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Georgia State Requirements for Admission

Choose your test.

What are Georgia State's admission requirements? While there are a lot of pieces that go into a college application, you should focus on only a few critical things:

• GPA requirements
• Testing requirements, including SAT and ACT requirements
• Application requirements

In this guide we'll cover what you need to get into Georgia State and build a strong application.

School location: Atlanta, GA

This school is also known as: GSU, Georgia State University

Admissions Rate: 60.6%

If you want to get in, the first thing to look at is the acceptance rate. This tells you how competitive the school is and how serious their requirements are.

The acceptance rate at Georgia State is 60.6% . For every 100 applicants, 61 are admitted.

This means the school is moderately selective . The school expects you to meet their requirements for GPA and SAT/ACT scores, but they're more flexible than other schools. If you exceed their requirements, you have an excellent chance of getting in. But if you don't, you might be one of the unlucky minority that gets a rejection letter.

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We know what kinds of students colleges want to admit. We want to get you admitted to your dream schools.

Learn more about PrepScholar Admissions to maximize your chance of getting in.

Georgia State GPA Requirements

Many schools specify a minimum GPA requirement, but this is often just the bare minimum to submit an application without immediately getting rejected.

The GPA requirement that really matters is the GPA you need for a real chance of getting in. For this, we look at the school's average GPA for its current students.

Average GPA: 3.58

The average GPA at Georgia State is 3.58 .

(Most schools use a weighted GPA out of 4.0, though some report an unweighted GPA.

With a GPA of 3.58, Georgia State requires you to be around average in your high school class. You'll need a mix of A's and B's, and very few C's. If you have a lower GPA, you can compensate with harder courses like AP or IB classes. This will help boost your weighted GPA and show your ability to take college classes.

If you're currently a junior or senior, your GPA is hard to change in time for college applications. If your GPA is at or below the school average of 3.58, you'll need a higher SAT or ACT score to compensate . This will help you compete effectively against other applicants who have higher GPAs than you.

SAT and ACT Requirements

Each school has different requirements for standardized testing. Only a few schools require the SAT or ACT, but many consider your scores if you choose to submit them.

Georgia State hasn't explicitly named a policy on SAT/ACT requirements, but because it's published average SAT or ACT scores (we'll cover this next), it's likely test flexible. Typically, these schools say, "if you feel your SAT or ACT score represents you well as a student, submit them. Otherwise, don't."

Despite this policy, the truth is that most students still take the SAT or ACT, and most applicants to Georgia State will submit their scores. If you don't submit scores, you'll have one fewer dimension to show that you're worthy of being admitted, compared to other students. We therefore recommend that you consider taking the SAT or ACT, and doing well.

Georgia State SAT Requirements

Many schools say they have no SAT score cutoff, but the truth is that there is a hidden SAT requirement. This is based on the school's average score.

Average SAT: 1067

The average SAT score composite at Georgia State is a 1067 on the 1600 SAT scale.

This score makes Georgia State Competitive for SAT test scores.

Georgia State SAT Score Analysis (New 1600 SAT)

The 25th percentile SAT score is 960, and the 75th percentile SAT score is 1170. In other words, a 960 on the SAT places you below average, while a 1170 will move you up to above average .

Here's the breakdown of SAT scores by section:

SAT Score Choice Policy

The Score Choice policy at your school is an important part of your testing strategy.

Georgia State ACT Requirements

Just like for the SAT, Georgia State likely doesn't have a hard ACT cutoff, but if you score too low, your application will get tossed in the trash.

Average ACT: 22

The average ACT score at Georgia State is 22. This score makes Georgia State Moderately Competitive for ACT scores.

The 25th percentile ACT score is 19, and the 75th percentile ACT score is 26.

Even though Georgia State likely says they have no minimum ACT requirement, if you apply with a 19 or below, you'll have a harder time getting in, unless you have something else impressive in your application.

ACT Score Sending Policy

If you're taking the ACT as opposed to the SAT, you have a huge advantage in how you send scores, and this dramatically affects your testing strategy.

Here it is: when you send ACT scores to colleges, you have absolute control over which tests you send. You could take 10 tests, and only send your highest one. This is unlike the SAT, where many schools require you to send all your tests ever taken.

This means that you have more chances than you think to improve your ACT score. To try to aim for the school's ACT requirement of 22 and above, you should try to take the ACT as many times as you can. When you have the final score that you're happy with, you can then send only that score to all your schools.

ACT Superscore Policy

By and large, most colleges do not superscore the ACT. (Superscore means that the school takes your best section scores from all the test dates you submit, and then combines them into the best possible composite score). Thus, most schools will just take your highest ACT score from a single sitting.

We weren't able to find the school's exact ACT policy, which most likely means that it does not Superscore. Regardless, you can choose your single best ACT score to send in to Georgia State, so you should prep until you reach our recommended target ACT score of 22.

Download our free guide on the top 5 strategies you must be using to improve your score. This guide was written by Harvard graduates and ACT perfect scorers. If you apply the strategies in this guide, you'll study smarter and make huge score improvements.

SAT/ACT Writing Section Requirements

Currently, only the ACT has an optional essay section that all students can take. The SAT used to also have an optional Essay section, but since June 2021, this has been discontinued unless you are taking the test as part of school-day testing in a few states. Because of this, no school requires the SAT Essay or ACT Writing section, but some schools do recommend certain students submit their results if they have them.

Georgia State considers the SAT Essay/ACT Writing section optional and may not include it as part of their admissions consideration. You don't need to worry too much about Writing for this school, but other schools you're applying to may require it.

Final Admissions Verdict

Because this school is moderately selective, strong academic performance will almost guarantee you admission . Scoring a 1170 SAT or a 26 ACT or above will nearly guarantee you admission. Because the school admits 60.6% of all applicants, being far above average raises the admission rate for you to nearly 100%.

If you can achieve a high SAT/ACT score, the rest of your application essentially doesn't matter. You still need to meet the rest of the application requirements, and your GPA shouldn't be too far off from the school average of 3.58. But you won't need dazzling extracurriculars and breathtaking letters of recommendation to get in. You can get in based on the merits of your score alone.

But if your score is a 960 SAT or a 19 ACT and below, you have a good chance of being one of the unlucky few to be rejected.

Admissions Calculator

Here's our custom admissions calculator. Plug in your numbers to see what your chances of getting in are. Pick your test: SAT ACT

• 80-100%: Safety school: Strong chance of getting in
• 50-80%: More likely than not getting in
• 20-50%: Lower but still good chance of getting in
• 5-20%: Reach school: Unlikely to get in, but still have a shot
• 0-5%: Hard reach school: Very difficult to get in

How would your chances improve with a better score?

Take your current SAT score and add 160 points (or take your ACT score and add 4 points) to the calculator above. See how much your chances improve?

At PrepScholar, we've created the leading online SAT/ACT prep program . We guarantee an improvement of 160 SAT points or 4 ACT points on your score, or your money back.

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Application Requirements

Every school requires an application with the bare essentials - high school transcript and GPA, application form, and other core information. Many schools, as explained above, also require SAT and ACT scores, as well as letters of recommendation, application essays, and interviews. We'll cover the exact requirements of Georgia State here.

Application Requirements Overview

• Common Application Accepted
• Electronic Application Available
• Essay or Personal Statement Required for all freshmen
• Letters of Recommendation 1
• Interview Not required
• Application Fee $60
• Fee Waiver Available? Available
• Other Notes College preparatory curriculum as specified by the University System of Georgia Board of Regents, combined SAT of 830, minimum Freshman Index of 2500 required for freshmen

Testing Requirements

• SAT or ACT Considered if submitted
• SAT Essay or ACT Writing Optional
• SAT Subject Tests
• Scores Due in Office June 1

Coursework Requirements

• Subject Required Years
• Foreign Language 2
• Social Studies 3

Deadlines and Early Admissions

• Offered? Deadline Notification
• Yes April 1 June 15
• Yes November 15 December 15

Admissions Office Information

• Address: 33 Atlanta, GA 30302-3083
• Phone: (404) 651-2000 x2000
• Fax: (404) 413-2002
• Email: [email protected]

Our Expert's Notes

We did more detailed research into this school's admissions process and found the following information:

There is a scholarship deadline of January 7 (while the regular admissions deadline isn't until March 1). Learn more about scholarships, including requirements, here. For the Presidential Scholarship, you must apply early (by the November deadline), be admitted, and submit a separate application in January.

You will be considered for the Honors College automatically but since there is limited space, you are encouraged to apply by the early action deadline to maximize your chances. The average score of accepted Honors College students for Fall 2014 was approximately a 1300 SAT (Math and Critical Reading sections only) and/or a 29 ACT Composite score. The average high school GPA (core, unweighted) was 3.8. Learn more about applying to the Honors College here.

Other Schools For You

If you're interested in Georgia State, you'll probably be interested in these schools as well. We've divided them into 3 categories depending on how hard they are to get into, relative to Georgia State.

Reach Schools: Harder to Get Into

These schools are have higher average SAT scores than Georgia State. If you improve your SAT score, you'll be competitive for these schools.

Same Level: Equally Hard to Get Into

If you're competitive for Georgia State, these schools will offer you a similar chance of admission.

Safety Schools: Easier to Get Into

If you're currently competitive for Georgia State, you should have no problem getting into these schools. If Georgia State is currently out of your reach, you might already be competitive for these schools.

Data on this page is sourced from Peterson's Databases © 2023 (Peterson's LLC. All rights reserved.) as well as additional publicly available sources.

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Extracurriculars.

2 Great Georgia State Essay Examples by Accepted Students

Georgia State is one of the most desirable universities in the state, due to its expansive academic offerings, excellent reputation for research, and location in Atlanta, the state’s capital. To give you a sense for what Georgia State’s admissions officers are looking for, we’ve collected two examples of essays submitted by students who ended up being accepted.

Please note: Looking at examples of real essays students have submitted to colleges can be very beneficial to get inspiration for your essays. You should never copy or plagiarize from these examples when writing your own essays. Colleges can tell when an essay isn’t genuine and will not view students favorably if they plagiarized. 

Essay Example 1 – 10 Minutes, 10 Million People

“She reveled in the comfort that reading brought her, as she knew that in the end, the characters would always have a happy ending: no surprises, no secrets, no lies, just love.” This is a line from a fan fiction I wrote when I was fifteen. Not to say that my writing is Pulitzer-Prize-worthy or anything, but I feel that teen fantasy authors are often reduced to basic grammatical mistakes and cringe-worthy, one-dimensional plots. Especially with fan fiction authors being predominantly female, girls within fandom spaces will often be ostracized and shamed for enjoying the same things as a male demographic. 

The double-edged sword of women and literature decrees that if one reads romance books outside of the intellectual sphere, they “aren’t a real reader,” but if they only like “the classics,” they’re a “fake.” Being “real” or “fake,” as a notion, has taken on an entirely different meaning in fandom spaces. No matter what a woman does, scrutiny is sure to follow.

The countless number of times young girls will be interrogated with, “You like that book? Name three others by the same author,” or “I bet you like that game for attention from men,” is truly disheartening. Even more, with writing, women are often not taken seriously, historically even feeling inclined to abbreviate or use pen names to pass off as men. This is not to say all men perpetuate this toxicity, nor that women do not, but rather it is prevalent enough that girls are often discouraged from enjoying things or become a joke for doing so.

As someone who enjoys writing, myself, I know this struggle all too well. When I was younger, the criticism discouraged me so much that I kept my interests to myself. I still struggle with this from time to time, but I have since grown and pursued creative writing for my own enjoyment, as well as conducting research with the traditionally male entertainment form: superhero films.

It goes beyond the idea of femininity in society but even to the very nature of humanity itself. I remember sitting in my economics class, listening to the teacher speaking, saying, “No one would ever work for free.” Anytime anyone says anything along those lines, they negate the influence of thousands of teenage girls who craft entire universes solely from the devotion they carry in their hearts, and I hope that one day, they will be recognized for what they truly are: passionate visionaries rather than shallow fanatics.

What the Essay Did Well

This essay’s greatest strength is actually very simple: the writer has chosen a topic that she is clearly actually passionate about. With less structured prompts, that don’t fit one of the common supplemental prompt archetypes, there can be a temptation to go out of your way to impress admissions officers, rather than just being honest. But with this prompt, the most important thing to do is select a topic that you truly “care deeply about,” as that’s the only way the essay is going to feel genuine and natural.

The writer’s personal investment in the topic is apparent from the very first line, when she explicitly connects the topic to herself. That also allows her to then make some more general points, that show her overall thoughts about this topic, without those points feeling vague or irrelevant, as readers understand she’s drawing from her own personal experience.

For example, say the essay instead started with the line “The double-edged sword of women and literature decrees that if one reads romance books outside of the intellectual sphere, they ‘aren’t a real reader,’ but if they only like ‘the classics,’ they’re a ‘fake.’” While the topic is still an engaging one, there’s no personal framing for it, so admissions officers may initially be confused about what they’re supposed to be learning about the applicant. Particularly in supplemental essays, where your space is more limited, you never want to create that kind of confusion–your personal connection to your topic should be clear throughout.

In addition to immediately establishing this personal connection, the writer includes creative, thoughtful points about her topic that show she has strong critical thinking skills. Lines like “women are often not taken seriously, historically even feeling inclined to abbreviate or use pen names to pass off as men” and “this is not to say all men perpetuate this toxicity, nor that women do not” demonstrate she can think deeply about a topic, and consider multiple perspectives, both skills which are crucial to success in college.

What Could Be Improved 

While the writer’s personal investment in her topic is clear, what’s less clear is what she has learned about herself, or which personality traits she has developed, as a result of her love of fanfiction. 

She hints at this kind of growth with the lines “When I was younger, the criticism discouraged me so much that I kept my interests to myself. I still struggle with this from time to time, but I have since grown and pursued creative writing for my own enjoyment…” but her readers don’t get much elaboration. Perhaps rule #1 for the college essay is “show, don’t tell,” and these lines, while informative, are very tell-y.

A stronger way of making her point would be to describe a moment or experience that will give admissions officers a more concrete sense of how this transformation occurred. For example, after saying “I kept my interests to myself,” she could say something like “In third grade, I wrote three chapters of a Harry Potter fanfiction, but when I showed my friends at school, they laughed at me and asked me what the point was, because my efforts would never be as good as the actual books.” 

With this addition, her readers have a more detailed understanding of her state of mind at this point in her life, and a similar example from the present would help them see how she’s grown since then. While the word count is always a factor, this writer is 40 words under the count. Plus, these specific anecdotes are important enough that it would be worth making cuts from elsewhere in the essay in order to include them.

Essay Example 2 – Extracurricular Essay

When I was in ninth grade, I volunteered at a legal foundation where attorneys provide free legal services to victims of domestic violence. I initially volunteered because I wanted to observe the legal profession at work, as it was a profession I was and still am passionate about pursuing. However, once I was there, I realized that I was observing a much greater force at work. 

My job was simple; I was to scan and file old case files. But, as I was tasked with copious amounts of files, I quickly realized the extent to which domestic violence impacts people. 1 in 3 women, and 1 in 4 men, have been victims of domestic violence. While I was familiar with domestic violence before, this experience was eye-opening.

Domestic violence is a major issue within today’s society, and victims often feel uncomfortable with reporting. Services like the foundation I volunteered at help make legal aid more accessible, which can help victims feel more comfortable reporting their abuse. 

Domestic violence is an issue that I have thought about since this experience. When I started my true crime podcast as a sophomore, I wanted to spread awareness about domestic violence and its prevalence in criminal investigations. I allocated specific episodes to research cases where domestic violence resulted in a more escalated crime. This includes the stories of lesser-known victims such as Evelyn Colon and Kathleen Peterson. 

Further, this experience encouraged me to consider doing pro bono work in the future. I want to pursue a career in the legal field, and I want to work to make a difference in the lives of domestic violence victims. Free legal aid can help deter abusers and assist victims in leaving dangerous situations. Ultimately, this brief volunteer experience made a major impact on my future goals and altered the way in which I consider domestic violence.

The most important thing in any college essay is to show how an interest or experience has impacted your personal growth, and that’s especially true when responding to this prompt, which, in addition to fitting the “Extracurricular” archetype, explicitly asks you to describe an “activity…that has changed your view on a particular social issue.”

This essay does a phenomenal job of showing the writer’s growth. We see the writer go from a general interest in legal work, and the “simple” task of scanning files, to developing a sophisticated understanding of the social issue of domestic violence in particular, and a desire to channel their legal ambitions towards improving this issue.

Additionally, the writer reflects thoughtfully on the impact of their own actions, while also acknowledging the scale of the issue. With this kind of essay, you don’t need to make it sound like you solved world hunger–if anything, overstating what you did can make you sound ignorant about the complexity of a major issue. At the same time, though, you don’t want to sell yourself short.

This writer does a great job of striking the right balance here. Lines like “Services like the foundation I volunteered at help make legal aid more accessible, which can help victims feel more comfortable reporting their abuse” demonstrate the importance of the writer’s volunteer work, while also recognizing that this work is only part of the solution.

Finally, the writer describes how their volunteer work has influenced their life as a whole, by telling us about how they used their podcast to raise awareness about little-known domestic violence crimes. One of the main reasons the college essay exists is so that admissions officers can see whether or not you’re genuinely passionate about your interests and activities, or only doing them to pad your resume. 

In this essay, we see that the writer’s dedication to helping victims of domestic violence is indeed genuine, as they have used their free time to continue building on their initial volunteer work. We also get a sense for how their experiences around this issue connect to their goals for the future, with lines like “this experience encouraged me to consider doing pro bono work in the future.” While the prompt doesn’t explicitly ask for that, colleges want to accept motivated, proactive students, and this kind of reflection shows the writer possesses these qualities.

While supplemental essays are often a little more formulaic than the personal statement, you still want to show, rather than tell, as much as possible–in other words, use examples and anecdotes to illustrate your points, rather than just telling them to your reader. Unfortunately, this essay is quite tell-y, particularly at the beginning.

That means that, although the writer’s points are good ones, their rather dry presentation takes away some of their weight. For example, think about if this essay instead started off with a description of an actual moment from the writer’s volunteer work, like:

“My hands were full of papercuts from rifling through old domestic violence files all day and my eyes were sore from the light of the scanner, but my mind was crackling with a newfound appreciation for the value of pro bono legal work.”

This hook uses sensory details to show, rather than simply tell, us what the writer is thinking and feeling. As a result, we readers are immediately engaged in the story, whereas with the original version, the essay takes a few lines to get into the swing of things.

Along the same lines, you want your word choice, and overall writing style, to capture your emotions, not simply describe what happened. While clarity is of course important, at some points this essay feels a little too factual. 

For example, the line “Domestic violence is an issue that I have thought about since this experience” is incredibly vague. We’re all always thinking about tons of different things, from getting Taylor Swift tickets to avoiding traffic on the way home. So the writer just saying they “have thought” about domestic violence doesn’t actually teach us anything about them, or their knowledge of this issue.

Even some slight changes here would go a long way towards making this line more informative. For example, the writer could say “Domestic violence is an issue that I have been dedicated to helping fix since this experience,” or “Since this experience, I have been devastated by the lack of awareness around domestic violence.” Both of these alternatives give us a much clearer, more specific idea of how the writer’s thinking about this issue was shaped by their volunteer work, which also provides a better set-up for their description of their podcast work.

Where to Get Feedback on Your Essay 

Want feedback on your Georgia State essay before you submit? That’s why we created our free Peer Essay Review tool , where you can get a free review of your essay from another student. You can also improve your own writing skills by reviewing other students’ essays. 

If you want a college admissions expert to review your essay, advisors on CollegeVine have helped students refine their writing and submit successful applications to top schools. Find the right advisor for you to improve your chances of getting into your dream school!

Related CollegeVine Blog Posts

Aug 12, 2022 • Knowledge

Information.

Georgia State University 2023-24 Supplemental Essay Prompt Guide  

Regular Decision Deadline: Apr 1

You Have: 

Georgia State University 2023-24 Application Essay Question Explanations

The Requirements:   1 essay of 350 words

Supplemental Essay Type(s): Activity , Community

Please list your primary extracurricular and community service activities. Describe one community service activity that you have participated in that has changed your view on a particular social issue. Discuss the social issue and how your experience changed your way of thinking about it. (350 words)

You’ve most likely done some community service at some point in your life, and this prompt asks you to reflect on that experience and how it changed your view on a particular social issue. Since you only have 350 words to describe your community service involvement and the impact it had on your perspective, this is not the kind of essay you want to leave ‘til the last minute (though what kind of essay is?!). You have to be intentional about how you allocate the words at your disposal here. 

Start by describing the community service activity that has been most meaningful to you. Bring the story to life by including concrete, personal/sensory details rather than a verbatim recitation of the organization’s mission and vision (or worse, a bloated list of clichés related to the value of service). Next, dig into how this experience changed your view on a particular social issue. Did volunteering at a soup kitchen open your eyes to the harsh realities of day-to-day life for people experiencing homelessness? If so, how have you tried to be a part of the solution since having this enlightening experience? Remember that, fundamentally, community service is not about personal glory or achievement; it’s about doing what you can to help others. Reflect on why being part of a community that looks out for each other is important to you and, for bonus points, touch on how you would like to contribute to social justice at Georgia State.

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ENGL 1102 Worozbyt Spring 2024 : Assignment

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Literature Research Assignment

Research Essay Topics

Compose in MLA format a research essay of at least 1000 words, using a minimum of four secondary sources. (The OED is a primary, not a secondary, source, but you are encouraged to use it.) Source material must be drawn from books and articles located in Galileo databases or the GSU library. Use secondary critical resources to support and complexify your arguments and points. The task is textual analysis, that and that alone. The supplemental lectures I have been posting are pretty good examples of what I am looking for. This is a research project, but I am most interested in seeing you display your own skill at critical thinking and analysis. Sources not found in Galileo or the GSU library will not count toward the research requirement, and you are discouraged from using them. That said, Wikipedia entries often have links at the bottom to legitimate, academic sources. Feel free to use Wikipedia as a launching point for research, even though Wikipedia entries themselves cannot be used, as they are not vetted. Do not summarize plots or provide biographies of the author. This essay is not to be about the author; it is to be about the text.

The Caveats:

You are obliged to familiarize yourself with proper MLA formatting and citation. This information is found in my Course Content, online at OWL, on Youtube, or simply by Googling “MLA citation.” By now I expect professionally clean and error-free copy, with no typos or mechanical errors. Papers not following these guidelines will be penalized accordingly. By now you have had a full semester of training in proper citation and format. Failure to format the body of your essay in MLA results a penalty up to twenty points, depending on severity. Failure to provide sufficient, relevant source material results in a fifteen-point penalty per missing source. Failure to properly acknowledge the use of secondary material constitutes plagiarism, whether intentional or not, and will result in no credit given, since I cannot distinguish between what writing is yours and what is not.. Make sure you quote and cite, both internally and in your works cited page.

Tennesse Williams, The Glass Menagerie:

1. Discuss the play’s presentation (and subversion) of traditional family and gender roles. How does the assumption and subsequent disruption of those roles define and control Laura’s destiny? How does having a brother for a father and a sister for a mother determine the outcome of Laura’s seduction by Jim?

2. Why does Williams’ reject conventional “realistic” stage drama? Analyze the stage directions and locate at least two echoes within the range of Tom’s dialogue and action. Are the lyrical and poetical qualities of the stage directions in (literary)/dramatic conflict with Tom’s desire to create a unified self, a “character” who characters, through writing poetry? Explain.

3. Consider the use of names and the function of naming in the play. How do names advance and complicate the major arguments and themes in The Glass Menagerie. Remember that a title is a “name” as well, and that to be a caller, gentleman or otherwise, is to be a namer. Needless to say, you should name the major arguments and themes.

4. Explore Williams’ concept of the stage as defined by the text of the play. How does our author manipulate the space and time of the stage? The first questions to wrestle with are: What is a stage? Where is the stage? When is the stage? Then: how does the playwright accomplish his redefinition of the conventional boundaries? Be specific, analyzing selected text passages.

5. Analyze the similarities and differences in the text of Williams’ play and the film of it you watched. This should not be simply a compare/contrast essay, but a thorough investigation of the way the two different media (reading and watching) are anticipated and dealt with by the play itself. The Production Notes and the corresponding echoes in the play would be a good place to start.

Alice Walker, Everyday Use:

1. “Everyday Use” presents us with the clash between personal and cultural history. Walker manages in this short work to interweave them and to produce a dialectic (a “conversation,” if you will) between the seemingly competing histories. Track this interweaving and explain how the story resolves the apparent contradictions between the two.

2. Consider Dee and Maggie as expressions of two sides to the mother’s character. Investigate and discuss how Walker creates these characters and how she makes them come so vibrantly alive in this story. Do not neglect in your analysis to discuss the significance of the mother’s dream.

3. Landscape and objects play a big role in this story. Discuss the idea of “inside” and “outside” in the story, paying careful and close attention to the way objects are depicted and used in the story to generate and facilitate the story’s major themes and ideas

Final Items:

Be generous with quotations, and never paraphrase the text or your secondary source material. Also, make absolutely sure you reproduce the text exactly as it appears in the original. When you change the words you change the meaning; when you change the meaning your argument fails. Likewise, it is always better to overquote than underquote. Analysis based on a brief, out of context phrase is much weaker than analysis of an entire paragraph or sentence.

Whether you choose Williams’ or Walker’s text to research, make sure you do the research before you start to write. Reading articles by vetted, published critics will help you deepen and organize your thoughts. Writing an essay and then going hunting for quotes that suit your wants will always lead to a poor research essay

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Guest Essay

The Next Frontier? Philosophy in Space.

By Joseph O. Chapa

Dr. Chapa is a U.S. Air Force officer and the author of “Is Remote Warfare Moral?”

The window to apply to be a NASA astronaut — a window that opens only about every four years — closes this month, on April 16. Though I’ve submitted an application, I don’t expect to make the cut.

The educational requirements for the astronaut program are clear: Applicants must possess at least a master’s degree in a STEM field (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics), a doctorate in medicine or a test pilot school graduate patch. Though I have a Ph.D., it’s in philosophy. (And though I’m an Air Force pilot, I’m not a test pilot.)

I hesitate to tell NASA its business. But I think its requirements are closing the astronaut program off from important insights from the humanities and social sciences.

Of course, the requirement for astronauts to have technical training makes some intuitive sense. NASA was founded in 1958 “to provide for research into problems of flight within and outside the earth’s atmosphere.” Who better to solve flight problems than scientists and engineers? What’s more, NASA’s space missions have long conducted science experiments to learn how plant and animal life behaves in the far-flung emptiness between us and the moon.

But the need for STEM in space might be waning — just as the need for humanities and the social sciences waxes. After all, the “problems of flight” that once tethered us to this planet have largely been solved, thanks in no small part to all those scientist and engineer astronauts who blazed the trail to space.

By contrast, the future of our relationship with the cosmos — a colony on the moon? Humans on Mars? Contact with intelligent alien life? — will require thoughtful inquiry from many disciplines. We will need sociologists and anthropologists to help us imagine new communities; theologians and linguists if we find we are not alone in the universe; political and legal theorists to sort out the governing principles of interstellar life.

Naturally, some scholars can study these topics while still earthbound. But so can many of today’s astronauts, who often end up working on projects unrelated to their academic training. The idea behind sending people with a wider array of academic disciplines into the cosmos is not just to give scholars a taste of outer space, but also to put them in fruitful conversation with one another.

My own discipline, philosophy, may be better suited for this kind of exploration than some might think. To be sure, much philosophy can be done from an armchair. Descartes arrived at his famous conclusion, “I think, therefore, I am,” while warming himself by the fire and, as he noted, “wearing a winter dressing gown.”

But some of the greatest philosophical breakthroughs occurred only because their authors had firsthand experience with extreme and uncomfortable conditions. We might not have the Stoic philosophy of Epictetus had he not faced the hardship of slavery in Nero’s court. We might not have Thomas Hobbes’s “Leviathan” (and his principle of the “consent of the governed,” so central to the American experiment), but for his flight from the English Civil War. And we might not have Hannah Arendt’s insights on the “banality of evil” had she not attended the trial of Adolf Eichmann, a chief architect of the Holocaust.

Not all philosophers who want to learn what it means to be human in this vast and expanding universe need to experience living in space. But perhaps some of us should.

Throughout the history of Western philosophy, space has often served as stand-in for life’s deepest truths. Plato thought that the things of this world were mere images of true reality, and that true reality existed in the heavens beyond. What inspired admiration and awe in Immanuel Kant was not just the moral law within all of us but also the “starry heavens above.” The Platos and Kants of today are in a position to take a much closer look at those very heavens.

In general, the work of philosophy is to ask, “And suppose this proposition is right, what then?” When faced with a proposition — say, “The mind and body are separable,” or “One must always act to achieve the greatest happiness for the greatest number” — the philosopher takes another step and asks, “What are the implications of such a view?”

Though Earth has been our only home, it may not be our home forever. What are the implications of that proposition? What might that mean for our conception of nationhood? Of community? Of ourselves and our place in the world? This would be the work of space philosophers.

These days, unfortunately, the prestige of STEM continues to eclipse that of the social sciences and humanities. It seems unlikely that NASA will buck this trend.

That would be bad news for me, personally — but I think also for humanity at large. One day we may all echo Jodie Foster’s character in the sci-fi movie “Contact . ” When the mysteries of space-time were unfurled before her, all she could manage to say was, “They should have sent a poet.”

Joseph O. Chapa ( @JosephOChapa ) is a U.S. Air Force officer and the author of “Is Remote Warfare Moral?”

The Times is committed to publishing a diversity of letters to the editor. We’d like to hear what you think about this or any of our articles. Here are some tips . And here’s our email: [email protected] .

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