sjcuva wrote:
Does anyone know the general format of the welcome weekend? I can't find anything specific listed on the website. I was looking into it this morning and realized that instead of being a Sat-Sunday thing it is Friday-Saturday. During the registration process, they ask if you are attending Friday, Sat, or Friday and Saturday. I can easily make Saturday, but making Friday could be tough.
My question is are the days mostly repeats of each other and geared towards someone attending one or the other, or do they cover different things and are structured with the intent of people attend both days? I know some students post on this board so was hoping they would be able to chime in.
Recent alum here. From my experience as a prospective student and as a two-year host of the event, Friday is your best opportunity to meet current student while also seeing how the campus operates on a semi-normal day. There are no classes on Friday however many students are still occupying the building while studying, holding group meetings, etc. Saturday is more informative with various panels, a discussion headlined by the Dean, etc.
The real benefit of attending the Friday events for Welcome Weekend is the evening reception and subsequent trip to a bar to "network" with current students. Georgetown hosts a very nice buffet-style reception with food and drink in an auditorium overlooking campus, an experience clearly intended to flaunt the very impressive luxuries of the new building/facilities. After the reception a very large contingent of current students will encourage the prospective students and their guests to join them at a local bar within walking distance of campus. What then transpires is an unbridled exhibition of networking at its core. Students mesh with prospectives and it gives these prospectives the most valuable and honest insight into the culture of MSB, which is arguably the most important aspect of any program. I cannot begin to tell you how many prospective students I'd come across that had previously all but committed themselves to other schools (Duke/NYU/Kenan Flagler/UVA/etc) that decided Georgetown was the right school for them almost exclusively because of the connection they made with our students on this night. In fact, last year as a "coffee chat" host one of my fellow hosts, a first-year (now a second-year headed to Goldman for i-banking) told me and the group of prospective students that we were hosting that my friends and I were specifically responsible for bringing her to Georgetown after her Friday night of Welcome Weekend. Again, this is a great exercise to really learn if and how you "fit" beyond the academics and career search.
Saturday is reserved for more informative panel discussion. In the past we've had professors speak, current student leaders speak regarding their experiences, student club representatives, current students discussing the various neighborhoods to live in around DC, alumni in various industries highlighting how the school got them to where they are, and representatives from career services speak regarding the career development process. It really is a terrific forum to learn a lot about the school, the program, and the life of a student. There is a lunch with current students and I believe another closing reception but there are usually not as much participation from current students who are more than likely doing there own thing elsewhere.
When I was a prospective student I only attended the Saturday portion of Welcome Weekend and while I thoroughly enjoyed it and of course ultimately decided that McDonough was right for me, in hindsight I always regretted that I did not attend the Friday night events after I saw how well the prospectives bonded with themselves and the current students on that night.
Hopefully this helps to answer some questions, and who knows, perhaps they've changed the format this year since I've graduated. Good luck and enjoy with whichever itinerary you choose!