The Hoya Experience

Riggs library, Georgetown

Everyone has a Sunday tradition. For my Catholic friends, Sunday means 7:30 pm mass in Dahlgren chapel. For my floor-mates, Sunday is synonymous with crowding around the T.V. to watch the Patriots’ game. But for me, Sunday also includes a far less religious or athletic tradition: it’s the day I meet with my Economics study group.

Since the beginning of sophomore year, my three-person study group has made a habit of congregating with our Econ textbooks every Sunday afternoon to discuss problems sets, review material, and prepare for class.

To the outside observer, I’m sure our weekly “get-togethers” seem dorky if not outright dull. But, personally, these Sunday afternoons are a highlight of my week.  

Rather than cooping up in a library, we study at local coffee shops, cafés, and markets. One afternoon in particular, we claimed a table on Dean and DeLuca’s patio and nibbled on sandwiches and sweets while sliding supply curves. Together, we’ve debated prices and consumer preferences while baking pumpkin pie, defined Marshallian demand over macaroni and cheese, and celebrated the completion of our midterm with 16 ounces of Ben & Jerry’s chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream.  

Our study group enjoys not just culinary activities. We also attend our professor’s office hours together and have listened to lectures at Georgetown by famous economists, like former Secretary of the Treasury, Larry Summers.  

When I first arrived at Georgetown, I was worried that I might not be able to academically “compete.” My study group has shown me that those fears were completely unfounded. Georgetown is cooperative—not cutthroat. Here, your peers and professors aren’t your rivals; they’re more like teammates – the type of people with which you can laugh at nerdy jokes, socialize, and study subsidies, sunk costs, and savings on Sundays.

Hoya Saxa!

The Daily Show, August 18, 2016