Congratulations on earning your Georgetown interview. Let's make sure you're ready for it.
- 1 OverviewOverview
- 2 Questions applicants reportQuestions
- 3 AnswersAnswers
- 4 Practice the unexpectedPractice
Georgetown undergraduate admission · 2026-27 first-year applicants
Answers
For every question: which parts of an applicant's background to use, how they connect to what the question tests, and the points to hit - not a script. See it for our sample applicant, or upload your Common App and get it for yours.
Make it yours. Upload your Common App and get these answers from your own background: which of your stories fit each question, the angle to take and the points to hit.
Your answers, from your application: for each question, what in your background to use, the angle to take and the points to hit. The words are yours to find.
Get answers from my Common App
In the Common App, open Review and submit, then Preview, and save the PDF. If you used the Georgetown Application, save a copy of what you submitted. Or upload your essays and activities as Word or text. For every question we show you which parts of your application to draw on, how they connect to what the question tests, talking points, and what's missing - not a script to memorize. Nothing is invented. We read your file once and don't keep it. Your guidance is saved to your account, so you can come back to it on any device, and you can upload again anytime to replace it.
Sign in with Google Free. Needed to upload your application.
· ·
Sample applicant: Declan. A senior at Lakeview High School in Erie, Pennsylvania (class of 2027), applying Early Action to Georgetown's Walsh School of Foreign Service to study International Political Economy. Declan works 16 hours a week as a line cook, writes a student-paper column on Erie's economy, tutors refugee families at his parish, and rebuilt a struggling Model UN club. He started reading about trade after his father's hours at the local rail plant were cut.
Declan is fictional, and so are Lakeview High School, Dockside Pierogi House, Lakeshore Rail Works, the St. Hedwig Parish Newcomer Table, The Lakeview Ledger and the Lake Erie Regional Model UN conference; the application was written for this sample. Every answer below uses only what's in the application, the way your own will. Read Declan's application (PDF).
Opening
So, tell me about yourself. Sample applicant
Based on Declan, our fictional sample applicant - not on you. Upload your Common App to get this from your own background.
Material
- Personal essay: Dad home at 2pm after Lakeshore Rail Works cut the welding line, and Babcia's Gdańsk shipyard story It's the thread that ties your family, your column and SFS together, so it gives a stranger the whole picture fast.
- Line cook at Dockside Pierogi House, now Saturday prep lead Shows the working, practical side of you that a grades summary won't, and it is 16 hours a week of your life.
- "Main Street Math" column, 14 pieces on Erie's economy Shows you're curious about your own town, which is exactly what this interviewer says she likes.
The angle
Your interviewer knows almost nothing about you, so show how one thread runs through Erie, your family and your interests: you try to understand how big economic decisions land on a town like yours. The kitchen, the rail plant and the column all show that, and you don't need to list all seven activities. Maureen works in Erie freight and has handled steel sourcing, so naming real local places will land better than general statements.
Talking points
- Start with where you live: Erie, Lakeview High, the house with Babcia, Nora and your parents
- Mention Dockside and the dough station in a line or two, not the whole notebook story
- Connect your dad's cut shift to how you started reading about tariffs and writing the column
- Name one column topic you'd enjoy being asked about, like the half-empty mall or refugee rent
- End by pointing toward SFS and International Political Economy as where this is heading
To think about
What do you do just for fun, outside work, school and family duties, that shows another side of you?
Avoid: Don't retell the personal essay word for word or turn it into a sad story about your dad. Keep it to two minutes and leave hooks she can ask about.
Are you applying Early Action or Regular Decision? And which school and major?
A preview, based on Declan, our fictional sample applicant. Upload your Common App to preview your own.
Material
- Early Action, submitted October 28, 2026, to the Walsh School of Foreign Service These are the straight facts she's asking for, and the timing shows you were committed early.
The angle
Talking points
Unlock to read the rest, for every question.
Sign in with Google, then pay once. The short version of this answer is free on the Questions page.
How did you first hear about Georgetown?
A preview, based on Declan, our fictional sample applicant. Upload your Common App to preview your own.
Material
- Ms. Teresa Ruiz, your Model UN adviser and an SFS 2009 grad A real person connection, and it shows how you first heard about the school.
The angle
Talking points
Unlock to read the rest, for every question.
Sign in with Google, then pay once. The short version of this answer is free on the Questions page.
Why Georgetown and why your field
Why Georgetown? Sample applicant
Based on Declan, our fictional sample applicant - not on you. Upload your Common App to get this from your own background.
Material
- February 2025 DC Model UN conference (Chile, copper committee, lost the vote) and the student volunteer at the Healy gates Your first real contact with Georgetown, and a specific moment, not a brochure line.
- Ms. Teresa Ruiz, SFS 2009, your Model UN adviser Shows how you heard about Georgetown through a real person whose path you've watched.
- Newcomer Table at St. Hedwig and cura personalis Ties a Georgetown value to something you already do every week.
The angle
Your reasons start in Erie, at the welding line and the Newcomer Table, and Georgetown is where they meet the people who make trade decisions. Show that SFS was a discovery: losing a copper vote, then hearing a student describe IPE as the thing you'd been reading about at midnight. Maureen is an SFS grad who has done about 120 of these interviews, so specifics will matter far more than praise.
Talking points
- Open with losing the copper vote as Chile, then the twenty-minute walk past the Healy gates
- Name Ms. Ruiz (SFS 2009) and what you saw in her that made SFS feel real
- Link cura personalis to staying for coffee at the Newcomer Table, in fresh words, not your essay's
- Why apply Early Action to SFS rather than to the College?
To think about
What did you learn about Georgetown after that one visit? Which class, professor, or SFS requirement did you look up yourself?
Avoid: Retelling your SFS essay almost word for word. Maureen may not have read it, but a recited version sounds rehearsed. Add one thing that isn't in the essay.
Why do you want to study that, and why study it at Georgetown? Sample applicant
Based on Declan, our fictional sample applicant - not on you. Upload your Common App to get this from your own background.
Material
- Personal essay: Dad home at 2 p.m. after Lakeshore Rail Works cut the line to four days, and your reading on Section 232 The real root of your interest in International Political Economy.
- "Main Street Math" column, 14 columns so far Proof you already do political economy on paper, regularly.
- Reading Chip War between shifts Shows the interest reaches past steel and past Erie.
The angle
IPE for you is trade seen from both ends: the tariff and the man reorganizing drills in the garage. Your columns, from steel tariffs to the half-empty mall to refugee rents, show you've been practicing the method for two years. Maureen rebuilt a customs process after the 2025 tariff changes, so she will engage with this directly.
Talking points
- Start briefly with the four-day welding line, then move straight to what you went and read
- Name two column topics and what each taught you that a textbook graph didn't
- Use the Chip War parallel: semiconductor and locomotive, and a town that finds out last
- Say why the SFS core in economics, history and a language suits this, including Babcia's Gdańsk history
- Mention AP Macro and dual-enrollment Statistics as what you're building on now
To think about
Which IPE question do you still not have an answer to, the one you'd want a professor to take apart?
Avoid: Turning the tariff story into a firm policy stance. Your strength is that you're even-handed and curious, so don't overclaim expertise to someone who works in this field.
Why DC? Does the city or state a school is in matter to you? Sample applicant
Based on Declan, our fictional sample applicant - not on you. Upload your Common App to get this from your own background.
Material
- SFS essay line: decisions you write about in Erie are made fifteen minutes from campus Your clearest reason for caring about location.
- Future goal: Commerce Department or a congressional office for a district like yours Shows how you'd actually use DC.
The angle
You aren't drawn to DC for the monuments. You want to sit near the rooms that decided your dad's hours. Explain how you'd use the city during school, not only after it.
Talking points
- Recall the February 2025 conference: what DC felt like compared with Erie
- Connect the Section 232 tariffs to the agencies and Congress nearby
- Name what you'd try during school: Hill or Commerce internships? What would you look for?
- Close on bringing DC back to Erie readers, the way "Main Street Math" does
To think about
Which specific office, committee or kind of internship have you actually looked into?
Avoid: Sounding like you want to escape Erie. Your whole story is about Erie, and Maureen chose to stay there.
What are you looking for in a college?
A preview, based on Declan, our fictional sample applicant. Upload your Common App to preview your own.
Material
- The notebook at the dough station (humidity, flour brand, water) Shows you know you learn through structure and tracking.
The angle
Talking points
Unlock to read the rest, for every question.
Sign in with Google, then pay once. The short version of this answer is free on the Questions page.
What do you look for in a community?
A preview, based on Declan, our fictional sample applicant. Upload your Common App to preview your own.
Material
- St. Hedwig Newcomer Table, and helping one father pass his CDL written test Shows what kind of community member you are: practical and loyal.
The angle
Talking points
Unlock to read the rest, for every question.
Sign in with Google, then pay once. The short version of this answer is free on the Questions page.
How will Georgetown help you grow?
A preview, based on Declan, our fictional sample applicant. Upload your Common App to preview your own.
Material
- Teacher's comment that your column was "too even-handed to have a point" A real weakness you can name.
The angle
Talking points
Unlock to read the rest, for every question.
Sign in with Google, then pay once. The short version of this answer is free on the Questions page.
Which campus organizations or parts of student life excite you?
A preview, based on Declan, our fictional sample applicant. Upload your Common App to preview your own.
Material
- The Hoya, from your SFS essay, alongside your "Main Street Math" column and 2nd-place opinion writing award Clear continuity, and Maureen wrote for The Hoya too.
The angle
Talking points
Unlock to read the rest, for every question.
Sign in with Google, then pay once. The short version of this answer is free on the Questions page.
Where else are you applying? What makes Georgetown different?
A preview, based on Declan, our fictional sample applicant. Upload your Common App to preview your own.
Material
- SFS as a stand-alone school with an IPE major and a core in economics, history and a language Your clearest point of difference.
The angle
Talking points
Unlock to read the rest, for every question.
Sign in with Google, then pay once. The short version of this answer is free on the Questions page.
What do you want to do after college?
A preview, based on Declan, our fictional sample applicant. Upload your Common App to preview your own.
Material
- SFS essay: trade policy, maybe Commerce, maybe a member of Congress from a district like yours Gives direction without a fixed job title.
The angle
Talking points
Unlock to read the rest, for every question.
Sign in with Google, then pay once. The short version of this answer is free on the Questions page.
Your studies, activities and life outside class
Tell me about your extracurriculars. Why are they important to you? Sample applicant
Based on Declan, our fictional sample applicant - not on you. Upload your Common App to get this from your own background.
Material
- Line cook and Saturday prep lead, Dockside Pierogi House (16 hrs/wk, 32 in summer) Your biggest time commitment and paid work; shows what you actually do, not a title.
- Model UN Secretary-General: rebuilt club from 9 to 23 members A concrete result you caused, with a method (novice night, shared Google Drive).
- Volunteer tutor, St. Hedwig Newcomer Table Ties to your interviewer's refugee resettlement board work, so pick a real detail.
The angle
Your activities aren't separate boxes: the kitchen, the column and the Newcomer Table are all you watching Erie's economy up close. Show that thread instead of listing seven items. Pick two or three and go deep on why you keep showing up.
Talking points
- Start with Dockside, not Model UN: 600 pierogi every Lenten Friday, now training new hires
- Model UN: 9 to 23 members, and what the novice night and shared Drive actually fixed
- Seven conferences with no award before the Germany/ECOSOC Honorable Mention, and why you stayed
- Newcomer Table: the father who passed his CDL written test, and what you did in those sessions
- Link back: how all of this feeds 'Main Street Math'
To think about
What was hardest about rebuilding Model UN? Was there a moment you thought about quitting before the Honorable Mention?
Avoid: Don't recite all seven activities like a résumé, and don't retell your dough-notebook essay word for word. She hasn't read it, but you should give it a fresh angle, e.g. what training teammates is like.
What's your favorite class or subject, and how do you challenge yourself? Sample applicant
Based on Declan, our fictional sample applicant - not on you. Upload your Common App to get this from your own background.
Material
- AP Macroeconomics and dual-enrollment Statistics at Penn State Behrend Feed straight into IPE and your column. Your interviewer did her MBA at Behrend.
- AP Chemistry: C first semester junior year during knee injury, finished B- Honest proof of how you challenge yourself and recover.
- Midnight reading on Section 232 tariffs Shows you push past class on your own.
The angle
Your favorite subject is economics because it explains things you've seen, like the butter-price argument and your dad's cut shifts. Challenging yourself, for you, means turning a question into reading and then a column. Chemistry shows you learned you need structure more than motivation.
Talking points
- Name the class you'd pick: AP Macro or Statistics? Say which and why
- One concept from class that clicked because of Dockside or Lakeshore Rail Works
- How you took it further: reading on Section 232, interviewing a purchasing manager
- If grades come up: the Chemistry C, one calendar for PT, homework and shifts
- Mention the SAT going from 1320 to 1410 only if she asks how you improve
To think about
What specific idea from Macro or Statistics surprised you this year? Can you name one?
Avoid: Don't let the Chemistry story take over or sound like an excuse. Keep it short and factual.
What did you do over the summer?
A preview, based on Declan, our fictional sample applicant. Upload your Common App to preview your own.
Material
- 32 hrs/wk at Dockside; promoted to Saturday prep lead in May 2026 This is what your summer actually was.
The angle
Talking points
Unlock to read the rest, for every question.
Sign in with Google, then pay once. The short version of this answer is free on the Questions page.
Tell me about a book you read recently. What are your favorite books and movies?
A preview, based on Declan, our fictional sample applicant. Upload your Common App to preview your own.
Material
- Chip War by Chris Miller Already in your essay and right in your interviewer's field.
The angle
Talking points
Unlock to read the rest, for every question.
Sign in with Google, then pay once. The short version of this answer is free on the Questions page.
Your schedule looks packed. What do you actually do in your free time?
A preview, based on Declan, our fictional sample applicant. Upload your Common App to preview your own.
Material
- Cooking/pierogi and family kitchen-table Polish Personal, and she lists Polish cooking as an interest.
The angle
Talking points
Unlock to read the rest, for every question.
Sign in with Google, then pay once. The short version of this answer is free on the Questions page.
Tell me a bit about your family and where you come from.
A preview, based on Declan, our fictional sample applicant. Upload your Common App to preview your own.
Material
- Dad, Tom, a welder at Lakeshore Rail Works; shifts cut to four days in March 2025 The root of your interest in trade.
The angle
Talking points
Unlock to read the rest, for every question.
Sign in with Google, then pay once. The short version of this answer is free on the Questions page.
Character and the wider world
Tell me about the hardest thing you've faced and what you learned from it. Sample applicant
Based on Declan, our fictional sample applicant - not on you. Upload your Common App to get this from your own background.
Material
- Meniscus tear, August 2025: ten weeks on crutches, missed junior season, C in AP Chemistry first semester A real setback with a visible cost on your transcript and a concrete fix you found.
- Putting physical therapy, homework and shifts on one calendar Shows how you respond under pressure, not just that something bad happened.
- Coming back as varsity captain and finishing Chemistry with a B- Honest proof of recovery without pretending it was a triumph.
The angle
Your hardest moment wasn't dramatic. It was a knee injury that took soccer away, and your grades slid with it. What makes it worth telling is the lesson you drew: you need structure more than motivation. The same habit shows up in your Dockside dough notebook, so you can show the interviewer it's how you work, not a one-off.
Talking points
- Open with the preseason scrimmage tear and losing your junior season
- Own the AP Chemistry C plainly, then the B- finish
- Explain the one-calendar fix: PT, homework, Dockside shifts
- Link it to the humidity notebook at the dough station as the same instinct
- Close on coming back as senior captain, and what you'd do differently now
To think about
What did the injury feel like week to week: was there a low point, and who or what got you moving again?
Avoid: Your personal essay already tells this story, so don't recite it. Add detail the essay skips. Also don't pick your dad's cut shifts as 'your' hardest thing; that was his hardship.
How would you handle living and working with people whose values and beliefs differ from yours? Sample applicant
Based on Declan, our fictional sample applicant - not on you. Upload your Common App to get this from your own background.
Material
- St. Hedwig Newcomer Table: tutoring Ukrainian and Congolese families Daily work with people from very different backgrounds and faiths.
- First 'Main Street Math' column: three welders and a purchasing manager You talked to people on opposite sides of tariffs and found each reasonable.
- Model UN, representing Chile and Germany Practice arguing positions that aren't your own.
The angle
You already go looking for people who see things differently. You did it when you interviewed a purchasing manager for a column about welders losing hours, and when you stay for coffee at the Newcomer Table. Maureen sits on a refugee employment board, so she'll recognize real experience there. Show her listening is a habit you have, and make clear you still hold your own views.
Talking points
- Start with the purchasing manager who explained why she couldn't buy cheaper steel
- Bring in the teacher who said 'too even-handed to have a point', and whether you agree
- Use the Newcomer Table: helping with the form, then staying for coffee
- Tie to the Mortara Center goal: finding someone who disagrees with you about tariffs
- Ask yourself: what's one belief you'd actually defend in a Georgetown dorm argument?
To think about
Which time did you personally disagree with someone about values or beliefs, not just economics, and how did it go?
Avoid: Don't sound like you have no opinions; the 'too even-handed' criticism is exactly the risk here. Avoid generic 'I respect everyone' lines.
What motivates you?
A preview, based on Declan, our fictional sample applicant. Upload your Common App to preview your own.
Material
- Reading until midnight about Section 232 tariffs after your dad's shift cut Curiosity nobody assigned.
The angle
Talking points
Unlock to read the rest, for every question.
Sign in with Google, then pay once. The short version of this answer is free on the Questions page.
What would you bring to Georgetown? Why would you fit in?
A preview, based on Declan, our fictional sample applicant. Upload your Common App to preview your own.
Material
- Rebuilding Model UN from 9 to 23 members with novice night and a shared Google Drive Concrete proof you build communities.
The angle
Talking points
Unlock to read the rest, for every question.
Sign in with Google, then pay once. The short version of this answer is free on the Questions page.
What's something in the news you've been following? What do you think about it?
A preview, based on Declan, our fictional sample applicant. Upload your Common App to preview your own.
Material
- Your column on steel tariffs and the rail plant You've reported on tariffs at your own family's plant.
The angle
Talking points
Unlock to read the rest, for every question.
Sign in with Google, then pay once. The short version of this answer is free on the Questions page.
Closing
Is there anything else you'd like me or the Admissions Committee to know? Sample applicant
Based on Declan, our fictional sample applicant - not on you. Upload your Common App to get this from your own background.
Material
- The AP Chemistry C during the meniscus injury, junior fall The worst grade on the transcript; this is the moment to frame it briefly yourself, with the structure fix that followed.
- Family responsibilities: driving Babcia to dialysis twice a week Five hours a week that looks small on a list but explains your time and who you are; the essays only hint at it.
- SAT jump from 1320 (March) to 1410 (August) Shows the same notebook-and-calendar habit working outside the kitchen.
The angle
Georgetown says this is your chance to point the committee at key details, and Maureen likely knows only your name and school. Your file has a few things that read differently with context: the chemistry C, the hours split between Dockside, dialysis drives and soccer. Pick one or two and connect them to the habit you already describe, needing structure more than motivation.
Talking points
- Name the AP Chemistry C and the ten weeks on crutches in one line, no excuses
- Point to the shared calendar of PT, homework and shifts, and the B- finish
- Mention the twice-weekly dialysis drives with Babcia and translating her paperwork
- Tie back to the 1320 to 1410 retake as proof the system holds
- Which one thing do you most want in her report?
To think about
What did your grades look like the semester after the injury, and can you point to one?
Avoid: Don't turn this into a hardship speech or retell the whole personal essay; one or two facts, said plainly, then stop. Don't recite the activity list again.
What questions do you have for me?
A preview, based on Declan, our fictional sample applicant. Upload your Common App to preview your own.
Material
- Maureen's path: SFS International Economics, first job translating customs paperwork, now freight VP who rebuilt customs after the 2025 tariffs She lives the trade-from-both-ends idea in your SFS essay; ask about the real world, not the website.
The angle
Talking points
Unlock to read the rest, for every question.
Sign in with Google, then pay once. The short version of this answer is free on the Questions page.
Unlock everything for Georgetown
Less than a single application fee, to be ready for the interview you worked so hard to earn.
- Answer guidance for every question
- Guidance from your own Common App, for every question
- Practice questions you haven't prepared, with feedback, typed or spoken
One-time payment, no subscription. You'll sign in with Google first. Refunds