Mathieu Wiener

MSB ’16
Age: 20
Hometown: Beverly Hills, Calif.
Major: Finance
Minor: Undecided, possibly French

Where are you from? Can you compare and contrast it to Georgetown and tell me where you feel more comfortable?
I’m from Beverly Hills. It’s hard to say because I’m going to school here, in college, and to be honest, if I had gone to college in California, somewhere, I probably would have felt just as, I guess you could say, lonely, as I do here. I miss my friends and I miss my family, but I’m sure if I had spent my college years at a college in California, I would have also felt quite lonely, because it’s a transformation from childhood to adulthood.

Could you compare your high school to Georgetown?
My high school was much less tolerant and much more dramatic than I think it is here at Georgetown. There was a lot more pressure to be someone that you’re not and here at Georgetown, it’s a lot more accepting to be who you want to be.

What do you do?
I’ve just taken on the new sport of rowing, and that takes up most of my time now. If I had to guess, I would say it takes four hours out of my day. Aside from that, I am in a fraternity, Zeta Psi — it’s a social fraternity.

Do you feel obliged to be busy at Georgetown?
I do. Although, I don’t buy into it. I feel a lot of pressure coming from other people, because you’re kind of looked down upon if you’re not busy 24 hours of the day, and to be honest, I think it’s quite unhealthy to be busy all the time. I like to take time for myself. It’s a matter of personal growth, I suppose.

What do you do for “me” time?
For “me” time, it really depends. I like to DJ on my computer sometimes. I like to go on bike rides and I like to go on walks. And sometimes I like to do those things alone, because you need to spend time alone sometimes.

What do you find most frustrating about Georgetown?
Probably the competitive nature and I understand that’s ironic in some sense. Why else come to a top-20 school if you’re not looking for a competitive environment? But I think it’s taken to a whole new level and it’s a level that’s not always healthy.

What do you like most about Georgetown?
I have to say the opportunities that are present for being in Washington, D.C. For one, we’re right on the Potomac, which, for me, is probably the top five reasons to come to Georgetown. There’s not many school that are on rivers, especially top-20 schools or top-50 schools, now that I think about it. And then, of course, there are the internship opportunities that I’ve taken advantage of, on Capitol Hill and the law firms and the consulting firms all over the city.

What are your plans after Georgetown?
I plan on going to law school. I considered getting a master’s in business, but I actually changed my mind based on the repetitive nature of the classes. I thought that many of the classes I would be taking as an MBA are the same classes that I’ve already taken as an undergraduate. Of course, they’re not to the same intensity or depth or whatever, but I thought it would make me more marketable to have a law degree.

What’s your greatest fear?
My greatest fear is to disappoint my family, specifically my grandfather. He has such high expectations and he expects me to do so well and he tries not to put pressure on me, but I put pressure on myself, but I put pressure on myself because I want nothing more than to meet his expectations and make him happy.

Is there anything else you want the world to know about you?
I’m single?

Interviewed by Mallika Sen