Congrats, Class of 2020! You’ve just made one of the biggest (and best) decisions of your life by coming to Georgetown this fall. You’re excited, anxious, maybe even ambivalent about your decision, and that’s why the Georgetown University Student Association (GUSA), our student government, is here with personal stories about life on the Hilltop.
The Pope’s Joint Address to Congress
While you worry about finding your roommate on CHARMS and registering for classes, I want to remind you how fortunate you are to be a Hoya. Georgetown, and Washington DC as a whole, provide you with unfathomable opportunities. Don’t be afraid of new or unexpected opportunities—run with them.
President DeGioia and former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, an SFS Professor
You’re going to get a world-class education, first and foremost. You will be surrounded by hardworking, intelligent people, and these people are going to help build you up rather than tear you down. It’s not a competitive campus, it’s encouraging—everyone helps everyone else work harder and be stronger. Your professors are experts in their fields, like the International Relations professors who advise presidential campaigns. Be prepared to work harder than you ever have before, but trust me—it will be worth it. Take the classes you think are interesting or engaging, and not just the easy A.
Many clubs at Georgetown require applications, and groups like Blue & Gray, the tour guides, and the Corp will be competitive. Obviously, apply for these if they interest you! Georgetown has so many different organizations, and some that you’ve never even heard of or considered. When I got to Georgetown last fall, I never envisioned myself dancing in the Southeast Asian Society’s
Rachel & I at Rangila
Rangila show or being a member of the GUSA Communications team, but participating in these has allowed me to meet so many interesting people on campus and get a better understanding of how campus works. Many students join a lot of clubs first semester and stick to their favorites after that, and I encourage you all to find the activities that make you happy and allow you to grow at Georgetown—even if they weren’t your first choice in the fall.
You’ll have the opportunity to see some truly amazing speakers on campus. Just last year, Georgetown hosted a variety of presidential candidates, from Carly Fiorina to Bernie Sanders. Speaker of the House Paul Ryan and former Secretary of State and Georgetown faculty
Bernie Sanders at Gaston Hall
member Madeleine Albright graced the stage of Gaston Hall. Prominent women like retired US Soccer player Abby Wambach and CBS This Morning host Norah O’Donnell inspired us at the OWN-IT Summit this spring. You’ll see prominent alumni like King Felipe IV of Spain around campus, and your classmates will help you find cool events around DC. Without my roommate eavesdropping in class, we never would have found out that you could call your Congressman for tickets to see Pope Francis at the Capitol—which we did. Because of that, I got to meet one Congressman and intern for another.
The 2015 Harbin 3 Christmas Card
Most importantly, you have so many opportunities to meet great people and find your best friends on the Hilltop. My best friends could all be found on my freshman floor, Harbin 3, and we had so many adventures on and off the Hilltop—from attending events together, playing in the snow during Blizzard Jonas, and exploring DC to traveling to Florida together for Spring Break. My freshman year would have been completely different (worse) without them. Keep your door open the first few weeks and hang out in the common room—you’ll never know what great opportunities will arise for you and your squad.
This post was written by Angela Caprio (COL’19), Deputy of Social Media for GUSA majoring in German and Political Economy. Have stories you would like to share with the next freshman class? E-mail us at communications.gusa@gmail.com.
Heard on the Hilltop 