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Early Action: Nov 1
Regular Decision Deadline: Jan 10
The Requirements: 1 essay of 250 words; 1 half-page essay; 2 page-long essays
Supplemental Essay Type(s): Activity , Why, Diversity
Since Georgetown doesn’t use the Common App, they require four essays, one of which is specific to the college you’re applying to. Three of these essays fall into CEA’s archetypes: the Why Essay , Diversity Essay , and Activity Essay , while the fourth asks you to elaborate on one of your talents. Taken together, these four essays help to illuminate your “accomplishments outside of the classroom, demonstrated commitment to the broader community, and personal qualities such as resiliency, motivation and ambition.” The most important thing to remember while drafting your responses is to be honest and true to yourself. Georgetown wants unique individuals who will embrace their community, so show them what sets you apart from the crowd! Read on for more guidance on each essay.
All georgetown university applicants , prompt 1: please elaborate on any special talents or skills you would like to highlight. (250 words) .
This prompt may come first on the list, but we think you should save it for last! For the other essays on the Georgetown application, we ask you to dig deep and share personal stories that showcase talents and interests. Don’t dry the well by listing all of your (many!) skills and talents too soon. Every essay should reveal something new to admissions. So once you finish polishing your other pieces, ask yourself: What’s missing? Is there some critical puzzle piece that will help connect your other three essays? Have you been dying to get something off your chest that didn’t fit anywhere else? This essay could be the perfect outlet for you to showcase your more personal skills, interests, and quirks. If the rest of your essays describe your drive to work in international relations, perhaps your answer to this prompt could reveal a lighter side: your love of experimental cooking (and impressive knife skills!). Or maybe explain how learning a new language helped you learn how to whistle! While you should aim to highlight genuine skills that you have put effort into cultivating, you can also have a little bit of fun. This prompt is the most open-ended one on the application, so show admissions something they won’t find anywhere else on your application.
Next up is a fun twist on the classic Activity Essay, which asks you to expand on an extracurricular endeavor that you care about. For starters, we’d give you basically the same advice as the prompt: focus on one of the activities “in which you have been most involved.” Although we usually urge students to write about experiences that haven’t appeared elsewhere on their application, the Activity Essay is an exception since it specifically asks you to address an item on your resume. So, pick something with meat! When have you had the opportunity to take on a leadership role? How have four years of debate club shaped the way you communicate? Was it difficult coaching pee wee soccer as a freshman, and what motivated you to stick with it? Regardless of what you choose to write about, be sure to describe what it means to you.
Though it seems straightforward, this may be one of the hardest prompts! (What do you mean, tell you about myself in my own words?) Don’t fret. You can treat this essay just like the Common App’s prompt #1 , which asks students to write about a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. (Even better: If you’ve already written an essay in response to the Common App’s first prompt, you can recycle that essay here since Georgetown has its own application platform!)
If you’re approaching this essay from scratch, take some time to brainstorm . What about your background, talents, or identity might be worth highlighting for an admissions officer? Don’t worry about cramming every aspect of the wonder that is you into one essay; they will naturally reveal themselves along the way as you write. Whether you want to write about a facet of your identity that few people know about or a passion you’ve been dabbling in (and telling everyone about) for years, you can’t go wrong with authentic reflection and an engaging hook!
Georgetown college of arts and sciences: founded in 1789, the georgetown college of arts & sciences is committed to the jesuit traditions of an integrated education and of productive research in the natural sciences, humanities, social sciences, and fine arts. describe your interest in studying in the college of arts & sciences. (applicants interested in the sciences, mathematics, or languages are encouraged to make specific reference to their choice of major.).
You can probably guess what we’re going to recommend here…wait for it…research! Georgetown wants to know not just what you want to study but why you want to study it at their school. The prompt makes specific reference to the school’s Jesuit history, focus on research, and “integrated education,” so start there. Are you looking forward to a college experience grounded in faith? Are you excited to tie your various interests together through different courses, activities, and clubs? Does the Core Curriculum speak to your desire to not only focus on your intended major, but also explore other fields? If you know what you want to major in, make sure you take extra care to reference specific courses, professors, clubs, or other research opportunities that excite you. The more specific details you can incorporate into your essay, the more sincere and personal it will feel (and be!).
Well, this is about as straightforward as prompts get! Our advice is much the same as it is for students applying to the School of Health (see below). Set yourself apart from other applicants by not only discussing the factors that led you to pursuing a career in nursing, but also tying those experiences to your larger goals for the future. Take note of the keywords in the prompt’s first sentence and try to connect them to your story. Are you attracted to Georgetown’s focus on ethics because you come from a family of medical professionals? Were you drawn to the profession due to an empathetic nurse who supported your family during your little sister’s leukemia treatments? How do you hope to embody these characteristics in your future career? If there are elements of a Georgetown education that will support your particular interest or connect to your past experiences in some way, you should dig into that in your response, while also revealing new information to admissions about your character, motivations, and aspirations.
If we know anything about applying to medical programs, it is this: everyone wants to help people, everyone wants to make the world a better place, and everyone wants to make a meaningful contribution. Few fields lend themselves to service-oriented clichés and platitudes as readily as medicine does, so to safely navigate the minefield of hackneyed generalizations, start with something personal! What’s one eye-opening experience that made you believe healthcare could be your calling? Perhaps it was a single moment, like accidental eye contact with a concerned mother in the ER. Or maybe it was something more long-term, such as navigating your school in a wheelchair after knee surgery and realizing you want to improve patient outcomes by researching physical therapies. Whatever the case, use your personal story as the backdrop for your argument. What did you learn? What problems do you hope to tackle? What change do you hope to help create? As we said, it’s not enough to just want these things; your job is to show admissions why medicine interests you personally. Once you’ve accomplished that, be sure to address the role Georgetown will play in your plan for the future. In other words, why do you want to study healthcare at Georgetown in particular? Align your response to the keywords in the prompt’s first sentence to show that Georgetown is the right school for you. Do they have a research lab that’s at the forefront of innovation? Are you eager to engage with local and global communities by volunteering in DC and studying abroad? How will Georgetown’s interdisciplinary education support your goals as a Human Science major? A wise applicant will do some research so they can infuse their response with specific details that demonstrate meticulousness and drive.
The Walsh School of Foreign Service wants to know what fuels your fire. What is driving you to dedicate your undergraduate studies (and maybe even your life!) to a path of service? Maybe you are incredibly passionate about combating climate change before it’s too late. What do you hope to achieve and how? Perhaps you’re following in the footsteps of a trailblazer you look up to—how do you hope to continue fighting the good fight in their honor? If you’re feeling stuck, ask yourself: What kind of mark would you like to leave on the world? How do you think you can positively contribute to a cause that is important to you? If you had the power to make a lasting impact in any area at all, what would it be? Next, describe how Georgetown’s specific program will help you achieve these goals. What courses, professors, study abroad experiences, clubs, or activities make Georgetown’s program stand out? The prompt makes reference to “generations of leaders,” so do some research to see if there are any alumni in whose footsteps you hope to follow. Finally, while building the personal connection is key, you’ll also want to leave yourself some space to spell out at least a few steps you might take to address your global issue of choice.
If you think we’ve never seen an essay with the line, “I love money,” you would be wrong. Spoiler: this does not make a great first impression. Studying business is about so much more than dollars and cents, and this prompt offers a few other aspects of business you’ll learn about in this program, including “global, ethical, analytical, financial, and diverse perspectives.” In order to get some perspective, we’d recommend doing your homework. Like any classic Why Essay, the best answers are personal and specific, so go beyond your general interest in business and try to figure out specifically why Georgetown could be the right fit for you. Is it the location? The professors? The travel opportunities? Allow yourself to follow every lead and fall down every rabbit hole as you root through the program website. Your essay should paint a picture of the kind of student you will be at Georgetown, from the classes you’ll take to the activities you’ll pursue. How will this education prepare you for your dream career?
We have been reading Georgetown essays for over twenty years now, so we know a thing or two about the most common mistakes students make. The most common mistakes to avoid are repeating the prompt in your essay (don’t waste your words), trying to sound like an academic (admissions wants to hear your authentic voice!), and using cliches (they’re ineffective and—let’s face it—lazy).
We at College Essay Advisors have been guiding students one-on-one through the essay writing process for Georgetown for over twenty years. We take a holistic approach to these essays, considering each student’s application package as a whole and identifying their strengths to highlight. Our Advisors accommodate each student’s scheduling needs to virtually brainstorm, draft, and revise winning essays. It’s incredibly important to us that each student’s voice is preserved, and we pride ourselves in helping students to write successful Georgetown essays that differentiate them from similarly qualified applicants. For more information, submit a contact form below or review our one-on-one advising services or list of student acceptances .
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We'd love to connect you with an Advisor from our team.
Georgetown requires:
So four (4) essays in total.
Georgetown University seeks to welcome students of “character, intelligence, motivations and achievement, without distinction on the basis of race, gender, immigration status or religious preference.” So, naturally, applicants who want to give themselves an edge will make an effort to highlight their own aspirations, accomplishments, character, and intellect without shying away from matters of personal identity.
In order to make your Georgetown essays stand out, we recommend giving yourself plenty of time to brainstorm , reflect on your stories, and piece together cohesive narratives that reveal new information about who you are and what you hope to accomplish without relying on common cliches.
Georgetown asks applicants to submit one (1) essay of 250 words, whereas the other essays don’t have word counts. Instead, they require page counts (one half-page essay and two full-page essays, to be exact).
With each of the school-specific essays, admissions is trying to suss out your motivations for studying your academic interest of choice at Georgetown and what you hope to do with that education long after graduation. To write a strong essay, you will need to think ahead to what you hope to achieve in the future. Then, circle back to how a Georgetown education will help you get there. The more specific you can be in referencing aspects of their offerings that will propel you toward meeting your goals, the better. Just make sure not to regurgitate all the information from their website back to them without reflecting on why said offerings appeal to you, specifically.
"I was accepted into Georgetown a few hours ago. Thank you for all your help! It was really difficult for me to get started on my applications, so I wanted to thank you for the help you gave in keeping me on top of things, guiding me through the brainstorming of essays, and revising them. This would've been such a stressful application experience had it not been for your help."
– CEA Student, Georgetown, Class of 2025
"I just wanted to say thank you once again for your support and assistance with [my son's] Georgetown application. Without a doubt, you made this whole process fun, interesting and bearable. [My son] absolutely loved working with you!! After reading all of his essays, all I could say was, “Wow!!” Each and every one was a true reflection of him. I was so proud of his hard work, dedication and authenticity."
– CEA Parent, Georgetown, Class of 2026
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Good luck to everyone here!
Full member.
Secondary!
boomertexas said: Are you/will you be enrolled as a student at Georgetown University during the 2022-2023 academic year? (Y/N) Have you ever participated in any of the following Georgetown Programs? (check all that apply): The Georgetown University Academy for Research, Clinical, and Health Equity Scholarship (ARCHES) Pedro Arrupe S.J. Scholarship for Peace (ARRUPE) Gateway Exploration Program (GEP) Georgetown Scholars Program (GSP) Georgetown University School of Medicine Summer Immersion Program (GUSOM SCS) Cultivating Opportunity & Realizing Excellence (CORE) Leadership Program The Georgetown University School of Medicine (GUSOM) strives to ensure that its students become respectful physicians, with cultural humility, who embrace all dimensions of caring for the whole person. With our Jesuit values of Cura Personalis, People for Others, and Community in Diversity, we are steadfast in our commitment to racial justice and to addressing the health inequities exacerbated by the recent pandemic. Please describe how your values, life experiences, and your identity will contribute to these GUSOM priorities. Is there any further information that you would like the Committee on Admissions to be aware of when reviewing your file that you were not able to notate in another section of this or the AMCAS Application? Why have you chosen to apply to the Georgetown University School of Medicine and how do you think your education at Georgetown will prepare you to become a physician for the future? (3000 characters) @wysdoc Click to expand...
No limits! Just says short answer in the section heading @wysdoc
Okay @wysdoc , I need some tough love. GU is one of my dream schools. I love cura personalis and the DC area, and I think I have a lot to offer, but their technical standards say: Section scores: <125 are considered non-competitive. I have one section with a 124. Everything else is solid and I've demonstrated competencies elsewhere, but will this completely disqualify me? It is a $130 secondary fee (whew!) and I don't think I can waste that just to be screened out. Is it worth it?
boomertexas said: Secondary! Click to expand...
OOS Secondary received just now!
boomertexas said: Okay @wysdoc , I need some tough love. GU is one of my dream schools. I love cura personalis and the DC area, and I think I have a lot to offer, but their technical standards say: Section scores: <125 are considered non-competitive. I have one section with a 124. Everything else is solid and I've demonstrated competencies elsewhere, but will this completely disqualify me? It is a $130 secondary fee (whew!) and I don't think I can waste that just to be screened out. Is it worth it? Click to expand...
NIKK234 said: I think it depends on the section! I am not an expert lol but i assume if its like CARS that can be a little more understanding. That secondary fee is scary! Click to expand...
boomertexas said: God, I wish... CARS was a 132 lol. It was B/BC Click to expand...
NIKK234 said: Oh with 132 in CARS you can submit lol 😂 Click to expand...
Okay stupid question - anyone else having difficulty signing into the secondary? The email didn't include instructions but I figure we do the "forgot password" thing to set a new one, but I tried that and haven't gotten any email
futuremdpls said: Okay stupid question - anyone else having difficulty signing into the secondary? The email didn't include instructions but I figure we do the "forgot password" thing to set a new one, but I tried that and haven't gotten any email Click to expand...
OOS secondary received!
paul30 said: OOS secondary received! Click to expand...
raava said: Honestly is there anyone IS lol Click to expand...
LeeSin said: not a state! over 700,000 people without representation! Statehood for DC!!! ok rant over Click to expand...
raava said: Yeah but strategically if you are an undergrad in a DC school applying straight, you'd claim residency in your home state. If you're taking at least one gap year, you'd hop a few hundred feet across the Potomac and apply with VA residency. Click to expand...
LeeSin said: I mean strategically sure... but there is life outside of med school apps. I am in "state" so I am the unicorn you're searching for Click to expand...
How long do people plan to go with these "short answer" essays? Everything has been so regimented since I decided to go for med school, I don't like ambiguity!
tovarishch said: How long do people plan to go with these "short answer" essays? Everything has been so regimented since I decided to go for med school, I don't like ambiguity! Click to expand...
jenkinss said: They were 1000 chars last cycle, so I might just stick with that tbh. Click to expand...
secondary submitted! (ouch on that fee though)
kneecocoa said: I am also still struggling... we make one typo and our application goes in the trash, but they can mess up the mass email describing how we are supposed to pay them more money... and we pay them more money to get a rejection??? gotta love it Click to expand...
What are your guys' opinions on mentioning a non-Catholic/Christian religion in Georgetown's secondary? I'm working on the prompt about how my values, life experiences and identity will contribute to cura personalis and I feel like it's been a major part of my life because it's a big pillar in my religion. If I bring it up, should I mention explicitly which religion I follow (Sikhism) or just leave it vague? Thank you!
hopefulmdinprogress said: What are your guys' opinions on mentioning a non-Catholic/Christian religion in Georgetown's secondary? I'm working on the prompt about how my values, life experiences and identity will contribute to cura personalis and I feel like it's been a major part of my life because it's a big pillar in my religion. If I bring it up, should I mention explicitly which religion I follow (Sikhism) or just leave it vague? Thank you! Click to expand...
Why does this school ask for a social security number? Is there any way to skip this? I am uncomfortable giving this information.
hadv3r said: Why does this school ask for a social security number? Is there any way to skip this? I am uncomfortable giving this information. Click to expand...
That feeling when you didn't get the "only 1000 characters" memo and go to paste your responses into the secondary... Oof
does Georgetown ask if you have previously applied to medical school or if you have previously applied to their medical school? or both
barney123 said: does Georgetown ask if you have previously applied to medical school or if you have previously applied to their medical school? or both Click to expand...
What is the secondary application fee?
mguy29678 said: What is the secondary application fee? Click to expand...
Do the 1000 characters include spaces?
jbc333 said: Do the 1000 characters include spaces? Click to expand...
For those of you who are reapplying, how much are you guys changing your secondary essays? I am struggling with significantly changing mine because my reasons for wanting to go to GUSOM haven't changed nor has my additional info I want the committee to know about me. Has anyone spoken with admissions about this? I don't want to come across as lazy, but how many ways can we keep saying the same thing?
AlwaysRefreshingMyEmail said: For those of you who are reapplying, how much are you guys changing your secondary essays? I am struggling with significantly changing mine because my reasons for wanting to go to GUSOM haven't changed nor has my additional info I want the committee to know about me. Has anyone spoken with admissions about this? I don't want to come across as lazy, but how many ways can we keep saying the same thing? Click to expand...
futuremdpls said: I am completely rewriting everything! For schools that I applied to before I'm not even looking at what I wrote last time, because obviously that didn't get me an II or A. If you really do have the same passions and goals, you'll be able to write them well from scratch again. Don't let yourself get held back by what you wrote before Click to expand...
Where are the research opportunities listed on the website? It seems like the page hasn't been updated since 2016 lol.
sosmedicine said: This is a good point, I also changed my essays completely to reflect new experiences and tried to fit their mission better Click to expand...
OOS Secondary received
when are interviews usually sent out?
turtle2021 said: when are interviews usually sent out? Click to expand...
Have been looking into GU but I don't want to apply if I am not competitive in terms of volunteer hrs. I know it is incredibly service oriented but does anyone have any statistics for this? What are the average/median number of hours towards service and does clinical volunteering count?
Berkley Forum
By: Harun Karčić
July 25, 2022
As Russia’s war against Ukraine rages on and President Vladimir Putin continues his renewed campaign for global influence, Moscow is increasingly asserting itself in a region that has been off the radar for some time—the Balkans .
Nested between the Black Sea and the Adriatic, the region’s geostrategic location and its proximity to the Middle East is important to Moscow. The Adriatic Sea would provide Russia with access to warm-water ports—a quest which has been a historic driver of Russian diplomatic and military activity in Southeastern Europe. Back in the 1950s, the USSR had even constructed the Pasha Liman naval base in Albania where attack submarines of the Soviet navy were stationed until Albania’s dictator Enver Hoxha broke off ties with Moscow in 1961.
However, more important for Russia are the region’s significant historical, cultural, and religious connections —narratives of shared ties that are actively propagated by Russian media outlets in the region, as well as public diplomacy officials. More specifically, Moscow plays the shared cultural and religious ties card among the region’s Orthodox Christian population that constitutes significant percentages in Bosnia, in addition to majorities in Serbia, Montenegro, and North Macedonia. Serbia has been perceived as Russia’s kin state in the region, a much smaller and feebler version of the Russia-Belarus relationship, which involves manipulating identity politics, church relations, and economic interests.
As one of the last regions of Europe that has not yet been fully integrated into Euro-Atlantic structures, the Balkans present an obvious target for Russian influence operations. Religious links are usually gate-openers for more consequential deals—including in strategic sectors such as energy, banking, and real estate —and hence gradually lead to political and economic dependence.
Although Russia has had three ruling regimes over the past two centuries—tsarist, Soviet, and post-communist—the same imperialistic mentality has survived empires and remained dominant in the halls of the Kremlin. Since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, there is no place for doubt as to what extent President Vladimir Putin is willing to go in order to instrumentalize Russian-speaking minorities across Russia’s borders and utilize the Russian Orthodox church in order to advance his irredentist aspirations. This ought to be considered when analyzing the Western Balkans as well.
Russian overt and covert influence operations in the Balkans have been aimed at fostering local, people-to-people connections and creating friendly constituencies and various levers of influence. Russia’s second approach was to exacerbate existing political and social fissures within a country, betting that such moves would inhibit further integration into Western economic, political, or security structures.
But there is also the tit for tat moment: since NATO has been expanding across former Soviet republics that Moscow considers its spheres of influence (i.e., Baltics, Georgia, and Ukraine), Moscow feels entitled to reciprocate in NATO’s inner yard. However, unlike the post-Soviet Central Asian states or the Caucasus, Russia is incapable of physically penetrating the Balkans; hence it relies on local players.
Moscow enjoys a series of local assets including highly placed Serb nationalist politicians such as Milorad Dodik (a member of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s tri-partite presidency) and Aleksandar Vučić (Serbia’s powerful president). There are also biker gangs, friendly paramilitary militias, murky businessmen, pro-Russian media outlets, and above all the transnational Serbian Orthodox Church .
Russian President Vladimir Putin recruited the Orthodox Church from the very onset as a primary soft-power instrument. Over the years, it has grown to play an instrumental role in advancing Russian interests, not only in countries perceived by the Kremlin as its “near abroad” but to all other states where Orthodox Christians live. Because church and religion have always been important societal and political factors in the region, and perhaps the only real division points in terms of identifying ethnicity, the Kremlin sought to spread its influence in predominantly Orthodox Western Balkan countries.
The Russian Orthodox Church’s main interlocutor in the region is the Serbian Orthodox Church, which concomitantly has a close relationship with the Serbian state and often provides religious legitimacy to domestic and foreign state policies. Outside of Serbia, the Serbian Orthodox Church controls parishes in Bosnia’s autonomous Republika Srpska entity, Montenegro, Croatia, and in parts of Kosovo. Hence, Moscow’s political and religious influence trickles down and cascades through Belgrade.
So strong has this influence been that while much of world stood in solidarity with Ukrainians in March 2022, thousands of citizens in Serbia and in the autonomous Republic of Srpska organized mass rallies in support of Russia and President Vladimir Putin. Among those marching were Serb members of the notorious Kremlin-backed bikers’ club Night Wolves, members of pro-Kremlin NGO Sveti Georgije, and also members of the ultra-nationalist Ravna Gora Chetnik Movement. Russian-friendly media outlets in the region eagerly reported on the rallies and lionized the Russian military.
Finally, there are Russian oligarchs with close ties to the Russian Orthodox Church and the Kremlin who can provide Moscow with a useful mask of deniability, should things go wrong. The most prominent example is Konstantin Malofeev , who is strongly linked with Milorad Dodik, the Bosnian Serb member of the presidency.
Looking at Russia’s interests in the Balkans from a broader perspective, it is interesting to note that in the 1990s, Russia was too weak to carve its sphere of influence in the former Yugoslavia, despite its greatest efforts. It was NATO—led by the United States—that dominated for many years. However, as the United States diverted its attention and resources to Afghanistan and Iraq in the 2000s, development, security, and state building of the Western Balkans was outsourced to the European Union. The lack of a coherent EU strategy towards the region produced no viable steps forward, and eventually the Kremlin saw an opportunity to step in.
Moscow had been sending trial balloons to see what it could get away with before hitting hard when an opportunity appeared—and the lack of any meaningful Western response was interpreted as a sign of weakness.
Over the years, numerous religious, business, and political networks have been knitted—including with the criminal milieu—between Moscow and the Balkans. The consequences of this partnership are likely to have serious implications sooner rather than later. We already see the results of Moscow’s co-option and subversion efforts which have managed to not only stall, but reverse democratic and political gains achieved by Western involvement since the 1990s. Particular attention must be paid to far-right nationalist politicians such as Milorad Dodik and Aleksandar Vučić, whose relationships with Vladimir Putin have exposed them as the most willing subordinates of the Kremlin’s political diktats.
According to the latest International Republican Institute survey, Bosniak Muslims and Kosovar Albanians are the most ardent supporters of NATO and the EU in the Western Balkans. The war in Ukraine has provided a rare window of opportunity for the United States to recalibrate its foreign policy and make a forceful comeback to Europe, particularly to the Balkans.
It is an opportunity that must not be wasted, because any conflict in the Western Balkans has the potential to enflame neighboring NATO member states, and hence destabilize the transatlantic military alliance and western liberal order.
Editor's Note: This article was written as part of the Geopolitics of Religious Soft Power project , a partnership between Georgetown University’s Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs and the Brookings Institution supported by the Carnegie Corporation of New York. The statements made and views expressed are solely the responsibility of the respective authors.
Dr. Harun Karčić is a journalist and political analyst covering the Balkans. Over the past decade, he has authored numerous articles on geopolitics and religion, particularly Islam, in the post-communist Balkans. He also writes about the role played by foreign powers including Saudi Arabia, Iran, and Turkey. His scope has more recently expanded to include China and Russia as well. He also regularly reports on Muslim minorities in Europe and rising right-wing nationalism.
Russia’s answer to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), is a zombie—an undead creature shambling around the former Soviet Union, lacking a pulse but continuing to go through the motions of still being alive. Absent some extraordinary events, such as a decisive Russian victory in Ukraine, it is doubtful whether the CSTO can be restored to anything close to a functioning alliance. Such a situation would greatly impact the region’s security environment, unlikely as that may seem.
What is the CSTO?
The CSTO is a military alliance that brings together six post-Soviet countries into a mutual security pact. It originated out of the collapse of the Soviet Union, during which Russia and five other newly independent states (Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Belarus) signed the Collective Security Treaty (CST) on May 15, 1992. All the parties were interested in avoiding the potential dangers associated with a regional security vacuum, which could have led to intraregional conflicts and the intervention of external powers; thus, they joined the CST as a solution to their fears.
For Russia, the CST was a chief means to maintain its regional dominance and protect its self-declared zone of “ privileged interests .” For the weaker states, however, binding themselves to Russia was a means to signal to Moscow that they were not potential security liabilities. Consequently, in aiming to avoid potential Russian military interventions, these CST states put into practice the dictum of keeping one’s friends close but one’s (potential) enemies closer.
In 2002, this security architecture was upgraded into the CSTO, establishing a new international organization and formal institution to implement the 1992 document. Initially, the CSTO “ existed mostly as a paper structure ” and served primarily to formalize Russian weapon transfers and training. It also served as a mechanism to legitimize the maintenance of the Kremlin’s military bases outside of the Russian Federation through a multilateral, rather than unilateral or bilateral, veneer.
Yet rather than being a truly multilateral alliance, the CSTO was closer to a series of spokes all originating from Moscow, and, should Moscow have faltered in its responsibilities, there would have been little left holding it together. However, during the 2010s, the CSTO took several steps to transform itself into a stronger and more purposeful security mechanism. Nonetheless, it remained rather weak and dependent upon Russia to function.
The Slow, and Then Quick Death of the CSTO
As long as the alliance served its members’ interests, the security infrastructure envisioned by the CSTO could be maintained, but this did not come to fruition.
Specifically, the 2010 failure of the CSTO to comply with Kyrgyzstan’s request to counter ethnic clashes in the southern part of its country is seen by many as the beginning of the institution’s irrelevance. This event occurred as a result of the claim that the alliance’s mandate only extended to external aggression, not domestic instability, which prompted Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko to ask: “ What sort of organization is this one, if there is bloodshed in one of our member states … and this body keeps silent? ”
The foundations of the CSTO were further undercut by Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea and its open support for the secession of ethnic Russians in Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region. The consequences of these events were acutely felt in Belarus and Kazakhstan, given their mutual borders with the Russian Federation and their ethnic and cultural connections to Russia—both of which Moscow could exploit to enact another “ Ukraine scenario ” on their soil.
In an instant, Russia went from being viewed as a “benevolent hegemon” to a “neighborhood bully,” and Minsk and Astana found themselves in an “ intra-alliance security dilemma ,” aligned with an irredentist with potential plans for their countries. However, neither Belarus nor Kazakhstan sought to withdraw from the CSTO in part because that would have given Moscow the excuse it needed to intervene. Yet, there were clear signs that both Belarus and Kazakhstan sought to distance themselves from their ostensible alliance partner by taking concrete steps to secure their country’s sovereignty through changes to their national security doctrine, rhetoric, and policy.
Another failure occurred when the CSTO was unwilling to heed Armenia’s call to protect the ethnic-Armenian exclave of Nagorno-Karabakh in 2020. Despite the protection of their co-nationals being among Armenia’s most important national security interests, Moscow outright refused to assist, asserting that since the hostilities were “ not taking place on Armenian territory ,” the CSTO security guarantees did not apply.
Notably, the peacekeeping force sent to Nagorno-Karabakh following a Russian-brokered ceasefire in November of that year was not under CSTO auspices but rather through Moscow’s sole authority, another symbol of the CSTO’s unwillingness to assist Armenia. The following year, the Kremlin dismissed border skirmishes between Azerbaijan and Armenia proper as not enough to invoke the CSTO’s mutual defense provisions. The alliance was also powerless in the face of border clashes between Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan in 2021. One commentator explained the alliance’s inaction as rooted in the fact that its charter merely prohibits war between two of its member states , as opposed to aggression like in the Tajikistan-Kyrgyzstan situation.
Thus, Russian action or inaction caused the CSTO to fail at almost every level. Still, the alliance may have been able to move past these events since arguments for inaction were technically justifiable, and Moscow could ensure its allies that Crimea/Donbas was a one-off event. However, all this would be upended in early 2022.
The Year CSTO Died
There was a brief possibility of revival of the CSTO in January 2022, when CSTO peacekeepers were deployed to Kazakhstan to assist the regime of President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. Even though the bulk of the troops sent were from Russia, the region finally witnessed the alliance in action to safeguard regional stability. However, this hope along with the entire alliance’s viability was quickly dashed with Russia’s full-bore invasion of Ukraine a month later.
None of the other CSTO members formally recognized the independence of Donetsk and Luhansk, and no troops from the non-Russian CSTO countries were deployed to support Russia’s war. Russia’s annexation of four additional Ukrainian provinces was likewise rejected by CSTO members, a subtle affirmation of Ukraine’s sovereignty. Moreover, except for Lukashenko, who remains persona non grata in the West as a result of the 2020 crackdown against the democratic opposition, CSTO leaders have sought to foster positive relations with the West and China. For example, Kazakhstan’s Tokayev dismissed any notion that he owed the Kremlin a debt for the events of January 2022. Instead, Astana intensified its long-standing policy of undertaking a ‘multivector’ foreign policy, balancing the country’s ties between Russia, the West, and China.
Making matters worse for Russia were the war’s negative externalities: the slow pace of the invasion and the need to reinforce its military saw Moscow pulling some troops out of other parts of the region to devote to Ukraine. Consequently, Russia failed to fulfill its regional leadership role by ignoring renewed and escalating clashes between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan in September 2022, when Tajikistan reportedly sent troops across the border. Rather than opposing what many Kyrgyz saw as an “invasion,” Russian President Vladimir Putin chose to honor his Tajik counterpart “ for the provision of regional stability and security ” with an award. In response, Kyrgyzstan abruptly canceled CSTO joint military exercises that were due to take place later that month.
That same month, Azerbaijan took advantage of the regional chaos to initiate clashes with Armenia along their mutual border. A year later, Baku launched a full-scale offensive against Armenian-occupied territories, quickly overwhelming ethnic-Armenian forces and pushing aside the remaining Russian peacekeepers to seize full control over Nagorno-Karabakh. Despite the death of some Russian forces and, again, reported strikes into Armenia proper , Russia once again stayed silent. In fact, some Russian officials openly criticized Yerevan and the Karabakh-Armenians for provoking Azerbaijan, implying that Armenia was insufficiently loyal to Russia. Hence, Russia demonstrated to the rest of the CSTO that its interests were the only ones that held water.
What Does the Future Hold?
If alliances are fundamentally built upon trust and power, then the CSTO’s future seems bleak. The continual undermining of the alliance’s core principles appears to have created a strategic opening for external powers.
Maximizing stability will require a soft touch. The best policy for Washington , Brussels , and Beijing is to put into practice a quote often attributed to Napoleon Bonaparte : “Never interfere with an enemy while he’s making a mistake.” Russia has come nowhere close to achieving its overarching goal of establishing hegemony over the post-Soviet space. In fact, Russia has only weakened its regional geopolitical influence and popular support . Rather than binding them closer, Russia’s CSTO allies have redoubled their efforts to cultivate ties with the U.S./West and China during 2023. And there’s no indication that this will stop in 2024.
Foreign powers must understand that the multilayered relationships between Russia and other CSTO members cannot be broken overnight. Forcing these countries to conclusively choose a ‘bloc’ will likely prove counterproductive, as they would be hesitant to risk provoking the region’s still-dominant power. Instead, the United States and Europe should materially reward these states for both asserting their geopolitical independence and engaging in hedging behavior by seeking out ways to strengthen diplomatic and economic ties with them.
Some countries will be more receptive to this than others. Kazakhstan has probably gone the farthest, as its outreach to the West and China has been reciprocated. Armenia is justifiably rethinking its myopic dependence on Russia for its security following the Kremlin’s inaction in the Caucasus, boycotting the November 2023 CSTO summit in Minsk. Although Yerevan declared that it was not planning to leave the alliance, some comments by the Armenian Prime Minister were less definitive.
This comes in the context of the broader deterioration of the Armenian-Russian relationship : not only has Yerevan actively sought to improve relations with the West , but it has also joined the International Criminal Court, which has indicted Putin for war crimes. Paul Globe referred to Armenian-Russian relations as being in “crisis,” and we are now seeing this reflected in Yerevan’s recent suspension and “de facto freeze” of its involvement in the CSTO, with additional threats to make this a “de jure” change in its relationship toward the alliance.
While Belarus will almost certainly go the way of Lukashenko , Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan are likely not too far behind their counterparts in rethinking their relationship with Russia. Allowing what Moscow set in motion to take its due course, and nudging it along the way, will likely prove to be the most fruitful to further weaken Russia’s bedrock regional security system.
Regional Implications
What would the unraveling of this system mean for the region? Three outcomes are most likely – none of which are mutually exclusive. First, we have already seen conflicts in the region intensify as Russia becomes an absentee security provider. There is little reason to believe that this trend will reverse, thus creating a regional environment increasingly characterized by instability.
Second, it could also create an opening for outside powers to increase their influence in the region either through bilateral ties with the post-Soviet states or by filling the vacuum left by Moscow. We see substantial evidence of the first in terms of the West’s reciprocal inroads with Kazakhstan and Armenia. Regarding the latter, these countries may begin to look beyond Moscow to help resolve their issues. For example, one could imagine China, which has positive relations with the Central Asian states , being invited to mediate between Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan.
Finally, all of this will make Russia even more insecure as it sees its sphere of influence slipping away. We have already seen in Ukraine how Moscow responds to perceived insecurity. While its options at present are limited by the Ukrainian quagmire, eventually that war will end. And the region may find itself with a Russia desperate to restore its regional hegemony – not a promising prospect for the post-Soviet states.
The CSTO is not going to go away overnight, but it will be an alliance in name only, something more akin to the latter stages of the failed, Cold War-era Central Treaty Organization and the Southeast Asia Treaty Organization , rather than the NATO alliance it was modeled upon. For now, though, the CSTO will continue to shamble on, not quite dead, but not truly amongst the living.
Dr. Thomas Ambrosio is a professor of political science at North Dakota State University, USA, where he has taught in the Department of Political Science & Public Policy since 2000. His research interests include the domestic and international politics of the former Soviet Union, authoritarianism, authoritarian diffusion and learning, critical geopolitics, and ludic studies.
Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons
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This article was written based on the information and opinions presented by Alexander Oddo and Vinay Bhaskara in a CollegeVine livestream. You can watch the full livestream for more info.
Why are your essays so important, how will you impact the georgetown community, what are your personal qualities, are you and your interests authentic.
Essays are a crucial step in applying to any college. But Georgetown, in particular, values its supplemental essays . Essays account for up between 25% to 35% of the admissions decision at Georgetown, whereas at most schools it is 25% or below.
Many students applying to Georgetown have the right qualifications on paper: good grades, test scores, and extracurriculars. Therefore, when deciding between applications, it boils down to the essay. They know you are qualified to be a Georgetown student, but what kind of student will you be when you are there?
The first factor that an admissions officer will be looking for is whether you will positively add to the campus community. Every college is thinking about this. What they are trying to do is imagine what you will be like on campus, as well as what you would be like as an alumni of the school.
What extracurriculars are you going to be joining once you are on campus? What events at Georgetown are you going to be participating in? Are you going to be attending Georgetown day festivities? Perhaps you will help run the student government, or run for Student Senate President. They are trying to think about who you are as a person, and what value and impact you will have on and beyond campus.
No one can predict the future here, but your essays can sometimes give colleges a really good idea of what kind of student you will be like at their school and what you will be like after graduating.
Georgetown has a set of core values, one of which is the idea of “care for the whole person.” Georgetown applies that to admissions, too. That means they want people who are interdisciplinary thinkers, very open-minded, and ready to explore all the world has to offer.
At Georgetown, they value things like loving to learn, caring about others, striving to make the world a better place, determination, and resilience. In your essays, you will want to make sure that you show the ways in which you align with these values and why.
When reviewing your essays, Georgetown admissions officers are looking for authenticity in your reasons for wanting to enroll at their school. They get a lot of applications simply because they are a prestigious, top 50 school, but Georgetown, in particular, does not like people applying for its name.
The main reason why the Georgetown application is not on the Common App is so they can reduce the number of people applying to schools for clout and prestige. They want to make it extra work, so they get applicants who like Georgetown authentically and have key reasons for wanting to go, besides the fact that it is a good school.
As a result, you should make sure to do your research when applying to Georgetown. In each essay, you want to show that you understand the school and are excited about its opportunities.
You can find more information on how to write Georgetown’s supplemental essays in this article . And if you’re stuck in the brainstorming phase and eed examples of great college essays? Check out 19 Examples of Stellar Common App Essays or 16 Strong College Essay Examples .
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Georgetown Supplemental Essays - Prompt 1. Please elaborate on any special talents or skills you would like to highlight. (250 words) The wording of this prompt changed slightly from " Indicate any special talents or skills …" to " Please elaborate on any special talents or skills …". This tells us that Georgetown is encouraging ...
All Applicants. Prompt 1: Briefly discuss the significance to you of the school or summer activity in which you have been most involved. (1/2 page, single-spaced) Prompt 2: As Georgetown is a diverse community, the Admissions Committee would like to know more about you in your own words.
Georgetown College essay example. Example: Cynefin: a Welsh word for a place where a being feels it ought to be; it is where nature feels right and welcoming. It is both a concept that gets right to the heart of my cultural roots and an expression of my first experience at Georgetown. It was a chilly but beautiful autumn day; the heated, yet ...
Prompt 1: Briefly discuss the significance to you of the school or summer activity in which you have been most involved. (1/2 page, single-spaced, or approximately 300-400 words depending on font size) Prompt 2: As Georgetown is a diverse community, the Admissions Committee would like to know more about you in your own words.
Georgetown acceptance rate: 12%— U.S. News ranks Georgetown as a highly competitive school. Requirements for the Georgetown supplemental essays: 1 half-page (~250 word) essay. 1 full-page (~500 word) essay. 1 school-specific essay (~500 words) Georgetown application note: Georgetown DOES NOT accept the Common Application or Coalition Application.
Georgetown University asks applicants to submit four (4) essays in their undergraduate admission application. CEA's Founder and Chief Advisor, Stacey Brook, ...
The Georgetown supplemental essays 2022-2023 are as follows: Indicate any special talents or skills you possess. (250 words) Briefly discuss the significance to you of the school or summer activity in which you have been most involved. (approximately 1/2 page, single-spaced) As Georgetown is a diverse community, the Admissions Committee would ...
Prompts for the Georgetown Essays 2021-2022 Short Essay. Indicate any special talents or skills you possess (250 words). If you are really proud of one of your abilities, now is the time to show it. Georgetown wants students who bring a variety of backgrounds and interests, this essay is a good opportunity to show a new side of yourself.
Description. Join college consultant Alexander Oddo and CollegeVine co-founder Vinay Bhaskara to learn how to write effective, compelling, and admission worthy responses to the 2022-2023 Georgetown essays! This stream will be interactive so be sure to drop all your questions in the chat below.
How to Write the Georgetown Supplement 2022-2023. Georgetown is a top-tier private, Catholic, Jesuit school in Washington, D.C. It's ideal for students interested in government, history, and policy from the belly of the beast. At about 12%, it's a very competitive school. There are about 3,500 undergrads.
How to Ace the 23/24 Georgetown Supplemental Essays. By Cece Gilmore. Reviewed by Bill Jack. Edited by Maria Geiger. Updated: July 11th, 2024. The Georgetown University supplemental essays are an important part of the overall application. Georgetown has a 12% acceptance rate, so your very best writing is required here.
Georgetown's final supplemental essay prompt, often referred to as their Diversity Essay, asks: As Georgetown is a diverse community, the Admissions Committee would like to know more about you in your own words. Please submit a brief essay, either personal or creative, which you feel best describes you. (1 page, single-spaced) Remember, this ...
Georgetown University, home of a college application that looks like it was invented in the early aughts, has released the 2021-2022 essay prompts for applicants to the Class of 2026. This year, applicants are asked to answer four essay prompts. But do keep in mind that since Georgetown is not a Common Application subscriber (its longtime ...
We look forward to working with you throughout the admissions process. Please visit the General Information page for first-year applicants to learn more about the Georgetown University application process. For important information about the application process, we recommend you to review the Information for Applicants document. Georgetown Application Submission Step One - Complete and ...
Georgetown 2024-25 Application Essay Question Explanations. The Requirements: 1 essay of 250 words; 1 half-page essay; 2 page-long essays. Supplemental Essay Type(s): Activity, Why, Diversity. Georgetown Essay Prompts Breakdown All Georgetown University Applicants Prompt 1: Please elaborate on any special talents or skills you would like to ...
Reaction score. Apr 24, 2022. #1. Thank you @boomertexas for sharing this year's questions! 2022-2023 Georgetown Secondary Essay Prompts (the last one is your longer essay, the others are in a "short answer" section) 1. Are you/will you be enrolled as a student at Georgetown University during the 2022-2023 academic year?
Supplemental Essays: All Georgetown applicants are required to compose two supplemental essays as part of their application. Furthermore, five of Georgetown's undergraduate schools require an additional essay. ... The cost of attendance at Georgetown for the 2022-23 academic year is $84,696, making it one of the most expensive colleges in the ...
Best of the Art Essays of Miles Mathis a short selection from the past decade Essays 2023 and Updates. Essays 2022. Essays 2021. Essays 2020. Essays 2019. Essays 2018. Essays 2017. Essays 2016. Essays 2015. Essays 2014 Essays 2013 Essays 2012 Essays 2011 Essays 2010 Essays 2009 Essays 2008 Essays 2007 Essays 2006 Essays 2005
The day that Russia invaded Ukraine—February 24, 2022—will go down as a turning point in the history of the twenty-first century. Russia's war against Ukraine is not only a terrible event with unpredictable consequences for the future sovereignty and agency of an independent nation-state, but it also has influence far beyond Ukraine's borders.
Russia's Influence in the Balkans: The Interplay of Religion, Politics, and History. By: Harun Karčić. July 25, 2022. As Russia's war against Ukraine rages on and President Vladimir Putin continues his renewed campaign for global influence, Moscow is increasingly asserting itself in a region that has been off the radar for some time—the ...
Essay Example 1 - Special Talents. Essay Example 2 - Personal Statement. Essay Example 3 - The Meaning of Being Educated. Essay Example 4 - Extracurricular Activity. Where to Get Feedback on Your Georgetown Essays. Georgetown is a prestigious university located right outside of Washington D.C. that is known for its great public policy ...
Russia's answer to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), is a zombie—an undead creature shambling around the former Soviet Union, lacking a pulse but continuing to go through the motions of still being alive. Absent some extraordinary events, such as a decisive Russian victory in Ukraine, it is doubtful whether the CSTO can be ...
Essays are a crucial step in applying to any college. But Georgetown, in particular, values its supplemental essays. Essays account for up between 25% to 35% of the admissions decision at Georgetown, whereas at most schools it is 25% or below. Many students applying to Georgetown have the right qualifications on paper: good grades, test scores ...