How to Write the Perfect New York University Application Essay in 2018

Situated in the heart of Manhattan, New York University is one college that definitely has a mass appeal all over the world. Its campus is spread out all over New York and is the biggest non-profit university in the USA, with over 25,000 undergraduate students. With top-notch academic professors at their disposal and a vast array of study abroad schemes on offer, it’s no surprise that New York University (NYU) is THE college to attend.

With an impressive background, the bar is set high for potential student application process, in fact, only 27% of applicants were given a place in the 2016 - 2017 year. However, this shouldn’t discourage your choice of NYU, because if you can write the perfect essay, you’re likely to sail through the application process. It’s crucial that if you’re looking to apply you’ll need your essay to be as solid as possible. Fortunately for you, help is at hand with all the tips you need to know to get that essay written and to be well on your way to securing a place in the next academic year.

The Essay Process

The screening process for NYU’s alumni features the submission of a single essay, so you won’t have to write endlessly, but you’ll have to make sure your personal flare shines through and you can give off an impression that you are a diligent and competent student in the making.

Simply put, this essay topic is a well-worded way of asking why you’re considering an application to NYU and what course you’re interested in taking. In a quality essay, you’ll want to elaborate on these points as best you can whilst feeding the reader with the information they need to know about you. You’ll also want the essay to have great structure and flow freely like the waterfall in Manhattan’s Central Park.

Narrow It Down

You only have 400 words, so it’s important that you don’t provide general answers to express particular interests in NYU. Avoid cliches and vague statements at all costs - readers are hardly going to be impressed with statements such as “I just love New York” or “New York University is the best university in the world” because these statements could be made by anybody, they are dull and don’t showcase anything about you as a person.

Make sure that your interests come across as much as they can because this will add value to you as a candidate. Admissions officers want to see how good a fit you’ll be and if you understand the ethos of the organisation as well as the unique benefits of studying at New York University especially. As an example if you’re applying for a fashion course for instance, saying that you want to study at NYU because you’re interested in New York City’s vibrant fashion scene would be a wise thing to write - this reflects your interests and the geographical benefits of NYU specifically.

Don’t forget also that NYU is a worldwide organization that has university campuses all over the world, from Abu Dabi to Shanghai. If New York City isn’t the place for you, you can focus on programmes all over the world and you could reference this in your essay to help broaden your interest in the organization on the whole. With a vast array of study abroad programmes on offer you next write about the ways in which when applying for NYU you’d hope to broaden your cultural experiences by participating in such programmes, making you appear as someone who’s in touch with the organization in general.

Your Academic Interests

After expressing your interest in NYU as an organization, the second part of the essay brief asks you to focus on your study interests. Hopefully, as a keen prospective university student, you’ll already have a good idea about what course you’d prefer to study but now it’s important to express your interests, not describe the rest of your application process.

A good application essay is one where your interests and values can come across in a succinct and poignant way. For each program that you’re applying for, it would be advantageous to relate to past experiences you’ve had, for instance, if you’re applying to be a mechanical engineer you could mention volunteering at a mechanics or any experiences you’ve had with fixing things. If you’re looking to become a veterinarian, you could mention any animal care that you’ve been involved in. If you haven’t got directly relevant experience this won’t be cause for concern - you should give reasons as to why the programme you’re applying for fits with your skills and interests.

Perhaps you have many interests and skills? If so, this essay could be a great way to showcase them, but don’t forget to try and link them to the programme you’re applying for. Following the previous example, if you’re interested in becoming a veterinarian but you also have strong journalistic roots, you could mention that you’d hope to write for an animal welfare column in Manhattan. Remember, the essay is all about a place to showcase yourself.

If you’re not sure about what specific programme would take your fancy, keep this to yourself, however you can always write about what sparks your interest. The key is to provide detail on your interests and always relate to the specifics of NYU itself, for example, if you’re interested in mathematics you could mention how you’ve always wanted to work alongside a specific NYU mathematics professor and for what reason. If you’re creative and interested in writing, you might want to write about how the vibrant New York writing scene appeals to you and ties in with your interests.

Putting It All Together

Let’s go over this point again - you have a mere 400 words. That’s right, 400! It’s therefore pretty crucial that you’re succinct and don’t labour on a single point exceptionally. Instead of trying to jump from a single point to another, develop a comprehensive essay by liking up the points discussed in a stylistic manner, i.e. your background, why you are interested in a particular major and why you have chosen NYU overall.

Example: Let’s look at an example strategy to use when applying for a fashion design major.

If you’re dead set on studying fashion design, start explaining to the reader how New York City is the prime location to take up a degree in fashion because of it being an epicentre for the fashion scene. You could go on next by providing an elaborate description of styles and fashion pieces that have already hit the runway in order to explain how you like to design fashion clothing and how style interests you.

After that, the essay could lead on to an account of how you’d like to showcase your fashion designs at various fashion expositions, putting a reminder of your key ambition to showcase pieces of work on the New York City fashion circuit. A transition could follow to then explain why a major in fashion design at NYU would be the perfect vehicle with which to gain an entrance into the fashion industry. You could discuss some of the mentors that have inspired and why you’d like to follow in their footsteps.

A logical conclusion would follow at the end of the essay, summarising the main points you’ve made. You’ll need to explain how NYU would be right for you and enable you to fulfil your potential as a fashion designer, paying close attention to NYU specifically. You’ll want to remind the reader of your entrepreneurial aspirations and the way that NYU could help you make connections and network to get into the fashion world.

Conclusion

So there you have it! Simple steps and tips to guide your way through the essay part of the NYU application with ease. It’ll take some time to write an essay but make sure you craft it with precision and do the best job you can, as a place at NYU would be a reward well worth reaping!