How to Tackle the NYU Stern Supplement 2014-15
Located in the heart of New York, NYU Stern is one of the top business schools in the nation. Indeed, the purple school consistently ranks in the top 5 of undergraduate business programs, and each year only about a fifth of all applicants are accepted. More than just a strong background in business, Stern students also enjoy access to the Big Apple, which means vast internship opportunities and plenty to do for fun. To develop a global perspective on the topics they are studying, around two-thirds of all Stern students spend a semester abroad in cities like Shanghai and London, where they continue to learn about business and the differences in cultures across the world.
In general, it is widely circulated that NYU Stern tends to care more about applicants’ objective stats (SAT, GPA, etc.) than NYU CAS does. However, if your essays aren’t up to par, then you still might be unconfident about the likelihood of your acceptance. As such, Admissions Hero is here to help you tackle NYU’s supplemental essay.
NYU is global, urban, inspired, smart, connected, and bold. What can NYU offer you, and what can you offer NYU? (200-400 words)
This prompt, despite its assertion that NYU exemplifies a variety of cool-sounding adjectives, is at its core still just a “Why X School?” essay. This means you’ll want to research what exactly it is about NYU Stern that attracts you enough for you to apply to it—maybe it’s the experienced faculty who possess real word experience? Maybe it’s a specific educational track offered by Stern that no other schools provide? Regardless of what you decide, remember to be specific in your answer. Give examples of things that you like about NYU, and do your best to be as detailed as possible. Bonus points if you can point to evidence of your interest in those things from high school—instead of just talking about how you think NYU’s Finance track is best for you, why not show it by recounting your experiences in your school’s Value Investing Education club?
The other side of this question is what you can offer NYU. To address this question, you’ll want to introspect and emphasize what exactly makes you unique. A good angle to approach this answer from is to point to instances where you have been involved in your high school community and then suggest that you will be similarly active in the NYU Stern community. For example, maybe you inspired your classmates to participate in one of the most successful canned food drives in your school’s history. NYU adcoms would certainly be interested in hearing about your participation, since the details you mention will imply that you will bring that same level of energy to the college environment. Remember, colleges want a robust and active student body, so anything you write to suggest that will bode well for “what [you can] offer NYU.”
Since NYU’s writing supplement is relatively short, this blog post is consequently not very long. However, after reading these tips you’ll be well on your way to crafting a great NYU supplement.
Want help with your college essays to improve your admissions chances? Sign up for your free CollegeVine account and get access to our essay guides and courses. You can also get your essay peer-reviewed and improve your own writing skills by reviewing other students’ essays.
