writing the essay science nyu

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General Education Requirements

Related links, on this page, nyu tandon humanities/social science (huss) electives.

NYU Tandon TCS HU/SS (humanities and social science) course offerings for Summer 2024 sessions I and II.    

NYU Tandon TCS HU/SS (humanities and social science) course offerings for Fall 2024 .                                                                                  

Graduation Requirement

24 credits of humanities and social sciences, as explained below:.

1. First-Year Writing Requirement (2 Courses, 8 credits)

Fall Semester: EXPOS-UA 1 (Writing the Essay) or EXPOS-UA 4 (International Writing Workshop I)

Spring semester: EXPOS-UA 22 (Advanced Writing for Engineers) or EXPOS-UA 9 (International Writing Workshop II)

These courses are offered by the NYU Tandon Expository Writing Program . 

2. Humanities and Social Science Elective Requirement (4 courses, 16 credits)

Students must complete 4 humanities or social science courses. These 4 courses can be within a single cluster or across multiple clusters. For optimal breadth of experience, TCS encourages students to take electives across clusters and/or across disciplines within a cluster. These 4 humanities and social science electives must satisfy the following:

• Most students will take STS-UY 2144: Ethics and Technology to fulfill this requirement, but other ethics courses may serve to fulfill this requirement , with the permission of a student’s major advisor and the TCS Ethics Program Director.
• STS-UY 2144 Ethics and Technology is considered and introductory, survey course and students can take it during their 1st or 2nd year.
• Please note that BTM majors must take STS-UY 2144 Ethics and Technology as it is a required course for the major.
• 1 must be a Tandon Advanced Seminar , identifiable by course number 4504 in one of the following areas STS-UY 4504; CAM-UY 4504, URB-UY 4504 or TCS-UY 4504. These courses are capped at 18 students with a focus on research and writing. Advanced Seminars require the completion of EXPOS 1 & 2 or an equivalent.
• 2 additional courses chosen from the humanities and social sciences (the TCS department has a full offering of humanities and social science courses).

Important Notes

• As of the Fall 2021 semester, the Advanced Seminar course replaced the Writing Intensive requirement. If you've already completed a writing intensive course, you do not have to take the Advanced Seminar. If the writing intensive course you took was a level 2000 course, you still need to complete a level 3000 humanities course, as listed above. 
• Although we strongly encourage students to take their Advanced Seminar at Tandon, there are approved Advanced Seminars at other NYU Schools
• The TCS department abbreviates level 2000 to level 2, level 3000 to level 3, and level 4000 to level 4

Cluster Overview

The TCS Department offers elective courses that fulfill Tandon's undergraduate requirement for courses in humanities and social sciences — part of the undergraduate core curriculum. These courses explore the relations among science, technology, and society from three general approaches and modes of inquiry:

Culture, Arts and Media (CAM)

The CAM cluster explores how cultural practices and artifacts in a wide range of media reflect, influence, and interact with developments in science and technology. Courses are based on philosophy, media studies, music, literary studies, art history, rhetoric, and anthropology. 

Science, Technology and Society (STS)

STS cluster courses explore the interrelationships among science, technology, culture, and society. STS unites and investigates a myriad of disciplines, including history, philosophy, rhetoric, literary studies, and sociology. The questions posed are: How do science and technology shape society? How do social processes frame scientific and technological enterprises? What is the relationship between the content of scientific and technological knowledge and the social and intellectual context in which it is created? 

Society, Environment and Globalization (SEG)

Courses in the SEG cluster address the way the critical areas of society, environment, and globalization are interlinked and how they affect the experience of modern life. Coming from the complementary perspectives of the humanities and social sciences, SEG courses provide students with a broad and multicultural perspective on how environmental issues and global exchange in this “flat world” are changing society, here and across the world. 

TCS Elective Offerings

The following courses are offered by the department on a regular basis. However, each course is not offered every semester. 

Special Note About Course Descriptions : You can find the full description on the  Tandon Bulletin .

SEG Electives from Other Departments

FIN-UY 2003 Economic Foundations of Finance

CAM-UY 2304 Disability & Theater

CAM-UY 2204 Disability Studies 

CAM-UY 3004 Special Topics in CAM This is a topics course and topics will vary by semester. Some examples are: Science, Technology and Literature; Identity and Technology in Adolescent Literature.

CAM-UY 4504 Advanced Seminar in CAM

This is a topics course and topics will vary by semester. Some examples are: Science Fiction Workshop; Reading and Writing Poetry; and Climate Fiction and the City.

EN-UY 2124 The Short Story

STS-UY 1004 Science, Technology, and Society

STS-UY 2144 Ethics and Technology

STS-UY 2274 Space and Spacetime

STS-UY 2294 Quantum Mechanics and Information

STS-UY 2364 History of Aviation and Aviation Technology

STS-UY 2374 The Ship

STS-UY 2634 Psychology of the Internet

STS-UY 2644 Creativity and Innovation

STS 3004 Seminar in Science and Technology Studies

STS-UY 3204 Science and Difference

STS-UY 4504 Advanced Seminar in STS

This is a special topics course and topics will vary by semester. Some examples are: AI & Society; Cyborgs and Cybernetics; Transnational Technology; and Queer Studies in Technoscience.

HI-UY 2514 Introduction to New York City History

HI-UY 3034 History of New York's Urban Infrastructure

PS-UY 2724 Human Factors in Engineering Design

URB-UY 2024 Design of Cities

URB-UY 2034 Humans in the Urban Environment

URB-UY 2044 Methods for Studying Urban Environments

URB-UY 2054 Introduction to Urban Policy

URB-UY 2064 Introduction to Urban Planning

URB-UY 2224 Natural Environment of New York City

URB-UY 2234 Natural Environmental Catastrophes and Cities

URB-UY 3214 Cities in Developing Countries

URB-UY 3834 Special Topics in SUE

This is a special topics course and topics will vary by semester. Some examples are Green Roofs: Design and Use; Sustainable Transportation; and Planning for Democracy, Resiliency, and the Public Good.

URB-UY 4504 Advanced Seminar in Urban Studies 

This is a special topics course and topics will vary by semester. Some examples are Food-Energy-Water Nexus; The Value of Urban Design; and Urban Waterfront Development.

Courses Outside of NYU Tandon

Humanities and social science courses at other schools within nyu.

Tandon students have the opportunity to complete some of their humanities requirements at other schools within NYU. The TCS Department maintains an ongoing list of approved NYU courses that satisfy the humanities requirement.

The advanced seminar requirement should be fulfilled with a Tandon course (indicated with 4504).

Credits from NYUs School of Professional Studies (SPS) are not accepted at Tandon.

List of approved HUSS courses at other NYU Schools  -Use the arrows at the bottom of the excel to see all the courses categorized by NYU school/global campus. Please note, you must be signed in with your NYU email/NET ID to access the list.

Form to evaluate NYU course for HUSS credit  - Please use this form to submit NYU courses that are  not on the list above. Please submit one course at a time and include the syllabus. We will then respond letting you know if the course is approved or not . If it is approved, we will also add it to the full list of approved HUSS courses (linked above). 

Please email [email protected] with any questions.

Humanities and Social Science Courses Outside of NYU

If you are considering taking a course outside of NYU for the humanities/social science elective (HUSS), please email the course syllabus to [email protected] along with the Permission to Complete Courses Outside of NYU form. On the Permission to Complete Courses Outside of NYU form, please be certain to fill in the Student Information section.

We will respond letting you know if the course is approved as a HUSS elective and will fill in the appropriate fields on the form for the HUSS course. The student is then responsible for including why they are requesting to take a course outside of NYU on the back of the form and submitting it to their academic advisor for their signature. Further instructions on final submittal of the form are located on the top section of the form. 

Please note this does not pertain to official NYU study away sites.

How to write the NYU essays

The recording will load in a moment., about this livestream, new york university | nyu.

A top-tier university with a vibrant school culture, NYU is known for its stellar academics, its open-mindedness, and its opportune location in one of the United States' most famous and diverse cities.

Join Moriah as she covers how to write the NYU essay for all applicants, as well as the specific Cinema Studies major supplement and the MLK Scholars program supplement.

She’ll also be available to answer all of your questions about applying to this prestigious university.

Undergrad College: Cornell University '21

Major: Policy Analysis & Management

Work Experience: Outside of mentoring students on CollegeVine, I’m interested in finance and it’s intersection with the fashion industry. I currently work in finance for an international consumer packaged goods company.

My Admissions Story: Throughout high school I was especially interested in math and science and focused my college applications on schools with good science and pre-med programs. When I got to college I took my first introductory chemistry class with an incredibly difficult professor (he is one of the AP Chemistry test writers every year). After that, I decided to switch gears and focus on public policy as another way that I could help people.

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Neural Science (BS)

Program description, honors program.

Neural science spans multiple disciplines for studying the function of the brain. Experimental approaches in neural science vary from analyses of molecular and cellular mechanisms in nerve cells and groups of nerve cells to behavioral and psychological studies of whole organisms. Theoretical tools include mathematical and computational modeling approaches that have proved useful in other areas of science. Experimental questions include issues related to biophysical and neurochemical mechanisms within single nerve cells, functional neural circuits consisting of small numbers of neurons, the behavior of large systems of neurons, and the relationship between the activity of elements of the nervous system and the behavior of organisms. The Center for Neural Science confers the B.S. degree in neural science (there is no B.A degree for this major, nor is there a minor).

To graduate with honors in neural science, students must achieve a GPA of 3.65 in both the major and overall.

In the fall semester of their senior year, students seeking honors must complete NEURL-UA 301 Honors Seminar . In the spring of their senior year, they must present a paper at the College’s annual Undergraduate Research Conference and the department’s Undergraduate Research Conference and submit an honors thesis that is accepted by the faculty sponsor and the director of undergraduate studies.

Admittance to the laboratory courses associated with NEURL-UA 210 Cellular & Molecular Neurobiology and NEURL-UA 220 Behavioral & Integrative Neuroscience is assured and required only for students in the honors track.

New York University's Office of Undergraduate Admissions supports the application process for all undergraduate programs at NYU.  For additional information about undergraduate admissions, including application requirements, see How to Apply . 

Program Requirements

The foreign language requirement is satisfied upon successful completion through the Intermediate level of a language. This may be accomplished in fewer than 16 credits, but those credits must then be completed as elective credit.

May include NEURL-UA 302 Special Topics in Neural Science , NEURL-UA 305 Development and Dysfunction of the Nervous System

Please note that PHYS-UA 11 General Physics I , or credit for AP Physics C (Mechanics), is a prerequisite for General Physics II. Exceptions may be made on a case-by-case basis by the Department of Physics. Students are not automatically permitted to take PHYS-UA 12 General Physics II before/without PHYS-UA 11 General Physics I .

Such as PSYCH-UA 10 Statistics for The Behavioral Sciences

Prehealth students must take, in addition to the above, BIOL-UA 123 , PHYS-UA 11 General Physics I , CHEM-UA 225 Organic Chemistry I & Laboratory , CHEM-UA 226 Organic Chemistry II & Laboratory , and CHEM-UA 881 Biochemistry I . These courses are not required for the major in neural science.

AP or other advanced standing credit is only accepted for the calculus and statistics requirements. This is on a case-by-case basis and must be approved by a neural science adviser.

A grade of B- or higher in NEURL-UA 100 Intro to Neural Science is the prerequisite to declaring the major (a grade of C or better is required for all other courses in the major). Exceptions may be made for students taking NEURL-UA 100 Intro to Neural Science in the spring of sophomore year; however, they must earn a B- or better in NEURL-UA 100 Intro to Neural Science to remain declared.

Note: NEURL-UA 100 Intro to Neural Science is offered only in the spring term. Students may take it as early as their first year if they are well-prepared and their schedules permit it, but taking it in the spring of their sophomore year does not endanger their ability to complete this major and graduate in two more years.

Students should meet with a neural science adviser as early in their NYU career as possible (freshman year is recommended).

Sample Plan of Study

Note: Students may replace 4-credit degree electives with 2-credit electives as necessary to graduate with the minimum 128 credits.

Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of program requirements, students are expected to have acquired:

• Foundational knowledge in the field of Neural Science, including molecular, cellular, developmental, systems, cognitive, behavioral, and computational approaches to understanding the brain.
• The ability to conduct and utilize research.
• Skills in critical reading, quantitative analysis, clear writing, and verbal presentation.

NYU Policies

College of arts and science policies.

University-wide policies can be found on the New York University Policy pages .

A full list of relevant academic policies can be found on the CAS Academic Policies page . 

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1 Writing the Essay: Science Course Goals: In this course, you will learn to write a variety of essays, with increasingly complex requirements, as you move across the semester. This course provides a foundation for work in the university by teaching you how to construct essays and arguments that reflect an ability to read critically, question evidence, make relevant connections, develop ideas, and present your own ideas in coherent, compelling essays. In our writing courses, you will create essays through a progression of reading, writing and thinking exercises that will lead you to develop your own ideas and your own essays. This version of Writing the Essay has been designed for students with an interest in science, medicine or psychology. Many of the readings, though not all, are by leading scientists and physicians, and are designed to make you think creatively about the scientific and/or medical process and its context. Required Texts: Science readings are listed on Blackboard for this course. Mercer Street. Ed. Directors, Expository Writing Program. The Little, Brown Handbook. Recommended Texts: Reading and Writing Essays: The Imaginative Tasks. Pat C. Hoy The Scribner Handbook for Writers. 3ed. Robert DiYanni and Pat C. Hoy II. Writing Well and Inventing the Truth (available in paper), William Zinsser. Revising Prose. Richard Lanham. Conferences: I will meet with you when you think you need to see me. I may also ask you to meet with me if I think you need additional help. You and I will also schedule two required conferences during the semester. Standards: All final essays must:  Explore and develop an idea in a coherent, interesting way;  Have a thoughtful beginning, middle, and end;  Be grammatically correct; and  Have a tone appropriate for the intended audience. A work gives the reader a positive impression of excellence in all listed standards. B work gives the reader a positive impression of general superiority in all listed standards. C work is average in each standard. D or F work is seriously deficient in one or more of the listed standards. Major Assignment Requirements: Throughout the course I will help you learn to write effectively; you can also expect a great deal of help from your classmates. We will often have workshops in class. You can expect to write for every class--either informally or formally.2 Major course requirements are as follows: 1. Fifteen to eighteen peer-and-instructor evaluated writing exercises. Length will be specified on each assignment sheet. 2. Three peer-evaluated/instructor-graded essays. Length will be specified on each assignment sheet. (Worth: 30% each.) 3. Class participation. (Worth: 10%) You are allowed to revise one essay that has been graded. Before revising, you must make an appointment with me to tell me your revision plan. If the revised version receives a higher grade than the original, the two grades will be averaged together. Reading Requirements: You will read nearly every day, often writing about what you read. When you come to class, be prepared to discuss reading assignments. Print out any online readings and bring them to class. Portfolio Requirements: Keep a bound portfolio of your work, including writing exercises, drafts with my comments, drafts with your peers’ comments, and graded essays. You’ll hand in your entire portfolio each time an essay’s due, and also at the end of the term. Your portfolio cannot be loose-leaf and must lie flat. Schedule and Due Dates: Come to class prepared. Turn in assignments on the day they are due, during the class period, not at the end of the day. Plan ahead. Email or see me in advance about problems. You may lose a letter grade a day for late papers. Attendance: It goes without saying that a class based on work-shopping and writing requires your attendance. Your work suffers if you do not attend class. Documented medical conditions and observing religious holidays are legitimate reasons for an absence, but you must still complete the work. Plan ahead and email me if you need to be absent. You must see me about each absence. Plagiarism. Cheating hurts you and is a serious academic offence. Don’t do it! See EWP’s Policies and Plagiarism document, available at www.nyu.edu/cas/ewp. A Few Words About Format and Housekeeping: Exercises and drafts of your essays must be word processed and double-spaced with 1.25 inch margins on the left, 1 inch margins elsewhere, stapled or paper-clipped. Use standard Times Roman or Helvetica (Swiss) type. Final versions of essays must be printed on one side of the page only. You will often need to provide photocopies of your work for your classmates. Revisions of essays that you turn in must also be word processed. Illustrations may be hand- or computer-drawn. You may place them in the text itself or place them in a group at the end of the document. All illustrations must be numbered and captioned, with the number referred to in your text.3 Writing the Essay: Science First Progression Deepening an Idea Analysis ―Seeing is of course very much a matter of verbalization.‖ --Annie Dillard— Listed readings may be subject to change. Lsn Week Subject Assignment 1 1 Reading and Interpreting Course Introduction Bronowski, ―Nature of Scientific Reasoning,‖ handout 2 Paragraph Writing Exercise 1 (Paragraph) due. Read: Goulish, ―Criticism‖ (PDF) AND Lopez, ―The Stone Horse‖ (PDF) Wilson, ―Bird of Paradise‖ (PDF) Brown, ―Perhaps Death Is Proud‖ (PDF) Barthes, ―Toys‖ (PDF) Selzer, ―The Knife‖ (PDF) Obtain all readings from Blackboard, print, and bring to class. Bring all readings each time. 3 2 Letter Writing Exercise 2 (Letter) due. Read: Berger, ―On Visibility‖ (handout) Chen, ―Envisioning Vision,‖ MS 2011 4 Experiential Evidence Scene Work Writing Exercise 3 (Representation) due. Read: Levi, ―Hydrogen‖ 5 3 Relationships Writing Exercise 4 (Scene) due. Read: MATT’s CHOICE 6 Deepening Writing Exercise 5 (Representation, connection) due. Read: Hennet, ―Incidental Trees,‖ MS 2011 7 4 Letter Writing Exercise 6 (Letter) due. Ganguly, ―Breathe, Snap, Repeat,‖ MS 2011. 8 Student Readings Bring first draft of Essay 1. (4 copies) Gartshteyn, ―The Jigsaw Puzzle,‖ MS Online 2009, www.nyu.edu/cas/ewp, select Mercer Street, then 2009Peer/Group discussion. 9 5 Tracing Textual Details: A Form of Reading Bring second draft of Essay 1 (4

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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.

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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. )

Want to write the perfect college application essay? Get professional help from PrepScholar.

Your dedicated PrepScholar Admissions counselor will craft your perfect college essay, from the ground up. We'll learn your background and interests, brainstorm essay topics, and walk you through the essay drafting process, step-by-step. At the end, you'll have a unique essay that you'll proudly submit to your top choice colleges.

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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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How to Write the NYU Supplemental Essay

Madeleine Karydes

Lead admissions expert, table of contents, the 2022-2023 nyu admissions essay prompt, how to use the 3-part structure to write your best nyu supplemental essay, more tips for writing the nyu supplemental essay, up next: completing the nyu admissions process.

Stay up-to-date on the latest research and college admissions trends with our blog team.

If you’re getting stuck while trying to complete the New York University (NYU) admissions process, you’re not alone. This sought-after institution includes a “supplemental essay” prompt that is known to trip up even the most qualified students. 

The first thing to know is that, while the NYU supplemental essay is listed as optional, you’re going to want to be sure to complete this prompt, as NYC includes it when reviewing your complete package. Having anything missing will set you apart from the other applicants – and not in a good way.

Let’s take a closer look at the prompt, and explore some ideas on how you might structure your best response.

So, how do you tackle this part of your application? First, you’ll need to understand the question they’re asking (it’s the same for everyone), and think about the ways you could approach it. The prompt during the 2022-2023 application season was the following:

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. .

NYU is mixing it up a bit with this prompt. The NYU admissions process used to include the much shorter prompt of, “Why NYU?” The 2022-2023 question is similar to the previous prompt (both are ultimately about setting yourself apart from other applicants), but it turns the focus from the institution to the students themselves. The bottom line: NYU wants to know what you would bring to the university’s diverse table. 

While we don’t know yet what the prompt will be in 2023-2024, it’s possible it could stay the same. Or, it might be a variation on this prompt. Either way, knowing what NYU likes to ask, and giving yourself some time to think about how you’d respond, will help you be more prepared than the average applicant. 

When thinking about this prompt, here are a few ways you might choose to frame your answer:

• Highlight your leadership experience

Universities need student leaders who will champion social causes and social change. They’re also looking for students who will participate in on-campus activities like student government, take on TA roles, and run the various clubs and organizations the university wants to offer to all students. Talk about a time you were called to be a leader, and delivered. This could be something that happened in an academic setting, or, it could be a time you had to lead in your family, your community, or during an extracurricular activity. Remember, NYU is looking for students who stand out, so you might want to highlight a leadership moment that not many other applicants are likely to have encountered. 

• Talk about something that is completely unique to you

Here we go again with the idea that NYU is looking for applicants who stand out from the crowd. By asking about your life experiences, they want to know what you’ll bring to campus that is different from what is already there. Is there something about your life story that is uber unique that you could highlight? For example, did your family live overseas for an extended period of time? How might that have shaped who you are and what you hope to accomplish at NYU? Maybe you lived through a challenging time in your community due to a natural disaster or social change. Talk about how you contributed to any positive outcomes, or how it shaped your worldview and what you want to pursue in the future. These are just a few examples – you know best what makes you unique, so write about that! 

• Share something that will surprise the admissions committee

Admissions counselors read hundreds of essays. Even the most dedicated reviewer is at risk of getting bored with the task, or getting lulled into complacency. One of the ways to make your response stand out is to bring emotion or humor into it (while still keeping things professional and appropriate, of course). When you cause an emotional reaction in someone, they are going to have an easier time remembering you. Did the most embarrassing moment of your life turn out to be life-changing in a way that makes you ready for NYU? Maybe you lived through a challenging time that taught you valuable life skills, or set you on a path towards a certain career or work as an activist. The admissions committee is going to read a lot of essay responses that sound alike – give them something surprising that makes them want to bring you into the NYU community. 

Lastly, always remember that whatever you choose to write as your response to the NYU admissions essay prompt, you absolutely must keep it honest. It can be tempting to make something up that you think will definitely get you in. Or to embellish a story because you think they will like it better that way. The truth is that the truth always has a way of coming out. Lying or being less than honest in your NYU supplemental essay response is a surefire way to damage your changes of getting in. Not to mention what it could do to your reputation long term. It’s better to just keep it real. 

Now that you understand what NYU is really asking of you in the prompt, and you have an idea of how you’d like to answer it, you need to focus on writing a structurally sound essay.  The NYU admissions essay is short – only 250 words! Getting the structure and flow right is going to be key to making a good impression on the admissions committee. 

That’s why you should focus on the go-to formula for essay writing: the 3-part structure. 

If you’ve ever taken a writing class, you’ve likely come across the concept of the 3-part essay. This rule says that all essays should have an introduction, thesis, and conclusion to make them readable, interesting, and impactful. Let’s take a closer look at each section:

• The Introduction

Use the introduction (the first 2-3 sentences) to catch the reader’s attention. Here’s where you tee up the rest of the story you’re going to tell in your NYU supplemental essay. Hook the reader here and they’re more likely to remain focused on what you have to say later. 

A thesis statement outlines the main argument, point of view, or insight that the essay intends to deliver. This is where you might try to convince the reader of your idea, perspective, or prediction. It is generally only a sentence long, but it is the entire reason we write essays in the first place: to declare something to the world. If NYU is asking what you’d bring to the campus, here’s where you say exactly that. 

• The Conclusion

Now that you’ve caught the reader’s attention and presented them with your main argument, it’s time to wrap it all up with a thoughtful ending. A strong essay never ends abruptly. Instead, it often takes the reader back to the beginning, to remind them how they got to this point in the first place. The conclusion ties it all together, and leaves the reader feeling like the story has, well, concluded!

Once your essay is written, follow these tips for making it shine:

• Check for any grammatical errors or spelling mistakes. Either one of these will make even an interesting essay look sloppy.
• Read your essay out loud. How does it sound? Is this a story you’d like to hear someone tell?
• Have someone else proofread your essay. Your eyes will start to miss errors. Someone else could catch a mistake and save your essay.
• Verify the word count to make sure you’re within the limit set by NYU. You don’t want to have to scramble at submission time. 

Now that you know what is expected of you in the NYU supplemental essay, it’s time to tackle the entire NYU admissions process . No matter which campus you apply to (New York, Abu Dhabi, or Shanghai) or which academic program you’d like to pursue (undergraduate, graduate, or professional degree), you can set yourself up for success by carefully reviewing all of the admissions criteria, deadlines, and other important information. Keep yourself organized, and be sure to complete even the optional admissions steps (such as the NYU supplemental essay) to help your application stand out from the thousands of other applications NYU receives every year. 

Remember: you have something unique to bring to the diverse NYU campus community. Don’t be afraid to show it off! It might just be exactly what gets you accepted to your top choice university. 

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How to Write the “Why NYU” Essay

This article was written based on the information and opinions presented by Moriah Adeghe in a CollegeVine livestream. You can watch the full livestream for more info. 

What’s Covered:

• How Essays Set You Apart

Writing About NYU’s Campus

• Writing About NYU’s Different Colleges
• Writing About NYU’s Areas of Study

New York University (NYU) asks its applicants to reply to its “Why NYU” supplemental essay . The prompt states:

“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)”

In this article, we discuss how best to respond to this prompt and provide examples of successful essays. For more writing tips and tricks for this prompt, check out our post on how to write a stellar “why this college” essay .

How Essays Set You Apart  

The admissions officers at NYU have to filter through many applicants with similar grades, test scores, and extracurricular activities. Reading essay responses is how the admissions officers learn about your personality and see whether you would be a good fit at NYU. Developing a unique supplemental essay that showcases your personality and values will give admissions officers a chance to get to know you beyond your grades and test scores. As with many essays, the “why NYU” essay differentiates you from other applicants with the same level of qualifications . 

NYU admissions want to see that you actually care about attending their school and that you are not just applying for superficial reasons. You want to convince NYU that you are passionate about the school. The best way to do this is by submitting a highly personal and specific essay response that shows that you’ve done your research and can envision yourself as an NYU student. 

This prompt has a 400-word limit, so instead of writing 400 words about the location and prestige of NYU, you want to dive into the specifics. The length of this essay and the questions in the prompt enable you to go into extensive detail. Admissions officers don’t want to read a general description of the campus; they’re looking for your specific interest in particular areas of the campus and the program that you’re applying to. Make sure to respond in a manner that is specific to you and to NYU. A great tip to keep in mind while you’re writing is this: if you can replace NYU with Columbia or another school in your essay, you haven’t made your essay specific enough. 

There are three buckets that you can write about in your “why NYU” essay: the campus, college, and area of study. Each of these buckets can get broken down into smaller areas. For example, you can write about the New York City, Abu Dhabi, or Shanghai campus for the campus bucket. A weak response to this bucket would be saying that you wanted to attend the NYU Abu Dhabi campus because you visited the area once and want to live in the city. This is a general answer with no specific information about what you will get out of and be a part of by going to NYU. The admissions officers at NYU know exactly what makes their school unique, but they want to read this from your perspective, so be as specific as possible. 

A stronger response would be talking about how you want to study at the Shanghai campus to major in global China studies because it aligns with your interests in working in international marketing. There’s no better place to pursue this major than on a campus located in the heart of a major Chinese city. You can talk about how the Shanghai location would grant you the opportunity to see the topics discussed in the classroom firsthand.

This type of response immediately demonstrates that the student has done their research and is genuinely interested in the program that they’re writing about. This example clearly outlines their trajectory at NYU in a way that is clear to the admissions officers and shows that NYU is their first choice.

Writing About NYU’s Different Colleges 

Like many other schools, NYU is divided into several schools and colleges. The biggest one is the College of Arts and Sciences, which is a general liberal arts college, so you don’t want to spend too much of your essay talking about it. Instead, focus on your area of study or specific extracurricular interests at one of the campuses. 

However, if you are planning to apply to one of NYU’s smaller colleges, you should spend the bulk of your essay writing about the college that you chose. You want to do this because it will automatically set you apart from the other applicants. You will have more specific programs and classes to write about than applicants applying to the larger colleges.

Writing About NYU’s Areas of Study  

Within each school or college of NYU, there are multiple different programs and majors to write about. For this topic, pick the major or program that appeals to you, and write about why you want to be part of it. The unique thing about this essay is that since there is a 400-word limit, which is long for most supplemental essays, you can dive into your motivations a bit more while writing about the area of study that you want to pursue at NYU. 

By going into your background, you can connect your past experiences to your future goals at NYU. This will allow you to differentiate yourself from other applicants by showing your personality and bringing out more of your authentic self.

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Published September 18, 2023

Your Guide to the NYU Supplemental Essay

Katie Hindman

Senior Assistant Director of Admissions

As part of this year’s first-year application , you’ll have the option to answer a new NYU supplemental essay question. This year, we’re asking something brand new:

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 Heumann, 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.

No matter your initial reaction to this new question (perhaps “How or where do I start?!” or  “Hmm, nobody has answered this before…” or even “Woohoo! I get to be the first to take this on– no expectations!”), we want this question to give you a chance to shine.

Remember that there are real people (like me!) on the other side of the screen reading your application, and no matter what you write, we are grateful that you’re willing to share with us. 

We encourage you to approach the (optional!) NYU supplemental essay question with a sense of curiosity and excitement– because, after all, it’s all about YOU! 

HOW SHOULD YOU START?

Everyone’s writing process is distinct and personal. To begin, it might be helpful to jot down some ideas about what inspires you in each of these quotes. Even if one jumps out immediately, give some thought to them all! Is there a common theme that comes up in the ways you relate to each? Do they remind you of another quote that inspires you? Brainstorm in the way that works best for you, but give yourself a fair opportunity to consider your best answer.

Once you’ve chosen the quote you’ll reflect on, get all of your thoughts on paper. Sometimes the best writing comes from fragmented and unedited ideas, so try to stay away from judging your own writing before it’s time to edit.

WHAT SHOULD YOU SAY?

While each of the selected quotes has a specific connection to NYU, we want your answer to be about YOU. We assume you’re excited about NYU because you’re choosing to apply, so there’s no need to use this as a way to tell us about your interest in the school. You also don’t need to give us a literary or academic analysis! We’re confident you’re developing these skills in school. Rather, this is our opportunity to read about what inspires you as an individual (because we’re inspired by these quotes, too)!

Finally, think about how your answer might enhance what you’ve already shared with us through the rest of your application. Remember, you only have 250 words to answer the NYU supplemental essay, so start big and then narrow your ideas down to their most succinct form. Pick an idea and get right to it.

THE BOTTOM LINE…

There is no right or wrong way to answer as long as your answer is genuine to you. 

Remember that this question is completely optional (we promise). If you decide that you don’t want to answer the question, you will not be penalized in the admissions process. 

All of us admissions counselors are wishing you the very best of luck as you complete your college applications. We are already looking forward to learning more about the unique and dynamic class of 2028!

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Here’s a bonus tip: don’t wait until the last minute.

Announcing the 2023-2024 Common Application for NYU

Planning to apply to NYU during the 2023-2024 academic year? Here's what you need to know about recent changes to NYU's Common Application.

Writing The Essay:

This foundational writing course is required for CAS, Nursing, Social Work, Steinhardt and Tandon incoming undergraduates. "Writing the Essay'' provides instruction and practice in critical reading, creative and logical thinking, and clear, persuasive writing. Students learn to analyze and interpret written texts, to use texts as evidence, to develop ideas, and to write exploratory and argumentative essays. Exploration, inquiry, reflection, analysis, revision, and collaborative learning are emphasized.

Ultimate Guide to Writing Your College Essay

Tips for writing an effective college essay.

College admissions essays are an important part of your college application and gives you the chance to show colleges and universities your character and experiences. This guide will give you tips to write an effective college essay.

Want free help with your college essay?

UPchieve connects you with knowledgeable and friendly college advisors—online, 24/7, and completely free. Get 1:1 help brainstorming topics, outlining your essay, revising a draft, or editing grammar.

Writing a strong college admissions essay

Learn about the elements of a solid admissions essay.

Avoiding common admissions essay mistakes

Learn some of the most common mistakes made on college essays

Brainstorming tips for your college essay

Stuck on what to write your college essay about? Here are some exercises to help you get started.

How formal should the tone of your college essay be?

Learn how formal your college essay should be and get tips on how to bring out your natural voice.

Taking your college essay to the next level

Hear an admissions expert discuss the appropriate level of depth necessary in your college essay.

Student Stories

Student Story: Admissions essay about a formative experience

Get the perspective of a current college student on how he approached the admissions essay.

Student Story: Admissions essay about personal identity

Get the perspective of a current college student on how she approached the admissions essay.

Student Story: Admissions essay about community impact

Student story: admissions essay about a past mistake, how to write a college application essay, tips for writing an effective application essay, sample college essay 1 with feedback, sample college essay 2 with feedback.

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Customer Reviews

Finished Papers

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