Georgetown University supplemental essays

The prompts, one by one

1. Activity short essayup to 250 words · Activity

   “Briefly discuss the significance to you of the school or summer activity in which you have been most involved.”

   What it's really asking

   Depth on one activity: what you actually did, what was hard about it, and why it mattered to you beyond the title. Georgetown University already has your activities list; this is the story behind one line of it.

   Where drafts go wrong

   Re-listing the activities list in prose, or choosing the most prestigious activity rather than the one you can say something true about. Starting with "I joined X in ninth grade."

   The shape of a strong answer

   Start inside a specific moment of the activity. Explain one problem you solved or one thing you built, with detail only a participant would know. Close on what it changed in how you think or work.

2. Differing viewpoints short essayup to 250 words · Disagreement

   “In all our lives, we interact with people who hold different viewpoints than our own. Describe such an event you experienced. What did you learn from the experience?”

   What it's really asking

   Whether you can hold a disagreement without flattening the other person. Georgetown University is checking for intellectual humility and the ability to keep talking, not for who won.

   Where drafts go wrong

   Choosing a disagreement where you were obviously right and the other person obviously wrong. Or ending with "we agreed to disagree," which says nothing happened.

   The shape of a strong answer

   A real disagreement with a real person, stated fairly from their side. What you did in the conversation (not what you felt). What shifted afterwards, in you, even if your view held. Specific lines of dialogue help.

3. Personal or creative essayup to 650 words · Community

   “As Georgetown is a diverse community, the Admissions Committee would like to know more about you in your own words. Please submit a brief personal or creative essay which you feel best describes you and reflects on your personal background and individual experiences, skills, and talents.”

   What it's really asking

   Two things at once: which community actually shaped how you think, and what you will bring to Georgetown University because of it. The second half is where most drafts stop short.

   Where drafts go wrong

   Describing the community instead of your role in it, or choosing the one that sounds impressive rather than the one that changed you. "Diversity" as an abstraction, with no scene.

   The shape of a strong answer

   Pick a community you can describe with a scene, not a label. Show one moment where it taught you something or asked something of you. Spend the last third on what that means you'll do at Georgetown University: a specific contribution, not "bring my perspective."

4. College of Arts & Sciences essayup to 500 words · Intellectual curiosity

   “Founded in 1789, the Georgetown College of Arts & Sciences is committed to the Jesuit traditions of an integrated education and of productive research in the natural sciences, humanities, social sciences, and fine arts. Describe your interest in studying in the College of Arts & Sciences.”

   What it's really asking

   Whether you think about things when nobody is grading you. Georgetown University wants a specific idea, question or project and the way your mind moved through it.

   Where drafts go wrong

   Name-dropping a big topic (AI, climate, quantum) and describing it instead of your own thinking about it. Essays that could have been written from the Wikipedia page.

   The shape of a strong answer

   One specific question or thing you made. The wrong turns and what you tried next. What you still don't know. Curiosity reads as unfinished; that's the point.

5. McDonough School of Business essayup to 500 words · Community

   “Georgetown University's McDonough School of Business provides graduates with essential global, ethical, analytical, financial, and diverse perspectives on the economies of our nation and the world. Describe your primary motivations for studying business at Georgetown University.”

   What it's really asking

   Two things at once: which community actually shaped how you think, and what you will bring to Georgetown University because of it. The second half is where most drafts stop short.

   Where drafts go wrong

   Describing the community instead of your role in it, or choosing the one that sounds impressive rather than the one that changed you. "Diversity" as an abstraction, with no scene.

   The shape of a strong answer

   Pick a community you can describe with a scene, not a label. Show one moment where it taught you something or asked something of you. Spend the last third on what that means you'll do at Georgetown University: a specific contribution, not "bring my perspective."

6. Walsh School of Foreign Service essayup to 500 words · Leadership

   “Georgetown University's Walsh School of Foreign Service was founded more than a century ago to prepare generations of leaders with the foundational skills to address global issues. Describe your primary motivations for studying international affairs at Georgetown University and dedicating your undergraduate studies toward a future in global service.”

   What it's really asking

   Not your title but a moment where you changed what a group did. Georgetown University reads "leadership" broadly; the youngest sibling organising a family can answer this as well as a club president.

   Where drafts go wrong

   Describing the role instead of a decision. "As president, I led the team to success" contains no information. Taking credit for a group's work.

   The shape of a strong answer

   One situation, one decision you made that others didn't have to accept, how you got them to, and what happened. Include what it cost you or what you'd do differently.

7. School of Health essayup to 500 words · Why this major

   “Georgetown University's School of Health was founded to advance the health and well-being of people locally, nationally, and globally through innovative research, the delivery of interdisciplinary education, and transformative engagement of communities. Describe the factors that influenced your interest in studying health care at Georgetown University, specifically addressing your intended related major: Global Health, Health Care Management & Policy, or Human Science.”

   What it's really asking

   The moment this subject stopped being a class and became a question you couldn't drop. Georgetown University wants evidence you've chosen on purpose, not by default.

   Where drafts go wrong

   Turning it into a résumé: grades, awards and "I have always been passionate about." A list of achievements is not a reason to study something. Grand missions ("to cure cancer") read as borrowed.

   The shape of a strong answer

   One specific experience, one specific confusion or question it left you with, and what you did about it on your own. Then one or two things in Georgetown University's version of the major that match that question. Small and real beats big and vague.

8. Berkley School of Nursing essayup to 500 words · Leadership

   “Georgetown University's Berkley School of Nursing is committed to the formation of ethical, empathetic, and transformational nursing leaders. Describe the factors that have influenced your interest in studying Nursing at Georgetown University.”

   What it's really asking

   Not your title but a moment where you changed what a group did. Georgetown University reads "leadership" broadly; the youngest sibling organising a family can answer this as well as a club president.

   Where drafts go wrong

   Describing the role instead of a decision. "As president, I led the team to success" contains no information. Taking credit for a group's work.

   The shape of a strong answer

   One situation, one decision you made that others didn't have to accept, how you got them to, and what happened. Include what it cost you or what you'd do differently.

9. McCourt School of Public Policy essayup to 500 words · Goals

   “Describe your primary motivations for studying public policy at Georgetown University and dedicating your undergraduate studies toward a future related to public service.”

   What it's really asking

   Whether you've thought past admission. Georgetown University wants a direction and the reasoning behind it, not a guaranteed career plan.

   Where drafts go wrong

   A job title with no reasoning, or a mission so large it can't be checked ("change the world"). Plans that don't connect to anything you've done.

   The shape of a strong answer

   The problem or kind of work that pulls you, one thing you've already done toward it, and what you'd need next that Georgetown University provides. It's fine to say the plan might change; say what wouldn't.

10. Earth Commons Institute essayup to 500 words · Open prompt

    “Describe your primary motivations for studying environment and sustainability at Georgetown University to effect positive change in the world.”

    What it's really asking

    Whatever matters to you that the rest of the application hasn't shown. Georgetown University is giving you the floor; the question is what you choose to put on it.

    Where drafts go wrong

    Using the space to summarise achievements, apologise for a weakness, or restate the personal statement. Choosing a topic because it sounds like what colleges want.

    The shape of a strong answer

    One subject the reader couldn't guess from your file, told through a specific scene. Keep it in your own voice; if it sounds like a brochure, cut it. End on something still unresolved.

Every US applicant also writes the Common App personal statement: 650 words, seven prompts. Don't repeat it here; the supplements are for what the statement didn't show.

A self-check before you submit

Cover the school name and read the essay. Then cover your name and read it again. It should fail the first test (it only makes sense for Georgetown University) and pass the second (only you could have written it). If it passes the first test, it's a brochure. If it fails the second, it's a template.