Jesuits are Nice, and They Know How to Name a College

We were’t prepared to like Georgetown because two years ago, a couple of girls from CJ’s school got in trouble for passing Coffee Nips to each other during the information session.  The admissions officer actually called the high school to complain, and needless to say, the girls were not admitted to Georgetown.  (Luckily the infraction did not affect the girls' chances at other colleges – they now attend Yale and University of Chicago.)  However, we were concerned that the Georgetown admissions people would remember the incident, and left our Altoids in the car.

But instead of a place full of Mint Nazis, we found Georgetown to be lovely, an oasis of interesting people investigating worldly pursuits (and playing serious basketball) in the middle of the most liveable part of our nation’s capital. 

And it has the best name of any college we have visited.

. 

- Vanderbilt sounds too elitist.

- Duke should be the name of Labrador retriever rather than an institution of higher learning. 

- The George Washington University has a pretentious, annoying “the” in its title.  What other college uses a definite article? Just imagine: The Princeton University or The Notre Dame. 
- Colgate – They’ve got to be kidding.  Is it in an athletic league with Oral B University and Listerine State?

- Northwestern – The "North" part has some logic for a college located in the northern city of Chicago. “Western” might have worked in 1867, doesn't quite cut it today.

But Georgetown is a fantastic name.  It sounds like Downtown or Motown or Funkytown – a theme park of sorts inspired by our favorite founding father, where you can join the ultimate Frisbee club or get an internship at the Mongolian Embassy.  The name looks fabulous on sweatshirts and girls’ boxer shorts.  (Yes, even though this is a Jesuit school, there is a girls’ underwear section in the campus bookstore.)

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