Georgetown University
Hallmarks and Quirks
Things I'm Good At:
- Foreign service and government stuff. Seriously, my School of Foreign Service attracts major-league future leaders, including those who want to build their own presidential library someday. I have a bit of a missionary zeal—not misplaced in a university founded by Jesuits.
- Languages. I like to speak in tongues—not the possessed demon kind, but more like the United Nations official language kind.
- Basketball. I became a household name in the 1980s with Patrick Ewing leading the Hoyas to a 1984 NCAA championship under coach John Thompson. Roy Hibbert is a more recent star.
- Attracting speakers and guest lectureships. Inspiring movers and shakers—and, yes, occasional blowhards—give talks and university seminars here.
My Top 5 Must-Haves:
- Clubs. I boast one of the oldest debating clubs in the country, the Philodemic Society and the oldest theater troupe, the Mask and Bauble Dramatic Society. Yes, I do a cappella—the Georgetown Chimes is probably the most well-known group.
- Gravitas and ambition. I'm not an Ivy League, but I walk the walk…and I certainly like to talk while I'm walking. There's a reason Carmela Soprano sent her daughter here.
- Political sensibility. I don't mind 24-hour news networks—heck, they even like to hire from my ranks. You'd best have an opinion on the Electoral College, one way or the other.
- Team spirit. We cheer on our teams—basketball, football, baseball, you name it. It can get loud during March Madness.
- Appropriate winter clothing. I attract student from all over, so whether you're from the South or the West or Guam, bring warm clothes. It snows, and the snow stays on the ground. It's not Fargo or even New York by any stretch of the imagination, however.
Why You Might Have Heard of Me:
- People who get seen and the people who help them get seen go here. Aspiring politicians, attorneys, judges, spies, and journalists. It's a regular Model United Nations on any given day of the week, year-round.
- My national presence is a force to be reckoned with. I even have auxiliary campuses in Italy, Turkey, and Qatar.
- My Men's basketball team dominates. They have seven Big East Championships and a national championship under their belts
On a regular Saturday night, you can find me...
I'm probably carousing the drinking spots of M Street or maybe catching a concert at the Kennedy Center. I may throw back a few after a long week, but I'm always politically savvy enough to keep it under control. I'll just as soon say yes to an invitation to an embassy party as I would to an early summer hangout on Healy Lawn with Frisbees.
Favorite Hangouts:
- Students cheer on Georgetown's competitive teams in the Tombs, an underground restaurant-bar on the edge of campus.
- M Street is a pedestrian-heavy hangout, day and night. For some space and a place to throw around Frisbees or ideas, Healy Lawn is the usual go-to open area.
- If you need some quiet reflection, I've got a chapel or two for you, including beautiful Dahlgren Chapel behind Healy Hall.
Quirks:
- The nearby Exorcist Steps, site of some demonic shenanigans in the groundbreaking 1973 horror flick, The Excorcist. A few superhuman spills down these steps didn't seem to hurt the real estate market too much, though. Do not operate these steps while impaired.
- Jesuit character. I'm the oldest Catholic university in the United States, and it's definitely a part of my identity. However, I'm also pretty accepting of other faiths and worldviews.
- Being on a hill. My surrounding neighborhood, Georgetown, is upscale and likes to put on airs, which is part of the game in Washington. In a politically conceited Washington, I'm pretty photogenic.
- Huge diplomas written in Latin.
- Yelling "Hoya Saxa" at athletic events. Apparently, the hoya part is Ancient Greek meaning something like "such," and the saxa part is Latin for "rocks." "Such rocks," "great rocks," "what rocks"…? It's a weird attempt at erudition.
Famous Alumni:
- Bill Clinton, who honed his Oval Office skills and "inhaled" views of the Potomac while in the School of Foreign Service.
- Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, former president of the Philippines.
- Bradley Cooper, who survived the hangovers of Washington before heading west to become and actor.
- Pearl Bailey, actress, singer, vaudevillian, and late-life theologian.
- Mitchell Hurwitz, creator of Arrested Development, which somehow turned out not to be about the political maturity of the Washington political class.
- Antonin Scalia, "Supremely" dedicated to the Constitution.
- Maria Shriver, journalist, Kennedy family member, and half of the failed Skeletor-Schwartzenegger political dynasty.
- Patrick Ewing, basketball Hall of Fame player who made Georgetown a household name in the 1980s.
- George Tenet, CIA director and human bulldog.
Fictional Alumni:
- In real life, Rob Lowe, Emilio Estevez, and Demi Moore didn't go here, but their St. Elmo's Fire characters did.