Georgia Institute of Technology, or Georgia Tech, is a public research university based in Atlanta, Georgia. With 17,000 undergrads and 22,000 postgrads, it is an extremely popular college for STEM-minded students. Don’t be fooled by the Georgia of it all, they’re called the MIT of the South for a reason. Georgia Tech boasts a top ten engineering undergrad program, a 36% in-state acceptance rate, and a 12% out-of-state acceptance rate. It’s important to note that Georgia Tech is not test-optional, and in fact are test-mandatory. This seems to be the case with a number of elite STEM schools, so we’re not surprised.
Georgia Tech has one supplemental question, and it’s super simple. We’re going to guide you through how to answer it and include some advice from Georgia Tech themselves.
Why do you want to study your chosen major specifically at Georgia Tech? (300 words)
The classic “Why” essay! We like the way they phrased this one and how they focused on academics, because some students approach the Why essay like it’s a vibe check instead of what it actually is – a research essay. Georgia Tech wants to see you put in some research and thought into why you’d be a good fit, and they explicitly say so on their website:
“The traits of a strong essay include ones that demonstrate a student has thought about why Georgia Tech, specifically, is a fit for them and how their goals align with Georgia Tech’s Values. The Georgia Institute of Technology is a public research university established by the state of Georgia in Atlanta in 1885 and committed to developing leaders who advance technology and improve the human condition.”
300 words isn’t a ton of space, but if you’re economical with your words you should be able to include all the elements you need. Let’s dive in!
Origin Story
The intro of your essay should include the story of how you came to want to study what you want to study. If you want to study engineering, maybe you were fascinated by a particular bridge in your hometown or you saw how an innovative medical device saved a family member’s life. This story does not need to be incredibly long, but it needs to provide motivation for what you’ll do next, which is declare your major.
A quick note here: you must choose a major. Not only does Georgia Tech specifically ask you to explain your major choice, but we advise choosing a major for whatever school you apply to.
Classes and Professors
Now for the research part. You’ve declared your major, now prove to them that you’ve actually looked into what that means. Head into the Georgia Tech course catalog and pick one or two upper level classes that interest you and fit into your stated niche. Upper level is generally the 300s or above, and we recommend choosing those because anyone can take an intro engineering class at any college, show them what stands out about their college to you. Write about how this class will help you with your long term goals, or why it’s interesting to you.
Next, you’ll look up a few professors in your chosen major. This part can be trickier, but we know you can do it. If you head to the department-specific site, you can look at the faculty pages and see which professors are researching what (or, ya know, google them) and choose a professor who is researching stuff you want to research too. Talk about how you want to do undergrad research with them and how you’d learn soooo much from them.
Extracurriculars
The next part of your essay will include choosing an extracurricular activity or two to include in your future hopes and dreams. Because this essay specifically mentions your “chosen major,” you should choose things that are, you guessed it, linked to that major. Maybe it’s a Women in Engineering club, or a special research lab for Aerospace Engineering students. Whatever it is, it should draw a through line from what you’ve already done all the way through to what you want to do in the future.
If you have the space, you can toss in a line about wanting to cheer on the Yellow Jackets and sing their “nationally recognized fight song ‘Ramblin' Wreck from Georgia Tech’” (according to Wikipedia). Once you’ve finished, make sure to re-read, edit, double (then triple) check the spelling, and have a friend, family member, or teacher give it the all-clear. Best of luck!
Need help with your Georiga Tech app? Reach out to us today.