How to Write the Georgetown University Essays

With this essay, the Georgetown admissions committee is looking for maturity, self-reflection, and a distinct perspective that reflects your background and experiences. When responding to this essay prompt, choose a brief narrative that illustrates a significant aspect of your identity, experiences, or values that you have actively engaged with or considered deeply. This can be a personal trait, a pivotal moment, a cultural connection, an intellectual curiosity, or anything else that defines you. Whatever you choose, you should demonstrate your intentional exploration of this facet of your identity and the ways in which you have grown as a result. For example, if you are from a military family, you could write about how you went from dreading your frequent moves to starting a club for other military kids to connect and build community as they adjust to new places. Conveying your active role in your own growth and development is critical to crafting a standout essay.

You should start with an attention-grabbing opening that introduces your chosen theme in a creative and dynamic way. This can be an anecdote, a vivid description, a quote, or a thought-provoking question to draw the reader in. Then, highlight any specific skills and talents you possess and explain how they contribute to your identity.

Question: What happens when you alter the hydration to make sourdough bread?

It always begins like this: a question pops into my mind, and I seek to answer it to a degree that might be considered obsessive. My curiosity can’t help itself, as making sourdough fuels my technical brain. Which microorganisms enable the fermentation process? What’s the best temperature to ferment it? In this specific case, how does the volume of water influence the end result of the sourdough?

I still remember my first experiment: when I was 7; I wanted to see how honey would affect the taste of a taco al pastor (it was a bad idea). Since then, I’ve experimented with everything from analyzing ant behavior to synthesizing capsaicin, but nothing compares to sourdough experimentation. Ever since that fateful day when it came out on the talavera plate (traditional Mexican plate), beautifully golden-brown, warm, and radiating an impeccable smell—I fell in love. I asked the chef: what is this? “Es pan de masa madre” he replied (it’s sourdough bread).

Hypothesis: By adding more water, the kneading process will be easier.

In previous attempts, my sourdough dough would always be compacted, proving difficult to knead. Adding water should certainly resolve this, right? I’ve always been encouraged to ask questions and seek their answers by gathering evidence. My father would always say “búsquele, joven” (search for it, young man). I treat knowledge like looking for light in a heavy fog: it might be difficult, but if you keep searching, you’ll eventually find it.

Experiment

Thus, I decided to increase the water by 375 grams, doubling the normal amount. I begin mixing. The dough’s texture instantly became silkier, eventually taking on a pancake batter-like consistency. The white flour was now creamy brown, and the smell was far more potent than before.

Visions swirled in my head about how much better the sourdough would turn out; I get over-eager if the beginning of an experiment seems promising. Once in Robotics Club, I was over-confident in my Python Script: the robot was going to detect an obstacle with its sensors and turn automatically. Unfortunately, the robot slammed into a brick, and I had to go back to the drawing board. Results always speak for themselves.

I let it ferment for 8 hours (3 at room temperature, 5 in the fridge) and then baked it for 60 minutes at 250 degrees Celsius. I anxiously checked the dough, staring at it for what seemed like hours. I was hungry for the result, and as the smell floated throughout the house, my mouth salivated for what was promising to be an incredible sourdough loaf.

Results and Analysis

Unfortunately, it was one of the worst sourdough breads I’ve ever tasted.

It was nothing like the beautiful sourdough bread I first had on the talavera plate. But the beauty of science is always looking for justification. I searched for the answers, and this is what I found: the flour didn’t have enough protein to sustain the amount of water used in the experiment; therefore, the loaf lacked structure. The more time the sourdough was given to ferment, the better its consistency and flavor were (however, don’t leave it in the fridge for more than 3 days). When baking high-hydration dough, it’s best to use a stretching and folding technique to knead the bread.

Conclusion

A high protein flour, a stretch and fold kneading method, and a high fermentation time are the three aspects required to create the best 100% hydration sourdough bread.

Since this experiment, I’ve made hundreds of sourdough breads: from cinnamon rolls and babka to bolillos and pain au levain. It’s not only the exquisite taste that draws me to sourdough bread, but the methodology required to make it. It’s the kind of thinking I love: asking “what if,” “how,” and “why.” Always pondering questions, always searching for answers.

In this classic “why this school?” prompt, Georgetown is asking you to write about your reasons for pursuing your intended area of study and for studying this subject at Georgetown’s College of Arts and Sciences. As with all supplemental essays, the key to answering this question well is specificity. You should begin your writing with an anecdote that introduces your interest in your intended field of study. Perhaps you came across something that piqued your interest in a course or book, had a particular experience that sparked a passion in your field, or encountered something later on in your learning journey that deepened your understanding of your topic. No matter the anecdote, ensure that it conveys your genuine enthusiasm for your intended field.

Next, provide specific reasons as to why you want to study what you want to study at Georgetown—is there a specific academic program you are keen to be a part of? Does the department have a particular pedagogy that matches your academic interests, needs, and goals? Are you interested in working with a particular professor or pursuing a research opportunity?

When approaching this essay, don’t forget to address the first part of the question, which mentions that Georgetown values both Jesuit pedagogy and research. To that end, make sure that you mention how the university’s Jesuit values will enrich your study in your field of interest.

“Why don’t sharks bite lawyers? Professional courtesy.”

I shot my dad a weary smile and turned my focus back to the landslide of papers and binders I had strewn across my desk before he could see me roll my eyes. Though he meant no harm by his cliché joke, I knew from my years spent on the Mock Trial and speech and debate circuits that, to many, their lawyer jokes held a grain of truth: excellent attorneys must be driven, analytical, strategic, and unyielding.

As I’ve grown as a debater and mock trial-er, I’ve taken pride in these traits—the thrill of puncturing an opponent’s argument, the exhilaration of finding a new angle that sways a judge’s opinion. However, I refuse to believe these qualities must be used for evil.

Like the ocean, the United States legal code is often murky, dense, and disorienting. As an intern for the ACLU and a volunteer for the Freedom Project, I was awash in stories of individuals and entire families struggling to navigate the complexities of our nation’s existing systems, caught in the nets of bureaucracy and stymied by the winding legal paths that stretched in front of them. It’s true that the legal system is difficult to navigate, and my primary aspiration is to use a keen eye and a deep understanding of law as a human rights lawyer, leveraging the sharpness intrinsic to the legal profession to clear paths forward and cut people free.

Georgetown shares my belief that compassion and drive are not mutually exclusive. Its identity as an intellectually rigorous university at the forefront of breakthroughs across disciplines is grounded in its Jesuit values—each advancement made at Georgetown is motivated by a firm commitment to service, envisioned with the betterment of society in mind. While taking advantage of programs that will propel me toward a dynamic legal career, like the Georgetown Law Early Assurance Program and assisting Professor Marc Howard in his Prisons and Justice initiative, I will simultaneously have access to myriad service opportunities and find strength to pursue this challenging work through a community that shares my values.

Unlike most ‘why this school?’ prompts, this question seeks to identify how the pedagogical values of the School of Nursing align with your own vocational goals. Beyond the traditional components of an academic skill set, the program seeks to inculcate specific values by training ethical, empathetic, and transformational leaders. In answering this question, demonstrate why those values are important to you and how you hope to develop or hone such qualities. As you describe your reasons for studying nursing, be sure to show (rather than tell) the admissions committee where your passion for the field originates. Perhaps a particularly impactful experience led you to realize that empathy is key to communication and care. Perhaps a teacher or mentor helped you to see that empathy is the foundation of healing . Whatever your reason(s), be sure to clearly articulate why you want to study the profession at a school that holds these particular values.

Like most “why this school?” questions, this prompt is asking you to answer two different questions: why do you want to study what you want to study and why do you want to do it at Georgetown in particular? Be sure to articulate how your educational goals align with the mission of the School of Health—note that the prompt specifically names innovation, interdisciplinarity, and community engagement as central to the school’s mission. You should therefore seek to tie your own interests and goals back to these core values.

Be specific in your discussion of your intended major: what aspects of the academic program interest you and why? Are there specific faculty, courses, or research pathways that you want to take advantage of? If so, be sure to explain how taking advantage of such opportunities will allow you to reach your vocational goals after graduation.

This question is similar to those posed by Georgetown’s other schools: what factors have influenced you to commit to the Walsh School of Foreign Service? How will your pursuit of education help you to create positive change in your local, national, or international community? Write about the major you intend to pursue and the direct impact you hope to have on specific systems or populations. Think about any gaps in your local or larger community you wish to address with your education and determination. Finally, remember that the best way to show the admissions committee your values is by pointing to your past experience of putting them into action. As such, point to meaningful experiences in your high school career that have exposed you to issues and opportunities in your field before connecting these experiences to your goals and intentions as a student and community member in the Walsh School of Foreign Service. Give detailed examples that can testify to your critical thinking skills, ability to apply what you’ve studied, and awareness of current affairs.

When answering this question, be sure to provide a thorough explanation as to why your values align with the pedagogy of the McDonough School. While analytical, financial, and global perspectives are important topics, make sure to think carefully about what an “ethical” perspective means to you. Recount your past experiences and describe your ambitions for your future endeavors, addressing how the McDonough School will prepare you to achieve those goals.

Ultimately, the most important task in answering these prompts is to do your research! Look for the resources that are only available at Georgetown and that have compelled you to apply to the school. Explore the school-specific programs, faculty, research, and study abroad programs that will strengthen your learning experience and enhance your academic enrichment. Think about ways you will be challenged in your area of study in Georgetown’s unique environment.