fields lol

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When you account for self selection I very much doubt there will be an actual difference in which one will look better on a job application or allow easier entry into diplomacy / gov / IR in general

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And I’d actually think that it would be a lot easier from Stanford not only because its far more traditionally prestigious but also because you’re not competing with 500 other SFS tryhards because Stanford is a diverse school

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So while GU students are absolutely differentiated from other candidates while applying for work in DC, you would be even more differentiated as a stanford student

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And yeah much like you one of the reasons I chose dartmouth was for the academic flexibility

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I knew I loved gov and IR but when you’re at this caliber of school it becomes less relevant. But you absolutely will have so many other academic options at stanford if you decide to change career paths or even just to engage yourself intellectually

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And that will follow you your entire life because an unrelated major from stanford will be better for virtually all fields than an unrelated major from GU

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Also yeah it absolutely is preprofessional and not just for business students. Especially SFS kids tend to be super sweaty and basically the politics version of a finance bro

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  • less economic diversity and high legacy at GU
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But the architecture is absolutely stunning and the programs will be amazing at georgetown 😔

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Oh also stanford undergrad tends to be a big soft factor that can help you get into top law schools if thats something ur considering lol (so will GU but not as much)