Included with the Common Application, Coalition Application, and Georgia Tech questions is one long essay and one short answer essay. The purpose of the essays is to assess your writing ability and, more importantly, to learn more about you as an individual. This portion of the application helps us get to know you, assess mutual fit and better understand what you could contribute to Georgia Tech.
Essay Prompts
Common Application Personal Essay
First-year applicants will choose from one of seven prompts.
Coalition Application Personal Essay
First-year applicants will choose from one of five prompts.
Georgia Tech Short Answer Question for 2020 Application
Additionally, you will be asked to respond to the prompt below. For the 2020 Application, we have decided to ask only one additional prompt. We hope that will save you just a bit of time as you work through our application.
- Why do you want to study your chosen major at Georgia Tech, and how do you think Georgia Tech will prepare you to pursue opportunities in that field after graduation? (max 300 words)
What We Are Looking For
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
Our advice for completing this portion of the application
- Get started early. Don’t wait until the last minute to complete your essays!
- Write and edit your essay in a document editor. Once you have the final draft, you can cut and paste it into your online application.
- Don’t overthink it. It may not be easy to write about yourself, but just write what you feel most comfortable with.
- Don’t write what you think we want to read. Write what you want to say!
- Don’t blow off the essay! We wouldn’t ask you to write it if we didn’t find it to be an important way to get to know you, and what you have to bring to Georgia Tech.
