You might remember from our How to Get into Georgetown post that Georgetown uses its own application, so you won’t be applying through Common App or Coalition.
Still, you’ll have a few different essays to write. All applicants respond to the first two prompts, and then you’ll respond to another prompt based on the school or college to which you’re applying.
Let’s take a look.
Prompts for All Applicants
Short Essay (approximately one-half page, single-spaced)
You’ll be writing both of the following essays, no matter what your intended major is.
Briefly discuss the significance to you of the school or summer activity in which you have been most involved.
To kick off your Georgetown supplementals, you’ll start with this extracurricular activities essay. Georgetown already gives you some guidance about which activity to pick. They direct you to write about the one in which you’ve been most involved. Now, “most involved” could look like a lot of different things: it could be the one you’ve done the longest, the one you’ve dedicated the most time to recently, or the one in which you’ve had the biggest impact. Because you have some freedom in how you interpret Georgetown’s directions, you should pick the activity that you’ve dedicated a great deal of time and effort to and that has had the most significance in your life.
As with any extracurricular activities essay, your goal is to write about your activity in a way that shows the extent of your involvement. When Georgetown asks you to write about the “significance to you” of your activity, you can discuss the activity’s personal significance, how it’s shaped your goals or future, or how it’s changed you as a result of the impact you’ve had.
Essay One (approximately one single-spaced page)
As Georgetown is a diverse community, the Admissions Committee would like to know more about you in your own words. Please submit a brief essay, either personal or creative, which you feel best describes you.
You’ve got a couple of options with this prompt. If you want, you can write something entirely new specifically for Georgetown. But since Georgetown isn’t on Common App, you can also consider re-purposing your Common App personal statement here. The 650-word length should be about one page single-spaced, but you may have to do a bit of revising.
A quick word of caution: Although the prompt says you can submit a creative essay, keep in mind that the goal of this essay should still be to reveal something personally meaningful about yourself to the admissions committee. Your essay can be creatively written, but it should still be about you. In other words, probably don’t submit a work of creative fiction.
School- and College-Specific Prompts
You’ll only be writing one of the following prompts. Choose the one that corresponds with the school or college you’re applying to. No matter which prompt you choose, make sure you do some thorough research about the school or college ahead of time.
Essay Two (approximately one single-spaced page)
Georgetown College: What does it mean to you to be educated? How might Georgetown College help you achieve this aim? (Applicants to the Sciences and Mathematics or the Faculty of Languages and Linguistics should address their chosen course of study.)
In this creative take on a “why us” essay, Georgetown wants to know what you think it means to be educated and why Georgetown, specifically, is a good place to educate you. Strong responses to this question will be clear and direct yet creative. You should draw on specific features of Georgetown College that are appealing to you and related to your answer about what it means “to be educated.” Those features might include specific opportunities, coursework, College values, educational approaches, community beliefs, and more.
School of Health: Describe the factors that have influenced your interest in studying health care. Please specifically address your intended major (Global Health, Health Care Management & Policy, or Human Science).
If you’re applying to the School of Health, then this is the question you’ll be answering. You might write about an event that sparked your interest in health care, an activity you’ve been involved in that inspired you, or a health care topic that particularly fascinates you. Of course, don’t forget to also discuss why you’ve chosen your intended major specifically—at that point, it may also be a good idea to throw in a subtle nod or two to why Georgetown’s major is a good fit for you.
School of Nursing: Describe the factors that have influenced your interest in studying health care. Please specifically address your intended major Nursing.
This one’s similar to the previous one. You’ll want to write about what inspired you to be interested in health care, and you’ll want to focus on why you’ve decided to pursue nursing in particular. Were you inspired by someone, an event, or an academic interest you have? What kind of nursing are you interested in? Is there a specific aspect of nursing that appeals most to you? Is there anything specific about nursing at Georgetown that’s compelling? Answering these kinds of questions will help the admissions committee see that you’re a good fit for the nursing program.
Walsh School of Foreign Service: The Walsh School of Foreign Service was founded more than a century ago to prepare generations of leaders to solve global problems. What is motivating you to dedicate your undergraduate studies to a future in the service world?
This prompt's first sentence gives you a hint: Walsh prepares future “leaders to solve global problems.” Since it’s always good to show values alignment in supplementals, your answer could have something to do with leadership, problem-solving, or a global approach. The key in this kind of supplemental essay is to be specific. Write about particular problems you’re interested in solving, people you want to work with, aspects of the Walsh School that are compelling, or beliefs you have about foreign or public service.
McDonough School of Business: The McDonough School of Business is a national and global leader in providing graduates with essential ethical, analytical, financial and global perspectives. Please discuss your motivations for studying business at Georgetown.
There are all kinds of motivations people have for studying business. Whatever yours are, make sure they’re clear and specific. Try to avoid generalities like “I want to study business because I want to be an entrepreneur.” Dig a little deeper: what’s the how and why behind your motivations? Why are they significant to you? How will they help you impact the world around you? Finally, remember to address the last part of the question: why you want to study business at Georgetown specifically. This essay is a great place to incorporate some of the particular opportunities, coursework, faculty, research, etc. that has led you to apply to Georgetown in the first place.
Now hop on over to the Georgetown application if you’re ready to start writing! Or, if you need a little more guidance before jumping in, consider joining the Essay Academy, our comprehensive digital college essay course. ✏️
