Columbia or Georgetown?
Hi WSO, would I be insane to choose Georgetown over Columbia?
I am a nontraditional student from a community college who was accepted as a transfer to both Columbia (School of General Studies) and Georgetown (McDonough School of Business).
Columbia offered me $27K financial aid total, which would cost me $75K+ yearly, including cost of living (rent, food, commute fees, etc.). I’m estimating that I will likely be $100K+ in debt by the time I graduate. Columbia is notoriously stingy with financial aid for nontraditional students.
Georgetown has met my full financial need, costing $12K total per year. I’ll have no debt if I choose Georgetown.
Both schools will require me to stay 3 years.
I plan to do the IB/PE/HF career path.
At Georgetown, I will be in the business school, majoring in finance, while I got accepted for Econ at Columbia.
Any and all advice is welcome and thank you in advance!
Even without financial aid, I’d choose Georgetown over Columbia GS. I don’t want to get into the CC/SEAS vs GS argument here, but unless you’re a MilVet, I don’t see any merit in attending Columbia GS, especially considering that the financial aid package at Georgetown is better.
100% agree on this. I chose GS because it was the cheapest option for me (international), but I doubt I would have placed worse or better if I was at a different school, especially at a school like Gtown. Even for milvets, there is no merit of attending GS, milvets pretty much guaranteed if they prep decently well at any of the T20 schools. The only marginal advantage of going to GS is for PE recruiting, as HHs will just value the Columbia degree marginally better.
What if it was Econ @ Columbia CC vs Georgetown?
What about Columbia CC vs Georgetown?
Choosing between Columbia and Georgetown depends on weighing the financial burden against the potential career benefits. Here's a breakdown based on the most helpful WSO content:
Financial Considerations:
Program and Career Path:
Location and Networking:
Debt vs. Opportunity:
Conclusion: If minimizing debt is a priority, Georgetown is the clear choice. It offers a strong finance program, excellent Wall Street placement, and a debt-free path. However, if you believe the Columbia brand and NYC location will provide unparalleled opportunities and you're comfortable taking on significant debt, Columbia could be worth considering. Ultimately, Georgetown seems like the more practical and financially sound option for your goals.
Sources: Fordham 3+2 with Columbia or Georgetown and 300k Debt, Undergrad School OPTIONS (please help), They want my deposit money! Georgetown MBA vs. Columbia Business School Msc, Stanford vs Wharton vs Booth vs Columbia for PE, Is transferring to the University of Virginia worth $100,000?
The difference in recruiting outcomes is minimal. Go to Georgetown and avoid the debt.
Thanks guys, as an update, I ended up choosing Georgetown and had an awesome first semester.
While I was sad to turn down a higher Ivy League, this school is opening many doors for me, and it is such a relief to not have any student loans.
Gearing up for spring recruiting, and wishing us all the best in this economy.
The fact that you went gtown vs Columbia will make 0 difference in your long term trajectory. They are virtually indistinguishable in IB / PE recruiting.
You made a smart decision and will have significantly more optionality and will build wealth much faster by virtue of not having debt. Keep moving forward and keep your eye on the prize.
Thanks, coming from my background, going into IB / PE is just such a steep learning curve.
Even though I am in an undergrad business program, I do not think it does a good job of preparing you for the industry.
Also, Georgetown's undergrad business program is quite small, at ~340 students per year, and not everyone wants to do finance, so I've had a bit of trouble finding classmates to prep technicals with (probably more so because it's my first semester here). And hopefully, the small student population translates into less competition for the top roles.
Then again, I am still extremely grateful for my education, am genuinely enjoying college life in Washington DC, and can't wait to live and work in NYC!
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