georgia college supplemental essay examples

University of Georgia (UGA) 2024-25 Supplemental Essay Prompt Guide

Regular Decision Deadline: Jan 1

You Have:

University of Georgia 2024-25 Application Essay Question Explanations

The Requirements: 1 essays of 200-300 words

Supplemental Essay Type(s): Oddball

T he transition from middle to high school is a key time for students as they reach new levels of both academic and personal discovery. Please share a book (novel, non-fiction, etc.) that had a serious impact on you during this time. Please focus more on why this book made an impact on you and less on the plot/theme of the book itself (we are not looking for a book report).” (200-300 words)

This prompt asks you to discuss a book that made a big impression on you as you navigated the transition from middle to high school. At CEA, we always recommend that you choose an unexpected work in order to stand out from the pack, but ultimately, you should aim for authenticity rather than uniqueness. If Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone was the book you turned to in the beginning of freshman year, where you found not only fantastical escape, but also an accurate reflection of the struggles of fitting in (even if you weren’t the “chosen one”), then write about that! But a word of warning if you choose a more commonly read book such as those from the Wizarding World: your essay has to go above and beyond if it has any chance of making an impression on the admissions department at UGA.

If, however, there is another less-mainstream book that struck a chord with you, we encourage you to select that one to elaborate upon. No matter your choice, as you contemplate the prompt, ask yourself: Which characters have inspired you? Which plotlines have stayed with you long after you closed the book? How did you apply what you took from the story to your own life?

Regardless of the book you choose, try to give yourself as much time as possible to reflect on its impact and the role it played in helping you navigate your introduction to high school. As always, it’s your job to tell admissions a story, one that reveals information about who you are, what you care about, and/or what inspires you.

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How to Write the University of Georgia Supplemental Essay 2024–2025

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The University of Georgia , located in the city of Athens, is a highly ranked public research institution. Committed to student well-being , perhaps it’s no surprise that Bulldog football fans are among the happiest and Athens, GA is considered one of the best college towns. According to their website , the University of Georgia’s accomplished alumni include “lauded scientists and researchers; countless entrepreneurs; Academy Award winners; U.S. senators; nine Pulitzer Prize recipients; and 26 governors of Georgia.” If you’re hoping to be lucky enough to become a Bulldog, you’ll need to nail the University of Georgia supplemental essay. Let’s dive in.

University of Georgia’s 2024-2025 Prompt

The transition from middle to high school is a key time for students as they reach new levels of both academic and personal discovery. please share a book (novel, non-fiction, etc.) that had a serious impact on you during this time. please focus more on why this book made an impact on you and less on the plot/theme of the book itself (we are not looking for a book report). (200-350 words), we’ll review your essay.

Receive edits in as little as 24 hours

General Tips

Let’s talk about two common grammatical mistakes students make in their college essays. Note that these are grammar rules applicable to Standard American English. Even if you’re not American, the University of Georgia is in the U.S., so it’s in your best interest to stick to these rules.

Avoid the comma splice.

The comma splice crops up in essays of all kinds, by all kinds of writers. In some circumstances, it can be considered stylistic, even though it’s grammatically incorrect, though most of the time it should be avoided. But what is a comma splice? A comma splice is when you use a comma to connect two independent clauses. Unfortunately, a comma alone is not allowed to connect two independent clauses. Note that an independent clause is a group of words that express a grammatically complete thought.

Here are some examples of comma splices and ways they could be corrected:

Incorrect: I read this book in 8th grade, it changed my life.
Correct: I read this book in 8th grade, and it changed my life.
Incorrect: My 8th grade English teacher assigned it for summer reading, I forgot to read it until August.
Correct: My 8th grade English teacher assigned it for summer reading; I forgot to read it until August.
Incorrect: Although I had read it before, I never understood it until that summer, that was the summer I fell in love.
Correct: Although I had read it before, I never understood it until that summer—that was the summer I fell in love.
Incorrect: I reached the last page in tears, I wondered how I had never understood this before.
Correct: I reached the last page in tears. I wondered how I had never understood this before.

Know how to use punctuation in quotes.

Because this particular essay question asks you to write about a book you have read, you may find yourself using quotes. If not, it’s not unlikely there’s some dialogue in your Common App essay. If so, you’ll need to understand how to use punctuation when you’re quoting something or someone. Here are the rules:

Example: I shouted, “Look over here, Dad!”
Example: The first line of the book is, “Call me Ishmael.”
Example: Did he just say “fire”?
Example: The last thing I wanted to hear was a “no”!
Example: “I don’t know you anymore,” she whispered.
Example: “Where are you going?” they asked.
Example: “I have good news,” the doctor began, “but I still want you to sit down.”
Example: “I think,” I said slowly, “that we’re lost.”

Still have questions? Check out our College Essay Review service, and we’ll be sure to identify any and all grammar issues you may have.

University of Georgia Short Essay Question

The University of Georgia supplemental essay prompt is unique in that it asks applicants to write about books read in the 8th or 9th grade approximate timeframe. In contrast, most college essays either ask you to write about a certain experience with no prescribed timeframe, or they restrict students’ responses to their most recent two years of high school. Nevertheless, the University of Georgia seeks to understand who you were and what impacted you just a little earlier. Here’s some more information their admissions team provides:

“We are not restricting you to the exact years of 8th-9th grades, but rather the general timeframe of the middle to high school transition, which can extend somewhat further than one year on each end. Feel free to use your discretion in your choice of the timeline focused on the shift to your high school years.”

Based on this information, it seems that the key is that your essay focuses on the transition from middle to high school . In addition, you need to address this time period through the lens of a book you read during this time. This book can be any genre, but it should have had a significant impact on you. This should be a book you still think about to this day. It should also be a book that you have read in its entirety. Note that whether or not you read this book for school is not relevant to this essay.

Moreover, because you did not read this book recently, you may want to revisit it before you begin to write this essay. That way, you can provide specific details about the book and why it impacted you. You can include quotes (as long as they are enclosed in question marks), but spend no more than 2-3 sentences summarizing the book to provide context if necessary. If this book is very well-known (for instance: the Bible, a book from the Harry Potter series, The Great Gatsby ), then you need not summarize it.

Focus on providing reasons for why this book impacted you. What are the themes and messages that have changed your behavior or mindset? How has the book influenced the way you write or communicate? What were the lessons you learned? If you can answer a few of these questions in your essay with clarity and specific details, then you’ll do well.

If you need help polishing up your University of Georgia supplemental essays, check out our College Essay Review service. You can receive detailed feedback from Ivy League consultants in as little as 24 hours.

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Students Also Read

How to Write the William & Mary Supplemental Essays 2024–2025

Fall 2025 UGA Essay Questions

david graves may 22nd, 2024 in blog.

For First Year students applying to UGA for Fall 2025, we will keep the same longer personal essay (250-650 words) as before, using the essay prompts from the Common App . The shorter UGA specific essay (200-300 words suggested) topic will also remain the same as last year, with the following essay prompt:

“ The transition from middle to high school is a key time for students as they reach new levels of both academic and personal discovery. Please share a book (novel, non-fiction, etc.) that had a serious impact on you during this time. Please focus more on why this book made an impact on you and less on the plot/theme of the book itself (we are not looking for a book report).”

FYI – We are not restricting you to the exact years of 8th-9th grades, but rather the general timeframe of the middle to high school transition, which can extend somewhat further than one year on each end. Feel free to use your discretion in your choice of the timeline focused on the shift to your high school years.

As always, we also share an essay from an enrolling First-Year student that we believe shows great writing skills:

As a middle-schooler on the brink of entering high school, I was like lost cattle entering a vast social and academic wilderness. In the center, a winding, sun-soaked desert path stretched far into the horizon, beckoning my gaze with its promise of adventure and discovery. Enter The Alchemist and its magnificent idea of the “Personal Legend”– a life goal so lofty that it made locating my locker on the first day of high school appear easy. Forget about the difficulty of making new hobbies or friends; the content from this novel sure played an essential role in determining my ideology related to pursuing my future.

The protagonist enthusiastically praised the significance of believing in one’s dreams, which led my younger self down the correct path. Generating profits after extensive hours of work through my business, navigating changes in learning after COVID-19, and confronting adversity due to my darker skin color all presented difficult periods where persistence and faith were important in progress. Although self-belief was a crucial aspect of pushing through difficult times, it also motivated me to be more confident. Taking risks, from soloing in my 8th-grade jazz band to giving my crush a cringeworthy love letter, changed my belief in embracing adversity.

Furthermore, the book’s emphasis on interacting with people from different backgrounds, cultures, and belief systems mirrors my journey into the real world. Whether developing a dancing board at a Purdue summer camp or a calculus Halloween graph, collaboration enforces the ability to work with others who may share different ideas. Diverse backgrounds boosted my understanding, tolerance, and empathy while increasing my engineering career readiness. Not only was The Alchemist a great book, but it enforced critical systems that I use until this day to succeed in life. The Alchemist played an essential role in instilling new concepts I needed as an adolescent. “And when you want something, all the universe conspires you to achieve it.” Thank you, Paulo Coelho. – Josh W, Collins Hill HS.

This essay gives us insight into the student’s feelings and thoughts, and he shares his ideas through descriptive word choice. This is an excellent essay, but please know that we are not expecting this level of writing from the applicant pool overall. This essay example is meant to show our applicant pool how to express themselves through examples, personal growth and emotion. When we are reviewing essays, we are looking more at the student’s voice coming through and less on technical writing skills.