Georgetown in a Nutshell
Georgetown is wonderful in a lot of ways. As a relatively small, private university, it can offer its students personalized attention and services that may be hard to find in a larger university. These include personal relationships with faculty members, small class sizes, career-education services, counseling and other support groups geared to individualized concerns, etc. Georgetown students also benefit tremendously from the campus location in Washington, DC. The actual town of Georgetown offers a smaller, more manageable space for students within the larger urban context. The town of Georgetown comes to feel like an extended campus and students find themselves right at home outside the campus gates. Additionally, Georgetown's close proximity to Capital Hill and the White House not only offers fantastic career opportunities, which many students take advantage of, but also brings influential speakers to campus (the list includes President Obama, Hillary Clinton, and fellow Hoya Bradley Cooper).
Student complaints about Georgetown typically critique the social dynamics on campus. There is a small greek presence, but these fraternities and sororities are not recognized by the University and can easily be ignored if one so chooses. Consequently, Georgetown relies a lot upon other student groups to organize social interactions. One such group is The Corp, an entirely student-run organization (the largest in the nation) that operates many food and service businesses on campus. Some students feel animosity toward The Corp, typically describing it as exclusive and all-consuming of its members (it has even been referred to as "The Cult"). The Corp is, however, the largest student group on campus and "Corpies" typically love their experience. Another major social critique here at Georgetown is of the dominant "hook-up culture". Serious relationships are not common and an invitation to go on the stereotypical dinner-date is very rare and taken seriously. The norm is rather the casual hook-up, something people usually tire of by junior year. This notion of the "hook-up culture" is so prevalent that not only does every student know the term, but so do many professors.
Georgetown, obviously, is not perfect, but does offer both strong academics and a strong social scene. Each person's experience is a little different, but all the students I know are proud to be Hoyas.