How to Write the Georgetown University Essays

When responding to this prompt, it’s important you convey your unique experiences by selecting a skill or talent that genuinely sets you apart. Reflect on your interests, achievements, or experiences. It could be an academic ability, a creative skill, a leadership accomplishment, or something else entirely. No answer is wrong as long as your writing is passionate and engaging! Finally, discuss how this skill or talent has contributed to your personal growth and development. Explain how it has shaped your character, perspectives, and goals.

One night at a campfire, I heard deep, rich tones reverberating through my ears; an instrument was playing. Intrigued by the distinct timbre, I followed the sound and searched for its origin. The sounds stemmed from a ukulele, and from that night, its captivating music inspired me to create my own tunes. Since my very first strum, the strings on the sculpted wood sustained a perfect vibration that created a smooth pitch. Before I knew it, I was making chord patterns to play my favorite John Mayer song.

The ukulele is the primary way in which I express my feelings; it allows me to communicate with others and form connections through the rhythm of the beat. Quickly, I discovered that I had the power not only to create beautiful melodies but to bring people together while doing so. Through music, we let down our walls and find commonalities. Beyond the barriers of culture and language, music unites us. When my fingers find the rhythm, I witness transformations: an introvert becomes an extrovert, an elder finds youth, and a lost mind develops insight.

Since the campfire, this instrument has become a part of me. I’ve played it at Christmas, on road trips with my friends, and even at the hospital to cheer up my grandfather. While you might see me as just someone with a ukulele, I know that my talent is in fact much more: it is about bringing joy to others, finding serenity, and creating community.

In order to tackle this prompt, you should reflect on your experiences, values, and personal growth. Select a school or summer activity that holds personal significance to you. Your response can take a variety of different paths. For example, it can be an extracurricular, volunteer work, a job, or any experience that has had a significant impact on your life. Discuss moments or experiences within the activity that were transformative for you. These can include a challenge you overcame, a lesson you learned, or a new perspective you obtained. When writing, it’s important to employ anecdotes and examples to make your response vivid and captivating.

“Join, join!” I distinctly remember a student saying to me in the hallway. She asked if I was interested in volunteering for the National Honor Society (NHS). At the time, NHS was foreign to me, but the passion in her eyes instantly ignited my curiosity. As the “new kid” at school, I hoped that joining would bring belonging and a sense of acceptance.

Quickly, I learned that NHS’s core values aligned perfectly with my own: the pillars of Scholarship, Leadership, Service, and Character are essential to who I am both in and out of the classroom. I observed NHS members who organized events, planned fundraisers, and selflessly worked on behalf of the community. Aspiring to do the same, I joined their ranks; I wanted to be more than a volunteer.

Eventually, I became a member and then President! Truthfully, over the last few years, NHS has become my second home. I love that it is an entirely student-led organization—while participation is voluntary, our passion for service is unyielding. At NHS, everyone is a leader; we each share an equal commitment to our community and yearn to see it flourish.

During my first semester as a member, I conducted a needs assessment for the organization and calculated that we were in need of money; shortly after, I led a team for a fundraising auction. It was the first time I was responsible for such a huge event from start to finish. In fact, due to the event’s success in raising over $10,000, it will become a yearly tradition. Through this experience, I learned to manage groups, navigate bureaucracy, and find a balance between expressing my opinions and listening to those of others.

Most importantly, I’m proud of our accomplishments. For instance, we provided support for a socioeconomically disadvantaged elementary school: NHS has remodeled classrooms, built a new library, and installed water tanks. As President, I’ve personally overseen new tutoring programs, several supplies drives, and a Covid-relief initiative.

My weekly visits to the school have been the highlight of my high school career. Through recognizing the experiences of others, I’m reminded daily of the power of education. I’m inspired by the students’ resilience, openness, and sense of hope. In all, as I continue my journey into college and the professional world, I’ll continue to live out the NHS values that define my character.

When responding to this essay prompt, it’s important that you pick a topic that involves a significant aspect of your identity, experiences, or values. This can be a personal trait, a pivotal moment, a cultural connection, intellectual curiosity, or anything else that defines you. You should start with an attention-grabbing opening that introduces your chosen theme. 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, almost obsessively. My curiosity can’t help itself, and 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 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. 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, the sourdough 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 out the 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 sourdough instantly starts transforming into a silky dough, eventually turning into 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 automatically turn. 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 to be an incredible sourdough bread.

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 sourdough didn’t have 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). For high-hydration dough, it’s best if you 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 which is 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.

When approaching this essay, it’s important to select an intellectually stimulating experience which has influenced you, shifted your perspective, or somehow made you view the world in a different light. Think of previous intellectual experiences you’ve had through literature, philosophy, classes, past experiences, etc., which have had a profound impact on how you think—when you’ve had an “aha” moment which challenged you to think in new and profound ways. You should then relate this intellectual experience to your overall academic ambitions. Has this experience influenced your choice of major, career aspirations or personal ambitions? Discuss how it has been an important part of your greater intellectual development.

The most profound intellectual experience I had was my discovery of John Rawls’ A Theory of Justice. Rawls’ theory illustrates a theoretical situation that models how principles of justice are chosen. He describes a “veil of ignorance,” under which an individual is unaware of his or her class, fortune, intelligence, capability, or strength. According to Rawls, if citizens were ignorant of these factors when establishing the social and legal foundations and social contracts of a nation, they would advocate for principles that represent justice for all members of society rather than those aligned with their self-interests.

Reading Rawls’ piece made me reflect on whether this argument could be applicable to my own society. Since its inception, Mexico has suffered vast socioeconomic inequalities. A small economic elite has controlled the levers of power and failed to address structural deficiencies affecting a vast majority of the population. Even though education is a constitutionally-protected right, many poor municipalities lack the funds to build the proper infrastructure to offer learning opportunities to children, leaving many with the inability to access education.

Further, while Rawls does not discuss gender and sexuality in his original argument, modern theorists have extended his contentions to topics related to them. As a gay man, I’ve experienced the inequities of the justice system. Members of the LGBTQ+ community are not afforded equal legal recognition, nor are they able to make autonomous decisions related to their bodies, healthcare, and civil liberties. Furthermore, Mexico’s system fails to address hate crimes and discrimination.

Applying Rawls’ approach to Mexico, many factors inherent to privileged groups stem from circumstances that cannot be fairly accredited to them (i.e., not earned), but rather that they’ve been born into or inherited (i.e., by random chance), making their advantages unfair. Thus, an individual’s socioeconomic position or gender determines whether they will be favored or undermined by society. In contrast, under Rawls’ veil of ignorance, ian individual of a prominent family would advocate for a social contract that would grant justice despite background and position. If implemented in Mexico, citizens would refrain from acting in a selfish manner, promoting policies which solely benefit their own interest; instead, citizens would support the general interest, opening the possibility for a just society without socioeconomic disparities.

Relating A Theory of Justice to Mexico’s social, economic, and political scene has made me aware of the moral imperative to pursue an unprejudiced form of justice. Rather than simply theorizing about Rawls’ contentions, I want to become Mexico’s first gay president and implement effective parameters of justice. As the President of No Labels–an organization which advocates for LGBTQ and gender equity–I am continuously reminded of the expectations and efforts Queer people must live up to in order to earn societal recognition. As future President of Mexico, I will base the foundations of society on a Rawlsian approach and pursue justice for all, not solely for oneself. An individual’s birth should not be the major determinant of his or her expectations for life; it is a moral imperative as a just society to remedy this ill plaguing our contemporary political landscape.

Both the School of Health and the School of Nursing ask about the “factors that have influenced your interest.” Be sure not to solely focus on abstract education values or future plans—instead, give concrete examples of moments, opportunities, or people in your life that have guided you in your decision to pursue your intended major.

Both the School of Health and the School of Nursing ask about the “factors that have influenced your interest.” Be sure not to solely focus on abstract education values or future plans—instead, give concrete examples of moments, opportunities, or people in your life that have guided you in your decision to pursue your intended major.

This question is similar to the one posed above: 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. Give detailed examples that can testify to your critical thinking skills, ability to apply what you’ve studied, and awareness of current affairs.

Provide a thorough explanation as to why you value this school’s pedagogy. Although 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 future endeavors with the foundation provided by the Mcdonough School in mind.

Ultimately, the most important task in answering this prompt is to do your research! Look for the resources that are only available at Georgetown that draw you to the particular 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.