Category: Messages to the Community

Title: For the Class of 2024 and Transfer Students, an Immersive Summer Experience

Dear Georgetown Student,

As mentioned in the November letter from President DeGioia, the University plans to launch an exciting on-campus Summer Hilltop Immersion Program for the Class of 2024 and our new transfer students. We know that you and other first year and transfer students have not been able to fully engage in life on campus due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We want you to participate in the bonding experience that naturally occurs by sharing spaces with your classmates on the Hilltop Campus, in residence halls, in classrooms, and libraries.  

Therefore, we are pleased to invite you to campus to enjoy the Summer Hilltop Immersion Program before the beginning of your sophomore year. This is a unique experience for the Class of 2024 and our new transfer student Hoyas, which will offer an opportunity for in-person interaction with faculty, on-campus activities with peers, building community in residence halls, and learning about Washington, DC. 

Thank you, Class of 2024, for providing ideas regarding what features of the summer program that would be of greatest benefit to you. The program development was also guided by feedback from public health experts. To encourage broad student participation, financial aid awards for students typical of the academic year will be offered to permit full participation of class members.

All of our plans for the Summer Hilltop Immersion Program are provisional and subject to modification based on public health conditions, and review and acceptance by the Washington, DC government.

Program Overview:

We are planning for the Summer Hilltop Immersion Program to be a five week program focused on the Class of 2024 and other new Hoyas that will take place from June 4 to July 9, 2021. Our most popular courses typically taken by first year students and sophomores will be open to you in this special experience. An initial list is provided below. In addition, there will be a series of one-credit hour courses that are built around experiential opportunities and programs to help students learn some of the Jesuit values that animate Georgetown, like “women and men for others,” “community in diversity,” “cura personalis,” and other core aspects of who we are. There will also be opportunities to meet and get to know faculty through small meetings related to current topics, their research, or courses that may be of interest to students.

This experience will allow students to get acquainted with each other through special activities, as public health guidelines will allow. These will include opportunities to:

  • Interact with classmates in a residential experience on the Hilltop;
  • Explore Washington, DC and engage in one of the most vibrant cities in the world that is also a great laboratory for learning;
  • Learn from upperclass student leaders in an immersive orientation experience;
  • Explore  co-curricular opportunities that are available to students when they return in the Fall to help in their formation as developing Hoyas;
  • Begin career planning with services at the Cawley Career Education Center; and, 
  • Learn about the many student supportive offices on campus including Health Education Services, the Writing Center, the Academic Resource Center, the Student Ombuds Office, Center for Social Justice, Campus Ministry and Counseling and Psychiatric Services.

Full-need financial aid will be available to eligible participating students to make this opportunity accessible to all our new Hoyas. 

Below is an initial sample of classes that may be offered, assuming there is sufficient enrollment. This is not a complete list, and courses will continue to be added with a focus on first year and sophomore level courses.

Intro to Computer Science: Python, COSC-010
Computer Science I, COSC-051
Computer Science II, COSC-052
Econ Principles Micro, ECON-001
Econ Principles Macro, ECON-002
Intro to Film Studies, FMST-181
International Trade, ECON-243
Comparative Political Systems, GOVT-040
International Relations, GOVT-060
History in Focus, HIST-099
Middle East II, HIST-161
Introduction to Ethics, PHIL-010
Introduction to Philosophy, PHIL-020
Introduction to Sociology, SOCI-001
Writing and Culture, WRIT-015
Painting I: Oil, ARTS-150
Science courses: Organic Chemistry, General Chemistry, Foundations of Biology, Principles of Physics
Language courses:  Chinese, French, German, Italian, Spanish – levels vary by department
Introduction to Epidemiology, HESY 184
HealthCare in America I, HESY 010)
Nutrition and Disease Prevention, HEST 112
Probability and Statistics, Math 040
Health, Equity, and Justice: Understanding Factors, Creating Change
Anatomy & Physiology I, HSCO 113 (online)
Anatomy & Physiology II, HSCO 114 (online)
Accounting II, ACCT 102
Principles of Marketing, MARK 220
International Business, STRT 261

We will provide more specific information about the program soon.

We look forward to welcoming you to experience Georgetown as a class, in-person, on the Hilltop campus.

Hoya Saxa,
Rohan Williamson
Vice Provost for Education