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How to Ace the 2025 NYU Supplemental Essay
By
Cece Gilmore
Cece Gilmore is a Content Writer at Scholarships360. Cece earned her undergraduate degree in Journalism and Mass Communications from Arizona State University. While at ASU, she was the education editor as well as a published staff reporter at Downtown Devil. Cece was also the co-host of her own radio show on Blaze Radio ASU.
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Bill Jack has over a decade of experience in college admissions and financial aid. Since 2008, he has worked at Colby College, Wesleyan University, University of Maine at Farmington, and Bates College.
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Maria Geiger is Director of Content at Scholarships360. She is a former online educational technology instructor and adjunct writing instructor. In addition to education reform, Maria’s interests include viewpoint diversity, blended/flipped learning, digital communication, and integrating media/web tools into the curriculum to better facilitate student engagement. Maria earned both a B.A. and an M.A. in English Literature from Monmouth University, an M. Ed. in Education from Monmouth University, and a Virtual Online Teaching Certificate (VOLT) from the University of Pennsylvania.
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New York University is located in the heart of the city that never sleeps, New York City! Due to its ideal location in the Big Apple, NYU has an acceptance rate of 13%. Your NYU application will need to impress if you want to gain an education in NYC!
NYU applicants are offered the opportunity to submit an optional essay to better showcase who they are. NYU states that students who do not submit the optional essay will not be penalized in their admissions review process. Students who are set on NYU might want to take this extra step to impress. Keep reading to learn how to ace the NYU supplemental essay question!
Don’t miss: Top New York scholarships
The NYU supplemental essay prompt
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.
Maximum of 250 words.
How to respond to the NYU optional essay prompt
Wow, that is a lot to cover in less than 250 words! Obviously, NYU is asking students to show that they are uniters and not dividers of their fellow humans. This might seem overwhelming if you feel like you don’t have any impressive experiences to share. However, the smallest deeds can move mountains, so share what you have authentically experienced as a person who strives to connect others for the common good.
NYU specifically asks the following questions in an add-on section of the prompt:
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?
What stands out about those NYU questions is just how specific they are. To answer the main question, you will need to “get real” and share any specifics about a time you brought people together. Fear not if you don’t have a personal story to share as a successful bride builder! If you cannot talk authentically about such experiences, share how you would like to become a bridge builder during your college years and beyond. Perhaps you have faced certain things in life and know from experience how to build bridges but have not yet branched out to do so.. Now is your chance to shine!
Additional resources
As a student working on college applications, you’ve got a lot on your plate. Fortunately, we have resources to help you through every step of the way. Check out our guides on how to write an essay about yourself, how to respond to the Common App prompts, and how to write 250 and 500 word essays. We can also help you decide how many schools to apply to and how to find safety, reach, and match schools.
If you’re wondering whether to send test scores to test-optional schools, we’ve got a guide for that as well. And once you start hearing back, we can help you create a college comparison spreadsheet to make your college choice. Finally, check out our free scholarship search tool to help fund your education and keep all of your college options open. Good luck!
Other colleges to consider
- Boston University (Boston, MA)
- Barnard College (New York, NY)
- Columbia University (New York, NY)
- University of Chicago (Chicago, IL)
Frequently asked questions about the New York University supplemental essay
Should you answer NYU optional supplemental essay?
Is the NYU supplemental really optional?
Did the NYU supplemental essay change?
How many supplemental essay prompts does NYU have?
When are the application deadlines for NYU?
Are there any helpful tips for making my essay stand out from other applicants?