Georgia Tech is a public research university in Atlanta, Georgia. The school is majorly technology-focused and students who attend the school rave about the research opportunities on campus. About 16,000 undergraduate students attend the school, and the acceptance rate for the class of 2023 was 18.8%.
Georgia Tech has one writing supplement. If you’re using the common app, this prompt is located under the “other information” tab.
Why do you want to study your chosen major at Georgia Tech, and what opportunities at Georgia Tech will prepare you in that field after graduation? (300 words)
Unsurprisingly, Georgia Tech wants to know why you want to go to Georgia Tech. And only Georgia Tech. This is a classic “Why Us” prompt, with a bit of a twist. In addition to hearing about your academic plans should you be admitted, they would also like to know how your GT degree will prepare you for your post-grad career path. You’ll answer this by addressing the following (bolded) points.
ORIGIN STORY:
If you’re not careful, writing about technical things can become impersonal and difficult to understand. Remember that the person reading your supplement could be unfamiliar with the subject matter. So before you start telling them about your love of biomolecular engineering concepts and information internetworks, you need to introduce yourself and let them warm up to you a bit.
An origin story is a short story about how your academic interests came to be. If you want to major in Psychology because you did a summer program for high school students interested in Psych at Cornell and then worked with your school to integrate mental health checks with guidance counselors, tell them that. Your origin story does not have to suggest that you have every single detail of your future figured out, it just needs to explain where your interests began.
MAJOR:
The list of majors and minors at Georgia Tech will either set your heart aflutter or make you want to run for the hills. If you don’t have solid reasons for wanting to apply, don’t apply. If you’re broadly interested in business (GA offers a B.S. in Business Admin,) computing, design, engineering, and/or the sciences, start by looking through the majors and find the one you like best. Georgia Tech has a few liberal arts majors to choose from as well. Think about the classes and projects that you’ve enjoyed and choose the major that is most closely related to the subjects that you’ve done best in. If you already know what you want to major in, great!
You need to pick a major because Georgia Tech is trying to create a balanced class. It also shows them that you’re starting off with a plan and will graduate in four years, which is important to them. If you choose to eventually deviate from that plan by changing your major, that’s completely fine. No one is going to hold you to the major you write about in this supplement. But writing about your intended major is an absolute must.
CLASSES:
After you tell them what you want to major in, let’s say you’ve settled on International Affairs, you need to pick 1-2 upper-level classes that you want to take. Find the course catalog for your major and identity 2000-3000 level courses that interest you. You can’t pick introductory level courses because those are not specific to Georgia Tech. Not only should you genuinely want to take the class, you should have a reason for wanting to. Think about what knowledge you already possess about your chosen major. That knowledge can stem from high school courses, internships, books you’ve read, summer courses, online courses, deep talks with your teachers, etc. Saying that you think a class sounds cool might be true, but it’s not enough. Google the subject matter of the courses, read the syllabi and find links between what you’ve done and what’s being taught in the class. That’s your reason for wanting to take any given course.
PROFESSORS AND/OR RESEARCH OPPS:
While you’re still on the homepage of your major, familiarize yourself with the professors and research opportunities. Don’t be afraid to dig deep and stalk them! There should be at least one professor whose expertise you’re interested in or a research opportunity that you’d like to apply for. You could really get lost reading the biographies of all of the professors, so sort by subject matter if possible.
ANY OTHER GT SPECIFIC OFFERINGS:
What can you do/study/create/research/explore at Georgia Tech that you can’t do anywhere else? As you know this supplement should be as specific to Georgia Tech as possible, so find something that you can only pursue on their campus. Write about why you’re drawn to it and why you’re a perfect fit for joining the cause.
POST GRAD PLANS:
Now that you’ve outlined your academic plans, tell them what you plan to do after you graduate. If you aren’t totally sure what you want to do for the rest of your life, no worries. Just think about the possible career trajectories within your chosen major and write about something that you might do. If you have highly specific career goals, that’s what you’ll write. Either way, explain how going to Georgia Tech is going to get you closer to that goal.
Want help with your supplements? Contact us here.