Hi all-
I am planning on applying to Georgetown SFS, and one of the prompts on the application asks you to talk about a global issue and how you would approach combating it. A lot of my ECs revolve around politics/activism, and one of the issues I feel most passionately about is access to healthcare/birth control/family planning. Would it be a really bad idea to write about the need for women’s healthcare/family planning services in underdeveloped countries in response to the prompt, due to the Catholic church’s attitude towards birth control? I figured I should shy away from this topic, but I know that I could come up with a great response… but I don’t want to get my application automatically tossed out by responding in this way. Thanks so much!
Your application would not be automatically tossed out by choosing this as your topic, absolutely not. If this is the topic that you feel most passionate about and feel you could write the best response on, then by all means, go for it! There is no expectation that every student will agree with the Catholic Church’s current stance on birth control.
I agree with the above, this topic choice will not immediately get your essay thrown out. I don’t think this is necessarily a bad topic for the essay, but my advice (as an admit to the class of 2021) is to approach your global issue of choice in a more academic manner, perhaps looking for some scholarly articles to reference and use as research, and to present your opinions in a more academic way, versus a personal-political way, if that makes sense. If you would like to have me read over your essay, I would be happy to.
As a current SFS student I’m actually going to disagree a little bit with @yonceonhismouth. I wrote my SFS essay on a somewhat similar topic (women’s rights including access to birth control) and it certainly had more of a political skew than an academic one. While I backed up my opinions with scholarly research, I also cited my own personal experiences and referenced some of my extracurriculars. I don’t really think they care what your argument is (within reason) so long as it’s well researched, argued, and shows your passions and experience with international issues.
I got into SFS during the last RD round. My school-specific essay was super personal, and only one paragraph contained any kind of detailed political analysis. Primarily, the essay told a story about how my worldview changed following an experience. I wrote about what I find meaningful and important, and how I feel politics often misses the point. So, instead of choosing a “risky” topic (Obviously, Georgetown would never disadvantage an applicant for disagreeing with Catholic orthodoxy.), consider telling your own story through the lens of a topic you truly care about. Best of luck!
How are you structuring your essay? Are you using quotes/citations?