Georgia Tech is popular with STEM students, as it’s one of the leading research universities in the United States. There’s no doubt a Georgia Tech education can prepare you for diverse careers in engineering, medicine, business, and design. But here’s the deal: Georgia Tech asks for only one supplement, so it's important to make yours as informative and impactful as possible.
BTW: Tech has a really awesome blog. Check it out here.
Want to know what it values most? Find its Common Data Set here (scroll down to section C7 in particular), and you can find its strategic plan here.
On the blog, Tech offers the following application guidance:
Essays are evaluated for both content and writing/grammatical skills. So, before submitting your application, you should take the time to edit and review your essay thoroughly. The traits of a strong essay include ones that:
Demonstrate authenticity
Brings you to life on paper
Are excellent in topic, style, and grammar
Demonstrate thoughtfulness
How can you write an essay that does all that? Let’s take a look at some examples below, then dissect what makes those essays work.
What is the Georgia Tech supplemental essay prompt?
Georgia Tech Supplemental Essay Prompt #1
Why do you want to study your chosen major and why do you want to study your major at Georgia Tech?
How to Write the Supplemental Essay Prompt for Georgia Tech
How to Write Georgia Tech Supplemental Essay Prompt #1
Why do you want to study your chosen major and why do you want to study your major at Georgia Tech?
Think of this as two essays in one: a “Why Major” + a “Why us?” And maybe consider devoting about half to each—roughly the first 100-125 words or so on why you’ve chosen your major, then the rest on how you want to explore that field at Georgia Tech. Since the prompt leans strongly on “specifically at Georgia Tech,” we recommend devoting more of your word count to Georgia Tech specifics.
To get you started, here’s a complete guide to the “Why Major'' essay. And here’s the full guide on how to write the “Why us?” essay. When you read through that one, pay close attention to the “Why Cornell” and “Why Penn” examples (our favorites).
Action Items:
Read the “Why Major” guide. What mini-movie moments do you envision exploring?
Reflect on what you want out of your college experience. Collect those insights using this chart. Identifying specific or niche interests and needs will help you find equally specific resources at Georgia Tech and make your “we’re a perfect match” case (see more on this in the “complete guide” link above) more compelling.
Spend at least an hour researching 10+ reasons why Georgia Tech might be a great fit for you, mapping them out in the third column of the chart.
Remember: The best “Why us?” pieces don’t celebrate how “x” school is the GREATEST SCHOOL OF ALL TIME. They’re more an explanation of why you and the school are the perfect match. Make sure to connect each of your Tech examples to your goals and interests.
Create an outline that combines your mini-movie moments for the “Why Major” top, then outline the “Why us?” portion based on either Approach One, Approach Two (recommended), or Approach 3 (as explained in our “Why us?” guide).
Georgia Tech changed this prompt this year to add the “Why Major” element, so our GT examples don’t have those mini-movie moments we’d recommend for top of this updated prompt. But we still feel like they’re strong representations of essays that offer solid “Why Georgia Tech” specifics. So take a look at two such examples, and read our analysis for why they work, then keep scrolling for two more bonus examples, written for a combined Why Major/Why Us prompts for other schools.
Example Georgia Tech Essay 1:
Ever since participating in the InVenture Challenge, I fell in love with Georgia Tech. I was exposed to the school’s principal philosophy of “creating the next” when a guest speaker who had won the collegiate-level InVenture Prize spoke about a new portable toilet designed for developing countries with poor access to clean sanitation. I was so blown away by the innovation taking place that I decided to walk around campus and found a group testing a new device for transmitting a certain signal frequency that could map any environment targeted. I needed to know more. The students were eager to share their prototype with me. I learned that one was majoring in computer science and the other industrial design.
On the way home, I researched the industrial design program at Tech and was immediately hooked on the possibilities. Not only would I learn to design and build devices but learn principles of human interaction with design philosophy. After touring other colleges that offered industrial design, none matched the level Georgia Tech offered. Not only does Tech offer a strong program on how to sketch high-quality designs, but it also teaches students how to prototype and manufacture functional devices. Touring spaces like the Interactive Product Design Lab, run by Noah Posner, showed me the importance Tech places on creating devices that connect to users. I really hope to take a class with Pr ofessor Chininis, who I met while touring Tech. By learning from his example in creating toys for brand companies, I’ll learn to create products that address people’s needs.
The emphasis Tech places on startups and innovation is unmatched. From its maker spaces to its help with patent filings, the opportunities Tech provides will teach me skills that will help me make an impact in my field after graduation.
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Tips + Analysis
Specifics, specifics, specifics. This student packs his essay with examples that demonstrate he has done his research. Check out the types of specifics he offers (and the kinds of things you can include in your essay):
School philosophy + mission statement: This student names Tech’s mission of “creating the next.” You can often find a school’s mission and values on its website under sections like “Our Mission” or “Who We Are.”
Guest speaker: Hearing about a portable toilet that will improve the health of people in developing countries not only demonstrates that the student is tuned into what’s happening on Tech’s campus; it subtly demonstrates that he is interested in using what he learns at Tech to help others.
Experience on campus: Sharing the story of hearing a guest speaker, touring the campus, and witnessing student innovation in action drives home the message that this student has already invested in being a part of Georgia Tech. If you’ve visited the campus, consider sharing a quick and focused story about something you saw or heard. Haven’t visited campus, can’t, or won’t visit? Don’t worry. You can write a similar story about “exploring” the campus website, course catalogue, or a student publication.
Campus resources: The InVenture Challenge. The Interactive Product Design Center. These are unique to Georgia Tech, and show that this student will arrive on campus ready to make the most of the resources available.
Professors: This student refers to professor Chininis’ work in toy design. Use the course catalogue to find a professor who teaches a class that aligns with your interests. Even better, use the college website to find a professor doing current research that relates to the work you hope to do on campus or as a career.
Classes: The classic. Almost every student will include classes they hope to take in their “Why us?” essay, and you should too! But make sure to flesh out your essay with non-class examples (like the ones listed above).
Connect Georgia Tech’s specifics to you and your interests. On top of showing that Georgia Tech is a great school for you, show how you will be a great fit for the school. A great way to do this is to refer to specific interests and “stuff you’ve done” that you’ll build on once you’re a Yellow Jacket.
This student, for example, mentions his involvement in Tech’s InVenture challenge, and a desire to “create products that address peoples’ needs.” He also implies an interest in start-ups and innovation. By mentioning these things, we start to understand how he’ll make the most of his time on campus.
Let’s take a look at another example that even more directly emphasizes connections between the author and the school.
Georgia Tech Example 2:
At Georgia Tech I'm excited to explore both the small and the large.
I want to work with professor Fedorov at Georgia Tech and study engineering on the nanoscale. I’ve been working on finding potential materials for solar cells by comparing and improving their bandgaps and am interested in participating in the research on the micro-capillary injector. The vibration-powered robots, investigated by Azadeh Ansari and Jun Ueda as well as graduate students DeaGyu Kim and Chris Hao, also attract my interest, for it may be possible for it to swim in the human body, combating diseases.
Science also can be seen in the largest things. Through NASA’s Exobiology Program and working with scientists in Tech’s School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, I’ll learn more about the hydrate crystallization process under high-pressure, and further explore the structures of methane clathrates, understanding the habitability on the icy moons of Jupiter and Saturn. Moreover, the course Nuclear Astrophysics and Stellar Evolution with Dr. Sowell will give me a deeper understanding on the topic of stellar structure and evolution, as well as nucleosynthesis and degenerate objects. Studying this course that also focuses on the Boltzmann & Saha Equations will take my understanding of the relationship between ionization of an atom and its ground and excited state to another level.
Besides science, Tech offers opportunities for me to make connections with those around me. With my experience and interest in video recording and editing, I would love to explore the Filmmakers to work with peers and produce shorts to share with the community. Also, having volunteered for my school’s GiveBack 5K and learning about people’s acts of kindness, I’d love to be a part of the Break Free from Poverty 5K Run/Walk, as sometimes small things can make a big difference.
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Tips + Analysis
Connect Georgia Tech’s specifics to you. This student does this in a few effective ways:
As a framing device. This student begins with a statement of her interests: exploring things both small and large. By opening this way, we know that every specific example she gives about resources and opportunities at Tech will relate to her interest in exploration. It’s also a great hook—What kinds of things?
In relation to work she has already done. Right after name-dropping professor Fedorov, she backs it up with some details on her work to find “potential materials for solar cells.” She follows that up with details on the type of research done by Fodorov, research she implies is connected to her own projects.
As a way to learn more about topics she’s just starting to learn about. The student has an “understanding of the relationship between ionization of an atom and its ground and excited state,” but wants to take that understanding to another level. This implies that she a) already knows something about the topic (seriously, you have to know something to reference Boltzmann Equations…), and b) already has a plan for developing that knowledge at Tech.
As an opportunity for her to tap into new and budding interests. Just because you haven’t done something amazing in a certain area doesn’t mean you can’t include it in a “Why us?” essay. This student mentions her interest in video recording and editing, and implies that she can have a greater impact on Tech’s campus (producing shorts to share with the community). She also mentions the volunteer work she’s done and the type of volunteer work she hopes to do as a student at Tech.
Use geeky language. Nanoscale. Bandgaps. Microcapillary. Hydrate crystallization. Methane clathrates. Without having to explain any of these concepts explicitly, this student shows us that she knows her stuff and will show up on campus ready to jump right into her academic and research work.
Show more than one side of yourself. The first two paragraphs make it clear that this student is a science stan. But this student makes a point of rounding out her interests. While some people may envision a serious scientist living in the lab, she’s the kind of scientist who prioritizes making “connections with those around [her].” By mentioning her video-editing and volunteer work, the reader’s vision of her as a Tech student shifts to more accurately capture the full range of her interests and abilities.
Here’s a great “Why Major” + “Why us?” example from Brown. Note how this student brings their mini-movie moments to life with crisp, clear examples, told in chronological order. Consider doing the same with yours—only, as noted above, consider spending a bit more of your word count on Why Georgia Tech specifics.
Example 3: Brown
My whole life, storytelling has shaped me. When I lived in London, my parents would read me The Lion King every night until I’d memorized the whole book. In elementary school, I would curl up in my bed, warm lamplight making my room golden, listening to my dad bring to life classics like Wilderness Champion and Tom Sawyer. Later, I found audio storytelling, laughing hysterically at Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me on the car ride to school and connecting to a radio network of humanity through This American Life. It wasn’t long before I got hooked on visual narratives, mesmerized by the cinematic intensity of Whiplash and the whimsical world of Moonrise Kingdom, alternate realities I could explore as if they were my own. By high school, I was creating my own array of stories through satirical school newspaper articles, analysis of mise-en-scene in film class, podcasting, and my own locally-broadcasted radio series.
A concentration in the Literary Arts or Modern Culture and Media is the next step in my life of storytelling. The dynamic world of connection and vulnerability a well-told story can create is what continues to fascinate me. At Brown, I would explore how engaging narratives have been told in the past and can be innovated in the future through new digital platforms. Whether researching radio’s historical impact on public opinion during World War II or the Vietnam War, developing screenplays, producing my own documentary or learning from Writers-In-Residence, I hope to pioneer networks of connection. (250 words)
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And here’s a fourth example, written for a similar but much longer prompt for Babson. You’ll have 150 fewer words to use, but this essay is a great example of what it looks like to show how your interest in your major developed over time, to then fold those insights into how you expect to explore your interests further, with college-specific examples.
Example 4: Babson
When I was four, my family lived on the top floor of my dad’s newly established company. A young and curious inspector, I frequently made tours of the offices, and observed my dad and his staff as they worked. I have always admired my father. As a former doctor, he used his passion for medicine to found vaccine and medical equipment companies. Every year, we travel to rural Vietnam, to donate part of the company’s profits to underprivileged people. As a child, I knew that I wanted to be in business, like my dad.
At my boarding school in Massachusetts, students were required to keep the school running. Two years of cleaning the Health Center and working in the Kitchen showed me how effective management and communication are essential for operations. When I built close connections with the staff and other students, I was happier and more productive. I realized that creating opportunities for employees to engage in teamwork and relationship building is critical for morale and for the efficiency of a business.
Last summer, I took the USC online Introduction to Business course. There, I gained additional insight into how companies are run. During group projects, each department gave feedback on other departments’ ideas. From this, I saw how the different areas of a business intersect. In one of the projects I led, we designed a protective outfit that allows the elderly to hug their loved ones during Covid-19. Like my dad, I was able to use creativity and innovation to solve a social problem. I realized then that I want to be just like him: a social entrepreneur, who helps address social problems.
Babson will be able to help me achieve my goals. I want to co-concentrate in Entrepreneurship and Global Management. I am eager to collaborate with other students to create and manage an actual business, and receive valuable advice through FME and CLTP in my freshman year. Similarly, I am excited to foster enduring bonds with other students and faculty through the First Year Seminar, and give back to the community by participating in CAP.
I value how Babson encourages students to donate at least 50% of their profit to local organizations; this is a type of business model I aspire to create in the future. By taking courses such as Living the Social Entrepreneurship Experience and Global Strategic Management, I hope to gain the knowledge and skills to develop a sustainable and impactful global business. Likewise, Babson liberal arts courses will shape me into a well-rounded person who has the tools to create change; I want to dive deeper into Justice and Inequality issues in the AHS course, to comprehend the causes and find solutions to injustices like poverty. Taking courses like East Asia Cultures and studying abroad in London will also help me expand my perspective.
Babson College is where I belong, and it is a place that can nurture me into who I want to be―a dynamic changemaker and a successful entrepreneur.
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Special thanks to Calvin for contributing to this post.
Calvin is an ardent reader, writer, and all-around communicator with a deep love of stories. He has a dog, Seymour, whom he loves—in fact far more than Seymour loves him.
Top values: Adaptability | Meaningful Work | Fun
