When I think of Georgetown University, I think of
Washington and world affairs. I do not know yet exactly what type of
professional career I will pursue after schooling, but I do know that I wish to
be inter-nationally aware and involved, and that Georgetown would provide me
with a solid foundation for that goal.
I am glad I do not know specifically what I want
to do later on, because it should be an adventure choosing which course I will
take in life. Thus, I have time to experiment and learn from a wide variety of
topics. At Georgetown, I am present with the opportunity to take any classes I
want and to be taught by some of the most learned and dynamic professors in the
world. I was once told that in college, I “will take classes in subjects I had
never thought or heard of, ” and I am very excited to do this.
If I were required to pick a major at this
instant, I would choose history. If history were only studying, memorizing and
regurgitating events, facts, and dates, I would be just as uninterested as most
people. However, in studying history, I get a chance to contemplate ideologies
and the nature of human beings. I believe that Georgetown University is the best
place in the world to study history. It is a school located in Washington, D.C.,
the capital of the country, of outstanding academic reputation and recognition;
my resources would be absolutely unlimited. Living in Washington, I would feel
the pulse of our world today. The United States is the world’s dominant power
and every issue of great global importance is brought to the country’s
capital.
I have been told that although Georgetown has
approximately 6,000 undergraduates, the students and faculty alike feel as if
the school is a small, interwoven community. I believe that this sense of
closeness is a vital aspect in an outstanding college experience. We learn most
from interactions among other people, and the fact that this reputation of
faculty accessibility and student involvement-both in the immediate Georgetown
community and in Washington, D.C.-exists, is very attractive to me.
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SAMPLE
ESSAY 2: Johns Hopkins, School Target
The college admissions and selection process is a
very important one, perhaps one that will have the greatest impact on one’s
future. The college that a person will go to often influences his personality,
views, and career. Therefore, when I hear people say that “it doesn’t matter
that much which college you go to. You can get a good education anywhere, if you
are self-motivated,” I tend to be rather skeptical. Perhaps, as far as actual
knowledge is concerned, that statement is somewhat valid. Physics and
mathematics are the same, regardless of where they are taught. Knowledge,
however, is only a small piece of the puzzle that is college, and it is in the
rest of that puzzle that colleges differ.
At least as important, or even more important,
than knowledge, is the attitude towards that knowledge. Last year, when my
engineering team was competing in the NEDC Design Challenge, held at Hopkins,
after the competition I and a few friends talked to a professor of civil
engineering. What struck me is the passion with which he talked about his field
of study. At Hopkins, everyone-the students, the faculty, the
administration-displays a certain earnestness about learning. This makes Hopkins
a good match for me, as I, too, am very enthusiastic about the subjects I study.
I love learning, and when those around me do too, it creates a great atmosphere
from which everyone benefits.
My enthusiasm and activeness extend not just to
academics, but to other aspects of life as well. I am very involved in
extracurricular activities, participating in my school’s engineering club and
math team, and I love sports, having played on the varsity soccer and tennis
teams for three years. This makes Hopkins, with its great sport traditions and a
multitude of clubs and organizations, a great choice. Further, while in college
I intend to explore new activities. Because of my school’s small size and dual
curriculum, there is a relatively narrow spectrum of activities available for
me. Hopkins affords a great opportunity for me to branch out and participate in
organizations to which I previously had no access.
Another aspect of Hopkins that attracts me
greatly is its student body, diverse and multicultural, but at the same time
uniformly strong academically. Since I myself am a refugee from Russia, where I
experienced social and cultural anti-Semitism, multiculturalism and acceptance
of different groups are very important to me, not to mention that it allows me
to meet people of different backgrounds and learn of their varying perspectives.
And this summer at the U.S.A. Mathematical Talent Search Young Scholars’
Program, I experienced the thrill of working in a group where everyone is on the
same, or higher, intellectual level as I. I think that, given my academic and
cultural background, I would fit in well with the student life at Hopkins and
contribute to it.
Academically, too, I believe I would fit Hopkins
well. Though Hopkins is most known for its medical program, its engineering
school is also one of the best, and that is the general area of study I intend
to pursue. In high school, I’ve most enjoyed my mathematics and science
courses, particularly physics, and I have participated in the engineering
school, so attending Hopkins’ engineering program would be a natural extension
of my high school interests. However, my interests are not confined solely to
the sciences. I enjoy courses from all areas of curriculum, particularly
unorthodox and thought-provoking ones. Therefore, Hopkins, which according to
the viewbook “is geared toward educating students in the fundamentals of their
field of interest while illuminating wider possibilities through
interdisciplinary study” is perfect for me.
Of course, none of those aspects of Hopkins,
neither their great student body, their world-renowned faculty, their research
centers, nor their clubs and extracurricular opportunities, are worth anything
unless one takes advantage of them. That, however, is exactly what I intend to
do. While many people find the transition to college overwhelming, therefore not
participating in the student life fully the first year, I hope to plunge
immediately into the full array of possibility and make as much use of them as
possible. Though my soccer and tennis skills might prove insufficient to earn me
a place on Hopkins’ varsity teams (though I hope that’s not the case,) I
nevertheless want to play sports at least on the club level. Other than that,
however, nothing is set in stone except for one thing-to take as full and broad
advantage of what Hopkins has to offer as possible.
COMMENTS:
Both of these essays do a good job of showing
that the writers know the schools and have some specific reasons for wanting to
attend them. The first focuses more on the academic environment and surrounding
city. The second combines several aspects such as academics, extracurriculars,
and a diverse student body. Both applicants also use the opportunity to show
that they would fit in by highlighting their own interests and activities (an
interest in history in the first and math, tennis, and soccer in the second).
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