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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