2012-2013 Georgetown University Application Thread

Hello Future Hoyas,
I was a Georgetown undergrad and will be attending Georgetown for my medical education this coming Fall. Georgetown is a wonderful school with a very specific focus on providing for the underserved. If you have any questions about secondaries or interviews, if you get one, I will be more than happy to provide you with all the hints I can! Georgetown is VERY VERY different from other medical schools in terms of what type of person they are looking for so make sure you set yourself apart. I'm a great source as I will be a Double Hoya in four more short years.

Best of luck to you all!

Does the religion aspect ever come up?

HoyaDoc25 said:

Hello Future Hoyas,
I was a Georgetown undergrad and will be attending Georgetown for my medical education this coming Fall. Georgetown is a wonderful school with a very specific focus on providing for the underserved. If you have any questions about secondaries or interviews, if you get one, I will be more than happy to provide you with all the hints I can! Georgetown is VERY VERY different from other medical schools in terms of what type of person they are looking for so make sure you set yourself apart. I'm a great source as I will be a Double Hoya in four more short years.

Best of luck to you all!

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So, what type of person are they looking for? I'll be applying here.

saw georgetown for the first time in 2007. since then, i've been a believer. this is one of my top choices. keeping my fingers crossed!

First year next year as well. I was trying to look at apartments from across the country and was wondering do a lot of students live in Rosslyn? I saw the GUTS bus goes from the metro directly to the med school, but want to live in an area with other med students.

waterpolo480586 said:

First year next year as well. I was trying to look at apartments from across the country and was wondering do a lot of students live in Rosslyn? I saw the GUTS bus goes from the metro directly to the med school, but want to live in an area with other med students.

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Only a few live in Rosslyn or Dupont with access to GUTS.

Most live in Foxhall or north of campus in the Glover Park area. I would recommend one of those two areas since they are walking distance to campus (will be really key if you study on campus a lot), plus there are tons of other med students around, so it makes it a bunch more social. It is more expensive for the most part, however.

If you look in the Georgetown social networking group (has that been opened up yet?) there are always people looking for roommates. There are also people who list houses looking for med students particularly so there should be ample opportunities to find roommates and houses.

BurntFlower said:

So, what type of person are they looking for? I'll be applying here.

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An interest in underserved populations and having experience that proves it will go very, very far here.

If you've researched the school some, you may have heard of cura personalis. If you haven't, look it up, and be very prepared to talk about it.

Also spend lots of time on your secondary and the why Gtown question. They have to screen out A LOT of applicants, so this is where that will happen. If you do get an interview, most of the people are waitlisted post-interview. You then need to write another letter about why Gtown. Gets annoying, but if you are persistent, you have a great shot at getting in. Most of our class was waitlisted at one point. But if you prepare for your interview really well, you may get lucky enough to get in right away.

Clumpofstuff said:

Does the religion aspect ever come up?

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Sort of. There is just an overall religious presence with crucifixes in every room and sometimes seeing priests walk around. Plus, a few of the docs are jesuits or nuns (and we do have a nun in our class). You may get a small group leader who is a priest or nun.

For the most part, however, it's just like a regular school. I would say that most of the class is not Catholic or even really religious at all. The Jesuit focus is more about serving the underserved as opposed to any sort of religious focus in class.

The one exception is that it is a Catholic hospital. So, doctors can't prescribe birth control for contraceptive purposes and all that jazz. But for the most part, I don't think it affects patient care or education at all. Maybe if you wanted to be an OB-GYN (and weren't Catholic) it may seem frustrating. But beyond that, I wouldn't worry about the religious aspect too much. It's kinda cool and it's definitely a very tolerant and welcoming atmosphere.

Barcu said:

Sort of. There is just an overall religious presence with crucifixes in every room and sometimes seeing priests walk around. Plus, a few of the docs are jesuits or nuns (and we do have a nun in our class). You may get a small group leader who is a priest or nun.

For the most part, however, it's just like a regular school. I would say that most of the class is not Catholic or even really religious at all. The Jesuit focus is more about serving the underserved as opposed to any sort of religious focus in class.

The one exception is that it is a Catholic hospital. So, doctors can't prescribe birth control for contraceptive purposes and all that jazz. But for the most part, I don't think it affects patient care or education at all. Maybe if you wanted to be an OB-GYN (and weren't Catholic) it may seem frustrating. But beyond that, I wouldn't worry about the religious aspect too much. It's kinda cool and it's definitely a very tolerant and welcoming atmosphere.

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Yeah that's what I figured, the reputation is that the Jesuits are committed to teaching (Disclosure: Catholic HS and practicing Catholic)

Barcu said:

Sort of. There is just an overall religious presence with crucifixes in every room and sometimes seeing priests walk around. Plus, a few of the docs are jesuits or nuns (and we do have a nun in our class). You may get a small group leader who is a priest or nun.

For the most part, however, it's just like a regular school. I would say that most of the class is not Catholic or even really religious at all. The Jesuit focus is more about serving the underserved as opposed to any sort of religious focus in class.

The one exception is that it is a Catholic hospital. So, doctors can't prescribe birth control for contraceptive purposes and all that jazz. But for the most part, I don't think it affects patient care or education at all. Maybe if you wanted to be an OB-GYN (and weren't Catholic) it may seem frustrating. But beyond that, I wouldn't worry about the religious aspect too much. It's kinda cool and it's definitely a very tolerant and welcoming atmosphere.

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Would Georgetown instantaneously screen out someone who has been heavily involved in an activity that violates Catholic principles (for example, work or advocacy pertaining to contraception or abortion, physician-assisted suicide in Oregon, LGBT activism, etc.)?

I am contemplating applying to Georgetown although my professional background involves an activity that the Catholic Church officially condemns. I'm on the fence because I'm not sure if it might be a wasted application. Aside from a potential values mismatch in one area of my life, I have strong reasons for being interested in the school, including a commitment to the under-served and experience to back it up, a personal and familial identification with Catholicism, and very firm ties to the DC area.

hexagon said:

Would Georgetown instantaneously screen out someone who has been heavily involved in an activity that violates Catholic principles (for example, work or advocacy pertaining to contraception or abortion, physician-assisted suicide in Oregon, LGBT activism, etc.)?

I am contemplating applying to Georgetown although my professional background involves an activity that the Catholic Church officially condemns. I'm on the fence because I'm not sure if it might be a wasted application. Aside from a potential values mismatch in one area of my life, I have strong reasons for being interested in the school, including a commitment to the under-served and experience to back it up, a personal and familial identification with Catholicism, and very firm ties to the DC area.

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No they won't. There are pro-choice groups on campus. In any interview, I would have more nuanced answers and acknowledge the fact that what you may want to do may not fly at their hospital, but it shouldn't lead to an auto-rejection.

The decision to apply is one worth weighing however. It is an expensive secondary for sure, and you don't want to go to a school where the values don't match up. My values don't necessarily match up either, but I don't really get involved in those areas. If you are very passionate about something that you would not be able to express here, then it is wise to question your decision to apply. Having said that, it is a very tolerant atmosphere, so they aren't going to reject right away for expressing a contradicting opinion (but what you can actually do about it may be limited).

Is there an acceptance bias for students from Jesuit universities? And how good is their financial aid? This seems like an amazing school. I love the Jesuit ideals (not a Catholic either), but the price tag is quite hefty!

Georgetown is on my must-apply-to list. Is it fairly research intensive? I love everything I'm hearing about it's primary focuses, but not sure about research.

Barcu said:

No they won't. There are pro-choice groups on campus. In any interview, I would have more nuanced answers and acknowledge the fact that what you may want to do may not fly at their hospital, but it shouldn't lead to an auto-rejection.

The decision to apply is one worth weighing however. It is an expensive secondary for sure, and you don't want to go to a school where the values don't match up. My values don't necessarily match up either, but I don't really get involved in those areas. If you are very passionate about something that you would not be able to express here, then it is wise to question your decision to apply. Having said that, it is a very tolerant atmosphere, so they aren't going to reject right away for expressing a contradicting opinion (but what you can actually do about it may be limited).

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Thank you so much for posting such an informative reply! This is very helpful.

cdavidso said:

Georgetown is on my must-apply-to list. Is it fairly research intensive? I love everything I'm hearing about it's primary focuses, but not sure about research.

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Students are required to do an independent study project by spring of their 4th year, but I wouldn't necessarily call Georgetown a research-focused school.

Barcu said:

An interest in underserved populations and having experience that proves it will go very, very far here.

If you've researched the school some, you may have heard of cura personalis. If you haven't, look it up, and be very prepared to talk about it.

Also spend lots of time on your secondary and the why Gtown question. They have to screen out A LOT of applicants, so this is where that will happen. If you do get an interview, most of the people are waitlisted post-interview. You then need to write another letter about why Gtown. Gets annoying, but if you are persistent, you have a great shot at getting in. Most of our class was waitlisted at one point. But if you prepare for your interview really well, you may get lucky enough to get in right away.

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Thank you for the info! I have a lot of experience dealing with under-served populations and I want to keep helping them as a doctor, so I hope Georgetown accepts me.

IRASNA said:

Is there an acceptance bias for students from Jesuit universities? And how good is their financial aid? This seems like an amazing school. I love the Jesuit ideals (not a Catholic either), but the price tag is quite hefty!

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Yes, a large majority of their students come from Jesuit schools. Especially, Georgetown undergrad. It is a bit incestuous if you ask me but I'm sure it's the same at other schools.

BurntFlower said:

Thank you for the info! I have a lot of experience dealing with under-served populations and I want to keep helping them as a doctor, so I hope Georgetown accepts me.

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Please don't use the, "I want to help people line" during interviews.

Your interviewer will roll his eyes.

HoyaDoc25 said:

Please don't use the, "I want to help people line" during interviews.

Your interviewer will roll his eyes.

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I won't, thanks for the advice!

BurntFlower said:

I won't, thanks for the advice!

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On a side note, your avatar is disturbing.

IRASNA said:

Is there an acceptance bias for students from Jesuit universities? And how good is their financial aid? This seems like an amazing school. I love the Jesuit ideals (not a Catholic either), but the price tag is quite hefty!

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There are quite a few from Jesuit schools and a large number from Gtown undergrad. I would say that is more self-selection than acceptance bias, but I can't say that with certainty.

Like you, I am a non-Catholic and was attracted to Jesuit ideals. I had no problems, and many in the class are like that too.

Financial aid is not great. Definitely a bummer.

EBTrailRunner said:

On a side note, your avatar is disturbing.

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Thank you!

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Don't mind me, just getting in here to follow what's going on.......

AlexUniv said:

Don't mind me, just getting in here to follow what's going on.......

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I'm trying not to, but you just posted in just about every school-specific thread.

I love this school! All these aspects, especially it being in the D.C. area entice me more and more....

This "serving the underserved" bit is a tad ambiguous. Could this include volunteering at a hospital that treats 80% uninsured patients?

I definitely love what the school stands for, but I haven't exactly been painting with the homeless nor bringing medical relief to refugee camps.

ceasefire said:

This "serving the underserved" bit is a tad ambiguous. Could this include volunteering at a hospital that treats 80% uninsured patients?

I definitely love what the school stands for, but I haven't exactly been painting with the homeless nor bringing medical relief to refugee camps.

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That's fine. Any experience with diverse or low-income patients will benefit you. And it's not a requirement, but it is something that they do like.

Barcu said:

That's fine. Any experience with diverse or low-income patients will benefit you. And it's not a requirement, but it is something that they do like.

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It's definitely something I want to be a part of. Thanks for your help!

AllDay24 said:

What kind of experience is this? How you can be treating under-served populations as a pre-med? Did you do one of those mission trips?

I've founded a community service organization that helps the children of one of the poorer areas of large US city...does that count for anything?

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I have lived in Bolivia for over 10 years, and have volunteered in a pediatric hospital there.

It definitely counts; I would say that's a good EC.

I will be attending Gtown next year and thought the school was amazing. Some things I wish I knew before interviewing/submitting secondary.
- I was asked a ton of ethical questions during my interview. Med students told me they are given lots of autonomy during clinical rotations so they want to know how you will respond to numerous situations.
- Understand the Cura Personalis philosophy and mention in your secondary how it will help you become the type of doctor/achieve the type of career you want.
- Express interest. Gtown gets around 11,000 apps a year and a few people I talked to sent update letters/letters of interest before receiving an interview invite. 2 of those 3 received interview invites shortly after. I sent an in the area email/update email when I was interviewing at other DC/MD/VA school and got an interview invite shortly after.
- Highlight your leadership and community service activities in your interview and secondary if possible.
Hope this helps and good luck.

AMCAS primary submitted on 6/6. Hoping for the best! Good luck everyone applying!

Good luck to everyone!

Submitted my primary today. What essay prompts did Georgetown give out last year?


What should I know about Georgetown's application procedure?

Thanks for the info on what to focus on in the secondary application. Each one of these schools seems to be a little different in what they are looking for. I tried to pick schools that I believed match my qualities. G'town is definately high on my list! Good luck to everyone applying!

BurntFlower said:

Thank you for the info! I have a lot of experience dealing with under-served populations and I want to keep helping them as a doctor, so I hope Georgetown accepts me.

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your avatar scurrrsss me

The admissions page states they do not discriminate against any religion, but is it true that you have to have a religious background with Jesuit related volunteer work and letters of rec from a religious member? Thank you

JustinMC said:

The admissions page states they do not discriminate against any religion, but is it true that you have to have a religious background with Jesuit related volunteer work and letters of rec from a religious member? Thank you

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lol who told you this nonsense?

just got verified by AMCAS. let's get this cycle started! will let you guys know when i get the secondary.

Been verified since 6/7! Looking forward to getting these secondaries started, getting sick of sitting around waiting!! Really love Georgetown, fingers crossed!

1289 said:

your avatar scurrrsss me

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Good.

cjc71 said:

Been verified since 6/7! Looking forward to getting these secondaries started, getting sick of sitting around waiting!! Really love Georgetown, fingers crossed!

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A lot of schools have the same secondaries every year, so you could start writing some of them now.

ccfman1991 said:

lol who told you this nonsense?

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Someone who didn't get accepted commented that people who get in generally have Jesuit missionary work completed... I hope this isn't firm!! Anyone know more info?

JustinMC said:

Someone who didn't get accepted commented that people who get in generally have Jesuit missionary work completed... I hope this isn't firm!! Anyone know more info?

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lolz i know plenty of people at georgetown who are the farthest thing from jesuit. your source might be quick to point out the jesuit-ness of Georgetown because he/she didn't get in. i think georgetown is looking for applicants who believe in the jesuit faith's service goals. what religion you choose to be and the religious views of your LOR writers shouldn't have anything to do with it. just my 2cents. i'm applying this cycle so we'll see haha.

ccfman1991 said:

lolz i know plenty of people at georgetown who are the farthest thing from jesuit. your source might be quick to point out the jesuit-ness of Georgetown because he/she didn't get in. i think georgetown is looking for applicants who believe in the jesuit faith's service goals. what religion you choose to be and the religious views of your LOR writers shouldn't have anything to do with it. just my 2cents. i'm applying this cycle so we'll see haha.

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Possibly. Gotta fake it til you make it I guess ! Good luck!

JustinMC said:

Possibly. Gotta fake it til you make it I guess ! Good luck!

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I am an atheist and will be attending Georgetown next year.At my interview they asked me what my opinion was on the fact that you could not view abortions at Georgetown's hospital and that they do not carry birth control at their pharmacy. I said that my beliefs on these issues were different from the institutions , but that I knew that I could request the opportunity to do my OB/GYN rotation at hospitals which do perform these procedures. I went on to clarify that the overall mission of the university fit very well with me and that I found it ok to disagree on these two matters as I was very committed to the idea of community service and Cura personalis. I guess my answer was good enough.

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Just applied. Can anyone tell me more about the secondary essays?

HurricaneKatt said:

Just applied. Can anyone tell me more about the secondary essays?

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Katt- there's a secondary thread from last year. Click Premed forums--->School specific threads 2011-12---> Secondary thread. Look it up before you post this 20 more times...puhlease.

Congrats, thanks, and GL!!