Samantha Garcia (C’28) is a Georgetown Storyteller and a first-year in the College of Arts & Sciences studying environmental biology. She is from the Los Angeles County area in California.
There is no question that Georgetown excels as a university in all academic fields. Georgetown consistently falls within the top five of national rankings when it comes to concentrations in international relations and business. So why did I consider Georgetown if I knew I wouldn’t be studying in the School of Foreign Service or the McDonough School of Business? Personally, the answer was simple: the all-encompassing education that reaches far beyond my desired major.
During high school, I discovered my interest in environmental science and math. I loved learning about all the chemical processes behind climate change and the data calculations that came with it. However, I also was a part of news writing and film outlets. I enjoyed creative writing and reading along with filming and editing. Clearly, these two interests are on opposite sides of the academic spectrum. Yet somehow, I was heavily involved in both and even managed to find projects that intersected the two. When thinking about college, I was excited that I could take classes in anything that piqued my interest. Yet, I realized that not all schools allow such flexibility.
Who knew being enrolled in a “school of engineering” would have so many engineering courses? Seems obvious when I say it out loud, but I was discouraged by the lack of flexibility in STEM-heavy degrees at other universities. I wanted a school that gave me an excellent science education, while not making me feel like I was stuck in a bubble void of any humanities. This was the appeal of Georgetown’s core curriculum within the College of Arts and Sciences.
I take scientific courses, while also learning the arts, writing and even theology. Sure, these requirements are traditional for many schools, yet somehow it felt much less forced in an environment like Georgetown. I see now that many people share my diversified interests. I am in classes with people from all schools, who take courses unrelated to their major for many reasons. There is constant encouragement to go outside of your comfort zone and expand your knowledge.
Beyond my own classroom experience, I am surrounded by a multitude of career paths, with programs that I also have access to if I want. I can take a global politics class in the SFS, or a healthcare policy class in the School of Health. I can also learn alongside my peers studying within other schools, whom I easily interact with outside the classroom. No matter what we are studying, everyone is still in the same boat, studying for hours a day (and late into the night) in the Lauinger Library.
The best part? The STEM programs here are amazing, despite not being the poster majors of the school. I am being taught by highly educated professors and top researchers who actually care about their students. They support everyone knowing the difficulty of the courses and offering various resources to help us succeed.
I am being mentored by older undergraduates who were in my shoes even just a year ago, and I have found a community in the daily review hours the biology department offers. Additionally, there are many research opportunities and career guidance, as early as our freshman year. And this doesn’t just apply to students looking into pre-med. I plan to do the Columbia Combined Plan program, the first dual-degree engineering program instituted in the United States, which is designed to provide students with the opportunity to receive both a B.A. or B.S. degree from Georgetown and a B.S. degree from Columbia Engineering over the course of five years.
So when they say Georgetown is a place for everyone, they truly mean it. I am so happy with my academic path here and look forward to learning and growing as the years go on. Everyone at Georgetown has their own unique plans and career aspirations, yet we are able to prosper as a community. So the answer is no, Georgetown is far more than just politics and finance.
