How to Write the Georgetown University's Admissions Essays Sarah ONeill

 Sarah ONeill, Supreme Editing, Coatesville, PA

Georgetown University Excerpt

According to Georgetown University admissions (via the website):

While a candidate’s academic performance is the most important criteria under consideration, accomplishments outside of the classroom, demonstrated commitment to the broader community, and personal qualities such as resiliency, motivation and ambition are certainly considered. It is these qualities that make you an individual and someone who will uniquely add to – and benefit from – the Georgetown University community. 

Our identity is rooted in Jesuit principles of equality and respect for everyone, and when we talk about caring for the whole person, we mean it. Inclusivity and diversity is core to supporting a community of people with an intersectional understanding of themselves and the world around them. 

In history, students were specific about what they did. The writer would explain, use vivid details, and be specific.  The students made it clear WHY the topic was important to them. Students were able to make connections effectively by addressing each connection.  The reader was able to summarize the takeaway of the essay. Georgetown is all about diversity.  Students were able to show admissions how they’d be a good fit on campus. 

Supplemental Essay Example:

If you happen to drop by the Pediatric Department at Baystate Medical Center in Springfield, MA and look up at the ceiling, you will find one tile different from all the rest: a vibrant red painted with beige swirls and, in the foreground, an ice-blue frosted donut in the middle, a vanilla- and-chocolate sundae on the left, and a purple-icing cupcake on the right. I painted this tile at Baystate when I was sick in the winter of my sophomore year. On the Inpatient Floor, I thought about how many kids are pushed in on a rolling bed facing that same ceiling and that a colorful image could momentarily distract them from pain.

My talent for drawing began with doodling on school notebooks which led to more formal pencil sketching of patterns and faces. In eighth grade when I started to take studio art as one of my mandatory courses, my passion for art only deepened. Each year, I made sure to enroll in demanding art courses to keep sharpening my skills and to challenge myself by being surrounded by super talented artists. People sometimes say that visual artists are “solitary animals,” but I doubt this statement is true. Admittedly, it is a great way to pour out emotions on paper and indulge in the imaginative world. I enjoy combining paradoxical images together, and applying surrealistic hues to create a world where a fisherman can sail in the sink and where a baby can use a donut as an inner tube.

However, while drawing on my own is a good way to relax, imagine, and introspect, I found out that it is also a good way to give back to my community. As a student artist for the Scroll, my school’s student-run newspaper, I produce illustrations for an article every issue. As the founder and head of D-Cuizine, a magazine focused on cultural and food-related themes, I also participated in the layout and visual design of all issues. With pencils and paint brushes in my hand, I’ve added my own colors to the world around me.

Sarah ONeill, Supreme Editing, Coatesville, PA