I’m in the MSB and I’m proud

The four schools of Georgetown all house a wide range of individuals with different backgrounds and personalities.  The students of each school come with various skills and numerous reasons to choose their specific path but very often fit certain traits that seem to embody the archetypal member of that school.  Nowhere does this fact ring more true than inside the walls of Hariri.  Both its smaller pool of majors and larger number of students contribute to the MSB getting a far more defined and stigmatized stereotype of its students than the rest.  The added scrutiny might seem unfair for simply choosing to apply to a certain part of Georgetown if so many of the views were not so accurate.  That being said, I as an MSB student don’t see a need to apologize for any of the features of mine that do fit the stereotype.

Most Georgetown students will have heard the term “MSBro” at some point.  It can imply many different things but often carries a negative connotation if not a sarcastic self-deprecating one.  We are seen as the greedy frat types that want to make money with the least amount of effort and focused expertise.  Fridays off and features such as the lack of a language requirement make people outside the MSB see its students as lazy or at least lucky to have an easier time.

However, I personally see no effect on motivation as a result of such variables.  I just think my strengths and skills better suit me for a career coming out of McDonough. Like many others in the B school, I fill my time with opportunities, like writing for The Tab, to hone my skills outside of Finance and Management classes.  On the other hand I was terrible at three different foreign languages I tried to take before college so not having to deal with that has been a huge bonus.

When you go to a nerdy college with four distinct schools, it’s hard not to make the comparisons to the houses of hogwarts, and can you guess which school is universally picked to be Slytherin?  Beyond the “pure-blood” racist part and the following of a dark lord part, which I sincerely hope are inconsequential to the comparison,  Slytherin represents elitist stuck-up snobs.  Now I came to Georgetown by way of an all boys Catholic private school in New England and I can enjoy looking my best in a nice suit but my attitude towards others should never be assumed to coincide with a Draco Malfoy level of contempt or enjoyment for looking down on others.

On the other hand I liked the idea of a major in business because it seemed to me like the path with the most options to be whatever person living whatever lifestyle I wanted later in life.  Both of my parents majored in business before finding careers they enjoyed that I’m certain they did not expect to have when applying for college and I wanted the same level of freedom.

Our school is just our school.  I am contented when someone new can guess that I am an “MSBro” as well as when I am told I do not seem like a business school person because I know I chose my path for the right reasons — as did most of my classmates.