As a 16-year-old who wants to study political science and history in the future, I cannot describe how glad I was when I heard about Georgetown University. With the best foreign service school in the world, alongside a small but breathtaking campus, I knew it was my dream school at first sight.

This summer, to get to know the school better, I went to their 5-week HOYA (Georgetown College’s official cheer) summer school program. Here are some pros and cons of my experience to help you determine if the program is right for you.

Application process

The application process for the HOYA summer program was painful. The Georgetown website for applying was not only hard to navigate but also annoying. It frequently logged me out, forcing me to go through two-factor authentication every time I signed back in, which kept delaying my progress.

To make matters worse, important emails that contained information such as where to pick dorms or billing plans were inconsistently sent to either my personal account or my Georgetown account. This constant switching of platforms and missed emails in my inboxes made the entire process frustrating and time-consuming.

Another challenge I faced as a Taiwanese applicant was the additional vaccine and immunization requirements. Georgetown required a medical form signed by a doctor to prove that I have all the necessary shots. Unfortunately for me, Georgetown notified me that I was missing medical papers late into the application, and because it takes time to get the results of the shots, I was unable to register in time for my top choice courses, such as international policy or political theory.

Academic experience

In contrast to the application process, the academic experience was great. Being passionate about history, I chose US history before 1945 for my class. While US history was not my first choice, the class did not disappoint me at all.

Class was 2.5 hours per day, four days a week, for 5 weeks. I could tell the teacher tried to cover as much information as possible while keeping the class engaging. She asked questions and expected answers, designed group projects, and even organized two field trips, one to the Black American History Museum and another to Woodrow Wilson’s house! We got a tour of the house, and I thought it was cool to see where a former president lived.

There were also two exams and one final essay. You could get a relatively high score if you put in enough effort in studying, which I found comforting. However, the curriculum moved fast, and sometimes it was hard to keep up. Although I guess that is a challenge everyone faces at intense summer programs like this.

Student Life

One thing I loved about Georgetown is that it had tons of activities to do in your free time. For a person who only enrolled in one class, that was heaven. Outside of class time, studying, or just chilling in my dorm, there were other activities I could attend, such as bracelet workshops or ice cream Mondays. These events helped me connect with more people who were also part of the summer program. This was helpful because, as a foreigner studying abroad, alone for the first time, finding friends was not always easy.

However, as great as the activities were, don’t expect too much from the food at Georgetown. Not only was the process of buying meal plans confusing, as different people gave me different directions, but the price per meal was unbelievably high. To make matters worse, the expensive meals did not guarantee tasty food. The menu started rotating after a few days, and some days, every single option at the dining hall would be so bad that I would just choose not to eat. The Asian food they offered was straight-up disrespectful. You should just walk to the Chick-fil-A on campus and get yourself a nice crispy chicken burger.

Other than Chick-fil-A, there are a few good restaurants within walking distance of campus. Right off campus, there is a small college town that has basically everything you need. From shopping to entertainment to food to necessities, a 10-20 minute walk is enough. I took a fall in the second week at Georgetown, and I was thankful there was a CVS pharmacy near my dorm where I could buy bandages and medical supplies.

Personal Growth

Overall, the Georgetown HOYA summer school was an amazing experience, and I learned a lot during my five weeks there. The program helped me get familiar with what college will look like and how lonely it can get when your parents aren’t around. I remember sobbing in my dorm after I fell down because I missed home so much. This trip made me realize that at the worst times, when your family isn’t around, you have to toughen up and rely on the help of your friends.

But I learned that after a while, you get used to the different environment, and eventually friends come along. I am thankful for this experience not only because I learned some college-level history, but also because I am now more prepared for a journey I have to face a year from now when I graduate high school.