Yasmin Diallo (C’28) is a sophomore from Atlanta, Georgia, majoring in public policy within the College of Arts & Sciences and the McCourt School of Public Policy and is a Georgetown Storyteller.
At approximately 6 p.m. on a Wednesday evening, I received an email from Georgetown alerting me that a decision letter had been posted to my portal.
Naturally, I did what anyone else in my place would have done.
I promptly shut down my phone, shoved it in the farthest corner of my room, pulled out my laptop, and proceeded to binge-watch YouTube videos for the next eight hours, well into the early hours of the next morning.
Why I Chose Georgetown
Applying to Georgetown as a transfer student was quite the unique experience. While I had enjoyed my time as a freshman at the previous institution I attended, I was frustrated with the limited majors I could study. I wanted to study law and its tangible impacts, which led me to search for public policy programs.
Naturally, I stumbled across Georgetown’s newest public policy major. What made this academic program really stand out to me was how students are in both the College of Arts & Sciences and the McCourt School of Public Policy, and the duality that came with that unique collaboration.
The public policy major provides opportunities to work directly with graduate professors and engage in their specialized research in addition to being immersed in an environment that constantly facilitates interactions with graduate students, spaces I look forward to exploring as I transition from the Hilltop to the Capitol Campus this upcoming school year.
As someone who also hopes to attend law school one day, the proximity of Georgetown Law to the McCourt School of Public Policy is another factor that I am eager to take advantage of. Being able to interact with current law school students and even law school professors is, what I believe, a chance to gain further insight into what the law school experience is like, ultimately furthering my perspectives as a current undergraduate student.
Being able to experience both the established Hilltop and newly developing Capitol Campus offered me the best of both worlds: a traditional college experience paired with meaningful professional opportunities. This combination made Georgetown the perfect fit for my academic goal of engaging with rigorous coursework in public policy.
Beyond the classroom, I am also motivated by my professional goal of working directly at the intersection of policy and practice. The professional development opportunities that Georgetown’s Capitol Campus in the heart of DC has to offer are especially unique, another factor that attracted me to the undergraduate public policy program. Having the ability to access key sectors that influence global issues while gaining firsthand experience by working alongside community leaders, policymakers and researchers is what I believe makes the Capitol Campus experience truly invaluable.
Georgetown’s vast extracurriculars were another factor that influenced my decision to transfer. From community service programs like the DC Schools Project (DCSP) to creative student organizations like the Georgetown Program Board, Georgetown has a diverse range of activities for students to engage in, ensuring that I would find my fit no matter what corner of campus I found myself in.
Since arriving, I can confidently say that this holds true. Being part of the Georgetown Stories, for example, has allowed me to nurture my creativity while documenting my unique journey as a transfer student. Sharing my experiences with the broader community, and even with prospective Hoyas, has made my time at Georgetown feel especially meaningful, as I’ve been able to reflect on my own growth while helping others envision their place here as well.
The Transfer Council is another organization that has deeply shaped my experience here. Through collaborating with fellow board members to develop social programming for transfer students, I’ve had the opportunity to help foster a stronger sense of community and belonging for students navigating the same transition I once faced. This has not only strengthened my connection to Georgetown but has also allowed me to give back to a community that welcomed me so fully.
Speaking to the Georgetown alumni I knew was what truly solidified Georgetown as my top transfer school choice. They told me about their Georgetown stories, highlighting the unique DC-specific opportunities they engaged in and the long-lasting community they built with fellow Hoyas. They also provided me with great application tips and were really supportive throughout the application process.
All that was left to do was wait and see what happened next.
My Acceptance
Clearly, this was easier said than done, because when my decision arrived, I did everything in my power to not open it. Ironically, my procrastination came to a halt thanks to my favorite YouTuber and Georgetown alumnus, Linh Truong (C’24). Midway through her newest video, she coincidentally wore a Georgetown sweatshirt, and once I caught sight of it, I knew it was time to face the music.
At 2 a.m., through shaking hands (and an insane amount of profuse sweating), I navigated to my application portal and clicked on the decision update.
My heart immediately sank; there hadn’t been a confetti burst.
But when I caught sight of the first few words, I shot up in disbelief. I had gotten in.
Ultimately, that moment captured everything this journey had been about. The uncertainty, the persistence and the quiet hope that somehow, things would work out. And in the end, I ended up exactly where I needed to be.
Looking back, I’m incredibly grateful: to the mentors and alumni who guided me, to the experiences that pushed me to seek something more and, of course, to Linh Troung, whose perfectly timed Georgetown sweatshirt quite literally pushed me to open the door to my future.
And Georgetown…..maybe just a little confetti next time?
