Student-centric advice and objective recommendations
Higher education has never been more confusing or expensive. Our goal is to help you navigate the very big decisions related to higher ed with objective information and expert advice. Each piece of content on the site is original, based on extensive research, and reviewed by multiple editors, including a subject matter expert. This ensures that all of our content is up-to-date, useful, accurate, and thorough.
Our reviews and recommendations are based on extensive research, testing, and feedback. We may receive commission from links on our website, but that doesn’t affect our editors’ opinions. Our marketing partners don’t review, approve or endorse our editorial content. It’s accurate to the best of our knowledge when posted. You can find a complete list of our partners here.
How to Respond to the NYU Supplemental Essay
New York University is a private research university located in New York City, New York. NYU’s acceptance rate is hovering at around 21%, so in order to gain admission, your application needs to stand out. The NYU supplemental essays are a great way to set yourself apart from the crowd.
Before applying, figure out if NYU is the right fit for you! Spend some time researching. This will help you breeze through their application due to your extensive knowledge of NYU and all the programs and opportunities available. Once you’ve decided that NYU is the school for you, it’s time to dig into their supplemental essay question. Here’s our guide for how to ace the NYU supplemental essay question!
Don’t miss: Top New York scholarships
NYU supplemental essays: The prompt
Get excited, because NYU only requires one supplemental essay response!
“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 word maximum)”
On the surface, the NYU supplemental essay question appears to be simply just a “Why NYU?” question. However, you need to ensure your response is more than that. NYU is specifically asking what drew you to your intended major and NYU campus. Be sure to put your personality on the page! Do not just talk about NYU!
NYU has a few campuses students can choose from:
- New York City
- Greenwich Village (main campus)
- Downtown Brooklyn (engineering school)
- Abu Dhabi
- Shanghai
Emphasize how the campus you selected will improve your life and allow you to reach your future goals. You can discuss the cultural aspects of the location you chose.
Also see: What looks good on a college application?
Be creative with your answer!
Lots of applicants will write about how amazing New York City is and what they are excited about. So to stand out, try focusing on the “why.” Why do you want to travel to NYC or one of the other campuses NYU offers? Is it far from your hometown? Close? Try not to just focus on purely the fact that it is in NYC, because almost everyone knows the clichés of the city that does not sleep!
Be sure to write about what makes NYU unique! Weave pieces of your personality and goals throughout your response. Look into specific programs and courses offered at NYU.
Interested in the arts? What better place to be than the center of creativity that never sleeps? There is not one city in the United Stated that comes close to the number of art related businesses found in NYC. Show that you mean “business” with an essay that demonstrates that you did your research—let the reader know how you will take advantage of all that NYU and its prime location offers!
Questions to consider
- Why NYU out of all the schools located in New York City?
- What do you want to study and why?
- How will NYU specifically help you reach your career goals?
- What programs and extracurriculars does NYU offer that you are interested in?
- What campus do you want to attend and why?
Next steps after applying to NYU
So, now you know how to ace the NYU supplemental essays. Now that the hard part is over, and your NYU supplemental essay answer is flawless and submitted – take a deep breath! Congratulations, you did it! The hard part is now over!
Continue to show demonstrated interest in NYU so they know you are committed and prioritizing their school (even if you have a few other top choices.)
Accomplish this by:
- following their social media accounts
- reaching out to admissions officers
- scheduling an in-person or virtual tour
- reading up on what you want to get involved in on campus
Essentially, showing interest and staying connected allows you to get that extra foot in the door and make your name known. Taking the time to demonstrate interest will also help solidify if NYU is the best university for you!
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!
