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How to Write the NYU Essays 2023-2024

NYU has just one supplemental prompt this year, which allows you to choose from six different options. Although this prompt is technically optional, NYU’s prime location in the heart of downtown New York City, campuses all across the globe, and affiliation with excellent graduate schools in a range of subjects make it highly competitive to gain admission. So, we strongly encourage you to take advantage of this opportunity to share something new about yourself with admissions officers.

Read these examples of past NYU essays about diversity and “Why NYU?” to inspire your writing.

NYU Supplemental Essay Prompts

Prompt: We are looking for peacemakers, changemakers, global citizens, boundary breakers, creatives and innovators – Choose one quote from the following and let us know why it inspires you; or share a short quote and person not on our list who inspires you, and include why. (250 words, optional)

• Option A: “We’re used to people telling us there are no solutions, and then creating our own. So we did what we do best. We reached out to each other, and to our allies, and we mobilized across communities to make change, to benefit and include everyone in society.” Judith Heuman, 2022 NYU Commencement Address
• Option B: “I encourage your discomfort, that you must contribute, that you must make your voice heard. That is the essence of good citizenship.” Sherilynn Ifill, 2015 NYU Commencement Address
• Option C: “If you know how to fly but you never knew how to walk, wouldn’t that be sad?” Lang Lang, 2015 NYU Honorary Degree Recipient
• Option D: “You have the right to want things and to want things to change.” Sanna Marin, Former Prime Minister of Finland, 2023 NYU Commencement Address
• Option E: “It’s hard to fight when the fight ain’t fair.” Taylor Swift, Change, Released 2008, 2022 NYU Commencement Speaker
• Option F: Share a short quote and person not on this list, and why the quote inspires you.

“We’re used to people telling us there are no solutions, and then creating our own. So we did what we do best. We reached out to each other, and to our allies, and we mobilized across communities to make change, to benefit and include everyone in society.” Judith Heuman, 2022 NYU Commencement Address (250 words)

Brainstorming Your Topic

Although the framing is a little more particular, this prompt has similarities to two supplemental prompt archetypes: the  “Global Issues” essay and the “Community Service” essay. Basically, you want to show NYU that you’re able to not just identify a problem in the world around you, but actively work towards solving it.

That second piece, of showing that you’re someone who acts when you see injustice, rather than merely observing, is crucial. So, you should have a personal connection to the issue you write about, as the point of your essay ultimately isn’t to teach admissions officers about a particular issue, but rather show them what your passion for that issue says about your potential as an NYU student.

So, don’t write about how aboriginal people in Australia struggled during the 2020 wildfires if you don’t know anyone in that community and have never been to Australia, as your essay will likely end up sounding overly factual and academic. Instead, think about issues that have directly impacted your own life. 

Maybe that’s a social media campaign you spearheaded to help abandoned animals get adopted when the shelter was overcrowded. Or working with your friends from Spanish class to ensure the local soup kitchen always had a Spanish speaker working, to make the environment more welcoming to immigrants from Spanish-speaking countries.

Keep in mind that the story you tell should have some component of “reach[ing] out to others,” as this quote highlights the importance of collaboration when solving big issues. So, while creating a statistical model on your own to show the viability of solar polar is certainly something to be proud of, it may not be the best anecdote to write about for this prompt. If you then hosted webinars sharing the model with local business owners and answering their questions, however, that could be an effective way of aligning the story with the spirit of the prompt.

Tips for Writing Your Essay

Like any good college essay, your response should show, rather than tell, your readers what you did. What that means is to use descriptive writing, with strong sensory details, to paint NYU admissions officers a picture, rather than just saying “I did x, y, and z, and learned a, b, and c.” The more detail you can include, the more immersive your story will be, which will make your essay both more engaging and more fun to read.

The other key to a strong response is having takeaways that are both clear and personal. You don’t want your essay to feel like a Hallmark card, so avoid clichés like “This experience showed me the power of diversity” or “I realized that deep down, we’re all the same.” The point of the college essay is to distinguish yourself from other applicants, and relying on generic tropes won’t accomplish that.

Instead, think about how you can take one of these overused ideas and creatively reframe it through the lens of your story in particular. For example, if you write about the soup kitchen example above, you could talk about how you bonded with one person who attended frequently because you discovered you both enjoyed crocheting, and how that taught you to look for shared experiences even with people who may outwardly seem quite different from you. 

The general idea of diversity as a unifying, rather than divisive, force is the same, but by connecting that idea to something specific that happened to you, you’ll give NYU admissions officers of how that idea tangibly impacts your day-to-day life. Ultimately, they’re trying to figure out how you would fit into their classrooms, clubs, dorms, dining halls, and so on, and specificity gives them a much clearer idea of that than just big-picture ideas.

Mistakes to Avoid

There isn’t really any major pitfall to keep an eye out for here. Just make sure you’re conscientious of how you frame your issue. Even though NYU, like most colleges, is much more liberal than society as a whole, you still want to use discretion when discussing politics in a college essay, as you have no way of knowing exactly what context your readers are coming from.

So, if you’re writing about a fundraiser you and your friends organized after the overturning of Roe v. Wade to help women from red states afford travel to states where abortion would remain legal, keep the focus on your efforts and what this experience taught you. Don’t talk about your feeling that anyone who opposes abortion is a misogynist, as, for all you know, the person reading your essay may have a loved one who is pro life, or they may even be themselves. 

You can talk about controversial topics in this essay, but do so in a way that’s introspective and acknowledges the complexity of the issue, rather than in a way that celebrates your own moral superiority.

“I encourage your discomfort, that you must contribute, that you must make your voice heard. That is the essence of good citizenship.” Sherilynn Ifill, 2015 NYU Commencement Address (250 words)

Like Option A, this prompt has elements of both the “Global Issues” essay and the “Community Service” essay. However, the scope here is a little broader, as you’re being asked to talk about a time when you made “your voice heard,” rather than one when you were an active part of helping solve a particular problem. That means you have a little more flexibility in what you write about.

For example, you could describe the time when a conversation with a Jewish friend of yours made you realize Christmas-centric your school’s holiday decorations were, and how that motivated you to accompany her to talk to the principal about it, as she felt uncomfortable going alone. You could also take a similar angle as the one described above, with Option A, and talk about service work, like advocating for preserving wildlife habitat over expanding the boat launch at a nearby lake, or something else on a slightly larger scale that you spoke up about. 

However, don’t talk yourself out of writing about a more personal story like the Christmas example. Although this approach may seem less “impressive,” in reality talking about that kind of smaller moment in daily life can do a lot to show admissions officers what you’re like when nobody’s watching. Just about everyone applying to NYU will have an impressive resume, so you can really distinguish yourself by telling them a story that you’re still kind, altruistic, and thoughtful even outside the context of a particular project or organization.

That being said, both approaches can work incredibly well, so long as they honestly reflect your desire to speak up about the things that matter to you.

Once you’ve picked a particular moment to focus on, you want to think about what lessons you took away from that experience. NYU admissions officers care about who you’re going to be for the next four years, not who you were in the past, so they want to get a sense of how this experience is going to impact your contributions to their community.

There’s no one right way to do this, so if you immediately see a way to tell your story in a reflective, informative way, go for it! If you’re having writer’s block, though, one reliable approach would be to explain what happened, what you learned, and then include a second, much briefer anecdote that shows how you’ve utilized what you learned in the time since. 

For the Christmas example, after you finish describing the principal’s willingness to include menorahs and dreidels alongside the Santas and Christmas trees, you talk about how this experience showed you most people do want to be inclusive, they just might not know exactly how, so we all have a responsibility to speak up when we see a way to be better. You could then talk about how this realization then motivated you to talk to your manager at your part-time job about adjusting shift start times to align with the bus schedule, as she didn’t know that some employees didn’t have their own car.

250 words isn’t a lot, so depending on how much space you need to describe the original anecdote, you may not have space for the second one. That’s completely fine–as long as your takeaways are framed in a personal way that directly connects to the story you have just told, your readers will understand the significance of this experience to who you are today.

Letting your main anecdote breathe is the most important thing, as if you rush through things, your reader might not have enough details to properly anchor your eventual takeaways, which could make your essay feel impersonal or generic. 

For a somewhat extreme example of this, say you wrote about the day you noticed your school had changed their holiday decorations, and how happy that made you, but totally glossed over your own involvement in driving that change. Having a takeaway about the importance of standing up for what you believe in would then make no sense. So, make sure the details you include at each point in the essay work together to create a single, cohesive unit.

“If you know how to fly but you never knew how to walk, wouldn’t that be sad?” Lang Lang, 2015 NYU Honorary Degree Recipient (250 words)

This prompt may come across as overly philosophical at first, but before you rule it out, take a second to think about what it’s actually saying. Flying is more glamorous, exciting, and magical than walking, but walking is what we all do every single day to move around the world. While practicality never makes any headlines, daily life wouldn’t work without walking. 

Connecting that idea, about the value of practicality, to NYU’s focus on difference-makers means that you’ll want to discuss the importance of small, seemingly insignificant actions to driving broader change. As the saying goes, Rome wasn’t built in a day: for every figurehead of a major, earth-shattering movement, there are thousands or even millions of people who spent years paving the road so that the leader could one day walk down it. These people rarely get fame or recognition, but the movement never would have succeeded without them.

Of course, to write a strong, engaging response here, you don’t want to write about a huge historical movement that happened generations before you were even born. Instead, apply the same general idea to your own life. Think about what you do, or observe, on a daily basis that shows you the value of sometimes just taking things one step at a time. If there’s something you’ve been passionate about for a long time, that can be a great starting point, as you’ve probably made many small contributions over the years, compared to something where you were just involved in one, big, “flying” project.

For example, maybe you’ve always loved animals, and as a child you used to talk to your mom about flying around the world and rescuing all the endangered species. Once you got older, you realized you couldn’t do that, but what you could do was start a blog featuring a different endangered species every month, along with nonprofits dedicated to helping that species survive. You’ve even established partnerships with some of these groups, and helped organize fundraisers such as bake sales and 5Ks.

As this example shows, ideally you want to show how you’re finding a way to contribute to a much bigger cause. NYU wants to accept difference-makers, and although most of us aren’t able to donate millions of dollars or spearhead new technological initiatives, you can still show that you’re dedicated to finding ways to help however you can. 

Remember, as we noted in Option B, describing your grassroots efforts can in some ways demonstrate your dedication to a cause more than a high-level accomplishment or accolade, because that kind of work truly shows who you are on a day-to-day basis. So, if something comes to mind, don’t sell yourself short by saying “Oh, but they won’t care about that.” If whatever it is was meaningful to you, we promise they will 🙂

This is the kind of prompt where the brainstorming, if you do it well, is 90% of the work. Since the prompt is more abstract, you’re going to have to spend more time up front thinking about exactly what you want to say, or else you may end up sitting down to write and realizing you have no idea where you want to go. So, if you find yourself staring at a blank page, we would suggest rewinding, and spending a little more time brainstorming.

Once you have a clear sense of the story you want to tell, all you really need to do is actually put the words on the page. As you do that, remember that you want to include strong sensory details, to make your essay as immersive and engaging as possible. Focus less on what you did, and more on how you felt and what you learned from the experience. You may or may not do something similar to, for example, raising awareness for endangered species during your time at NYU, but you want to show admissions officers that, whatever you get involved with, you’re going to bring a thoughtful, dedicated perspective to your work.

For example, rather than saying just “My post on the work done to get manatees from ‘endangered’ to ‘threatened’ got 5,000 views, from places as far away as Italy, Kenya, and New Zealand,” take the next step, and describe how that success made you feel. That might look something like: 

“When I saw the number, I went back to the first post I ever did, on the African Bay owl. That post didn’t get a single view from someone who wasn’t related to me. But as I flipped back to the manatee post, I realized that we’re all related to each other in ways other than blood, as we all share this planet, and reminding people of that can be as simple as putting up a blog post and letting them come find it.”

NYU would be impressed by your outreach alone, but what will truly take your essay to the next level is including this next layer of reflection, and showing them the broader lessons you learned from this experience. That will prove to them that you’re not just talented and motivated, but also that your values align with theirs.

We noted at the beginning of this prompt breakdown that you shouldn’t get scared off just because it’s a little more philosophical than some of the others, and we stand by that. However, its more abstract nature will likely make the brainstorming process take longer, and it’s possible you do end up just feeling stuck. 

If you don’t think you have the time right now to give this prompt the attention it needs, that’s completely fine! The advantage of option prompts is that you have, well, options. Even if you’re initially drawn to this prompt, if you find yourself beating your head against the wall and not getting anywhere, don’t be stubborn–just pivot to one of the others.

“You have the right to want things and to want things to change.” Sanna Marin, Former Prime Minister of Finland, 2023 NYU Commencement Address (250 words)

Like Options A and B, this prompt is, roughly, a version of the “Global Issues” essay. That means you should have two main goals here. First, identify an issue that matters to you. Second, explain what your interest in that issue says about you as a person. 

Note that, unlike the first two options, the problem you choose doesn’t have to be one you’ve taken a lot of tangible action towards resolving. Obviously, you should have some level of personal investment in your issue, as otherwise your essay could come across as disingenuous. But if you have a cause you’re passionate about, but for whatever reason haven’t been able to get involved in directly, that would still be fair game here.

For example, maybe you’d like to increase access to healthy food options, as you live in a remote area and grow a lot of your own food with your family, so you know what a difference high-quality produce makes, but you also know how frustrating it can be to simply not have access to certain things, as your supermarket’s stock is limited. Because you don’t live in a city, you haven’t had the chance to get involved in any volunteer work related to this issue, so instead you’ve done your very best to learn everything possible about the process of growing your own food, so that you’ll have a wealth of hands-on experience to draw on when you are eventually in a situation where you can discuss theoretical, bigger picture solutions to this issue.

This hypothetical student hasn’t been able to take much concrete action towards addressing food inequality. However, they’re still demonstrating a genuine desire to help fix this issue, as well as forethought and motivation, by explaining how they’re finding a way to build up their skill set now, so that when the time comes, they are prepared to create tangible change. Any NYU admissions officer would feel confident about this student’s potential to become a difference-maker.

Of course, you are also more than welcome to write about an issue you have already done some work to help solve. We only want to highlight that already contributing to the solution isn’t a prerequisite for this prompt, so you can cast your net a little wider in your brainstorming than you would for Option A or B.

Once you sit down to actually start writing, the key is to make sure you aren’t just discussing your personal connection to this particular issue, but also highlighting admirable personality traits that will serve you in any of your future endeavors, whether related to the same issue or not. To see what we mean here, look back at the example we gave above. That student shows several traits admissions officers will find attractive, including:

• They are able to extrapolate from their own lived experiences to better understand a broader, societal issue
• They can appreciate the nuance of a big-picture issue
• They can critically evaluate their own skill set and determine the best way for them to contribute to a resolution

These qualities come across because of the (hypothetical) level of detail the student provides. If they were to instead just give a general sketch of the situation, along the lines of “I care about food inequality, and although I haven’t yet been able to combat this issue, hopefully I will one day,”  then admissions officers have a lot of blanks to fill in. 

Instead, you should do the work for them: build a concrete connection between this issue you care about and certain, broader attributes that are fundamental to who you are. That will show them not just that you’re passionate about this one issue, but that you’re an overall thoughtful, mature person who’s ready to take advantage of all NYU has to offer.

If you choose to write about an issue that you haven’t taken much concrete action on yet, just be careful that your essay doesn’t become more about the issue, and your interest in it on a theoretical level, than about your own personality. In the context of the example given above, that might look like a bunch of statistics showing how lack of access to healthy food disproportionately impacts lower income people. 

While that is certainly informative, remember that this isn’t an academic essay. It’s a personal reflection, so even if you’re still figuring out how you can best contribute to tangible change, you still want to highlight specific experiences or moments that showcase the strengths you will eventually use to make a real difference. Otherwise, NYU admissions officers may come away from your essay knowing more about the issue you’re highlighting, but not much about what you’d bring to their community, which is ultimately the question they’re trying to answer.

“It’s hard to fight when the fight ain’t fair.” Taylor Swift, Change, Released 2008, 2022 NYU Commencement Speaker (250 words)

Like the previous prompt, this quote wants you to discuss a cause you are currently fighting for, or would like to fight for during your time in college and beyond. But the angle is a little bit different, as this quote is centered around the challenges of fighting for something in unfair circumstances.

If you choose this prompt, you’ll want to talk about an obstacle you’ve overcome, or are in the process of overcoming, in your effort to make your communities a little more just. This doesn’t have to be anything intense, like facing harassment or threats after a talk you gave at a school assembly about your experiences with racism. Of course, you are welcome to discuss this kind of extreme hardship if you are comfortable doing so. 

You don’t have to, however. There are a whole bunch of things that make advocacy work difficult, and many of them have nothing to do with physical violence. For example, you could talk about your attempts to research successful city planning projects that incorporate more green spaces, and your frustration upon realizing many of the articles you wanted to read were stuck behind paywalls.

Alternatively, you could talk about how you want to help increase access to affordable education in your city by tutoring, but not having a car makes it difficult for you to reach many of the people who seek out your help. No obstacle is too small–as we’ve highlighted in several of the previous breakdowns, contextualizing a societal issue within your own life is what NYU wants you to do with pretty much all of these prompts, so don’t feel like you need to dramatize anything. Just be honest about your efforts, and the things that have gotten in your way.

The key to writing a successful response is to not focus your entire essay on the challenge itself, as that will result in a rather defeatist tone. Rather, spend the first part of the essay explaining the difficulties you’ve faced in your efforts to resolve some societal issue, and spend the second half explaining what you’ve done to overcome them. That will result in a more positive overall vibe for your essay, which shows your ability to adapt and grow even in the face of challenges, a skill that will be vital to your success in college.

Like with the challenge itself, you don’t have to glamorize whatever it is you did to work around the obstacle you encountered. For example, don’t say you set up a consortium of high school students where everyone pitched in some money so that you could create shared accounts on all the sites you wanted to use, unless you actually did do that. 

It’s okay to say you asked your parents for their credit card, and that you agreed to take on extra chores around the house because being self-sufficient in your advocacy work is important to you. Or that saving up for your own car proved too difficult, so you’ve worked out a schedule with your elderly neighbor to use his car in the evening, since he goes to sleep early anyways, so long as you pick up his groceries on the way home. 

NYU isn’t going to judge you for the particulars of your situation. They just want to see that, when the fight isn’t fair, you still find a way to keep punching.

Taylor Swift may be the biggest pop star in the world right now, but this sadly isn’t an essay for you to talk about your fandom. Keep the focus on the challenges of tackling inequality, not on your Eras Tour outfit or opinions on which (Taylor’s Version) album has the best (From The Vault) tracks 😉

Share a short quote and person not on this list, and why the quote inspires you. (250 words)

While you may initially feel drawn to this option because of the freedom it affords you, we advise against defaulting to it if you don’t immediately feel a connection to one of the other prompts. The other options do have narrower focuses, but you have five to choose from, and all of the quotes are open-ended enough that you aren’t being forced into a box.

Because this prompt is already unusually flexible for a supplemental essay, you should have a good reason for creating your own option. Ideally you’ll already have a particular quote, or at least a particular person, in mind. If you’re just thinking “Oh, I’d like to write about [general topic],” the time you spend googling possibilities is time you could instead be spending on your actual response, so we’d encourage you to look back at the options already given to you and see if any of them could be an inroad to your desired topic.

Additionally, you may have noticed that, while the options NYU gives you all portray slightly different perspectives, and come from a wide range of speakers, they all have something to do with the theme of justice and equity. In the main prompt, NYU even says they’re looking for “peacemakers, changemakers, global citizens, boundary breakers, creatives and innovators,” so your quote should show your potential to become a difference-maker in the world. Avoid writing about, for example, Stephen Hawking’s thoughts on black holes, as that would be jarring for admissions officers.

Obviously, the exact structure of your essay will depend on which quote you select. But in general, many of the points we’ve made in our breakdowns of the other prompts will apply here too. The best advice we can give is:

• Use anecdotes, rather than speaking generally about whatever your topic is
• Make sure the essay doesn’t just focus on your topic, and instead teaches your reader about a few tangible personality traits that speak to your potential as an NYU student 
• Provide enough detail that your story feels personal, rather than like something any old applicant to NYU could have written.

With regards to this prompt specifically, since you’re taking this choose-your-own adventure path, don’t be afraid to be a little unconventional in how you do these three things. Maybe you share a quote of something meaningful your dad once said to you about having a responsibility to give back to others, and then you describe a few moments you have shared with him that exemplify how he embodies this ideal every day, and how you seek to do the same.

Alternatively, say you study Latin in school. Maybe you choose a quote from Ovid, your favorite Roman author, that relates to injustice, and explain how to you, this quote shows that, although it’s easy to get discouraged by all the doom and gloom on the news, humans have been trying to make the world a little bit better for as long as our species has existed.

These two examples both take advantage of the fact that you have a pre-existing personal connection to the actual person who said the quote, not just their words, as that’s something you probably don’t have with any of the options given to you (with the possible exception of Taylor Swift). As a result, NYU admissions officers get to see a level of depth and reflection in your response that they otherwise wouldn’t, which is the benefit of this option–you can pick both the framework and the content of your essay, rather than needing to fit what you want to say into a particular structure.

This isn’t a mistake, but just something to keep in mind if you’re seriously thinking about coming up with your own prompt: you still only have 250 words, and you’re going to have to spend probably about 20 of them just on your quote and the name of the person who said it. So, make sure your quote is relatively short (you can also use well-placed ellipses to save yourself room)–Option A, for example, would be much too long, as you’d be using over 20% of your space just on the quote itself.

Regardless of how short your quote is, however, you’re still going to have less space available than if you had chosen one of the options NYU provides, which is yet more reason you need to be 100% sure that this option will allow you to say something none of the others will. If you choose this option without already having some sense of what you’d like to say, having 20 fewer words may end up really biting you.

To summarize: if you’re feeling bold, and already have a clear sense of how you’re going to channel that boldness, this prompt is a great opportunity to truly set yourself apart from other applicants. But if you’re just choosing it because you can, and coming up with your own prompt sounds fun, we’d encourage you to give the pre-established options another look.

Where to Get Your NYU Essay Edited 

Do you want feedback on your NYU essays? After rereading your essays countless times, it can be difficult to evaluate your writing objectively. 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

Master of Business Administration (MBA) Programs - Admissions | Essays

Our Stern essay questions give you the opportunity to more fully present yourself to the Admissions Committee and to provide insight into your experiences, goals, and thought processes.

Your essays must be written entirely by you. An offer of admission will be rescinded if you did not write your essays.  

• Short Answer: Professional Aspirations
• Essay 1: Change: _____ it
• Essay 2: Personal Expression (a.k.a. "Pick Six")
• Essay 3: Additional Information (optional)

Short Answer: Professional Aspirations (150 word maximum, double-spaced, 12-point font)

• What are your short-term career goals?

Essay 1: Change: _________ it (350 word maximum, double-spaced, 12-point font) In today’s global business environment, the only constant is change. Using NYU Stern’s brand call to action, we want to know how you view change. Change: _____ it. Fill in the blank with a word of your choice. Why does this word resonate with you? How will you embrace your own personal tagline while at Stern? Examples:

• Change: Dare it.
• Change: Dream it.
• Change: Drive it.
• Change: Empower it.
• Change: Manifest it.
• Change: [Any word of your choice] it.

Essay 2: Personal Expression (a.k.a. "Pick Six") Introduce yourself to the Admissions Committee and to your future classmates using six images and corresponding captions. The Pick Six is a way to share more about the qualities you will bring to the Stern community, beyond your professional and academic achievements.   Your uploaded PDF should contain all of the following elements:

• A brief introduction or overview of your "Pick Six" (no more than 3 sentences).
• Six images that help illustrate your interests, values, motivations, perspective and/or personality.
• A one-sentence caption for each of the six images that helps explain why they were selected and are significant to you.

Note: Your visuals may include photos, infographics, drawings, or any other images. Your document must be uploaded as a single PDF. The essay cannot be sent in physical form or be linked to a website. Essay 3: Additional Information (optional) (500 word maximum, double-spaced, 12-point font) Please provide any additional information that you would like to bring to the attention of the Admissions Committee and/or give context to your application. This may include important aspects of yourself not otherwise apparent in your application, including but not limited to: hardships you have encountered, current or past gaps in employment, further explanation of your undergraduate record or self-reported academic transcript(s), plans to retake the GMAT, GRE, Executive Assessment, IELTS or TOEFL, or any other relevant information.  

Admissions Blog Insights

Conquering the Pick 6

Nedjee Corriolan, Assistant Director at NYU Stern, shares her tips for the Pick 6 essay on our full-time MBA blog.

How to Write the NYU Supplemental Essays

Reviewed by:

Former Admissions Committee Member, Columbia University

Reviewed: 4/26/24

Keep reading to learn everything you need to know about the NYU supplemental essays. 

Located in the heart of one of the most iconic cities in the world, New York University (NYU) is known for its vibrant and diverse community. To be successful as an applicant, you must use all the opportunities available to showcase your unique qualities and experiences. 

One way you can do this is through your supplemental essays . Your responses give the admission committee a better understanding of who you are outside of your academic profile, and how you will fit into their community.

In this article, we’ll break down each prompt and provide key tips to help you draft essays that will impress the admissions committee. We’ll also provide a few NYU supplemental essay examples you can use as inspiration to craft your own compelling responses. Let’s get started!

NYU Supplemental Essay Prompts 2023-2024

Students are only required to answer one of the NYU essay prompts . Here are the options you can choose from for the current admissions cycle:

"We're used to people telling us there are no solutions and then creating our own. So we did what we do best. We reached out to each other and our allies, and we mobilized across communities to make change, to benefit and include everyone in society.” Judith Heuman, 2022 NYU Commencement Address.

“I encourage your discomfort, that you must contribute, that you must make your voice heard. That is the essence of good citizenship.” Sherilynn Ifill, 2015 NYU Commencement Address.

“If you know how to fly but never how to walk, wouldn’t that be sad?” Lang Lang, 2015 NYU Honorary Degree Recipient.

  “You have the right to want things and to want things to change.” Sanna Marin, Former Prime Minister of Finland, 2023 NYU Commencement Address.

“It’s hard to fight when the fight ain’t fair.” Taylor Swift, Change, Released 2008, 2022 NYU Commencement Speaker.

Share a short quote and a person not on this list and why the quote inspires you .

How to Write the Essay Prompt for NYU

In this section, we will analyze the prompt and provide a few tips to help you write impactful responses.

How to Write the NYU Supplemental Essay Option A + Analysis and Tips

Analysis of Option A : This first quote is a powerful statement that emphasizes resilience, collective action, and the ability to overcome challenges. Heuman describes a community's response to adversity, rejecting the notion that there are no solutions. 

The admissions committee likely chose this quote to gauge how applicants perceive and respond to challenges, as well as their commitment to inclusivity and positive change. For your essay, you might want to explore how this quote aligns with your personal values and experiences. 

Consider discussing instances where you've seen the power of collective action or have been part of a solution-oriented community. You could also reflect on your role in fostering inclusivity and change, either in your local community or within a specific context.

Here are some tips you can consider if you choose to write about Option A:

• Personal Connection : Start by reflecting on a personal experience or a situation where you've witnessed individuals coming together to create positive change. Share a story that resonates with the themes in the quote, demonstrating your understanding of its significance in real-life scenarios.
• Actions Speak Louder : While discussing why the quote inspires you, provide concrete examples of actions you've taken to contribute to positive change. Whether it's involvement in community projects, advocacy work, or initiatives that promote inclusivity, showcase instances where you've translated inspiration into tangible efforts.
• Relate to NYU Values : Align your response with NYU's values and mission. Highlight aspects of the quote that resonate with the university's emphasis on diversity, inclusivity, and global citizenship. This will show the admissions committee that you not only understand the quote but also see its relevance to the NYU community.

How to Write the NYU Supplemental Essay Option B + Analysis and Tips

Analysis of Option B : This quote emphasizes the importance of discomfort in contributing to societal change. The admissions committee expects applicants to reflect on their understanding of civic responsibility and showcase experiences where they've actively engaged in making their voices heard for positive transformations.

Take a look at these tips before you start writing:

• Choose a Genuine Experience : Select an experience where you genuinely felt discomfort but embraced it as a catalyst for positive change. Authenticity is crucial, so pick a situation that resonates with you personally.
• Highlight Personal Growth : Discuss how the discomfort you encountered led to personal growth and contributed to your development as an individual. Admissions officers are interested in understanding your journey and the lessons you've learned.
• Reflect on the Essence of Good Citizenship : Dive into what "the essence of good citizenship" means to you. This is an opportunity to share your philosophy on active citizenship and how you see it shaping your future endeavors.

How to Write the NYU Supplemental Essay Option C + Analysis and Tips

Analysis of Option C : This quote suggests the importance of grounding oneself in fundamental skills and practical knowledge, even when possessing exceptional talents or abilities. It calls for a balance between grand aspirations and the essential, foundational elements of any pursuit. 

The admissions committee is likely seeking applicants who understand the value of humility, continuous learning, and the importance of mastering the basics before venturing into more complex realms.

• Choose a Personal Anecdote : Share a specific moment or experience from your life where the quote's message resonates. For example, you could describe a situation in which you had to balance ambitious goals with the need for foundational skills.
• Reflect on Challenges : Discuss any challenges or obstacles you faced when tempted to focus solely on "flying" without considering the importance of "walking." Reflect on what you learned from these challenges.
• Discuss Long-Term Perspective : Discuss how your commitment to learning fundamental skills aligns with your long-term goals. Illustrate how this philosophy contributes to your personal and professional development.

How to Write the NYU Supplemental Essay Option D + Analysis and Tips

Analysis of Option D : The quote suggests that individuals possess the right to desire change and the right to actively seek change. It implies a sense of agency, empowerment, and a call to action. Admissions officers may want to see how this perspective aligns with your values and aspirations.

Applicants are called to consider their aspirations, the changes they wish to see in the world, and how they intend to exercise their agency. It invites reflection on personal values, social consciousness, and the willingness to contribute to positive transformations.

• Identify Personal Desires for Change : Reflect on your personal desires for change, whether in your life, community, or globally. What issues resonate with you, and why?
• Highlight Values and Principles : Articulate the values that underpin your desire for change. Whether rooted in empathy, justice, or other principles, explaining these values provides depth to your essay.
• Express Optimism and Determination : While acknowledging the need for change, convey optimism and determination. Admissions officers are likely looking for candidates who approach challenges with a positive mindset and a determination to make a difference.

How to Write the NYU Supplemental Essay Option E + Analysis and Tips

Analysis of Option E : This quote suggests a theme of resilience, determination, and the challenges inherent in pursuing one's goals. The admissions committee is likely interested in understanding how applicants navigate adversity, their tenacity in the face of challenges, and their perspectives on fairness and justice.

Here are a few tips to keep in mind for this option:

• Reflect on Growth : Reflect on how facing unfair challenges has contributed to your personal and intellectual growth. Admissions committees are interested not just in the challenges themselves but in how you've evolved as a result.
• Relate to Taylor Swift’s Journey : If you're a fan of Taylor Swift, consider drawing parallels between her journey and your own. Discuss how her experiences or advocacy efforts have inspired you and influenced your perspective on fairness.
• Link to Societal Issues : Explore how the quote reflects broader societal issues. Discuss your awareness of social injustices and your commitment to addressing these challenges, either through advocacy, volunteering, or future career plans.

How to Write the NYU Supplemental Essay Option F + Analysis and Tips

Analysis of Option F : This prompt gives applicants the flexibility to choose a quote from any person beyond the provided list, allowing for a more personalized response. Admissions committees are likely looking for insight into the student's values, influences, and the ability to make thoughtful connections.

If you choose this option, make sure to:

• Select a Meaningful Quot e: Choose a quote that holds personal significance. It could be from a favorite author, a mentor, a historical figure, or anyone whose words have had a profound impact.
• Explain Your Connection : Clearly explain why the chosen quote inspires you. Share personal anecdotes or experiences that highlight the significance of these words in your life.
• Showcase Reflective Thinking : Demonstrate reflective thinking by discussing the evolution of your understanding or interpretation of the quote over time. This showcases your capacity for self-reflection and growth.
• Relate to NYU Values : Connect your chosen quote and the associated person to values that align with NYU. This could include themes of diversity, innovation, social justice, or any aspect that resonates with the university's ethos.

Examples of NYU Supplemental Essays That Worked

In this section, we will provide a few NYU supplemental essay examples that have allowed students to successfully secure admission into the university. We will also discuss why each sample was effective and highlight what made them stand out.

Sample Essay #1

Prompt : “NYU was founded on the belief that a student’s identity should not dictate the ability for them to access higher education. That sense of opportunity for all students, of all backgrounds, remains a part of who we are today and a critical part of what makes us a world-class university. Our community embraces diversity, in all its forms, as a cornerstone of the NYU experience.

We would like to better understand how your experiences would help us to shape and grow our diverse community. Please respond in 250 words or less.”

Outside of spacetime, in my mind’s eye, on the International Tennis Federation’s (ITF) Florida “Orange Bowl” courts, I imagine Roger Federer serving to Caroline Wozniacki, who returns it back across the net. Except, Caroline’s return doesn’t go to Roger (who’s since dissipated back into my ethereal daydream), but rather to Coco Guaff, who hits a forehand back to Andre Agassi, and so on in an infinite rally between tennis legends who’ve played in the same tournament on the same court on which I’m now standing. Time to go to work!

Like a businesswoman entering the building for a productive workday, I set my bag down as I walk in - in this case, on the courtside bench - and survey my surroundings. Nerves like butterflies flutter in my stomach watching other tennis players from around the world warm up… but I know better by now to just trust my preparation and let it fly. Breathing deeply, I step into my office: the tennis court.

For my first match against an Australian opponent, I’m blessed with two pep talks: one from a [ETHNICITY] coach advising me to “expect everything and adjust to anything” and the other from my [STATE] coach saying to “be proactive, be persistent, play through to the finish.” Given that we’ve worked together longer, the latter words of wisdom stuck with me more, helping me win that first match, go onto qualify for the main draw, and, with your acceptance, share my play-through-to-the-finish pertinacity with my fellow Violets.

Why Essay #1 Worked

This essay is successful because it effectively connects the applicant's experiences in tennis to the values of diversity and community at NYU. The writer uses a creative and imaginative approach, describing a scenario of playing tennis with legends and drawing parallels between the advice received from coaches of different ethnic backgrounds. 

By vividly portraying the tennis environment and incorporating advice from diverse mentors, the applicant showcases their ability to navigate and appreciate diverse perspectives. The essay demonstrates how these experiences would contribute to the cultural richness and inclusivity of NYU's community, aligning with the university's emphasis on diversity as a cornerstone of its identity. 

Sample Essay #2

Prompt : We would like to know more about your interest in NYU. We are particularly interested in knowing what motivated you to apply to NYU and more specifically, why you have applied or expressed interest in a particular school, college, program, and/or area of study? We would like to understand why NYU? (2500 character maximum)

Though the brain, in all actuality, is not like any other muscle in the human body, the fact that I tend to view my brain as one would view any other muscle is something that must be acknowledged before analogizing how I’ve recently gone about challenging myself intellectually. Simply put, I take my brain to the gym; I analyse its power through its capability to ‘lift’ (fully comprehend) intellectual weights of varying mass and attempt to broaden the reach of its abilities by consistently exercising it, repeatedly pushing it just past its limits until it grows stronger and is thus ready to load on even heavier weights. While I’m by no means claiming here to be some sort of bodybuilding guru – in fact, I weigh roughly the same as most large dogs – this particular process of meticulous brain-training is something I’ve found myself doing in an endless quest to satisfy my insatiable thirst for an understanding of the bigger picture. 

Although attending my current institution has provided me with a stimulating academic experience, and one where I’ve jumped at the opportunity to more deeply explore my interests in both familiar and unfamiliar subjects alike, I find myself at a level of intellectual strength and vitality today where I’m confident in my capacity to take another step forwards – or better yet, a quantum leap into the academic equivalent of an Olympic-level gymnasium that is NYU.

How exactly I plan to utilize the variety of resources such a 'gym’ would provide is a question I’ve spent years eagerly pondering: for one, continuing on my path of pursuing degrees in economics and philosophy at a school ranked 11th and 1st in those subjects respectively would be an absolute honour, as would the experience of studying beneath Professor Alberto Bisin, whose HCEO lecture on Cultural Inequality I’ve now watched countless times. Tantamount to my commitment towards fully exhausting NYU’s academic resources is the level to which I aim to immerse myself in the school’s diverse community; whether it be by driving Tandon’s Formula SAE racecar in competition or volunteering for the noble Change the Imbalance Initiative, I want to ensure that my character undergoes as much development as my intellect in being an NYU student. What stands above all, though, is my desire to give back to the Violet garden of intellectual growth by putting my voice into play within NYU’s academic arena, both inside and outside the classroom. 

Why Essay #2 Worked

This essay effectively articulates the applicant's intellectual curiosity and eagerness to engage with NYU's academic and community aspects. The analogy of treating the brain like a muscle and taking it to the "gym" showcases the writer's disciplined approach to intellectual growth. 

The essay is well-structured, with a clear narrative that transitions from the current academic experience to the desire for a more challenging environment at NYU. The applicant expresses a specific interest in economics and philosophy, aligning their academic goals with NYU's strengths in those subjects. 

The writer goes beyond academics by highlighting their intention to actively participate in the diverse community, referencing specific activities like driving Tandon’s Formula SAE racecar and volunteering for the Change the Imbalance Initiative. Overall, this response successfully conveys the applicant's motivation to contribute both intellectually and personally to NYU's vibrant academic environment.

Sample Essay #3

Prompt : “NYU was founded on the belief that a student’s identity should not dictate the ability for them to access higher education. That sense of opportunity for all students, of all backgrounds, remains a part of who we are today and a critical part of what makes us a world class university. Our community embraces diversity, in all its forms, as a cornerstone of the NYU experience.”

What I’d add to the NYU menu is time-tested tradition translated into battle-tested characteristics and skills that make for seasoned leaders and entrepreneurs. This tradition spans not only academic excellence in school but also entrepreneurial prowess in DECA and even empowers me personally when it comes to my Jewish faith. Since I can remember, Friday nights have always been spent at my grandparents’ house. The euphoric smells of challah and kugel diffuse from the kitchen as the familiar faces of close family sit hungrily around the dinner table, eager to begin the Shabbat prayers. As the last blessing concludes, my grandpa raises his glass. L’chaim, “to life”, echoes throughout the dining room and is accompanied by the sounds of clinking glass and tikvah, “hope”. And finally, it’s time to eat. 

These Shabbat memories have ultimately fueled my ever-growing Jewish identity. The traditional Ashkenazi Jewish recipes that cover the dinner table, symbols of the strength of my ancestors who migrated to America from war-torn Poland during the Holocaust, and the gathering of family each Friday night, symbols of a surviving legacy, have inspired me to hold these traditions close to my heart as I forge my own path through both Judaism and life. 

Today, involvement in my synagogue’s youth program has continued to fuel my ever-growing Jewish identity by allowing me to channel my enthusiasm through civic engagement initiatives that aim to foster change within our community and beyond, such as the [NAME OF EVENT] and other fundraising events within our synagogue. 

Why Essay #3 Worked

This essay effectively communicates the applicant's commitment to their Jewish identity and its connection to their academic and entrepreneurial pursuits. Through vivid details of Friday night Shabbat gatherings and the cultural significance of traditional Jewish recipes, the essay paints a compelling picture. 

The applicant skillfully links their involvement in DECA and synagogue youth programs to civic engagement initiatives, showcasing a commitment to community betterment. The use of Hebrew terms adds cultural authenticity. 

FAQs: How to Write the NYU Supplemental Essays

Here are our answers to a few frequently asked questions about the NYU supplemental essays:

1. Does NYU Have Supplemental Essays?

Yes, NYU has supplemental essays as part of the first-year application process.

2. How Many Essays Does NYU Require?

NYU only has one supplemental essay. You can choose from the options available or come up with your own .

3. How Important Is the Supplemental Essay for NYU?

These essays are very important; they allow you to highlight what makes you unique and how you will contribute to the NYU community. It’s your chance to convey your passion, interest, and commitment to the university. A well-crafted essay can set you apart from other applicants and increase your chances of admission.

4. How Long Should the Supplemental Essays Be?

Your response should be no longer than 250 words. 

5. Can I Reuse the Essay from Other College Applications for NYU?

No, reusing the essay from another college application is not advisable. It’s important to ensure your essays are school-specific and align with the values of each institution. Admission committees seek unique and genuine stories and your fit for their school.

6. How Should I Respond to the NYU Supplemental Essay Prompt?

To answer the prompt, ensure you are innovative by tailoring your response to the exact prompt, which should be at least 250 words. You can choose any option and tell your story to show that you are deeply invested in the issue you are discussing.

Final Thoughts

The NYU supplemental essays allow you to convey your passion, values, and aspirations to the admission committee. A well-crafted application can help you stand out and convince the admission committee that you are a perfect fit for the university. 

To successfully meet NYU's essay requirements, it is crucial to delve into prompts that explore your reasons for applying, your specific interest in NYU, and how your experiences align with the university's commitment to fostering a diverse community. 

Therefore, thoroughly understanding the prompts will empower you to create a narrative that reflects your individuality, ultimately increasing your chances of admission. Good luck!

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How to get into NYU + Admission Requirements 2023

Want to go to NYU? Before you start spreadin’ the news, here’s everything you need to know about how to get into NYU, and the NYU admission requirements .

From the world-renowned Tisch School of the Arts to the utterly singular Gallatin School of Individualized Study, NYU is a dream destination for creatively inclined students the world over. But that’s not all—NYU has something for everyone, with strong programs in fields as diverse as business, public health, and even dentistry. And, of course, no conversation about NYU is complete without mention of the Bobcats’ unparalleled opportunity to study, live, and work in the Big Apple. When the city is your campus, the possibilities are limitless. Internships, networking opportunities, field research, and more—NYU, an “institution without walls,” provides countless ways to engage with the hustle and bustle of one of the world’s most dynamic cities. Satellite campuses in Abu Dhabi, Shanghai, Paris, Prague, Sydney,  and Buenos Aires offer students the chance to take their studies abroad for a truly global education. 

A quick note on college rankings: we think they’re generally a bad way to think about where you should go to college. We talk about why rankings are bad in greater detail here , but essentially, a lot of college rankings don’t actually tell you whether you and the school would fit well together, or that the school is someplace you’ll thrive. That said, we also understand that many students/families are confused regarding and have questions about aspects of the application process, so we’ve built the post below to hopefully clarify things, so students/families can make informed decisions.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

How hard is it to get into nyu, nyu acceptance rate, nyu early decision, early action, regular decision, and transfer acceptance rate, gpa requirements to get into nyu, sat requirements to get into nyu, act requirements to get into nyu, what does nyu look for in students, nyu application deadlines, nyu supplemental essay prompts, how to get into nyu—essay tips.

It is very difficult to get accepted to NYU. The grade point average of people who get accepted to NYU is generally in the highest quarter of their class. People who successfully get into NYU also tend to have impressive extracurricular activities and college applications essays.

The NYU acceptance rate is 12.2%, making it an extremely competitive university. Acceptance rate is generally an indication of how competitive a school is, but it is also an indication of how popular a school is. To get into a school like NYU, you will need to excel in almost every major college application factor. 

NYU’s early decision acceptance rate is 38%. NYU’s transfer acceptance rate is 41%.

The recommended GPA requirements to get into NYU are between 3.5 and 4.0. You will need a very high GPA and will likely be graduating at the top half of your class in order to get into NYU. If your GPA is lower than suggested at the time you apply, you may have to perform above average on your standardized tests. If your grades aren’t as high as they could have been due to life experiences or hardship, you should consider writing about it in your additional information section .

  What GPA is required for NYU?

Applicants’ GPA when applying to NYU should ideally be between 3.5 and 4.0 to be strong candidates. Having less than this will require compensating by having outstanding extracurricular activities or a strong personal statement.

  The recommended SAT requirements to get into NYU are a 1390 to 1510 composite score, combining the reading and writing, and math sections together. You will need a very high SAT score in order to get into NYU. If your SAT is lower than suggested at the time you apply, you may have to perform above average on your other standardized tests or have spectacular extracurricular activities to compensate. If your grades aren’t as high as they could have been due to life experiences or hardship, you should consider writing about it in your additional information section .

NYU is a “Test Optional” school, meaning it does not require standardized test scores, but will consider them if submitted. It’s up to you whether to submit your scores or not. There are a number of factors to consider as you make this decision, and you can read more about them here .

nyu Average SAT Composite Score: 1450

What SAT score is required for NYU?

Applicants should score between 1400 and 1500 on their SAT to be strong candidates for admission to this school. Having less than this will require compensating by using a substitute ACT score or having an above-average GPA. Either an SAT or ACT score is required for application to this school.

The recommended ACT requirements for NYU are a 32 composite score combining all English, mathematics, reading, and science sections. You will need a very high ACT score in order to get into NYU. If your ACT is not what you’d hoped by the time you apply, you may have to make it up by getting above-average scores on the SAT and having an above-average grade point average. If your ACT wasn’t as high as you’d like because of difficulties or hardship, you should consider writing about it in your additional information section.

NYU Average ACT: 32

What ACT score is required for NYU?

Applicants should score between 31 and 34 on their ACT to be strong candidates for admission to this school. Having less than this will require compensating by using a substitute SAT score or having an above-average GPA. Either an SAT or ACT score is required for application to this school.

How do you know if you and NYU fit together? And how do you demonstrate to the school that you think you do?

First, take a look at NYU’s mission statement . Here’s a revealing excerpt:

[NYU’s] students, faculty and alumni feed off the stimulating power of swirling intellectual and cultural experiences by mastering academic disciplines, expressing themselves in the arts, and excelling in demanding professions.

Read between the lines and you’ll get a sense of the qualities NYU is looking for in prospective students: creativity, intellectual curiosity, cultural and ideological diversity (more on that in NYU’s supplemental essay prompt), and drive—to name just a few. Yes, having competitive grades and test scores is important. But most students who get rejected from NYU have those kinds of scores—what will help you stand out are your essays and your extracurricular activities. Hopefully, these elements of your application will demonstrate your creativity, your interest in the world around you, and the goals that you feel NYU will best help you to achieve.  

Maybe you’re exactly what NYU is looking for. But is NYU a good fit for you ? Consider the following questions and answer them honestly: 

Do I want to go to school in NYC? Would I feel more at home on a more traditional campus? 

Am I ready to take advantage of all the city has to offer? 

Am I interested in the university itself, or just the city around it? 

Am I willing to get involved in campus life, reach out to people and build my network? Life in the city can feel lonely and even overwhelming — community is key!

Do I have methods in place for finding calm and balance? With seemingly unlimited choice, the fast pace of life in New York, and what will surely be a heavy academic load, grounding strategies are critical. 

The NYU application deadline for regular decision is January 5th. NYU also provides two alternative forms of application in addition to regular decision: early decision and early decision II. The application deadlines are November 1st for EDI and January 1st for EDII. Below is a table showing the deadlines for each of the steps of the NYU admissions process.

NYU Early Decision Policy

If you have your heart set on NYU, you may want to consider early decision. Be aware that early decision is binding—if you are admitted, you are expected to enroll. If you are not admitted through the early decision admission process, NYU will not allow you to apply for regular decision. 

NYU has both Early Decision I and Early Decision II. Both options are binding, and differ only in deadlines and response dates. 

So … why apply EDII? 

You might choose that option if you apply early elsewhere and are not admitted, or if you simply are not ready to submit your application by November 1st. One isn’t necessarily better than the other—NYU gives EDI and EDII applications equal consideration.

To complete NYU’s supplemental essay requirements, applicants must write one 250-word essay. The prompt is below and our NYU supplemental essay guide can be found here . Note that while this essay is technically optional, we strongly recommend that you use this opportunity to show parts of yourself not reflected in grades or test scores:

We are looking for peacemakers, changemakers, global citizens, boundary breakers, creatives and innovators - Choose one quote from the following and let us know why it inspires you; or share a short quote and person not on our list who inspires you, and include why. (250 words) - “We’re used to people telling us there are no solutions, and then creating our own. So we did what we do best. We reached out to each other, and to our allies, and we mobilized across communities to make change, to benefit and include everyone in society.” Judith Heuman, 2022 NYU Commencement Address - “I encourage your discomfort, that you must contribute, that you must make your voice heard. That is the essence of good citizenship." Sherilynn Ifill, 2015 NYU Commencement Address - “If you know how to fly but you never knew how to walk, wouldn’t that be sad?” Lang Lang, 2015 NYU Honorary Degree Recipient - "You have the right to want things and to want things to change." Sanna Marin, Former Prime Minister of Finland, 2023 NYU Commencement Address - "It's hard to fight when the fight ain't fair.” Taylor Swift, Change, Released 2008, 2022 NYU Commencement Speaker

Share a short quote and person not on this list, and why the quote inspires you.

Before you start brainstorming, check out CEG’s guide to writing the diversity essay , which outlines two possible approaches to this question (community and identity) and includes some helpful Do’s and Don’ts. 

Remember, diversity is an inclusive term that encompasses a broad spectrum of differences! Depending on how you approach this question, think hard about the many communities you belong to—there are probably more than you think—and/or the qualities, identities, and interests that make you unique. 

Note the last part of the prompt! NYU wants to know how your background and experiences will add to the diversity of the NYU community. For some guidance on how to approach this piece of the prompt, take a look at our “Why Us?” guide. 

Finally, this prompt has serious “super” essay potential. You may encounter similar questions in your other applications—rather than write several essays, consider how you can reuse and repurpose what you write here. 

Harrison is a writing coach, playwright, and college essay specialist. He strives to empower students to take ownership of the writing process and develop their voices as storytellers. He is an avid swimmer, voracious reader, crossword enthusiast, and proud uncle to the coolest girls in the world.

Top values: Curiosity | Creativity | Generosity

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NYU Supplemental Essays 2023-24 Prompt and Advice

August 17, 2023

In the 2022-23 admissions cycle, NYU received over 120,000 applications. That was a record-breaking figure for the university (13% more than the previous year!), as was the all-time low acceptance rate of 8%. To put these numbers in proper context, consider for a moment that in 1991, NYU had an acceptance rate of 65%. At the start of the Obama presidency, NYU still only received 37,000 total applications. These numbers lead us into the topic of this blog, the NYU supplemental essay.

(Want to learn more about How to Get Into NYU? Visit our blog entitled:  How to Get Into NYU  for all of the most recent admissions data as well as tips for gaining acceptance.)

Clearly, standing out as an applicant to NYU was a heck of a lot easier a generation or even a mere decade ago. For the Class of 2027, the median SAT score for an admitted applicant was 1540 , meaning that even a standardized test score in the 99th percentile won’t do much to separate you from the hordes of equally credentialed applicants.

Although it only has one prompt, NYU’s essay still affords applicants an opportunity to illustrate what makes them uniquely qualified for admission. Below is NYU’s supplemental essay for the 2023-24 admissions cycle. We then follow with College Transitions’ advice on how to craft a winning composition.

2023-2024 NYU Supplement Essays

This is a new prompt for the 2023-24 admissions cycle. It’s optional, but we highly encourage anyone who would like to be a serious contender (which, if you’re taking the time to apply, hopefully you are) to answer it.

We are looking for peacemakers, changemakers, global citizens, boundary breakers, creatives and innovators – Choose one quote from the following and let us know why it inspires you; or share a short quote and person not on our list who inspires you, and include why. (250 words)

• “We’re used to people telling us there are no solutions, and then creating our own. So we did what we do best. We reached out to each other, and to our allies, and we mobilized across communities to make change, to benefit and include everyone in society.” Judith Heuman, 2022 NYU Commencement Address
• “I encourage your discomfort, that you must contribute, that you must make your voice heard. That is the essence of good citizenship.” Sherilynn Ifill, 2015 NYU Commencement Address
• “If you know how to fly but you never knew how to walk, wouldn’t that be sad?” Lang Lang, 2015 NYU Honorary Degree Recipient
• “You have the right to want things and to want things to change.” Sanna Marin, Former Prime Minister of Finland, 2023 NYU Commencement Address
• “It’s hard to fight when the fight ain’t fair.” Taylor Swift, Change, Released 2008, 2022 NYU Commencement Speaker
• Share a short quote and person not on this list, and why the quote inspires you.

NYU Supplemental Essay (Continued)

This prompt—and its options—are incredibly open-ended, offering you the power to decide why a particular quote inspires you (note that there are no guiding questions or proposed directions for any quote). As such, read through the quotes provided and note which one you continue returning to. When you read that quote, what do you want to do ? What type of change do you want to affect? Does it encourage to create or innovate? How so? Moreover, does it remind you of an experience you’ve had, a challenge you’ve overcome, or a belief you hold? Perhaps it calls to mind an aspect of your background or perspective. Or, it could speak to a particular social or political cause that is important to you. Alternatively, you can even choose your own quote if none of the above resonates with you.

The strongest responses will look to the future while also incorporating past personal experiences or influences. For example, perhaps the second prompt inspires you to continue seeking out experiences that challenge you. “Why is that?” NYU will want to know. Perhaps, earlier this year, you went out of your comfort zone to speak up at a school board meeting about your school district’s book ban policy, ultimately meeting & agreeing to continue working with a group of fellow students who also opposed the policy.

Finally, given that this is NYU’s only supplemental essay, you can also incorporate how you plan to seek out specific experiences or resources at NYU.

How important is the NYU supplemental essay?

NYU deems four elements as “very important” in evaluating a candidate. These are: the rigor of your secondary school record, class rank, GPA, standardized test scores, and talent/ability. The NYU supplemental essay is considered to be “important” alongside letters of recommendation, extracurricular activities, and character/personal qualities.

Want personalized assistance?

In conclusion, if you are interested in working with one of College Transitions’ experienced and knowledgeable essay coaches as you craft your NYU essay, we encourage you to  get a quote  today.

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Dave Bergman

Dave has over a decade of professional experience that includes work as a teacher, high school administrator, college professor, and independent educational consultant. He is a co-author of the books The Enlightened College Applicant (Rowman & Littlefield, 2016) and Colleges Worth Your Money (Rowman & Littlefield, 2020).

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• How to Apply

Required Materials

To apply, you'll submit some required materials via the Law School Admission Council (LSAC) and complete an online application by a specific deadline . 

Online Application and Electronic Attachments

Before you begin, review the Admission 2024 Application Instructions (PDF: 350 KB).

You’ll need to choose one program to which you’ll apply this cycle (September to June). 

Be sure to use the right application form for the program you’ve chosen and for the semester in which you’d like to start studies, if applicable.

You must fully and accurately complete each section of the application form, and attach the required materials. (Do not print and mail the form or attachments; they will be discarded.)

The $85 application fee is non-refundable. You will be prompted to pay it with a credit card when you submit the application form.

Contact us  well in advance of the deadline if you are unable to use a credit card, or if the application fee would present a financial hardship.

The fee isn’t a tuition credit, if admitted.

Tell us about all of your education and work experience in one to two pages. Please include details about any 3-month period when you weren’t in school or employed.

Other than length, there is no required format for your résumé/CV. It is fine to include extracurricular activities, publications, presentations, or other career-related information, if you have them.

This is a brief statement—make it no more than 500 words.

It is also personal. Describe aspects about yourself, your accomplishments, or your academic and professional goals. Take a moment to reflect on these, and consider including your thoughts about how they motivate you toward graduate study and/or illuminate the reason(s) you are applying for one of our programs or a particular specialization.

LLM in Legal Theory

If you are applying to this specialization, be sure to address your main field(s) of interest within legal theory and some of the potential research questions or projects you’d like to explore.

Part-time Applicants with a US JD

For candidates applying to the part-time LLM, E-LLM, or APC in Taxation programs, you are strongly encouraged, but not required, to submit a personal statement. All other part-time applicants must submit a personal statement.

We offer the addendum option so that, if there is any information you’d like to share, you can.

Not all applicants submit an addendum—in fact, not even the majority—but we wouldn’t want to put you in the position of being unable to share important and relevant information just because we didn’t ask about it.

The addendum option can also be used if you need additional space to respond to a character and fitness question.

There are some items that are not an addendum; do not attach these:

• Writing samples, articles, or research papers;
• Digital versions of academic credentials, test scores, or recommendations;
• An extended essay to augment your personal statement.

Hauser Global Scholarship Essay

If you’re applying for the Hauser Global Scholarship Program , you’ll need to attach an additional essay (500-750 words) before submitting the application.

Your essay should briefly describe a current legal dilemma, controversy, or issue facing a country, a region, or the world, and suggest a strategy to address the problem. 

Research and Writing Samples

If you’d like for your previous research and writing to be considered, please make note of it on your résumé/CV.

Do not submit samples. We do not require them for application to the LLM program and we do not review them.  

If you’re a CPA, please provide a digital image of your certificate.

We reserve the right to validate its authenticity or your standing with the governing board at any time. 

You must electronically attach these materials to the application form. 

Take your time to ensure you’ve arrived to the final versions of these materials before submitting the application. Late submission and/or revisions are not permitted.

Sample Research Paper

To fulfill this requirement, you can submit a published paper, a research paper written for seminar credit, or a paper prepared specifically for your application to the doctoral program. You must have originally written it in English.

Ideally, but not necessarily, it will address a question in the same substantive area you plan for your dissertation.

We do not set a page or word limit, but the file must be 2MB or smaller so that it can be attached.

Proposal of Study

You’ll need to submit a dissertation proposal of no more than 3,000 words. It must be written in English and contain a bibliography. 

Your proposal should have sufficient specificity to make possible an evaluation by a member of our faculty familiar with the proposed field. 

The substance of your proposal should:

• Clearly state the research questions to be addressed;
• Review the current literature in the field;
• Identify the original contribution the dissertation will make;
• State the methodological approach that the applicant plans to adopt;
• Identify any difficulties that might be encountered during research.

If your proposal includes fieldwork, address the time needed for it, your plan to integrate it into the program’s required residency period , and any impact that plan may have on your project’s design or its completion.

You are not expected to be in contact with, nor seek approval from, faculty members in advance of application. Instead, you should identify in the proposal possible dissertation advisors after reviewing the  NYU faculty biographies online . Students admitted into the program will be notified of their designated advisor.

Supporting Materials Sent to LSAC

All applicants must use the LSAC Credential Assembly Service . If you hold foreign education credentials, you must purchase the International Authentication and Evaluation Service. While not required, we strongly recommend your materials arrive at least two weeks early for processing.

Official transcripts from all institution(s) you have attended are required. These should be accompanied by translations, if the original is not in English. 

Make sure your school includes a statement of your class rank with your transcript. If your school does not issue a class rank, a statement of that policy can be included instead.

Please follow LSAC’s instructions to ensure your school(s) send the correct documentation in proper form. You may also wish to view LSAC’s helpful country-by-country guidance as you prepare to ask institutions for your credentials.

Hint #1: Get transcripts from all the school(s) you attended, even if you didn’t earn a degree (e.g. exchange studies or transfer credit).

Hint #2: If you need translations, ask for two transcripts. Have the school send one to LSAC, and use the second for translation.

Hint #3: If you haven’t completed a degree, please have your school send any updated academic results to LSAC once they become available (including after the deadline). LSAC issues report updates at no additional cost to you.

Most foreign-trained applicants must take an approved English proficiency exam. Applicants are strongly advised to register for and take one of the approved tests at a test center. The Committee on Graduate Admissions prefers score results from exams taken at test centers, and there is availability for these exams in countries around the globe.

What tests are approved?

• The internet-based Test of English as a Foreign Language ( TOEFL iBT )
• The academic version of the International English Language Testing System ( IELTS )

What are the minimum scores to be considered for admission?

Applicants should at least meet these scores; JSD applicants are expected to exceed them: TOEFL: 100/120

• Listening: 26
• Reading: 26
• Speaking: 22
• Writing: 22

IELTS: 7.0/9.0

• Listening: 7.5
• Reading: 7.5
• Speaking: 7.0
• Writing: 7.0

Who is exempt from submitting a score?

If you earned your law degree (or bachelor’s degree for MSL applicants) in English in a country where English is a primary language.

Have more questions?

Check out  our FAQs .

In your LSAC account, be sure to both register recommender(s) and assign letters . Whether requesting letters to be sent electronically or by mail, we encourage you to review the submission process with your recommender. 

Our master’s and certificate programs require one letter and the JSD program requires two. Three is the maximum.

If you’re applying to the LLM, E-LLM or APC program, submit at least one academic letter. Choose the person who knows you best as a student and who can comment with specificity about your academic skills, personal qualities, and preparedness for graduate study.

If you’re applying to the MSL, the required letter should be from someone who is able to comment on your substantive tax experience.

JSD applicants need two letters from law school professors who know your academic work and can attest to your ability to complete a doctoral dissertation that will make a significant scholarly contribution.

Should I submit more than the required number?

More is not necessarily better. If you opt to submit more than required, make sure the recommender will provide a new, relevant perspective.

For candidates applying to the part-time LLM, E-LLM, or APC in Taxation programs, you are strongly encouraged, but not required, to submit a recommendation. All other part-time applicants must submit at least one academic letter.

Reapplicants

If you’re reapplying, be sure that we receive your online application and all of the required materials in a timely manner. 

Typically, the easiest way to reapply is to use the same LSAC account because your credentials are preserved for a number of years after they are submitted to LSAC. Be sure to check if there are any incomplete transcripts or expired test scores before applying.

Provided the recommender agrees, it is fine to reuse letters that were submitted with a prior application. It is equally fine to obtain a new letter or choose new recommenders.

If you’re a current NYU Law student, check out special information about applying to the Graduate Division’s programs.

© 2024 New York University School of Law. 40 Washington Sq. South, New York, NY 10012.   Tel. (212) 998-6100

Published August 01, 2024

Announcing the 2024-2025 Common Application for NYU

Billy Sichel

Assistant Vice President of Undergraduate Admissions

It’s August 1st and that means the application at NYU has officially opened. This year, we’ve made some pretty big changes to NYU’s Common Application to simplify the process for our applicants, and to help us learn a little more about you!

When you start NYU’s member questions on the Common App, you’ll see 6 sections that you’ll need to complete. We give you a little bit of a head start by checking off the “Writing” section. This section is optional – but also new and exciting! More on that later.

The General Information Section

In the “General” section, you’ll be asked a few questions about how you want us to handle your application – Early Decision I, Early Decision II, or Regular Decision? – and which campus you want to apply to. As you (hopefully!) already know, NYU has three degree-granting campuses: in New York, Abu Dhabi, and Shanghai. Our Common App will let you apply to any combination of our campuses.

Once you make your campus selections, an additional set of questions will show up that are specific to your campus(es) of interest. Nothing too tricky here! You’ll be able to tell us about your academic area of interest for each campus, and a few other quick-and-easy questions about program eligibility, housing preferences, etc. so that we’re ready for you if you are ultimately admitted.

The Academics Section

Once you have those sections squared away, you’ll move on to the Academics section. This section will walk you through the information we’ll need you to submit outside of the Common App itself. Nothing to do here, except confirm that you’re clear on the next steps and additional requirements.

The Optional Supplemental Question

Now, the moment you’ve been waiting for: The optional, pre-checked-off Writing section. Last year, we made the decision to update our supplemental question. However, what we heard from our applicants was that people really wanted to tell us more! But the thing is…we already know why NYU is a great place to spend your 4 years, so we thought: if you want to tell us more about your passion for NYU, let’s make the question about you .

The new writing question says:

“In a world where disconnection seems to often prevail, we are looking for students who embody the qualities of bridge builders—students who can connect people, groups, and ideas to span divides, foster understanding, and promote collaboration within a dynamic, interconnected, and vibrant global academic community. We are eager to understand how your experiences have prepared you to build the bridges of the future. Please consider one or more of the following questions  in your  essay :

What personal experiences or challenges have shaped you as a bridge builder?

How have you been a bridge builder in your school, community, or personal life?

What specific actions have you taken to build bridges between diverse groups, ideas, or cultures?

How do you envision being a bridge builder during your time at our university and beyond?”

So, if it feels right for you to tell us a little more about yourself in the application, we want to know where you will turn to for inspiration, and what experiences have shaped you and resonate with you. Four years at NYU will propel you into a future you might not even be able to imagine yet, but take a minute (if you want – it really is optional!) to tell us about the ideas that have gotten you to this point, and those that might shape you into the person you’re about to become.

These are just a few of the changes we have made this year, so make sure to carefully read each question carefully before you answer them. If you ever have any questions for us about our questions, we are always here to help . We wish you the best of luck this application season, and can’t wait to learn more about you!

More from Billy:

How to Approach the Common Application

There’s no wrong way to approach the Common Application, but here’s two different strategies you might want to choose from when you apply to NYU.

Submitting a Transfer Application to NYU

Everything you need and everything you need to know about the transfer process.

Why You Should Start Your Common Application Early

There are many benefits to getting an early start on your Common Application to NYU.

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Writing the Why NYU Essay

College Essays

If you're applying to New York University, you'll need to submit both the regular Common App materials as well as the NYU supplement, which includes a short essay. At its heart, the NYU essay prompt asks you to answer a single straightforward question: why do you want to go to NYU?

In this article, we'll fully analyze the "Why NYU?" essay prompt and what successful essays need to accomplish. We'll also go over potential topics to write about and look at the essay that got me into NYU's College of Arts and Science.

First, however, we'll begin with a quick discussion of why schools ask students to write "why this school?" essays

feature image credit: Sagie /Flickr

Why NYU Essay 2023 Update

NYU has discontinued the "Why NYU" for the 2022-2023 admissions cycle . That means there won't be an NYU-specific writing supplement provided as part of the Common Application process. 

However, students can submit an optional 250-word response as part of NYU's additional questions section. This response deals with students' perspectives on diversity. Here's the prompt for 2023-2024: 

We are looking for peacemakers, changemakers, global citizens, boundary breakers, creatives and innovators. Choose one quote from the following and let us know why it inspires you; or share a short quote and person not on our list who inspires you, and include why.

“We’re used to people telling us there are no solutions, and then creating our own. So we did what we do best. We reached out to each other, and to our allies, and we mobilized across communities to make change, to benefit and include everyone in society.” Judith Heuman, 2022 NYU Commencement Address

“I encourage your discomfort, that you must contribute, that you must make your voice heard. That is the essence of good citizenship.” Sherilynn Ifill, 2015 NYU Honorary Degree Recipient

“You have the right to want things and to want things to change.” Sanna Marin, Former Prime Minister of Finland, 2023 NYU Commencement Address “It’s hard to fight when the fight ain’t fair.” Taylor Swift, Change, Released 2008, 2022 NY Commencement Speaker

Share a short quote and person not on the list and why the quote inspires you.

What's the Point of "Why This School" Essays?

While the Common App essay gives students a chance to showcase something of who they are that might not be evident elsewhere in their application, the "why [school]?" essay allows students space to explicitly state why they are such a good match for the school.

Presumably, if you're applying to the school, your test scores, grades, course rigor and curriculum, extracurriculars, and volunteer experience all put you at least somewhat in line with other students at the school.

The "why this school?" essay is your opportunity to discuss not just why you could excel at the school, but why you are a good fit (and why you want to go there).

"Why this school" essays are also a useful way for schools to judge student interest in a school (which can indicate whether or not a student will attend if admitted). Based on students' "why this school?" essays, colleges can distinguish students who are specifically interested in attending that school from students who clearly applied just because of the school's location or ranking

Writing a strong "why [school]?" essay not only gives you another instance to showcase your writing and reasoning skills, but also tells the school that you care enough to invest time in researching what makes them special. It signifies that you have put in the time to realize whether or not you're a good fit. (And, it secondarily shows that having put in that time, you're more likely to attend if admitted than someone who just wrote some generic statements about why they want to attend college ).

For a more in-depth look at what schools hope to get out of your "Why [This School]?" essays, read this article .

Why NYU Essay Prompt, Analyzed

Here's the complete NYU supplement essay prompt for 2021:

We would like to know more about your interest in NYU. What motivated you to apply to NYU? Why you have applied or expressed interest in a particular campus, school, college, program, and or area of study? If you have applied to more than one, please also tell us why you are interested in these additional areas of study or campuses. We want to understand - Why NYU? (400 word maximum)

Besides the standard "what motivated you to apply to [school]?" question that almost every "why this school" essay asks, the NYU prompt gives you one extra nudge for what to focus on in your essay.

Specifically, NYU wants you to talk about what's drawn you to "a particular campus, school, college, program, and/or area of study?" (or, if you're drawn to more than one, why you're drawn to each campus/school/college/program/area of study).

Keep in mind that you should be discussing all of this in the context of NYU . Obviously, if you're interested in NYU because of one of their 10 undergraduate schools, then that's particular to NYU, but the same goes for their campus locations, programs, and areas of study.

For instance, if you're passionate about studying theater, you wouldn't just write that you want to attend NYU because you love theater and NYU has a theater program and is in New York, a city that has theater; that description could apply to half a dozen schools. Instead, you'd go into the details of what attracts you about specific classes and professors at Tisch, or other opportunities that are unique to NYU (ability to do certain kinds of projects, the potential for interdisciplinary collaboration, etc).

This prompt also hints at a few different directions you can go with your "Why NYU" essay:

Why have you expressed interest in a particular campus, school, college, program, or area of study? If you have applied to more than one, please also tell us why you are interested in these additional areas of study or campuses.

If you're already certain of what you want to study in college or have a " spike ", you'll want to go the "particular" route in your essay . This means mentioning specific classes, professors, programs, or how you see NYU supporting your future career/academic plans.

On the other hand, perhaps you're not at all sure what you want to study in college (AKA me in high school). In that case, you'll shape your essay more around how you believe going to NYU will allow you to explore many different avenues to find your passion .

Finally, if you already know that you want to spend time abroad during college in a place where NYU has a campus, you can emphasize your interest in continuing to receive an NYU-level academic education while living in another country .

Potential "Why NYU?" Essay Topics

Earlier, we briefly touched upon some topics that you might write about in your essay, including specific courses/teachers/programs and study abroad opportunities.

We're now going to take those broad topic categories and go into a little more depth for how to write about them in your "Why NYU?" essay.

Colleges/Programs

NYU has the following 10 undergraduate schools, colleges, and programs:

• College of Arts & Sciences
• Gallatin School of Individualized Study
• Liberal Studies
• Meyers College of Nursing
• School of Professional Studies
• Silver School of Social Work
• Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development
• Stern School of Business
• Tandon School of Engineering
• Tisch School of the Arts

Because there are so many different undergraduate programs within NYU, it's a good idea to identify which program(s) you're applying to and why in your NYU supplement essay.

Since you'll need to decide on a program before applying to NYU anyway, you might as well use the time you spend reading about each college to figure out if there are any programs within particular colleges that call out to you.

For instance, if you're interested in the intersection of different fields (like psychology and computer science, or biology and philosophy/ethics) and are self-motivated to create your own program of study, you should talk about that in your application to the Gallatin School of Individualized Study. If you've spent the last 12 years devoting all your extra time in and out of school to theatre and want to attend a conservatory with opportunities to go see live theatre, then write about that in your application to Tisch.

Courses/Professors

NYU is a world-renowned university for a reason, and it's not just because of its immense real estate holdings; it has a wide variety of courses and professors renowned in their fields. If one of the main reasons you're drawn to NYU is for its academics, then this is a good topic to get into in your supplemental essay.

Flip through the online course catalogs and read about professors in departments you're interested in. Are there any classes you really want to take (that seem particular to NYU)? Or any professors you absolutely have to study with?

You don't need to go so far as to read the professors' research or anything like that (unless you're super excited by it!), but doing even a little research into the courses and professors you'd be learning from and mentioning it in your "Why NYU?" essay will go a long way toward showing the admissions officers that you're serious enough about NYU to check out its specifics.

Extracurricular Opportunities and School Traditions

If there's an extracurricular at NYU that you've been particularly involved in during high school (or are excited to start getting involved in at college), you can write about it, as long as you're clear about why it's something unique to NYU.

In a similar vein, you can also try reading through some of the campus-wide events offered throughout the year and see if there's anything special about them that speaks to you.

NYU Essay: Topics to Avoid

The "Why NYU" essay prompt makes it pretty clear that you should focus your 400 words around a specific college/program/area of study.

What you absolutely should avoid is gushing about NYU's location (whether you're applying to the New York campus or not).

Back when I applied to NYU, the "why NYU?" essay prompt was even more blunt about not centering your essay around New York City:

"Many students decide to apply to NYU because of our New York City location. Apart from the New York City location, please tell us why you feel NYU will be a good match for you."

If New Yorkers have heard it all and seen it all before, NYU admissions officers have certainly read any and all paeans you could care to write to New York City.

It's fine to write about how being in New York gives you access to opportunities relevant to your course at NYU (e.g. you can get amazing internship opportunities for journalism and theatre there that you wouldn't be able to get anywhere else). However, you need to be clear to center your essay around the program at NYU, with the New York location (and its opportunities) being an added bonus.

Unless you have a unique take on why NYU's location is so important to you (e.g. your grandparents used to live in a building that was demolished to make way for Bobst law library and you were brought up on vengeance that has since turned to adoration), stay away from NYU's location in your explanation of why you want to go there.

Brainstorming for the Why NYU Essay

Before you start to narrow in on what angle you'll take in your "Why NYU?" essay, you should first examine your reasons for applying to NYU. By "examine," we don't just mean "list your reasons"—we mean you need to go a few levels deeper into each surface reason that occurs to you.

For example, this is the list of reasons I had for applying to NYU (roughly in order of importance):

• My test scores and grades/course rigor make it likely I'll get in
• NYU has lots of good schools and programs
• It's easy enough to get from NYU to my family, transportation-wise

On the face of it, none of these reasons are very compelling. If I'd just gone on to write my "Why NYU?" essay (or in those days, essays) with those three bullet points, I doubt I would have been accepted.

Instead, I went deeper with each reason to see if there was anything there I could mine for the NYU supplement essay.

Surface Reason 1 : My test scores and grades/course rigor make it likely I'll get in.

• One level deeper : I'm applying to NYU as a safety school, because I'm pretty sure I'll get in there, even if I don't get in anywhere else, and I'd want to go there if I got in.
• Should I write about this in my "why NYU" essay? Definitely not. No school wants to hear that it's a safety (even if it's a safety you would be fine with attending because it's still a good school).

Surface Reason 2 : NYU has lots of good schools and programs.

• One level deeper : I'm extremely undecided about what I want to study—I know that I'm interested in English (Creative Writing), Math, Neuroscience, Chinese, and Music, but I might end up deciding to study something entirely different in college. It's important to me that I go somewhere that I'll have the opportunity to explore all of my interests (and develop more), which I can do at NYU.
• Should I write about this in my "Why NYU" essay? This reason is definitely promising, although I'll need to do more research into the particular programs and courses at NYU so I can namedrop (and in the process, double-check that I'm right about being able to study all these things there!).

Surface Reason 3 : It's easy enough to get from NYU to my family, transportation-wise.

• One level deeper : My parents want there to be good transportation options for me visiting home (or them visiting me). NYU's location (New York City) definitely makes that possible (there's easy access to planes, trains, buses, rental cars, fixed-gear bikes…).
• Should I write about this in my "Why NYU" essay? Probably not. The prompt asks me about why I've expressed interest in a particular campus, school, college, program, and/or area of study, not a geographic area. Plus, it's not like there aren't plenty of other New York schools. I maybe could throw in this reason if I'm running short on things to say, but as it is, it looks like my second reason is going to be the best bet for the "Why NYU?" essay.

Why NYU Essay Sample

Below, I've created a "Why NYU?" essay example that draws verbatim from what I used in my (successful) NYU application. (The essay requirements were slightly different then, with different word counts, so I had to expand a little upon what I originally wrote.)

I feel NYU would be a good match for me because of the number and kinds of programs it has. I am very interested in a variety of subjects, and NYU seems to encompass everything. In fact, I'm applying to the College of Arts and Sciences because I can’t specify my interests any more than that at this time. I have so many things that I want to learn that I can’t imagine limiting myself before I even enter college.

Take Chinese, for example. I'm learning Mandarin now (and have been for the last five years), but I would also like to learn Cantonese. There are not many other schools that offer Cantonese classes that can boast trips into Chinatown as part of the curriculum! Furthermore, I am excited by the possibility of studying abroad at NYU Shanghai. I'd not only be able to go to China for a semester for a year and immerse myself in the language and culture, but I'd be able to do so with the continuity of being on an NYU campus, even halfway across the world.

The music theory program in the College of Arts and Sciences also really interests me. I've picked up some theory here and there, but I haven't had all that much formal training. I'm also really intrigued by NYU's early music ensemble and the chance to explore different modes and tunings. At the other end of the spectrum, while I've written a few pieces on my own and taught myself a little bit about MIDI, I have not really had a chance to experiment very much with computer/electronic composition, and would really like to use those Steinhardt facilities that would be available to me at NYU to help remedy this.

Finally, I cannot stress enough how important reading and creative writing are to me. Because of how much the two feed into one another, I'm excited by NYU's Reading Series and the potential to be able to attend organized events for interacting with other writers outside the classroom.

The opportunity to expand my Chinese language abilities beyond Mandarin (and have the chance for practical application) is what first intrigued me; the chance to explore computer music and get my hands on NYU's facilities was the next breadcrumb; but the breadth and depth of the courses for writing lure me in even more, until I can resist no further.

This essay isn't necessarily the best piece of writing I've ever done. However, it still effectively conveys my desire to attend NYU because I mention a few key reasons I want to attend NYU:

• The variety of courses available . I began by stating that I'm undecided and part of what attracts me to NYU is the opportunity to get to do lots of different things. I then go on to discuss several different examples.
• Specific NYU opportunities . I looked up various courses, events, and opportunities offered by different departments and mentioned a couple of them specifically (the Reading Studies program for creative writing, Cantonese classes, studying abroad in China).
• While I did mention a New York City thing (going into Chinatown), it was linked with something that's relatively NYU-specific (the opportunity to study Cantonese as well as Mandarin).

Tips for the Why NYU Essay

To wrap up, we've summarized our top four tips for writing the "Why NYU?" essay.

#1: Look over the descriptions of the different schools/programs. This will help you figure out both which one you want to apply to as well as what makes those schools interesting for you to apply to.

#2: Read through the course catalog and look up professors in departments you're interested in. As the NYU Admission blog states , you don't have to go overboard in stating exactly what course you want to take with what professor at what time, but you should demonstrate that you're aware of what kinds of things you will be able to do and learn while at NYU

#3: Look into whether there are any extracurricular activities or NYU traditions that particularly appeal to you--and explain why they matter specifically to you.

#4: Avoid writing odes to New York City. If there are particular opportunities you're interested in that are only available in New York (e.g. internships at the American Museum of Natural History, research into immigration history at Ellis Island) you can mention it, but don't lean too heavily on the location.

#5: Remember that while you should make it clear why you want to attend NYU with your essay, you don't need to agonize for hours over it. Ultimately, other parts of your application (including your test scores and grades/course rigor, letters of recommendation, and personal statement) are more important factors to your acceptance than your NYU supplement essay is. You just need to show that you've done at least a little research into NYU and why you want to apply there in particular.

And if along the way you find that you don't really have a super good reason that's getting you excited to apply to NYU? It might be worth reconsidering whether or not you should apply there.

What's Next?

Have a bunch more college-specific supplement essays to write? Be sure to check out our overview of the "why this college" essay .

Looking for application tips for other selective schools? Read our complete guides to the University of California system and to the Georgetown application .

Should you apply early or regular decision to college? Find out the pros and cons of early decision in this article . ( And read up on the distinctions between early decision, early action, and the different kinds of each here. )

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Laura graduated magna cum laude from Wellesley College with a BA in Music and Psychology, and earned a Master's degree in Composition from the Longy School of Music of Bard College. She scored 99 percentile scores on the SAT and GRE and loves advising students on how to excel in high school.

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Stern at NYUAD One-year Full-time MBA essay questions give students the opportunity to more fully present themselves to the Admissions Committee and to provide insight into their experiences, motivations, and goals.

Essays must be written entirely by the applicant. An offer of admission will be rescinded if an applicant did not write their essays.

Essay 1: Change: _________ it

(350 word maximum)

In today’s global business environment, the only constant is change. Using NYU Stern’s brand call to action, we want to know how you view change. Change: _____ it. Fill in the blank with a word of your choice. Why does this word resonate with you? How will you embrace your own personal tagline while in the Stern at NYUAD One-year Full-time MBA program?

Change: Dare it. Change: Dream it. Change: Drive it. Change: Empower it. Change: Manifest it. Change: [Any word of your choice] it.

Essay 2: Why the Stern at NYUAD One-year Full-time MBA Program?

(500 word maximum)

What fuels your interest in pursuing the Stern at NYUAD One-year Full-time MBA Program? How does it support your short and long-term career goals?

Essay 3: Additional Information (optional)

(250 word maximum)

Please provide any additional information that you would like to bring to the attention of the Admissions Committee. This may include important aspects of yourself not otherwise apparent in your application, current or past gaps in employment, further explanation of your undergraduate record academic transcript(s), plans to retake the GMAT, GRE, Executive Assessment, IELTS or TOEFL, or any other relevant information.

New York University (NYU) 2024-25 Supplemental Essay Prompt Guide

Early Decision: Nov 1

Regular Decision Deadline: Jan 5

New York University (NYU) 2024-25 Application Essay Explanations

The Requirements: 1 essay of 250 words

Supplemental Essay Type(s) : Community , Diversity

In a world where disconnection seems to often prevail, we are looking for students who embody the qualities of bridge builders—students who can connect people, groups, and ideas to span divides, foster understanding, and promote collaboration within a dynamic, interconnected, and vibrant global academic community. We are eager to understand how your experiences have prepared you to build the bridges of the future. Please consider one or more of the following questions in your essay: 

What personal experiences or challenges have shaped you as a bridge builder , how have you been a bridge builder in your school, community, or personal life , what specific actions have you taken to build bridges between diverse groups, ideas, or cultures , how do you envision being a bridge builder during your time at our university and beyond.

NYU aims to admit students who will be active participants in and contributors to a dynamic and inclusive campus culture, so all of these prompts focus on the idea of community in a different way. The first one asks you to describe your background and what has made you into a person who can bring others together. The second asks you to describe concrete ways you have built bridges in your life so far. The third asks you to describe actions you’ve taken in a more expansive way; rather than in your personal life, focus on broader cultural or ideological bridges. The last prompt asks you to think about how you will foster collaboration once you’re admitted to NYU. Note that you can talk about any number of these questions in your final essay. Maybe you’ve volunteered at your church’s food pantry every other weekend since you were in middle school or canvassed for political candidates that you believe will generate positive change for generations to come. Whatever your example(s) may be, don’t be afraid to touch on what those experiences meant to you as well as the work you hope to do in the future (hopefully around NYU’s campus!).

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New York University (NYU) Supplemental Essays Guide: 2021-2022

Not sure how to approach the “Why NYU” essay prompt? CollegeAdvisor.com’s “Why NYU” Essay Guide will show you exactly how to write an engaging “Why NYU” essay to maximize your chances of admission. This guide will also reference CollegeAdvisor’s “Why NYU” essay examples  article  from last year. The piece includes two “Why NYU” essay examples from students who were admitted to NYU. We also reference feedback from former admissions officers on why each “Why NYU” essay was successful.

If you need help crafting your answers to the NYU application essay, create your free  account  or  schedule a free consultation  by calling (844) 343-6272.

New York University ( NYU ) Essay Guide Quick Facts:

• For the class of 2025, NYU accepted  12.8% of applicants  to its New York Campus.  U.S. News  considers this school to be  most selective .
• We recommend answering the required NYU essay, and any additional prompts, comprehensively and thoughtfully.

What is NYU known for?

NYU prides itself on the fact that the city is its campus. In 1831, the university’s founders aimed to create an institution of learning that would be “in and of the city.” Thus, NYU’s main campus has no gates or walls separating it from the rest of Greenwich Village. This differs from other schools in the city, such as Columbia University that has a central quad and gates separating itself from the Morningside Heights area. Side note: Barnard College, Columbia University’s affiliated women’s college has its own quad and set of gates, albeit adjacent to Columbia’s campus.)

However, the breadth of NYU students’ learning extends far beyond the confines of Manhattan. NYU has more international students and students studying abroad than any other university in the United States. Students hail from 133 countries and nearly every state in the U.S.

What are three interesting facts about NYU?

• NYU’s main campus is located in Manhattan. However, the university also has campuses in  Shanghai ,  Abu Dhabi , and other  global academic centers .
• The origin of NYU’s color, violet, is  obscure . Many believe it’s a nod to the violets that grow in Washington Square and around the original university building. Others trace it back to Athens, Greece—a center of learning in the ancient world. The violet flower was strongly associated with the city.
• NYU has many world-renowned  alumni , including Lady Gaga, Adam Sandler, and Angelina Jolie.

How many essays do you have to write for NYU?

New York University has  one  required NYU essay prompt in the 2021-2022  Common App . Each applicant will produce a “Why NYU” essay in addition to their Common App personal statement. As you look at the  NYU admissions page , you’ll notice that there are additional requirements for Steinhardt (an  audition or portfolio  for all applicants to the Music Department with the exception of Educational Theatre, and a  portfolio  for those applying to Studio Art) and Tisch (an  audition or portfolio  for applicants to all programs). A pplying to one of these programs? Make sure you complete all of the requirements referenced on the pages linked above.  This NYU essay guide will only cover the required “Why NYU” essay. However, you can use the tips here to help craft the  Steinhardt portfolio ,  Tisch portfolio , and  Martin Luther King, Jr. Scholars Program  essays as well.

How long is the NYU essay?

When writing your “Why NYU” essay, you have a maximum of 400 words to convey your interest in attending NYU. While 400 words may seem like a lot, you will want to strategize to use them wisely. You’ll also see below in the “Why NYU” essay prompt breakdown that there are several layers to the NYU application essay. Accordingly, you’ll need to answer each portion of the NYU essay prompt in order for it to be considered complete.

Due to NYU’s relatively low acceptance rate and competitive admissions process, a strong NYU application essay is key to maximizing your admissions odds. In fact, this is your chance to show NYU your demonstrated interest (DI). Demonstrated interest is what universities use to gauge just how interested a student is in attending their particular school. Want to read more about using supplemental essays to convey DI to each school that you’re applying to? Check out this article on DI by  Forbes .

Why does the NYU essay have a word limit?

The “Why NYU” essay has a word limit because admissions officers have a limit. Last year, over  100,000  first-year undergraduate hopefuls applied to NYU. In short, the “Why NYU” essay has a word limit to help admissions officers process the large number of applications.

There’s more to the picture, however. The NYU supplemental essay prompt also enforces a strict word limit to test your (the applicant’s) ability to respond to their prompt clearly and succinctly. The NYU supplemental essay prompt is intentionally broad. Thus, each writer has ample opportunity to discuss their research on the school, passion about their potential major(s), and general excitement about NYU.

Finally, the NYU admissions committee is looking for well-edited, dynamic writing in each “Why NYU” essay. Having a 400-word limit helps admissions officers identify both strong and weak writing quickly. Most importantly, they’re looking for students who they believe will bring diversity to their community and will excel in a rigorous academic environment.

“Why NYU” Essay Prompt (Required)

We would like to know more about your interest in NYU. What motivated you to apply to NYU? Why have you applied or expressed interest in a particular campus, school, college, program, and or area of study? If you have applied to more than one, please also tell us why you are interested in these additional areas of study or campuses. We want to understand – Why NYU? (400 words)

This NYU essay prompt is more than just a simple “Why NYU” essay question. In fact, there are several layers to the NYU essay. The admissions team is interested in your reasons for applying not only to NYU, but your interest in a particular campus, college, program, and area of study. Consequently, it’s best to approach this NYU supplemental essay as an NYU-specific personal statement. Similar to your Common App personal statement, you’ll want to treat this NYU essay as an introduction to the admissions committee.

How do you write the “Why NYU” essay?

Begin your “Why NYU” essay writing process with a brainstorm/free-write session. Start a list and write down every reason that contributed to your decision to apply to NYU. It can be as simple as “wanting to live in NYU;” as big as “majoring in education studies to make sweeping reforms in NYC’s school systems;” and as specific as “taking a music course with adjunct professor Questlove.”

Take no more than ten minutes to write this list. When you’ve finished, write two more lists, one titled “academic goals,” and the other titled “professional goals.” Spend ten minutes each completing these lists–these don’t have to be specifically related to NYU like the first list, but this is simply an opportunity to think about your area of study and goals for the future.

Make connections

Now that you have these three lists, take some time to draw connections between the three. For example, if your “why NYU” list includes the bonus of living in New York City while attending school, try to connect it with one of your reasons from the other lists. In other words, consider the fact that many students will list wanting to study in New York City as a reason for attending NYU.

To help your NYU essay stand out, you’ll need to create stronger connections between the school and your academic, personal, and professional goals. An example of this in a “Why NYU” essay could look like a student who is excited to study urban planning at NYU. In their NYU essay, they could link their interest in studying the history and future of New York City as the main reason for pursuing this particular program at NYU.

In fact, in the first of the “Why NYU” essay examples, the writer draws a clear connection between their interest in studying at the Stern School of Business and the opportunity to participate in the International Business Exchange Program:

Essay Example 1:

The Bachelor of Science in Business Program excites me, as it entails a well-rounded yet intensive study in core business disciplines. However, what draws me to Stern is the emphasis on gaining a global perspective, which is crucial in today’s rapidly changing world economy. Through the International Business Exchange Program, I will be able to gain a first-hand cultural experience that will mold me into a global citizen and business leader. Not only will I be taking courses in the most prestigious business schools across the globe, but I will also have new doors opened for me to network with alumni.

In just a few short sentences, the writer is able to state their school of interest (Stern), connect it to a program (the International Business Exchange Program), and talk about how NYU can help them accomplish their professional goals.

Identify the connections in your lists of personal, professional, and academic goals related to NYU. Then, it’s time to think about how you’d like to open your NYU essay. The second of our “Why NYU” essay examples perfectly demonstrate the power of a persuasive opening anecdote or story. The first few sentences are meant to draw the reader into your story. This is true of any essay, the “Why NYU” essay included. Consequently, you’ll want to use dynamic language that sets the tone for your NYU supplemental essay. Let’s look at our “Why NYU” essay examples for inspiration:

Essay Example 2:

Before I began interning for the International Rescue Committee’s refugee youth acclimation program—right in the heart of the Lower East Side—I underwent weeks of training in providing trauma-informed support, reminded repeatedly that these kids have gone through more than I could possibly imagine.

Similar to the language in the first of our “Why NYU” essay examples, this writer is able to say a lot in a few sentences. They’ve not only identified their extracurricular/internship work with IRC but also established their level of commitment to helping refugee youths.

As you can see, both of these “Why NYU” essay examples deal with the very different subject matter. One essay deals with a refugee volunteer looking to study racial policy. The other focuses on a finance student looking to network with future NYU alumni. Both candidates, however, are clear in what they want to study at NYU and why it is important for them to pursue that particular program there. They are also able to draw connections between their passions and interests to their proposed academic programs.

Do your research

Make a strong case for why you want to pursue a particular program at NYU. Use the “Why NYU” essay examples for reference; this is the most important part of your “Why NYU” essay. If you’re unsure of what you want to study, now is the time to research  NYU’s programs . The major referenced in your NYU essay may not be what you pursue if admitted, and that’s okay. If you can, however, identify potential majors of interest in your NYU essay prompt response and connect them to your overall candidate profile. This can help you write a stronger NYU essay.

For example, if your extracurriculars deal with creative writing and your high school courses are mainly in literature, picking a STEM major, simply to impress the admissions committee will likely raise red flags. In cases like this, you may want to talk about the ways that an NYU education will help you find your academic area of focus. Your “why” may not be as clear, but you can still write a successful “Why NYU” essay that focuses on what draws you to the unique community at NYU.

In other words, authenticity is key. Don’t submit a NYU essay that simply tells the admissions officers what you think they want to hear.

“Why NYU” Essay Draft Key Questions:

• Does your “Why NYU” essay talk about your motivations for attending NYU?
• In your NYU essay prompt response, do you demonstrate that you’ve done research on the schools, programs, courses, and organizations that NYU offers?
• When applicable in your NYU essay, do you mention specific NYU campus traditions, courses, regional attractions, professors, etc.?

What should I include in my “Why NYU” essay?

The NYU supplemental essay prompt asks two deeper questions: “What motivated you to apply to NYU?” and “Why have you applied or expressed interest in a particular campus, school, college, program, and or area of study?”. Both of these questions should be answered when drafting your “Why NYU” essay.

Naturally, NYU’s desired location in New York City leads many of its applicants to apply to the school. You can speak about the unique opportunities that the big city presents. However, you want to ensure that your response is specific enough to NYU. What does NYU have to offer that Columbia and Fordham don’t? Remember in the second of the “Why NYU” essay examples, the writer was able to specifically name the major (public health policy) that they wanted to pursue at NYU, as well as where they wanted to carry out research ( CASSR ). As in the “Why NYU” essay examples, it’s best to be as specific as possible.

After all, the NYU essay prompt asks “What motivated you to apply to NYU?”, and not “What motivated you to apply to college in New York City?”. A solid strategy in approaching this NYU supplemental essay, then, is to center your essay around NYU. This might seem obvious. However, you’d be surprised how many students realize  after the fact  that their completed NYU essay revolves around the city of the school and not the school itself.

Tell a story

For this NYU supplemental essay, it’s important to reflect on the past experiences that have led you to be interested in a given area of study. Was it a specific moment in your life or a series of experiences? You have the option to choose either path in writing this NYU application essay. Take a look at both of the “Why NYU” essay examples on the CollegeAdvisor  blog . The first NYU essay example highlights multiple experiences that led the author to their interest in pursuing a finance major. The second of the “Why NYU” essay examples makes one volunteer experience the focus of their NYU essay prompt. Both are strong and a great reminder that your “Why NYU” essay should be as unique as you are!

To recap, the NYU application essay you submit should be thoroughly researched. After familiarizing yourself with NYU’s  campuses  and  programs , you should include specific details related to your program of interest in your “Why NYU” essay. If it’s relevant to your essay you may also want to write about specific NYU  clubs/organizations  and  events/traditions .

NYU Application Essay: Final Thoughts

Completing the NYU supplemental essay can seem daunting, but don’t let the NYU essay prompt discourage you from applying. At the end of the day, the NYU essay prompt is not intended to trip you up. Rather, view the NYU application essay as an opportunity to further introduce yourself to the admissions team.

Use this NYU supplemental essay guide to help you approach the NYU application essay with confidence. Before and during your NYU essay writing process, make sure to spend some time reading over our “Why NYU” essay examples. Use the feedback from former admissions officers included with each NYU essay as guiding criticism for your own draft. While your experiences are going to be different than what is outlined in the “Why NYU” essay examples, your reasons for wanting to attend NYU should be just as clear as you read in the sample essay.

After completing your NYU supplemental essay, make sure to revise your NYU application essay. You should ask a counselor, advisor, or other trusted adult to help you proofread for spelling, grammar, and clarity. Good luck!

This 2021-2022 essay guide on NYU was written by  Juliana Furigay , Columbia ‘23. For more resources on the college admissions process, click  here . If you need help crafting your answer to the NYU essay prompt, create your free  account  or  schedule a no-cost advising consultation  by calling (844) 343-6272.

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Application Requirements

Undergraduate requirements.

In addition to your application to NYU, you should submit a two-part portfolio directly to the Martin Scorsese Department of Cinema Studies.

Part One - A five to ten page essay on a film, director, or any other moving image-related topic that you choose.

Part Two - A one-page statement that answers the following questions:  

• Have you taken any cinema/media-related classes?
• What areas of cinema studies most interest you (film genres, directors, theory, etc.)? 
• What are your career aspirations (film journalism/criticism, film curating, filmmaking, etc.)?

Graduate Requirements

The application deadline for Fall 2024 is December 1, 2023.

Application requirements for the Moving Image Archiving and Preservation (MIAP) Master of Arts program can be found here .

Application requirements for the  Cinema Studies  MA and PhD programs include:

Your professional c.v. listing academic background, work experience, honors, affiliations with professional organizations, papers presented at conferences, published work, language ability, etc.

2. Statement

A two to three page statement of purpose outlining your academic and professional background, goals, and what you hope to gain from the program to which you are applying.

MIAP applicants should also demonstrate an interest in the history and preservation of the moving image in their personal statement.

3. Writing Sample

A fifteen to twenty page writing sample that reflects your ability to carry out sustained critical, theoretical, and/or historical thinking on film, television, video, and/or new media.  In the absence of a moving-image-related topic, a piece of writing on a subject in the arts or humanities is acceptable.

Contact two recommenders and ask that they submit a letter on your behalf through the online system. Gather all academic transcripts and upload copies to the online application.

Please note that the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) is no longer required for the application.

Admissions Insights: Ask Me Anything!

Join us for a dedicated Admissions Ask Me Anything where we will address your questions before you start the application process! Submit your questions in advance or feel free to ask them during the session. We are excited to help you through the process!