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Georgetown University, located in Washington, District of Columbia, is a private, Catholic and Jesuit research university. Established in 1789, Georgetown is the oldest Catholic and Jesuit University in the United States and was founded by John Carroll who later became the first Catholic bishop appointed in America. A leader in higher education, Georgetown provides a world-class learning experience, following the Jesuit tradition of educating the whole person through exposure to different faiths, cultures and beliefs. Located on a 104 acre campus inside the nation’s capitol in the historic Georgetown neighborhood, Georgetown’s campus features over 50 buildings, including Healy Hall, a National Historic Landmark.
Academic Programs
One of the world’s leading academic and research institutions, Georgetown offers both undergraduate and graduate degrees in a number of areas including the liberal arts, sciences, international relations, law, medicine, business administration and public policy as well as a growing number continuing education programs and specialized certificates. Georgetown’s several schools and colleges include Georgetown College; the Robert E. McDonough School of Business; Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service; Georgetown Law; Graduate School of Arts and Sciences; School of Medicine; School of Nursing and Health Studies; School of Continuing Studies; and the McCourt School of Public Policy.More than half of Georgetown’s students participate in at least one university-supported study abroad program. Georgetown offers over 100 programs in at least 40 countries in addition to several other unique programs which are offered through the university’s School of Foreign Service in Qatar and the Georgetown-owned Villa Le Balze in Fiesole, Italy and the McGhee Center for Eastern Mediterranean Studies in Alanya, Turkey. Most students study abroad over a single semester while others take advantage of the school’s full-year programs or faculty-led summer programs.
Student Life
Over 17,000 students are enrolled at Georgetown, including more than 7,500 undergraduates. Georgetown’s location offers students incredible opportunities both in and around the nation’s capitol with easy access to museums, theaters, concert halls and famous monuments and landmarks as well as opportunities for internships and community service projects. More than 200 co-curricular clubs and activities are registered on-campus and include a wide array of cultural, academic, social and political organizations.Georgetown’s varsity teams compete at the NCAA Division I-AA level and the school is a member of the Big East Conference. Nicknamed the Hoyas and playing under the colors of blue and gray, Jack the Bulldog serves as the team’s mascot.
One of Georgetown’s many traditions include student’s having their photo taken while seated in the lap of a statue of founder, John Carroll, before graduation. This tradition requires stealth in order to evade the Department of Public Safety which patrols the area in an effort to end the tradition, for the sake of preserving the statue. In what has become something of a game, students must usually leap into Carroll’s lap while a friend snaps the picture, before running off to avoid getting caught.