nyu mba essay prompts

MBA Resources

MBA Essays: NYU STERN Sample Essays & Writing Tips

MBA & Beyond Team

22/12/2023 | 9:09 pm

Welcome to our guide on NYU Stern MBA Essays! Applying for an MBA at NYU Stern is a significant step towards advancing your career, and your essays are key to making a compelling case for admission. In this concise yet informative guide, we’ll provide you with sample essays and essential tips to help you craft standout essays tailored specifically for NYU Stern’s application process. Let’s dive in and explore how you can effectively showcase your unique qualities and aspirations to secure your spot in this prestigious program.

Table of Contents

Professional Aspiration

Embarking on an MBA is a significant step in your career, and NYU Stern wants to hear all about your plans. So, what are your short-term career goals? This question may seem straightforward, but it’s your golden ticket to show the admissions committee why NYU Stern is the ideal launchpad for your dreams.

Key Elements to Include for NYU Stern MBA Essays

• Specificity is Key: Be clear about your desired role and the industry you aim to enter post-MBA. Numbers and facts play a big role here. For instance, if you’re eyeing a role in management consulting, mention the kind of projects or sectors you want to delve into.
• Link to Stern: Why NYU? Maybe it’s their top-ranked Finance program or their impressive network in the tech industry. Whatever it is, make it clear how Stern aligns with your goals.
• Short and Sweet: With a 150-word limit, precision is your friend. Every word should drive home why you’re a perfect fit for Stern and why Stern is perfect for you.

Expert Tip:

Did you know that NYU Stern’s MBA program has a robust offering in areas like Fintech and Luxury & Retail? Tailoring your goals to these unique strengths can showcase your fit and research.

Personal Expression (Pick Six)

This one’s my personal favorite – the “Pick Six” essay. Think of it as a blank canvas to paint a vivid picture of who you are beyond your resume. You get to choose six images that represent your passions, life experiences, and dreams. But remember, it’s not just about the pictures; the captions are where you bring your story to life.

Crafting Your Pick Six:

• Diverse Imagery: Mix it up! Your images could range from a snapshot of a volunteering experience to a prized personal achievement. This is your chance to showcase the breadth of your personality.
• Meaningful Captions: Each caption is a chance to give context to the image. What’s the story behind that picture of you crossing the marathon finish line? Use these snippets to give depth to your narrative.
• Reflect Your Values: Are you passionate about sustainability or women’s leadership? Let your images reflect these values. Remember, authenticity is key.

What Makes a Great Pick Six

Let’s look at an example. Imagine you choose a photo of a bustling street market in Bangkok. A simple caption like, “Exploring global markets, understanding diverse consumer behaviors – a step towards my dream of a career in international marketing,” ties your personal experience to your professional aspirations.

Behavioral Essay – Embracing Change

“Change: _____ it.” This intriguing prompt from NYU Stern’s MBA application is not just about your take on change; it’s a window into how you adapt, innovate, and lead in a dynamic world. Let’s decode it together!

Unpacking the Prompt:

• Personalizing ‘Change’: This is where you fill in the blank with a word that embodies your approach to change. Are you someone who ‘drives’ change or ’embraces’ it? Your choice of word is a powerful indicator of your mindset.
• Illustrating with Examples: Use real-life instances to show how you’ve lived this mantra. Did you lead a project that required swift adaptation? Or perhaps you initiated a change that had a significant impact?
• Word Limit Wisdom: With a 350-word limit, your narrative needs to be crisp and engaging. Focus on one or two compelling examples rather than trying to cover too much ground.

Why This Matters:

NYU Stern values candidates who can thrive in an ever-changing global landscape. This essay is your chance to prove that you’re not just prepared for change – you’re ready to be a catalyst for it.

Optional Essay: Providing Additional Information

This section of the application might seem optional, but it’s a hidden gem for those who use it wisely. Here’s where you can address any part of your profile that needs more context – maybe a gap in your resume, a unique life circumstance, or additional insight into your academic record.

When to Use the Optional Essay:

• Clarifying Gaps: If there’s a gap in your employment or education, explain it. But remember, this isn’t about making excuses; it’s about providing clarity.
• Academic Anomalies: Had a rough semester? Use this space to give context but also to show how you’ve grown from the experience.
• Extra Achievements: Got something impressive that didn’t fit into other essays? This is your place to shine.

Crafting Your Response:

• Be Direct: Get to the point quickly. The admissions committee appreciates brevity and directness.
• Stay Positive: Focus on the lessons learned or skills gained, even from challenging experiences.
• Word Limit: With a maximum of 250 words, every sentence must add value to your overall narrative.

Writing Tips and Best Practices

Crafting an essay for an MBA application, especially for a prestigious institution like NYU Stern, isn’t just about answering questions. It’s about telling a story – your unique story. Here are some essential tips to make your essays stand out:

Structure and Clarity:

• Opening Strong: Your first sentence sets the tone. Make it engaging and indicative of what’s to come.
• Clear Structure: Organize your thoughts. Use headings or bullet points if necessary to enhance readability.
• Conciseness is Key: Be succinct. Respect word limits and don’t wander off-topic.

Showcasing Personality:

• Authentic Voice: Write like you speak (within the bounds of formal language). Let your personality shine through.
• Unique Insights: What makes you, you? Maybe it’s your multicultural background or an unconventional career path.

Backing with Data:

• Quantify Achievements: Use numbers to give weight to your accomplishments. Increased sales by 30%? Say it!
• Facts from Trusted Sources: Cite NYU Stern’s official website or reputable publications for any external data.

Common Pitfalls to Avoid:

• Repetition: Don’t rehash your resume. The essay is an opportunity to show more than what’s on paper.
• Overcomplicating: Simplicity is powerful. Avoid jargon or overly complex language.
• Negativity: Even when discussing challenges, focus on growth and learning, not on blame or regret.

Final Thoughts and Conclusion

Crafting standout NYU Stern MBA essays is a journey of self-discovery and articulation. By staying true to yourself “NYU Stern MBA Essays,” you can effectively convey your unique qualities and aspirations to the admissions committee. With dedication and the insights shared in this guide, you’re well-equipped to make a compelling case for your admission to NYU Stern’s prestigious MBA program. Now, go forth and let your words pave the way to your future success!

Leaving a Lasting Impression:

• Reflective Tone: Conclude with a reflective note on what attending NYU Stern means to you and your future.
• Future Orientation: Talk about how you envision contributing to the Stern community and beyond.

Encouragement and Motivation:

• You’ve Got This! Writing essays can be daunting, but view it as an opportunity to introspect and articulate your journey and dreams.
• Seek Feedback: Don’t hesitate to ask for feedback from mentors or peers. Fresh perspectives can be invaluable.
• Schedule a call with us for better consultant and queries.

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NYU Stern Essay Tips and Application Deadlines: 2024-2025

For candidates who have their hearts set on relocating to (or remaining in) New York City, NYU Stern  is a great option. This year, US News & World Report ranked NYU Stern the #7 full-time MBA program and #4 part-time MBA program .

Unlike many other top programs, the  NYU Stern full-time MBA  has a round 2 application deadline in October. This option is great if you cannot make the round 1 deadline but prefer not to wait until January to submit everything.

The NYU Stern Application Deadlines Are:

Round 1:  September 16, 2024

Round 2: October 16, 2024

Round 3:  January 16, 2025

Round 4: April 16, 2025

Please see below for Personal MBA Coach’s tips on how to answer the NYU Stern essays.

Personal MBA Coach’s NYU Stern Essay Tips:

“Our Stern essay questions give you the opportunity to more fully present yourself to the Admissions Committee and to provide insight into your experiences, goals, and thought processes.”

NYU Stern Essay 1:  Change: _________ it

(350 word maximum, double-spaced, 12-point font) In today’s global business environment, the only constant is change. Using NYU Stern’s brand call to action, we want to know how you view change. Change: _____ it. Fill in the blank with a word of your choice. Why does this word resonate with you? How will you embrace your own personal tagline while at Stern? Examples:

• Change: Dare it.
• Change: Dream it.
• Change: Drive it.
• Change: Empower it.
• Change: Manifest it.
• Change: [Any word of your choice.]

With a short word limit and a lot to cover, this NYU Stern essay question is a challenging one.

As you answer this question, pay careful attention to the opening: Stern lets you know it is looking to learn about your “experiences, goals, and thought processes.”

This means both the  what  and the  why  are important here.

As you pick a tagline, be sure to consider why this approach to change is meaningful to you. Naturally, you should be able to connect it to a part of your experience. Show the reader how you have lived this tagline.

It is also crucial that you cover what you will do moving forward, both at NYU Stern and beyond! Tell the reader HOW you will drive change.

There is a lot to cover here so use your words carefully and avoid cliches.

NYU Stern Essay 2:  Personal Expression (a.k.a. “Pick Six”): Describe yourself to the Admissions Committee and to your future classmates using six images and corresponding captions. Your uploaded PDF should contain all of the following elements:

• A brief introduction or overview of your “Pick Six” (no more than 3 sentences).
• Six images that help illustrate who you are.
• A one-sentence caption for each of the six images that helps explain why they were selected and are significant to you.

Note: Your visuals may include photos, infographics, drawings, collages, or any other images that best describe you. Your document must be uploaded as a single PDF. The essay cannot be sent in physical form or be linked to a website.

If you are seeking NYU Stern Pick Six examples, know that there are no wrong answers here as this is your chance to let the reader into your world. You do want to include a well-rounded mix of photos that tell the reader more about you. Treat this as a personal story essay, just narrated in a different medium.

While a mix of personal and professional photos can work well, some candidates will include only personal details. Think about what makes you unique and what values drive you as you select these images. Finally, follow the directions. One sentence is ONE sentence. Have fun with this and feel free to be creative.

NYU Stern Essay 3:  Additional Information (optional) (250 word maximum, double-spaced, 12-point font)

Please provide any additional information that you would like to bring to the attention of the Admissions Committee. This may include current or past gaps in employment, further explanation of your undergraduate record or self-reported academic transcript(s), plans to retake the GMAT, GRE, Executive Assessment, IELTS or TOEFL, or any other relevant information.

Along with the NYU Stern full-time MBA, those interested in NYU Stern also can pursue a  Fashion & Luxury MBA ,  Tech MBA ,  Executive MBA , or  Part-time MBA . Personal MBA Coach has been helping clients get into NYU Stern, alongside other top business schools, for 16 years.

Hear how Personal MBA Coach helped this client gain acceptance into Columbia Business School, Chicago Booth, NYU Stern and Yale SOM:

Ready to apply? Reach out for a consultation today to find out how Personal MBA Coach can help you get into NYU Stern.

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NYU MBA Essays: Tips for Stern 2024-2025

The 2024-2025 NYU Stern MBA essays have been released, so it’s a good idea to start preparing now! Most MBA programs will highly value the personal statement in your application. So don’t slack on it! Writing a unique essay that captures your individuality while responding to the prompt is a challenging task, but here at Menlo Coaching, we have a comprehensive guide to perfect it.

Stern is looking for students with a well-rounded background and lots of experience that can be translated into a succinct and compelling statement. One of the essential tips for an impactful essay is asking yourself why you chose to highlight a particular experience. Did it show significant professional development? Did it show how you overcame a personal struggle? Connecting your essay to the prompt, especially how it shows why you are pursuing an MBA, will make your essay stand out. No matter what the essay prompt is, these tips are broadly applicable. With that being said, the three different types of essays you will see on Stern’s application are personal, career goals, and behavioral. 

At Menlo Coaching, we noticed that most MBA essays will fall into one of a number of categories: personal essays, career goals essays, behavioral essays, etc.. Read ahead for our expert guide on approaching these essays for NYU Stern School of Business.

Personal Essay

• Personal Expression (a.k.a. “Pick Six”) Personal Expression (a.k.a. “Pick Six”) Introduce yourself to the Admissions Committee and to your future classmates using six images and corresponding captions. The Pick Six is a way to share more about the qualities you will bring to the Stern community, beyond your professional and academic achievements. Your uploaded PDF should contain all of the following elements:
• A brief introduction or overview of your “Pick Six” (no more than 3 sentences).
• Six images that help illustrate your interests, values, motivations, perspective and/or personality.
• A one-sentence caption for each of the six images that helps explain why they were selected and are significant to you. Note: Your visuals may include photos, infographics, drawings, or any other images that best describe you. Your document must be uploaded as a single PDF. The essay cannot be sent in physical form or be linked to a website.

Career Goals Essay

• What are your short-term career goals? (150 word maximum, double-spaced, 12-point font)

Behavioral Essay

• Change: Dare it.
• Change: Dream it.
• Change: Drive it.
• Change: Empower it.
• Change: Manifest it.
• Change: [Any word of your choice.] (350 word maximum, double-spaced, 12-point font)

Optional Essay

• Please provide any additional information that you would like to bring to the attention of the Admissions Committee. This may include current or past gaps in employment, further explanation of your undergraduate record or self-reported academic transcript(s), plans to retake the GMAT, GRE, EA, IELTS or TOEFL, or any other relevant information. (250 word maximum, double-spaced, 12-point font)

The Personal Statement Essay

Personal essays encompass your moral character, passions in and out of work, and the relationships you have fostered with friends and mentors. This essay type is where you can show the MBA program who you are as an individual and the intrapersonal impacts you have made on people around you. Stern is looking to recruit students who show compassion and enthusiasm in the office and with the people in their lives. Make sure to emphasize where you have shown empathy in your life while explaining how you will contribute positively to the on-campus experience. One of the biggest mistakes students make when writing a personal essay is focusing too much on their professional expertise.

This essay is where you can move away from talking about your work and speak about who you are outside of your job. Stern’s core values include empathy, emotional intelligence, leadership, and strong interpersonal skills. Speaking with current students and faculty to capture the essence of the program. Tailoring which attributes you write about to each program is important. Stern students usually enter the financial services, asset management, and insurance fields, so emphasize your findings in the essay to show you’re genuinely interested.

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The Career Goals Essay

The career goals essay is the space to emphasize your post-MBA plans. MBA programs want to accept students who have concrete, achievable career plans and a roadmap to success. MBA programs want a glowing post-grad report that proves they produce successful graduates with many job prospects (and who will donate money in the future)! Stern also wants students to promote their program to friends, co-workers, and prospective applicants. The career goals essay combines your hard statistics (ex: GMAT score) with your interpersonal skills (ex: recommendations) to formulate the case for getting an MBA. 

Make sure to state your achievable short-term and long-term goals explicitly. Explain why an MBA would help you achieve these goals and how Stern is essential to your plan. Connecting the positive attributes from your personal essay to your career goals essay is critical to forming a well-rounded application.

The Behavioral Essay

The final type is the behavioral essay, which might sound similar to the personal essay. However, instead of analyzing your individual attributes outside the workplace, this prompt asks you to reflect on your professional leadership skills. This could mean recalling a time when you’ve led a team to success or recovered after a failure and what you learned. Be honest with this essay, and don’t downplay the story; AdCom can tell if you’re disingenuous. Showing growth is essential to a constructive essay and shows development that you can easily apply to on-campus activities. 

Say what mistakes you made and how you remedied them; if there is a situation where you used the lessons you learned from the failures, be sure to include that. Having the bravery to express your failures shows that you are willing to admit your mistakes.

Once you’ve completed your application, the optional Stern essay gives you an additional opportunity to provide the AdCom with any additional information or clarity that you feel would enhance your application.

One trap that MBA applicants fall into is using the additional space provided by this essay to write on a whole new topic. However, this is not always the best idea.

You should only make use of this essay if you what you write will provide context to an element of your application to improve your candidacy—you don’t want to jeopardize your chances by adding unnecessary noise to your application.

Overall, honesty and growth are the most important parts of a successful MBA application essay. In addition, applying the lessons you learned shows improvement in your interpersonal and professional skills, making you a more attractive candidate for MBA programs.

Feeling overwhelmed by Stern MBA admissions essays? Our experienced consultants are here to provide personalized guidance on tackling each prompt effectively. Connect with a dedicated MBA admissions consultant to elevate your application.

Related Articles

• NYU Stern MBA Overview
• MBA Essay Tips From 3 Top Admissions Consultants
• How to Get Into MBA Programs at Top Business Schools

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How to Write the NYU Essays 2023-2024

NYU has just one supplemental prompt this year, which allows you to choose from six different options. Although this prompt is technically optional, NYU’s prime location in the heart of downtown New York City, campuses all across the globe, and affiliation with excellent graduate schools in a range of subjects make it highly competitive to gain admission. So, we strongly encourage you to take advantage of this opportunity to share something new about yourself with admissions officers.

Read these examples of past NYU essays about diversity and “Why NYU?” to inspire your writing.

NYU Supplemental Essay Prompts

Prompt: 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, optional)

• Option A: “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
• Option B: “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
• Option C: “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
• Option D: “You have the right to want things and to want things to change.” Sanna Marin, Former Prime Minister of Finland, 2023 NYU Commencement Address
• Option E: “It’s hard to fight when the fight ain’t fair.” Taylor Swift, Change, Released 2008, 2022 NYU Commencement Speaker
• Option F: Share a short quote and person not on this list, and why the quote inspires you.

“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 (250 words)

Brainstorming Your Topic

Although the framing is a little more particular, this prompt has similarities to two supplemental prompt archetypes: the  “Global Issues” essay and the “Community Service” essay. Basically, you want to show NYU that you’re able to not just identify a problem in the world around you, but actively work towards solving it.

That second piece, of showing that you’re someone who acts when you see injustice, rather than merely observing, is crucial. So, you should have a personal connection to the issue you write about, as the point of your essay ultimately isn’t to teach admissions officers about a particular issue, but rather show them what your passion for that issue says about your potential as an NYU student.

So, don’t write about how aboriginal people in Australia struggled during the 2020 wildfires if you don’t know anyone in that community and have never been to Australia, as your essay will likely end up sounding overly factual and academic. Instead, think about issues that have directly impacted your own life. 

Maybe that’s a social media campaign you spearheaded to help abandoned animals get adopted when the shelter was overcrowded. Or working with your friends from Spanish class to ensure the local soup kitchen always had a Spanish speaker working, to make the environment more welcoming to immigrants from Spanish-speaking countries.

Keep in mind that the story you tell should have some component of “reach[ing] out to others,” as this quote highlights the importance of collaboration when solving big issues. So, while creating a statistical model on your own to show the viability of solar polar is certainly something to be proud of, it may not be the best anecdote to write about for this prompt. If you then hosted webinars sharing the model with local business owners and answering their questions, however, that could be an effective way of aligning the story with the spirit of the prompt.

Tips for Writing Your Essay

Like any good college essay, your response should show, rather than tell, your readers what you did. What that means is to use descriptive writing, with strong sensory details, to paint NYU admissions officers a picture, rather than just saying “I did x, y, and z, and learned a, b, and c.” The more detail you can include, the more immersive your story will be, which will make your essay both more engaging and more fun to read.

The other key to a strong response is having takeaways that are both clear and personal. You don’t want your essay to feel like a Hallmark card, so avoid clichés like “This experience showed me the power of diversity” or “I realized that deep down, we’re all the same.” The point of the college essay is to distinguish yourself from other applicants, and relying on generic tropes won’t accomplish that.

Instead, think about how you can take one of these overused ideas and creatively reframe it through the lens of your story in particular. For example, if you write about the soup kitchen example above, you could talk about how you bonded with one person who attended frequently because you discovered you both enjoyed crocheting, and how that taught you to look for shared experiences even with people who may outwardly seem quite different from you. 

The general idea of diversity as a unifying, rather than divisive, force is the same, but by connecting that idea to something specific that happened to you, you’ll give NYU admissions officers of how that idea tangibly impacts your day-to-day life. Ultimately, they’re trying to figure out how you would fit into their classrooms, clubs, dorms, dining halls, and so on, and specificity gives them a much clearer idea of that than just big-picture ideas.

Mistakes to Avoid

There isn’t really any major pitfall to keep an eye out for here. Just make sure you’re conscientious of how you frame your issue. Even though NYU, like most colleges, is much more liberal than society as a whole, you still want to use discretion when discussing politics in a college essay, as you have no way of knowing exactly what context your readers are coming from.

So, if you’re writing about a fundraiser you and your friends organized after the overturning of Roe v. Wade to help women from red states afford travel to states where abortion would remain legal, keep the focus on your efforts and what this experience taught you. Don’t talk about your feeling that anyone who opposes abortion is a misogynist, as, for all you know, the person reading your essay may have a loved one who is pro life, or they may even be themselves. 

You can talk about controversial topics in this essay, but do so in a way that’s introspective and acknowledges the complexity of the issue, rather than in a way that celebrates your own moral superiority.

“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 (250 words)

Like Option A, this prompt has elements of both the “Global Issues” essay and the “Community Service” essay. However, the scope here is a little broader, as you’re being asked to talk about a time when you made “your voice heard,” rather than one when you were an active part of helping solve a particular problem. That means you have a little more flexibility in what you write about.

For example, you could describe the time when a conversation with a Jewish friend of yours made you realize Christmas-centric your school’s holiday decorations were, and how that motivated you to accompany her to talk to the principal about it, as she felt uncomfortable going alone. You could also take a similar angle as the one described above, with Option A, and talk about service work, like advocating for preserving wildlife habitat over expanding the boat launch at a nearby lake, or something else on a slightly larger scale that you spoke up about. 

However, don’t talk yourself out of writing about a more personal story like the Christmas example. Although this approach may seem less “impressive,” in reality talking about that kind of smaller moment in daily life can do a lot to show admissions officers what you’re like when nobody’s watching. Just about everyone applying to NYU will have an impressive resume, so you can really distinguish yourself by telling them a story that you’re still kind, altruistic, and thoughtful even outside the context of a particular project or organization.

That being said, both approaches can work incredibly well, so long as they honestly reflect your desire to speak up about the things that matter to you.

Once you’ve picked a particular moment to focus on, you want to think about what lessons you took away from that experience. NYU admissions officers care about who you’re going to be for the next four years, not who you were in the past, so they want to get a sense of how this experience is going to impact your contributions to their community.

There’s no one right way to do this, so if you immediately see a way to tell your story in a reflective, informative way, go for it! If you’re having writer’s block, though, one reliable approach would be to explain what happened, what you learned, and then include a second, much briefer anecdote that shows how you’ve utilized what you learned in the time since. 

For the Christmas example, after you finish describing the principal’s willingness to include menorahs and dreidels alongside the Santas and Christmas trees, you talk about how this experience showed you most people do want to be inclusive, they just might not know exactly how, so we all have a responsibility to speak up when we see a way to be better. You could then talk about how this realization then motivated you to talk to your manager at your part-time job about adjusting shift start times to align with the bus schedule, as she didn’t know that some employees didn’t have their own car.

250 words isn’t a lot, so depending on how much space you need to describe the original anecdote, you may not have space for the second one. That’s completely fine–as long as your takeaways are framed in a personal way that directly connects to the story you have just told, your readers will understand the significance of this experience to who you are today.

Letting your main anecdote breathe is the most important thing, as if you rush through things, your reader might not have enough details to properly anchor your eventual takeaways, which could make your essay feel impersonal or generic. 

For a somewhat extreme example of this, say you wrote about the day you noticed your school had changed their holiday decorations, and how happy that made you, but totally glossed over your own involvement in driving that change. Having a takeaway about the importance of standing up for what you believe in would then make no sense. So, make sure the details you include at each point in the essay work together to create a single, cohesive unit.

“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 (250 words)

This prompt may come across as overly philosophical at first, but before you rule it out, take a second to think about what it’s actually saying. Flying is more glamorous, exciting, and magical than walking, but walking is what we all do every single day to move around the world. While practicality never makes any headlines, daily life wouldn’t work without walking. 

Connecting that idea, about the value of practicality, to NYU’s focus on difference-makers means that you’ll want to discuss the importance of small, seemingly insignificant actions to driving broader change. As the saying goes, Rome wasn’t built in a day: for every figurehead of a major, earth-shattering movement, there are thousands or even millions of people who spent years paving the road so that the leader could one day walk down it. These people rarely get fame or recognition, but the movement never would have succeeded without them.

Of course, to write a strong, engaging response here, you don’t want to write about a huge historical movement that happened generations before you were even born. Instead, apply the same general idea to your own life. Think about what you do, or observe, on a daily basis that shows you the value of sometimes just taking things one step at a time. If there’s something you’ve been passionate about for a long time, that can be a great starting point, as you’ve probably made many small contributions over the years, compared to something where you were just involved in one, big, “flying” project.

For example, maybe you’ve always loved animals, and as a child you used to talk to your mom about flying around the world and rescuing all the endangered species. Once you got older, you realized you couldn’t do that, but what you could do was start a blog featuring a different endangered species every month, along with nonprofits dedicated to helping that species survive. You’ve even established partnerships with some of these groups, and helped organize fundraisers such as bake sales and 5Ks.

As this example shows, ideally you want to show how you’re finding a way to contribute to a much bigger cause. NYU wants to accept difference-makers, and although most of us aren’t able to donate millions of dollars or spearhead new technological initiatives, you can still show that you’re dedicated to finding ways to help however you can. 

Remember, as we noted in Option B, describing your grassroots efforts can in some ways demonstrate your dedication to a cause more than a high-level accomplishment or accolade, because that kind of work truly shows who you are on a day-to-day basis. So, if something comes to mind, don’t sell yourself short by saying “Oh, but they won’t care about that.” If whatever it is was meaningful to you, we promise they will 🙂

This is the kind of prompt where the brainstorming, if you do it well, is 90% of the work. Since the prompt is more abstract, you’re going to have to spend more time up front thinking about exactly what you want to say, or else you may end up sitting down to write and realizing you have no idea where you want to go. So, if you find yourself staring at a blank page, we would suggest rewinding, and spending a little more time brainstorming.

Once you have a clear sense of the story you want to tell, all you really need to do is actually put the words on the page. As you do that, remember that you want to include strong sensory details, to make your essay as immersive and engaging as possible. Focus less on what you did, and more on how you felt and what you learned from the experience. You may or may not do something similar to, for example, raising awareness for endangered species during your time at NYU, but you want to show admissions officers that, whatever you get involved with, you’re going to bring a thoughtful, dedicated perspective to your work.

For example, rather than saying just “My post on the work done to get manatees from ‘endangered’ to ‘threatened’ got 5,000 views, from places as far away as Italy, Kenya, and New Zealand,” take the next step, and describe how that success made you feel. That might look something like: 

“When I saw the number, I went back to the first post I ever did, on the African Bay owl. That post didn’t get a single view from someone who wasn’t related to me. But as I flipped back to the manatee post, I realized that we’re all related to each other in ways other than blood, as we all share this planet, and reminding people of that can be as simple as putting up a blog post and letting them come find it.”

NYU would be impressed by your outreach alone, but what will truly take your essay to the next level is including this next layer of reflection, and showing them the broader lessons you learned from this experience. That will prove to them that you’re not just talented and motivated, but also that your values align with theirs.

We noted at the beginning of this prompt breakdown that you shouldn’t get scared off just because it’s a little more philosophical than some of the others, and we stand by that. However, its more abstract nature will likely make the brainstorming process take longer, and it’s possible you do end up just feeling stuck. 

If you don’t think you have the time right now to give this prompt the attention it needs, that’s completely fine! The advantage of option prompts is that you have, well, options. Even if you’re initially drawn to this prompt, if you find yourself beating your head against the wall and not getting anywhere, don’t be stubborn–just pivot to one of the others.

“You have the right to want things and to want things to change.” Sanna Marin, Former Prime Minister of Finland, 2023 NYU Commencement Address (250 words)

Like Options A and B, this prompt is, roughly, a version of the “Global Issues” essay. That means you should have two main goals here. First, identify an issue that matters to you. Second, explain what your interest in that issue says about you as a person. 

Note that, unlike the first two options, the problem you choose doesn’t have to be one you’ve taken a lot of tangible action towards resolving. Obviously, you should have some level of personal investment in your issue, as otherwise your essay could come across as disingenuous. But if you have a cause you’re passionate about, but for whatever reason haven’t been able to get involved in directly, that would still be fair game here.

For example, maybe you’d like to increase access to healthy food options, as you live in a remote area and grow a lot of your own food with your family, so you know what a difference high-quality produce makes, but you also know how frustrating it can be to simply not have access to certain things, as your supermarket’s stock is limited. Because you don’t live in a city, you haven’t had the chance to get involved in any volunteer work related to this issue, so instead you’ve done your very best to learn everything possible about the process of growing your own food, so that you’ll have a wealth of hands-on experience to draw on when you are eventually in a situation where you can discuss theoretical, bigger picture solutions to this issue.

This hypothetical student hasn’t been able to take much concrete action towards addressing food inequality. However, they’re still demonstrating a genuine desire to help fix this issue, as well as forethought and motivation, by explaining how they’re finding a way to build up their skill set now, so that when the time comes, they are prepared to create tangible change. Any NYU admissions officer would feel confident about this student’s potential to become a difference-maker.

Of course, you are also more than welcome to write about an issue you have already done some work to help solve. We only want to highlight that already contributing to the solution isn’t a prerequisite for this prompt, so you can cast your net a little wider in your brainstorming than you would for Option A or B.

Once you sit down to actually start writing, the key is to make sure you aren’t just discussing your personal connection to this particular issue, but also highlighting admirable personality traits that will serve you in any of your future endeavors, whether related to the same issue or not. To see what we mean here, look back at the example we gave above. That student shows several traits admissions officers will find attractive, including:

• They are able to extrapolate from their own lived experiences to better understand a broader, societal issue
• They can appreciate the nuance of a big-picture issue
• They can critically evaluate their own skill set and determine the best way for them to contribute to a resolution

These qualities come across because of the (hypothetical) level of detail the student provides. If they were to instead just give a general sketch of the situation, along the lines of “I care about food inequality, and although I haven’t yet been able to combat this issue, hopefully I will one day,”  then admissions officers have a lot of blanks to fill in. 

Instead, you should do the work for them: build a concrete connection between this issue you care about and certain, broader attributes that are fundamental to who you are. That will show them not just that you’re passionate about this one issue, but that you’re an overall thoughtful, mature person who’s ready to take advantage of all NYU has to offer.

If you choose to write about an issue that you haven’t taken much concrete action on yet, just be careful that your essay doesn’t become more about the issue, and your interest in it on a theoretical level, than about your own personality. In the context of the example given above, that might look like a bunch of statistics showing how lack of access to healthy food disproportionately impacts lower income people. 

While that is certainly informative, remember that this isn’t an academic essay. It’s a personal reflection, so even if you’re still figuring out how you can best contribute to tangible change, you still want to highlight specific experiences or moments that showcase the strengths you will eventually use to make a real difference. Otherwise, NYU admissions officers may come away from your essay knowing more about the issue you’re highlighting, but not much about what you’d bring to their community, which is ultimately the question they’re trying to answer.

“It’s hard to fight when the fight ain’t fair.” Taylor Swift, Change, Released 2008, 2022 NYU Commencement Speaker (250 words)

Like the previous prompt, this quote wants you to discuss a cause you are currently fighting for, or would like to fight for during your time in college and beyond. But the angle is a little bit different, as this quote is centered around the challenges of fighting for something in unfair circumstances.

If you choose this prompt, you’ll want to talk about an obstacle you’ve overcome, or are in the process of overcoming, in your effort to make your communities a little more just. This doesn’t have to be anything intense, like facing harassment or threats after a talk you gave at a school assembly about your experiences with racism. Of course, you are welcome to discuss this kind of extreme hardship if you are comfortable doing so. 

You don’t have to, however. There are a whole bunch of things that make advocacy work difficult, and many of them have nothing to do with physical violence. For example, you could talk about your attempts to research successful city planning projects that incorporate more green spaces, and your frustration upon realizing many of the articles you wanted to read were stuck behind paywalls.

Alternatively, you could talk about how you want to help increase access to affordable education in your city by tutoring, but not having a car makes it difficult for you to reach many of the people who seek out your help. No obstacle is too small–as we’ve highlighted in several of the previous breakdowns, contextualizing a societal issue within your own life is what NYU wants you to do with pretty much all of these prompts, so don’t feel like you need to dramatize anything. Just be honest about your efforts, and the things that have gotten in your way.

The key to writing a successful response is to not focus your entire essay on the challenge itself, as that will result in a rather defeatist tone. Rather, spend the first part of the essay explaining the difficulties you’ve faced in your efforts to resolve some societal issue, and spend the second half explaining what you’ve done to overcome them. That will result in a more positive overall vibe for your essay, which shows your ability to adapt and grow even in the face of challenges, a skill that will be vital to your success in college.

Like with the challenge itself, you don’t have to glamorize whatever it is you did to work around the obstacle you encountered. For example, don’t say you set up a consortium of high school students where everyone pitched in some money so that you could create shared accounts on all the sites you wanted to use, unless you actually did do that. 

It’s okay to say you asked your parents for their credit card, and that you agreed to take on extra chores around the house because being self-sufficient in your advocacy work is important to you. Or that saving up for your own car proved too difficult, so you’ve worked out a schedule with your elderly neighbor to use his car in the evening, since he goes to sleep early anyways, so long as you pick up his groceries on the way home. 

NYU isn’t going to judge you for the particulars of your situation. They just want to see that, when the fight isn’t fair, you still find a way to keep punching.

Taylor Swift may be the biggest pop star in the world right now, but this sadly isn’t an essay for you to talk about your fandom. Keep the focus on the challenges of tackling inequality, not on your Eras Tour outfit or opinions on which (Taylor’s Version) album has the best (From The Vault) tracks 😉

Share a short quote and person not on this list, and why the quote inspires you. (250 words)

While you may initially feel drawn to this option because of the freedom it affords you, we advise against defaulting to it if you don’t immediately feel a connection to one of the other prompts. The other options do have narrower focuses, but you have five to choose from, and all of the quotes are open-ended enough that you aren’t being forced into a box.

Because this prompt is already unusually flexible for a supplemental essay, you should have a good reason for creating your own option. Ideally you’ll already have a particular quote, or at least a particular person, in mind. If you’re just thinking “Oh, I’d like to write about [general topic],” the time you spend googling possibilities is time you could instead be spending on your actual response, so we’d encourage you to look back at the options already given to you and see if any of them could be an inroad to your desired topic.

Additionally, you may have noticed that, while the options NYU gives you all portray slightly different perspectives, and come from a wide range of speakers, they all have something to do with the theme of justice and equity. In the main prompt, NYU even says they’re looking for “peacemakers, changemakers, global citizens, boundary breakers, creatives and innovators,” so your quote should show your potential to become a difference-maker in the world. Avoid writing about, for example, Stephen Hawking’s thoughts on black holes, as that would be jarring for admissions officers.

Obviously, the exact structure of your essay will depend on which quote you select. But in general, many of the points we’ve made in our breakdowns of the other prompts will apply here too. The best advice we can give is:

• Use anecdotes, rather than speaking generally about whatever your topic is
• Make sure the essay doesn’t just focus on your topic, and instead teaches your reader about a few tangible personality traits that speak to your potential as an NYU student 
• Provide enough detail that your story feels personal, rather than like something any old applicant to NYU could have written.

With regards to this prompt specifically, since you’re taking this choose-your-own adventure path, don’t be afraid to be a little unconventional in how you do these three things. Maybe you share a quote of something meaningful your dad once said to you about having a responsibility to give back to others, and then you describe a few moments you have shared with him that exemplify how he embodies this ideal every day, and how you seek to do the same.

Alternatively, say you study Latin in school. Maybe you choose a quote from Ovid, your favorite Roman author, that relates to injustice, and explain how to you, this quote shows that, although it’s easy to get discouraged by all the doom and gloom on the news, humans have been trying to make the world a little bit better for as long as our species has existed.

These two examples both take advantage of the fact that you have a pre-existing personal connection to the actual person who said the quote, not just their words, as that’s something you probably don’t have with any of the options given to you (with the possible exception of Taylor Swift). As a result, NYU admissions officers get to see a level of depth and reflection in your response that they otherwise wouldn’t, which is the benefit of this option–you can pick both the framework and the content of your essay, rather than needing to fit what you want to say into a particular structure.

This isn’t a mistake, but just something to keep in mind if you’re seriously thinking about coming up with your own prompt: you still only have 250 words, and you’re going to have to spend probably about 20 of them just on your quote and the name of the person who said it. So, make sure your quote is relatively short (you can also use well-placed ellipses to save yourself room)–Option A, for example, would be much too long, as you’d be using over 20% of your space just on the quote itself.

Regardless of how short your quote is, however, you’re still going to have less space available than if you had chosen one of the options NYU provides, which is yet more reason you need to be 100% sure that this option will allow you to say something none of the others will. If you choose this option without already having some sense of what you’d like to say, having 20 fewer words may end up really biting you.

To summarize: if you’re feeling bold, and already have a clear sense of how you’re going to channel that boldness, this prompt is a great opportunity to truly set yourself apart from other applicants. But if you’re just choosing it because you can, and coming up with your own prompt sounds fun, we’d encourage you to give the pre-established options another look.

Where to Get Your NYU Essay Edited 

Do you want feedback on your NYU essays? After rereading your essays countless times, it can be difficult to evaluate your writing objectively. That’s why we created our free Peer Essay Review tool , where you can get a free review of your essay from another student. You can also improve your own writing skills by reviewing other students’ essays. 

If you want a college admissions expert to review your essay, advisors on CollegeVine have helped students refine their writing and submit successful applications to top schools. Find the right advisor for you to improve your chances of getting into your dream school!

Related CollegeVine Blog Posts

NYU Stern MBA Essay 2024-2025 Analysis, Tips, and Framework for Success

By admitStreet Team

8 July 2024

Navigating the MBA application process can be both exhilarating and daunting, especially when faced with unique essay prompts like those offered by NYU Stern. 

NYU Stern’s MBA essays stand out for their creativity and depth, offering applicants a platform to showcase not just their professional achievements, but also their personal values and aspirations. Understanding how to approach these essays strategically can make all the difference in crafting a compelling application that resonates with the admissions committee.

In this article, we delve into an analysis of NYU Stern’s MBA essays and offer valuable tips to help you craft compelling responses that stand out to the admissions committee.

Short Answer: Professional Aspirations

Nyu stern mba essay 1, nyu stern mba essay 2, nyu stern mba essay 3, final thoughts.

(150 word maximum, double-spaced, 12-point font)

• What are your short-term career goals?

What NYU Stern MBA Admissions Committee Seeks from the Short Answer Essay

NYU Stern’s MBA admissions committee uses the short answer essay to gauge applicants’ clarity of purpose and their alignment with the program’s offerings. In just 150 words, they expect you to succinctly articulate your immediate career goals post-MBA. 

This includes specifying the role, industry, and possibly even the type and stage of the company you aspire to join. They are interested not only in your goals but also in understanding how well you’ve researched and articulated your career path. This essay serves as a snapshot of your career aspirations and how an MBA from Stern fits into your plans.

Framework to Write a Winning Essay

Crafting a compelling short answer essay for NYU Stern involves a structured approach:

Begin with a clear and direct statement of your short-term career goals. For instance, “Post-MBA, I aim to transition into a product management role within the fintech sector, focusing on enhancing financial accessibility for underserved communities.”

Next, provide context by discussing why this goal is meaningful to you. Share personal insights or experiences that have shaped your career aspirations, emphasizing how achieving these goals will enable you to make a meaningful impact.

Connect your goals to NYU Stern specifically. Highlight specific resources, programs, or aspects of the Stern MBA that align with your career objectives and how they will support your professional growth.

Conclude by briefly touching upon your long-term career vision, showing how your short-term goals contribute to your broader career trajectory and the impact you aspire to achieve in the long run.

Tips for Writing

• Be Concise and Direct: With only 150 words, every sentence counts. Avoid unnecessary details or tangents.
• Show Alignment: Demonstrate a clear connection between your past experiences, current skills, and future aspirations. This alignment reinforces the credibility of your goals.
• Research Stern: Showcase your knowledge of NYU Stern’s unique offerings and explain why it’s the ideal place for you to achieve your goals.
• Inject Personality: While concise, your essay should still reflect your personality and passion for your chosen career path.
• Proofread: Given the brevity, ensure each word contributes to your message effectively. Edit for clarity and coherence.

Essay 1: Change: _________ it (350 word maximum, double-spaced, 12-point font) In today’s global business environment, the only constant is change. Using NYU Stern’s brand call to action, we want to know how you view change. Change: _____ it. Fill in the blank with a word of your choice. Why does this word resonate with you? How will you embrace your own personal tagline while at Stern? Examples:

• Change: Dare it.
• Change: Dream it.
• Change: Drive it.
• Change: Empower it.
• Change: Manifest it.
• Change: [Any word of your choice] it.

What the NYU Stern MBA Admissions Committee Seeks

The admissions committee at NYU Stern is looking for candidates who not only understand the inevitability and significance of change in today’s global business environment but who also possess the self-awareness to articulate a meaningful response to the prompt. 

They want to see applicants who can connect their personal experiences with a chosen word that signifies their attitude towards change, and who can convincingly outline how they plan to embody this tagline while at Stern.

To craft a compelling essay for NYU Stern’s prompt, follow this structured approach:

• Reflect on Your Relationship with Change: Start by introspecting deeply. Consider how change has shaped your personal and professional journey so far. What word resonates with you when you think of change? Is it about daring to innovate, empowering others, manifesting opportunities, or something entirely different? Choose a word that genuinely reflects your beliefs and experiences rather than what you think the admissions committee wants to hear.
• Connect Your Word to Personal Experience: Share a specific anecdote or story from your life or career that exemplifies your chosen word. For instance, if you choose “Empower,” discuss a time when you empowered a team to achieve a significant goal. This story should illustrate why this word defines your approach to change.
• Relate Your Tagline to NYU Stern: Research NYU Stern thoroughly. Understand its values, culture, and unique offerings. How can your chosen tagline contribute to the Stern community? Identify specific clubs, courses, or initiatives at Stern that align with your tagline. Demonstrate how you plan to engage with and enrich the Stern community using concrete examples.
• Outline Actionable Steps: Detail 3-4 actionable steps or initiatives you intend to pursue at Stern that embody your tagline. This could include joining specific clubs, participating in leadership programs, or spearheading initiatives that foster positive change within the school community.
• Craft a Cohesive Narrative: Ensure your essay flows logically from your chosen word to your personal story, your plans at Stern, and finally, how these elements combine to illustrate your readiness to contribute to and thrive within NYU Stern’s MBA program.
• Authenticity Over Novelty : Choose a word that genuinely reflects your beliefs and experiences rather than one you think will impress the admissions committee.
• Research and Specificity : Show that you have researched NYU Stern’s program thoroughly. Discuss specific aspects of the school that align with your goals and how you plan to engage with them.
• Balance Creativity with Clarity : While creativity is encouraged, ensure your essay remains clear and focused. Avoid overly complex or obscure language that might distract from your message.
• Review and Revise : Give yourself ample time to draft, revise, and edit your essay. Seek feedback from mentors, peers, or admissions consultants to refine your narrative and ensure clarity and impact.

Essay 2: Personal Expression (a.k.a. “Pick Six”) Introduce yourself to the Admissions Committee and to your future classmates using six images and corresponding captions. The Pick Six is a way to share more about the qualities you will bring to the Stern community, beyond your professional and academic achievements. Your uploaded PDF should contain all of the following elements:

• A brief introduction or overview of your “Pick Six” (no more than 3 sentences).
• Six images that help illustrate your interests, values, motivations, perspective and/or personality.
• A one-sentence caption for each of the six images that helps explain why they were selected and are significant to you.

Note: Your visuals may include photos, infographics, drawings, or any other images. Your document must be uploaded as a single PDF. The essay cannot be sent in physical form or be linked to a website.

The essence of this essay prompt lies in its ability to reveal the unique qualities, interests, and perspectives that you bring to the Stern community. 

While your resume and other essays may highlight your professional journey and goals, the “Pick Six” essay serves as a canvas for showcasing your personal identity and what drives you outside of your career ambitions. 

The admissions committee aims to grasp a holistic view of your character, values, motivations, and how you might contribute to and thrive within their MBA program.

To craft a compelling “Pick Six” essay for NYU Stern, consider the following steps:

• Start with Reflection : Begin by reflecting on what makes you unique as an individual beyond your professional achievements. Think about your personal journey, pivotal moments, passions, and the values that define you. This introspection will guide you in selecting images that authentically represent different facets of your identity.
• Select Meaningful Images : Choose images that resonate deeply with who you are and what matters to you. These can range from personal milestones and hobbies to cultural experiences and relationships. Each image should tell a story or convey an aspect of your character that might not be apparent from your resume or other application materials.
• Diversify Your Selection : Ensure diversity in your choices to present a well-rounded portrait of yourself. Include a mix of images that highlight various dimensions of your life, such as community involvement, intellectual pursuits, creative endeavors, or moments of personal growth. This diversity will help the admissions committee grasp the breadth of your personality and interests.
• Craft Compelling Captions : Write concise, one-sentence captions for each image that provide context and enhance the viewer’s understanding. Avoid merely describing what’s visible in the image; instead, use the caption to delve into why that particular image is significant to you and how it reflects your values or aspirations. Captions should complement the images by adding depth and personal insight.
• Ensure Cohesion : Consider how your six images work together as a cohesive narrative. Each image should contribute something unique to the overall portrayal of your character. Avoid redundancy by ensuring that each selection offers new insights or perspectives that collectively paint a comprehensive picture of who you are.

Here are some additional tips to refine your “Pick Six” essay:

• Authenticity Matters : Be genuine in your selection of images and captions. Choose moments and experiences that genuinely reflect your personality and values.
• Showcase Diversity : Use this opportunity to showcase the breadth of your interests and experiences. Balance serious reflections with lighter, more personal moments to provide a well-rounded view of yourself.
• Highlight Impact : Emphasize the significance of each image in shaping your outlook or character. Explain why each moment or object is meaningful to you and how it contributes to your personal narrative.
• Review and Revise : After selecting your images and drafting captions, review them critically. Ensure that each element contributes meaningfully to your overall portrayal. Edit for clarity, conciseness, and impact.
• Stay True to Stern’s Culture : Consider how your selections and narratives align with NYU Stern’s emphasis on emotional intelligence (EQ) and community engagement. Show how you embody these values through your chosen images.

Essay 3: Additional Information (optional) (500 word maximum, double-spaced, 12-point font) Please provide any additional information that you would like to bring to the attention of the Admissions Committee and/or give context to your application. This may include important aspects of yourself not otherwise apparent in your application, including but not limited to: hardships you have encountered, current or past gaps in employment, further explanation of your undergraduate record or self-reported academic transcript(s), plans to retake the GMAT, GRE, Executive Assessment, IELTS or TOEFL, or any other relevant information.

After completing your application, the optional essay at NYU Stern provides an additional chance to offer the Admissions Committee any extra information or clarity that could strengthen your candidacy.

One common mistake MBA applicants make is using this essay to introduce a completely new topic. However, this approach may not always be advisable.

You should utilize this essay only if what you write adds context to an aspect of your application, enhancing your overall candidacy. Avoid the temptation to introduce unnecessary content that could potentially detract from your application.

NYU Stern’s optional essay prompt is broader than many others. This year, the admissions committee has expanded it to encourage candidates, if they wish, to discuss aspects of their diversity. This adjustment may reflect recent legal developments limiting direct inquiries into applicants’ race and gender by schools. 

The prompt also allows candidates to address any weaknesses in their application profile, providing an opportunity to resolve any lingering questions the admissions officers may have. However, it’s important not to feel pressured to fill this space unnecessarily, as leaving it blank will not be held against you. 

Lastly, refrain from repurposing essays written for other schools or including anecdotes that didn’t fit elsewhere.

Crafting impactful essays for NYU Stern requires a blend of introspection, creativity, and strategic thinking. Each essay prompt is designed to uncover different facets of your personality and experiences, providing an opportunity to present a holistic view of yourself beyond your resume. 

Whether you’re tackling the “Pick Six” essay or the Change essay, remember to stay true to yourself, leverage your unique experiences, and align your narrative with NYU Stern’s values and culture. By approaching each essay with authenticity and purpose, you can effectively demonstrate why you are a perfect fit for NYU Stern’s MBA program.

Remember, your journey to NYU Stern begins with a thoughtful and compelling application.

Drop us a line if you’d like to have a chat about your MBA applications – we’d be glad to be of help!

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NYU Stern Essays for the MBA Class of 2027

Is New York University’s  Stern School of Business on your list of target MBA programs? Then get ready to hit the ground running. The NYU Stern essays and deadlines have been confirmed for the 2024-2025 admissions season.

But first, a note about these NYU Stern essays from the AdCom team:

Our Stern essay questions give you the opportunity to more fully present yourself to the Admissions Committee and to provide insight into your experiences, goals, and thought processes.

Please note the following details when completing your essays:

• Written essays must be submitted using double-spacing and 12-point font.
• Your response to Essay 1 should answer all parts of the question with a maximum of 350 words.
• Your essays should be written entirely by you. An offer of admission will be revoked if you did not write your essays.

NYU Stern Essays for 2024-2025

Short answer: professional aspirations.

(150 word maximum, double-spaced, 12-point font)

• What are your short-term career goals?

Essay 1: Change: ________ it.

(350 word maximum, double-spaced, 12-point font)

In today’s global business environment, the only constant is change. Using NYU Stern’s brand call to action, we want to know how you view change. Change: _____ it. Fill in the blank with a word of your choice. Why does this word resonate with you? How will you embrace your own personal tagline while at Stern? Examples:

• Change: Dare it.
• Change: Dream it.
• Change: Drive it.
• Change: Empower it.
• Change: Manifest it.
• Change: [Any word of your choice.]

Essay 2: Personal Expression (a.k.a. “Pick Six”)

Introduce yourself to the Admissions Committee and to your future classmates using six images and corresponding captions.  The Pick Six is a way to share more about the qualities you will bring to the Stern community, beyond your professional and academic achievements. Your uploaded PDF should contain all of the following elements:

• A brief introduction or overview of your “Pick Six” (no more than 3 sentences).
• Six images that help illustrate your interests, values, motivations, perspective and/or personality.
• A one-sentence caption for each of the six images that helps explain why they were selected and are significant to you.

Note: Your visuals may include photos, infographics, drawings, collages, or any other images. Your document must be uploaded as a single PDF. The essay cannot be sent in physical form or be linked to a website.

Essay 3: Additional Information (Optional) (500 word maximum)

Please provide any additional information that you would like to bring to the attention of the Admissions Committee and/or give context to your application. This may include important aspects of yourself not otherwise apparent in your application, including but not limited to: hardships you have encountered, current or past gaps in employment, further explanation of your undergraduate record or self-reported academic transcript(s), plans to retake the GMAT, GRE, Executive Assessment, IELTS or TOEFL, or any other relevant information.

If you are a reapplicant, please utilize this optional essay to highlight any changes since your last application.

For more information on applying, please visit the  NYU Stern MBA admissions website. If you need guidance on your NYU Stern essays and MBA application or wish to discuss your MBA plans, reach out for a  complimentary analysis  of your candidacy. We’re here to help!

Here’s a snapshot of the caliber of expertise on our SBC team .

HBS Admissions Board at Harvard Business School HBS MBA

HBS Admissions Board at Harvard Business School Kellogg MBA

Director HBS Admissions at Harvard Business School MBA, the Wharton School

HBS Admissions Board at Harvard Business School

Director HBS Admissions at Harvard Business School HBS MBA

Admissions Officer at Stanford's Graduate School of Business (GSB) MBA, Stanford's Graduate School of Business (GSB)

Asst Director MBA Admissions at Stanford's Graduate School of Business (GSB) Director MBA Admissions at Berkeley’s Haas School of Business

MBA, Stanford's Graduate School of Business (GSB) Minority Admissions, the GSB Diversity Programs, the GSB

Associate Director MBA Admissions at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania

Associate Director MBA Admissions and Marketing at the Wharton MBA’s Lauder Institute

Director, the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania Professional Writer

Assistant Director MBA Admissions at Columbia Business School (CBS) NYU Admissions

Assistant Director MBA Admissions at Columbia Business School (CBS) M.S.Ed, Higher Education, U of Pennsylvania

Associate Director MBA Admissions at Columbia Business School (CBS)

Ashley is a former MBA Admissions Board Member for Harvard Business School (HBS), where she interviewed and evaluated thousands of business school applicants for over a six year tenure.  Ashley  holds an MBA from HBS. During her HBS years,  Ashley  was the Sports Editor for the Harbus and a member of the B-School Blades Ice Hockey Team. After HBS, she worked in Marketing at the Gillette Company on Male and Female shaving ...

Kerry is a former member of the Admissions Board at Harvard Business School (HBS). During her 5+ year tenure at HBS, she read and evaluated hundreds of applications and interviewed MBA candidates from a wide range of backgrounds across the globe. She also led marketing and outreach efforts focused on increasing diversity and inclusion, ran the Summer Venture in Management Program (SVMP), and launched the 2+2 Program during her time in Admissions. Kerry holds a B.A. from Bates College and  ...

A former associate director of admissions at Harvard Business School, Pauline served on the HBS MBA Admissions Board full-time for four years. She evaluated and interviewed HBS applicants, both on-campus and globally.  Pauline's career has included sales and marketing management roles with Coca-Cola, Gillette, Procter & Gamble, and IBM.  For over 10 years, Pauline has expertly guided MBA applicants, and her clients h ...

Geri is a former member of the Admissions Board at Harvard Business School (HBS).  In her 7 year tenure in HBS Admissions, she read and evaluated hundreds of applications and interviewed MBA candidates from a diverse set of academic, geographic, and employment backgrounds.  Geri also traveled globally representing the school at outreach events in order to raise awareness for women and international students.  In additio ...

Laura comes from the MBA Admissions Board at Harvard Business School (HBS) and is an HBS MBA alumnus. In her HBS Admissions role, she evaluated and interviewed hundreds of business school candidates, including internationals, women, military and other applicant pools, for five years.  Prior to her time as a student at HBS, Laura began her career in advertising and marketing in Chicago at Leo Burnett where she worked on th ...

Andrea served as the Associate Director of MBA Admissions at Harvard Business School (HBS) for over five years.  In this role, she provided strategic direction for student yield-management activities and also served as a full member of the admissions committee. In 2007, Andrea launched the new 2+2 Program at Harvard Business School – a program targeted at college junior applicants to Harvard Business School.  Andrea has also served as a Career Coach for Harvard Business School for both cu ...

Jennifer served as Admissions Officer at the Stanford (GSB) for five years. She holds an MBA from Stanford (GSB) and a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Jennifer has over 15 years experience in guiding applicants through the increasingly competitive admissions process into top MBA programs. Having read thousands and thousands of essays and applications while at Stanford (GSB) Admiss ...

Erin served in key roles in MBA Admissions--as Director at Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley and Assistant Director at Stanford's Graduate School of Business (GSB). Erin served on the admissions committee at each school and has read thousands of applications in her career. At Haas, she served for seven years in roles that encompassed evaluation, outreach, and diversity and inclusion. During her tenure in Admissions at GSB, she was responsible for candidate evaluation, applicant outreach, ...

Susie comes from the Admissions Office of the Stanford Graduate School of Business where she reviewed and evaluated hundreds of prospective students’ applications.  She holds an MBA from Stanford’s GSB and a BA from Stanford in Economics. Prior to advising MBA applicants, Susie held a variety of roles over a 15-year period in capital markets, finance, and real estate, including as partner in one of the nation’s most innovative finance and real estate investment organizations. In that r ...

Dione holds an MBA degree from Stanford Business School (GSB) and a BA degree from Stanford University, where she double majored in Economics and Communication with concentrations in journalism and sociology. Dione has served as an Admissions reader and member of the Minority Admissions Advisory Committee at Stanford.   Dione is an accomplished and respected advocate and thought leader on education and diversity. She is ...

Anthony served as the Associate Director of MBA Admissions at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, where he dedicated over 10 years of expertise. During his time as a Wharton Admissions Officer, he read and reviewed thousands of applications and helped bring in a class of 800+ students a year.   Anthony has traveled both domestically and internationally to recruit a ...

Meghan served as the Associate Director of Admissions and Marketing at the Wharton MBA’s Lauder Institute, a joint degree program combining the Wharton MBA with an MA in International Studies. In her role on the Wharton MBA admissions committee, Meghan advised domestic and international applicants; conducted interviews and information sessions domestically and overseas in Asia, Central and South America, and Europe; and evaluated applicants for admission to the program. Meghan also managed ...

Amy comes from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania where she was Associate Director. Amy devoted 12 years at the Wharton School, working closely with MBA students and supporting the admissions team.  During her tenure at Wharton, Amy served as a trusted adviser to prospective applicants as well as admitted and matriculated students.  She conducted admissions chats with applicants early in the admissions ...

Ally brings six years of admissions experience to the SBC team, most recently as an Assistant Director of Admission for the full-time MBA program at Columbia Business School (CBS).  During her time at Columbia, Ally was responsible for reviewing applications, planning recruitment events, and interviewing candidates for both the full-time MBA program and the Executive MBA program. She traveled both internationally and dome ...

Erin has over seven years of experience working across major institutions, including University of Pennsylvania, Columbia Business School, and NYU's Stern School of Business. At Columbia Business School, Erin was an Assistant Director of Admissions where she evaluated applications for both the full time and executive MBA programs, sat on the admissions and merit scholarship committees and advised applicants on which program might be the best fit for them based on their work experience and pro ...

Emma comes from the MBA Admissions Office at Columbia Business School (CBS), where she was Associate Director.  Emma conducted dozens of interviews each cycle for the MBA and EMBA programs, as well as coordinating the alumni ambassador interview program. She read and evaluated hundreds of applications each cycle, delivered information sessions to audiences across the globe, and advised countless waitlisted applicants.

image by Flickr user Ajay Suresh CC BY 2.0

With deadlines around the corner, you may be interested in the world-famous SBC Flight Test . Once a full set of application materials for your initial school have been drafted, but not finalized, the application will be sent to a former admissions committee member for a one-time review, adcomm style. You’ll have the benefit of a true admissions committee review while still having the ability to tinker and change.  You will receive written feedback within two business days after submitting.

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NYU Stern MBA Essay Tips and Deadlines [2024-2025], Class Profile

In addition to its traditional two-year, full-time MBA, NYU Stern offers a menu of options in graduate management education, including a one-year Tech MBA and a one-year Fashion and Luxury MBA.

Stern MBA students can select up to three specializations or choose not to specialize at all.

Ready to get to work on your NYU Stern application? Here is some expert advice to help you get accepted:

NYU Stern application essay tips

Nyu stern application deadlines.

• NYU Stern class profile

NYU Stern Essay #1

Change: _____ it..

(350 word maximum, double-spaced, 12-point font)

In today’s global business environment, the only constant is change. Using NYU Stern’s brand call to action, we want to know how you view change. Change: _____ it. Fill in the blank with a word of your choice. Why does this word resonate with you? How will you embrace your own personal tagline while at Stern? Examples:

• Change: Dare it.
• Change: Dream it.
• Change: Drive it.
• Change: Empower it.
• Change: Manifest it.
• Change: [Any word of your choice] it.

As you approach this question, obviously you have to think about what change means to you. But what is more important than the specific verb you choose to fill in the blank is the rest of the adcom’s question. Why are you choosing it? Do you have one or two examples that show how you have effected change in your work or personal life? Finally, given your reasons and your verb choice, how will you embody this motto while at Stern?

To answer the last part of the question, you must do your research. What are the curricular and extracurricular opportunities at NYU Stern that will allow you to live your tagline while you are a student there? Check out Admissions Straight Talk Episode 525, “ How to Get Accepted to NYU Stern ,” in which Executive Director for MBA Admissions Lindsay Loyd discusses Stern’s Change Studio (see 8:40). 

NYU Stern Essay #2

Personal expression (a.k.a “pick six”).

Introduce yourself to the Admissions Committee and to your future classmates using six images and corresponding captions. Your uploaded PDF should contain all of the following elements:

• A brief introduction or overview of your “Pick Six” (No more than 3 sentences).
• Six images that help illustrate your interests, values, motivations, perspective and/or personality.
• A one-sentence caption for each of the six images that helps explain why they were selected and are significant to you.

Note: Your visuals may include photos, infographics, drawings, or any other images that best describe you. Your document must be uploaded as a single PDF. The essay cannot be sent in physical form or be linked to a website.

Nedjee Corriolan, the assistant director of MBA admissions at Stern , shares her advice on tackling this essay: “From your first image to the very last image, you’re creating a visually dynamic story. It’s important to understand what the message behind each photo is so you can capture the narrative in your brief caption.” She states that the “why” means more than the “what.”

As you are selecting your images, ask yourself these questions: Why is this important to me? And what does this show about who I am? Corriolan suggests that you show the images to a friend and ask them what the images convey about you. Does what they say match your idea for a caption? Maybe they have other ideas. Brainstorm and see what you can come up with. This is a fun essay, so you should have fun putting it together! It doesn’t have to be about your professional achievements – that is covered elsewhere in your application and resume. You are not your job. Think about who you are in your life outside of work and what is important to you. Although you have the option of including something professional or related to your goals, make sure that your images complement those goals. Let your individuality shine in this essay to differentiate you from other candidates. This can be a great place to reveal personal interests, hobbies, or community service commitments.

Remember, each caption is only one sentence, so don’t pick an image that will require a complicated explanation. It might relate back to one of your essays, but really, it should showcase a new facet of your personality. 

NYU Stern Associate Dean of MBA Admissions and Program Innovation Isser Gallogly, explained to us at Accepted that today, images are used as much as words are for communications. He strongly feels that combining images with a few sentences and captions might be more comfortable for applicants accustomed to communicating on Instagram, Facebook, and other social media platforms. So let your visual talents shine. You can go deep into one special interest or let your six picks show different facets of you and your experience.

You can use word clouds, graphs, infographics, charts, and of course pictures. Basically anything two-dimensional that will go into a PDF for uploading can work for Stern’s Pick Six essay.

NYU Stern Essay #3

Additional information (optional).

(500 word maximum, double-spaced, 12-point font)

Please provide any additional information that you would like to bring to the attention of the Admissions Committee and/or give context to your application. This may include important aspects if yourself not otherwise apparent in your application, including but not limited to: hardships you have encountered, current or past gaps in employment, further explanation of your undergraduate record or self-reported academic transcript(s), plans to retake the GMAT, GRE, IELTS or TOEFL, or any other relevant information.

Stern provides several suggestions regarding what to include in this essay. However, if you have something significant you would like the admissions committee to know and that topic isn’t mentioned in the school’s prompt, don’t worry. This prompt is open enough that you can still write this optional essay to explain it. Just don’t duplicate information that’s found elsewhere in your application.

For expert guidance with your NYU Stern MBA application, schedule a free 30 minute consultation with an Accepted expert. We’ve helped hundreds of applicants get accepted to NYU Stern’s MBA program and look forward to helping you, too!

Source: NYU Stern website

***Disclaimer: Information is subject to change. Please check with NYU Stern directly to verify its essay questions, instructions, and deadlines.***

NYU Stern Class Profile 

Here is a look at NYU Stern’s full-time, two-year MBA Class of 2025 (data taken from the NYU Stern website ). Note that NYU Stern has adopted the Graduate Management Education Admissions Reporting Standards.

Applicants: 3,075

Admits: 966

Admission rate: 31%

Number enrolled: 327

U.S. military veterans/active duty: 13%

LGBTQ+: 13%

Students with international citizenship: 48%

Countries represented: 46

Average age: 28

Age range (100%): 21-37

Minorities: 47%

Underrepresented minorities: 17%

Race and ethnicity ( multidimensional guidelines )

• White, Non-Hispanic: 57%
• Asian American: 33%
• African American, Black: 9%
• Hispanic, Latino: 8%
• Did not specify: 6%
• American Indian, Alaskan Native or Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander: 1%
• Multi-race: -%

Average GPA: 3.61

GPA range (80%): 3.34-3.87

GPA range (100%): 2.96-4.00

GMAT average: 732

GMAT range (80%): 700-760

GMAT range (100%): 650-780

GRE Quant average: 163

GRE Quant range (80%): 157-170

GRE Quant range (100%): 155-170

GRE Verbal average: 163

GRE Verbal range (80%): 158-168

GRE Verbal range (100%): 155-169

Standardized test type:

• Test waiver: 9%
• NYU test waiver: 6%
• MCAT/LSAT/DAT: 4%

Students with work experience: 99%

Average years of work experience: 5.2

Range of years of work experience (100%): 0-14

Prior industries:

• Financial Services: 26%
• Consulting: 12%
• Technology: 10%
• Military, Government: 8%
• Entertainment, Media: 6% 
• Healthcare, Pharmaceuticals: 6%
• Nonprofit, Arts, Education: 6%
• Consumer Products, Retail: 5%
• Real Estate: 5%
• Advertising, Public Relations: 3%
• Engineering 2%
• Manufacturing, Import/Export, Trade: 2%

Dr. Christie St-John has more than 25 years of higher ed and admissions experience, including ten years in admissions at Dartmouth Tuck. She was formerly the director of MBA recruiting and admissions, director of international relations, and an adjunct faculty member at Vanderbilt University. Having also served on the board of directors of the MBA Career Services & Employer Alliance and the Consortium for Graduate Studies in Management, Christie has a deep knowledge of MBA and other graduate admissions. Want Christie to help you get Accepted? Click here to get in touch!

Related Resources:

• M7 MBA Programs: Everything You Need to Know in 202 4
• The MBA Admissions Calculator
• How to Get Accepted to NYU Stern , podcast Episode 525

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2024-2025 NYU Stern MBA Essay Analysis and Tips

Admit expert.

• July 29, 2024

The admissions committee for Stern’s MBA program states that it looks for “students who best reflect Stern’s fundamental value: IQ+EQ.” The admissions committee is very selective, and they look for candidates who can show that they have a high level of intellectual capacity, excellent interpersonal skills, and a willingness to create value for both business and society.

The academic, professional, and personal spheres of one’s life are the focal points of the Stern MBA’s evaluation of IQ and EQ. The admissions committee will primarily analyze your academic prowess based on your GMAT score as well as your overall grade point average. Nevertheless, the essays that are required for admission to NYU Stern are an essential component of your application process. In particular, they shed light on the aspirations you have for your professional life as well as your personality.

What NYU Stern MBA essays are all about?

What do you want to do? Who do you want to be? All of the required essays for Stern should give you a clear and inspiring direction for your professional life, based on your motivations, goals, ideals, and values. Your written and visual answers help the admissions team figure out what motivates you in your career and in life as a whole.

NYU Stern MBA essay for 2025 intake

Short answer: professional aspirations.

(150 word maximum, double-spaced, 12-point font)

What are your short-term career goals?

Essay 1: Change: _________ it

(350 word maximum, double-spaced, 12-point font)

In today’s global business environment, the only constant is change. Using NYU Stern’s brand call to action, we want to know how you view change. Change: _____ it. Fill in the blank with a word of your choice. Why does this word resonate with you? How will you embrace your own personal tagline while at Stern? Examples:

• Change: Dare it.
• Change: Dream it.
• Change: Drive it.
• Change: Empower it.
• Change: Manifest it.
• Change: [Any word of your choice] it.

Essay 2: Personal Expression (a.k.a. “Pick Six”)

Describe yourself to the Admissions Committee and to your future classmates using six images and corresponding captions. Your uploaded PDF should contain all of the following elements:

A brief introduction or overview of your “Pick Six” (no more than 3 sentences).

Six images that help illustrate who you are.

A one-sentence caption for each of the six images that helps explain why they were selected and are significant to you.

Note: Your visuals may include photos, infographics, drawings, or any other images that best describe you. Your document must be uploaded as a single PDF. The essay cannot be sent in physical form or be linked to a website.

Essay 3: Additional Information (optional)

(250 word maximum, double-spaced, 12-point font)

Please provide any additional information that you would like to bring to the attention of the Admissions Committee. This may include current or past gaps in employment, further explanation of your undergraduate record or self-reported academic transcript(s), plans to retake the GMAT, GRE, Executive Assessment, IELTS or TOEFL, or any other relevant information.

Instructions

• 150 words maximum
• double-spaced
• 12-point font

NYU doesn’t ask you why you need an MBA to reach your goals, they just ask you what they are. But while many people want an MBA, NYU wants to put its money into those who can use it best. So, make sure that getting an MBA from Stern will help you reach your goals.

Short-term goals after an MBA should be both realistic and ambitious. Getting an MBA from NYU Stern will help you get better jobs. So, you should use the NYU Stern essays to show that you’re ready to take advantage of the chances.

First, think about your past jobs, your MBA, and a short-term goal that makes sense. Your goal should be based on the work you have done recently and the skills you will learn in the NYU MBA program. Also, if there’s room, give specific examples.

Lastly, since you only have 150 words, you should focus on your career goal and some basic information about yourself. The rest of your application should then fill out your overall goals.

Change: _________ it

• 350 words maximum

In today’s global business environment, the only constant is change. Using NYU Stern’s brand call to action, we want to know how you view change. Change: _____ it. Fill in the blank with a word of your choice. Why does this word resonate with you? How will you embrace your own personal tagline while at Stern?

You have to think about what change means to you when you answer this question. 

But the rest of the question is more important than the verb you choose to fill in the blank. Why did you decide on it? Can you give a short example that shows how important it is?

Take some time to reflect on what you stand to gain and lose if you embrace change. What impact has it had on your personal and professional life thus far? How do you feel about change in your life? How do you deal with it on a daily basis? What are your thoughts on making changes? Do you welcome them or do you dread them? 

Why? The admissions committee is not expecting you to guess the “correct” response to these kinds of questions, so don’t be afraid to go outside the box. 

As an applicant, you want to make your essay memorable by using a word that is meaningful to you and represents your attitude toward change, not a phrase you hope no one else would use or that requires a reader to reach for the dictionary. 

It is important to remember that change does not necessarily have to be pursued indiscriminately for the sake of change. For example, if the candidate has strong personal reasons for this mindset and can clearly describe how it could be valuable at Stern, “regulate change” could be a valid and persuasive choice.

Lastly, based on your reasons and the verb, how will you live up to this motto at Stern?

It is imperative that you know the school thoroughly in order to come up with the strongest possible ideas on this topic because if what you describe or propose is just not possible at Stern or does not connect with its values and culture, this will not be a point in your favor.

Find specific opportunities and niches that fit your personality, abilities, expertise, and/or knowledge while conducting your research. This will help you find the best fit for your proposed slogan as well.

If you’re interested in learning more about what it’s like to be a student at the school, you can start by reading student blogs, perusing discussion boards, catching up on the previous year or more news releases from the school, and spending some time on Stern’s YouTube channel.

Essay 1 explains your career objectives – what you do – whereas essay 2 reveals your personal characteristics. Admissions at Stern also take into account a candidate’s academic and professional experience, but they also search for students who will get involved in the school and their community. This is a classic Stern question, and it’s a great opportunity to show off your unique personality. A variety of photographs are acceptable as long as they are meaningful to you and, if feasible, relate to the qualities that Stern is seeking.

Consider how you will select photographs to interact with your prospective peers and the admissions committee at Stern MBA. Consider the story you wish to tell. Is it a collage or a progression of your life? What role do the images have in telling the story?

While the medium might be anything, the most important aspect of this essay is the content. First, generate ideas for the information you wish to communicate. Then, consider your unique personal attributes and the ones that your friends and family value most. Next, consider how you would like your students to perceive you. What facts would you share with a new acquaintance?

Creating a story through visuals

Your six photographs can be all personal, all professional (not advised! ), have a deeper meaning for you, or be aspirational and forward-looking. You may also like to display a trip you have taken or an important person in your life. Alternatively, you may reveal your future aspirations and intentions.

Isser Gallogly, associate dean of MBA admissions, has stated that this question resembles a social media post about your life that you may share with your friends. As a result, photos are more and more significant in digital communication. Therefore, this essay requires the predominant usage of visuals (drawings, photos, infographics, or any other images you choose).

Each image’s one-sentence caption will also provide an opportunity to contextualize. What does it say about your history or future, for instance, if you exhibit a picture of a happy family? Who are the individuals to you? Finally, if you use an image of a location or period, you might use words to describe its significance to you.

• 250 words maximum

If you believe that there may be a weakness or gap in your application, such as those outlined in the description, it may be beneficial to use the third, optional essay. 

This is also a chance to provide more information if you did not submit a recommendation from your immediate supervisor. 

It is a personal decision whether or not to utilize this essay, but it can be helpful to demonstrate to the admissions committee that you are aware of a potential weakness and have taken action to remedy it.

In conclusion, you should not wait until the last minute to submit your complete application. Start as early as feasible and devote sufficient time to research before composing your articles. This can assist you with the content of your writing. Don’t worry if you are unable to submit your application before the initial deadline. It is more crucial that you do everything necessary to strengthen your application.

Let us help you get into NYU Stern

We will help you write essays that portray your unique strengths and experiences in the most favorable light so that your application shines above the rest. We have helped hundreds of students get into top US business schools. Let us help you too.

Do you want to get into your dream business school?

Take the first step towards your MBA dream and schedule a free 1 on 1 application strategy call with us.

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Stern at NYUAD One-year Full-time MBA essay questions give students the opportunity to more fully present themselves to the Admissions Committee and to provide insight into their experiences, motivations, and goals.

Essays must be written entirely by the applicant. An offer of admission will be rescinded if an applicant did not write their essays.

Essay 1: Change: _________ it

(350 word maximum)

In today’s global business environment, the only constant is change. Using NYU Stern’s brand call to action, we want to know how you view change. Change: _____ it. Fill in the blank with a word of your choice. Why does this word resonate with you? How will you embrace your own personal tagline while in the Stern at NYUAD One-year Full-time MBA program?

Change: Dare it. Change: Dream it. Change: Drive it. Change: Empower it. Change: Manifest it. Change: [Any word of your choice] it.

Essay 2: Why the Stern at NYUAD One-year Full-time MBA Program?

(500 word maximum)

What fuels your interest in pursuing the Stern at NYUAD One-year Full-time MBA Program? How does it support your short and long-term career goals?

Essay 3: Additional Information (optional)

(250 word maximum)

Please provide any additional information that you would like to bring to the attention of the Admissions Committee. This may include important aspects of yourself not otherwise apparent in your application, current or past gaps in employment, further explanation of your undergraduate record academic transcript(s), plans to retake the GMAT, GRE, Executive Assessment, IELTS or TOEFL, or any other relevant information.

2024-2025 NYU Stern MBA Essay Tips and Example Essays

Jun 15, 2024

• Who is Stern Looking for?
• How should I answer the essay question?
• Get into NYU Stern

UPDATE : This article was originally posted on August 14, 2020. It has been updated with new information and tips below. 

Located at the center of a major business hub and offering specialized 1-year programs in tech and fashion, NYU Stern is at the top of the list for a growing number of both US-based and international MBA applicants. 

However, with impressive recruiting statistics and its new Change: Studio program, the competition to join Stern’s elite MBA is more difficult than ever. 

That’s why we’ve prepared this guide to help you use your Stern essays to stand out. We’ve rounded up our best tips and links to NYU Stern MBA sample essays to ensure you give your Haas application your best shot. 

1. Who is Stern Looking for?

(Photo courtesy of @nyustern on Instagram)

“We look for people who share our values, and understand who we are and what we are about. EQ is something we have always looked for. We want people who want to be part of the NYC landscape, our urban advantage. We look for those with an understanding of what good business can do for society, not just looking at the bottom line.” Rabia Ahmed , Executive Director of Strategic Marketing and Admissions at NYU Stern School of Business

Every year, NYU Stern reviews thousands of applicants from outstanding professionals in order to determine who to admit to its class of around 320 full-time MBA students. With a strong emphasis on international and gender diversity, there is no “typical” NYU Stern student, yet the average student admitted to the Class of 2025 did have a 732 average GMAT score, 163V/163Q GRE score, and 5.2 years of full-time work experience .

Beyond the impressive statistics, though, Stern is looking for candidates who want to make a positive impact on the world through their careers. That’s why, in addition to strong academic performance (demonstrated through test scores and university grades), Stern seeks candidates who possess the following qualities:

If this sounds like a community in which you’d be right at home, you’ll first have to prove you’ve got what it takes by successfully answering Stern’s challenging admissions essay questions. 

2. How should I answer the essay question?

2.1. short answer tips.

Short Answer: Professional Aspirations

(150 word maximum, double-spaced, 12-point font)

What are your short-term career goals?

Like many other schools, NYU Stern has taken clear steps each year to make their application increasingly streamlined. 

This is important to keep in mind because Stern has deliberately been very clear about what they want here: short-term goals only . 

TOP TIP: If you’re not sure what your goals are, check out this post designed to help you think through this critical component of your application!

When discussing your goals , clarity is king, so make sure you include a job title and industry in your description of your post-MBA aspiration. 

However, goals without context can be a little confusing to decipher or understand (or they can just seem a bit lackluster). For example, a recent client initially started his essay by saying: 

“ I want to become a Business Development Director at a Brazilian company. ”

While interesting, it’s better to give a little bit of context to help these goals come to life. Check out the final version of the same essay’s introduction:

“In the 1970s, the phrase “think global, act local” came into use, suggesting that for the world to change, one must be active locally. With this mindset, I focused my career on Brazilian multinational companies to start creating global change at home. I now seek to take the next step to become a “glocal” leader by becoming Business Development Director at a Brazilian company.”

After clearly stating your goal ( and your motivations for having this goal ), we suggest you briefly touch on how Stern can help you achieve these goals, if you have space. This should not be a “laundry list” of 10 classes you found on the NYU site, nor a section in which you repeat clichés about the school. 

Instead, you should thoughtfully consider how you must grow personally and professionally to reach your stated short-term goal and what elements of NYU Stern (classes, faculty, clubs, etc.) will help you reach them. 

Ending your essay with a killer conclusion sentence to leave your reader with a strong image of your profile is the perfect wrap-up. 

Need more guidance? 

Our MBA Resource Center has dozens of NYU Stern MBA essays that worked to get our clients admitted to help you plan out a winning NYU Stern essay. Our library also includes guides for all top global MBA programs, detailed essay brainstorms, interview tips and mocks, CV templates, and recommendation letter guides. Click to join ! 

2.2. Essay 1 Tips

Essay 1: Change: _________ it

In today’s global business environment, the only constant is change. Using NYU Stern’s brand call to action, we want to know how you view change. Change: _____ it. 

Fill in the blank with a word of your choice. Why does this word resonate with you? How will you embrace your own personal tagline while at Stern? (350 word maximum, double-spaced, 12-point font) Examples:

• Change: Dare it.
• Change: Dream it.
• Change: Drive it.
• Change: Empower it.
• Change: Manifest it.
• Change: [Any word of your choice.]

One of the biggest mistakes we see for these more creative essays is that applicants tend to think of the catch-phrase or motto as being more important than the rest of the content of the essay. Here, though it is instrumental that you fully answer the prompt, you want to make sure to be highly strategic in how you tackle this question.

In that sense, we recommend that you first consider the rest of your application. In the other two (very short!) essays, your CV, and your Letters of Recommendation, what will the Stern Admissions Committee learn about you? Thinking about your personal brand , have you covered everything about your profile that makes you truly unique?

We then recommend that you compile a list of stories that you weren’t able to share elsewhere and filter these stories for those that have an element of change and that are truly meaningful to you. 

For example, last year, we worked with a client who advocated tirelessly for transgender rights, even leading a movement to change a biased law that provided healthcare to this population. Not only does an example like this show an important achievement that was deeply meaningful to the applicant, but it also featured a strong element of change. 

NYU Stern highly values emotional intelligence , and this essay prompt can be a great way to demonstrate that you possess this trait. 

On the other hand, the second part of the question means that you also need to choose a story that you can tie your engagement with the NYU Stern Community . So, while getting into a great college might have been an important moment for you that changed your trajectory, it might not be the best story to connect with Stern. Of course, there are always exceptions, but make sure you can convincingly tie the story you choose to Stern. 

After choosing your example, start to brainstorm the word you’ll use to complete the prompt (if you don’t use one of the phrases the admissions committee gives). Here, don’t aim to find a word that the AdCom has never heard of, just to try to stand out. Instead, choose an example that goes to the core of the change that drove the example you’re presenting (and why this type of change was important to you). For example, if we use the story about transgender rights above, the candidate might choose to write something like “Change: Demand it” or “Change: Fight for it” or even “Change: Ensure it benefits all.” There are no right or wrong answers here, but the best phrases will show a thoughtful, direct connection to your story. 

Of course, this essay is not complete without sharing how you expect to embrace your tagline while at Stern. In this part of the essay, you want to brainstorm ways that you can participate in and contribute to the Stern community. 

This question requires you to complete extensive research on the school , so make sure you give yourself ample time to explore the website, talk to current students and alumni, attend a few webinars, check out Stern’s YouTube and Instagram accounts, and, if possible, visit campus. I would then suggest you think of 3-4 ways you can put your slogan into action. These can range from clubs to specific initiatives to how you plan to connect with others on campus through study groups and other activities. 

Of course, end your essay with a killer conclusion statement that ties it all together and that aligns with your tagline! 

2.3. Essay 2 Tips

Introduce yourself to the Admissions Committee and to your future classmates using six images and corresponding captions. The Pick Six is a way to share more about the qualities you will bring to the Stern community, beyond your professional and academic achievements. Your uploaded PDF should contain all of the following elements:

• A brief introduction or overview of your “Pick Six” (no more than 3 sentences).
• Six images that help illustrate your interests, values, motivations, perspective and/or personality.
• A one-sentence caption for each of the six images that helps explain why they were selected and are significant to you.

Note: Your visuals may include photos, infographics, drawings, collages, or any other images. Your document must be uploaded as a single PDF. The essay cannot be sent in physical form or be linked to a website.

For many years, MBA applications have focused on your CV and your goals to get a very concrete picture of what you bring to the table as an applicant. In recent years, however, we’ve seen a greater move towards questions that get to know the person behind the accomplishments . This is exactly the mission of this essay, which NYU Stern has retained as part of its application for the past several years. 

However, given the extremely open format of this essay, applicants often find themselves panicking when starting to craft their NYU Stern essays. We’re here to tell you that this essay can actually be a very enjoyable experience that highlights your creativity and unique life story! 

When starting out, we recommend that you first think back to your personal brand and the list of achievements and life experiences you compiled during this process. Now, thinking about the fact that you have already had the chance to highlight aspects of your career in the goals essay, what do you believe is still important to include in your application in order to convey the full picture of what you could contribute to the Stern community?

Though you might be tempted to target funny or quirky elements of your profile, we suggest you think more strategically about what NYU Stern is looking for in a candidate and how each image and caption you choose will work to demonstrate your fit with their program. 

For example, perhaps you have a long track record of giving back to the community and want to share a photo from one of your volunteer projects. Or, perhaps you conducted a project in a foreign country and want to share an image of a meeting or cultural event you attended while there and how this encounter shaped your mindset. 

You can also choose to include one or two “lighter” photos that demonstrate interests and hobbies you have actively pursued but make sure these add value. Showing off a meal you ate at a fancy restaurant (unless perhaps you’re like our client Martha and have a thriving food blog with 100k+ subscribers), won’t do much to prove you’re an interesting, dynamic, well-rounded addition to the NYU Stern class. 

After selecting the stories/images you want to use, it’s time to craft your captions. Though you may be tempted to quickly write a description of the photo, remember that the caption is where you are able to demonstrate what you want the admissions committee to learn about you . Since you are limited to a single sentence for each image, concision is key, but make sure that the sentence clearly articulates the experience/value/achievement you want to convey. 

For example, last year, our client Kelsey used a photograph of newspaper article on her handball team’s championship win. Her caption brought in what this meant to her in terms of developing her leadership style, stating: “My first ever leadership position has a huge space in my heart: being captain of my handball team taught me not only the power of commitment, discipline, and teamwork but also of having the sharp emotional intelligence to face my most challenging opponent – myself.”

This is an excellent caption, in our opinion, as it demonstrates a connection with NYU’s focus on emotional intelligence, demonstrates a relevant leadership insight, and includes the right measure of creativity by using a sports metaphor directly linked to her photo.

Top tip: though you can choose to use photographs for all 6 images, things like charts, PowerPoint slides, paintings, drawings, etc. are all fair game. 

2.4. Optional Essay Tips

Please provide any additional information that you would like to bring to the attention of the Admissions Committee and/or give context to your application. This may include important aspects of yourself not otherwise apparent in your application, including but not limited to: hardships you have encountered, current or past gaps in employment, further explanation of your undergraduate record or self-reported academic transcript(s), plans to retake the GMAT, GRE, Executive Assessment, IELTS or TOEFL, or any other relevant information.

If you are a reapplicant, please utilize this optional essay to highlight any changes since your last application. 

(500 word maximum, double-spaced, 12-point font)

This is not a place for you to retell your life story or sum up your interest in Stern or need for an MBA. It is also not a place to copy and paste a strong essay you wrote for another school. Make sure you focus only on weak spots and also discuss what steps you have taken or took to rectify the weaknesses. 

Find additional tips and tricks to help you master the optional essay here . 

If you’re a reapplicant, check out these tips . 

3. Get into NYU Stern

Landing a spot at NYU Stern is no easy task. You’ve spent years building a track record of professional success, dedicated yourself to getting a good GMAT score, and carefully developed your application strategy . 

Now is the time to make sure your accomplishments truly shine, and the only way to do so is to write a clear, compelling admissions essay. 

Ellin Lolis Consulting began with one mission: provide the best possible service to our clients and get them the best possible results . Serving our customers is at the core of our company, and we know that applying for an MBA can be a difficult, long process, but our goal is to take away as much of the stress as possible by acting as your ally in the process. 

So if you need much more than just a few comments on your essay but instead want focused help shaping how you present your life’s greatest hits to one of the world’s toughest critics , you can count on us. 

Our editing service focuses on helping you determine how to present yourself in your NYU Stern essay while using appropriate, impact-driven language and adequate storytelling techniques. 

That’s why 98.9% of our clients secure admissions to at least one of their target schools .

Get in touch and let our award-winning team of writers and storytellers help you make an unforgettable first impression. 

4. Deadlines

The deadlines for the 2024-2025 season are below. You can access the NYU Stern application here . 

NYU Stern Round 1 Deadlines (Full-time MBA)

Application Deadline : September 16, 2024

Initial Notification by* : December 1, 2024

*You will receive one of three initial notifications: invitation to interview, waitlist offer, or denial of admission 

NYU Stern Round 2 Deadlines (Full-time MBA)

Application Deadline : October 16, 2024

Initial Notification by* : January 1, 2025

NYU Stern Round 3 Deadlines (Full-time MBA)

Application Deadline : January 16, 2025

Initial Notification by* : April 1, 2025

*You will receive one of three initial notifications: invitation to interview, waitlist offer, or denial of admission

NYU Stern Round 4 Deadlines (Full-time MBA)

Application Deadline : April 16, 2025

Initial Notification by* : Ongoing

NYU Stern Round 1 Deadlines (Fashion and Luxury MBA – Summer 2024)

Application Deadline : September 6, 2024

NYU Stern Round 2 Deadlines (Fashion and Luxury MBA – Summer 2024)

Application Deadline : November 6, 2024

Initial Notification by* : February 1, 2025

NYU Stern Round 3 Deadlines (Fashion and Luxury MBA – Summer 2024)

Application Deadline : January 6, 2025

Initial Notification by* : March 1, 2025

NYU Stern Round 4 Deadlines (Fashion and Luxury MBA – Summer 2024)**

Application Deadline : February 6, 2025

*You will receive one of three initial notifications: invitation to interview, waitlist offer, or denial of admission **US Citizens and Permanent Residents only

NYU Stern Round 1 Deadlines (Tech MBA – Summer 2025)

Nyu stern round 2 deadlines (tech mba – summer 2025), nyu stern round 3 deadlines (tech mba – summer 2025), nyu stern round 4 deadlines (tech mba – summer 2025)**.

**US Citizens and Permanent Residents only

Applications are due by 11:59 PM Eastern Time on the deadline date. Any applications received after this date will be considered for the next round or will not be considered (if you’re applying for the last deadline). 

**You will receive one of three initial notifications: invitation to interview, waitlist offer, or denial of admission

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Nyu stern's mba admissions essay on "change" is highlighted: "our favorite mba admissions essay topics & what we would ask.".

Excerpt from  Clear Admit  -- "I love the fact that the school offers such a creative way for applicants to share key elements of their background." Read More

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MBA Programs with Consistent Essay Prompts

Hello everyone,

I'm currently preparing my MBA applications for the next cycle, but I've realized that I have to wait until June for the new essay prompts. However, I want to make the most of the time I have now to get ahead since I already have most of the other requirements, such as test scores, recommenders, and transcripts.

Based on this, do you know which schools tend not to change their essay prompts each year?

My school list:

Wharton, CBS, Yale, Haas, Tuck, Cornell, Ross, LBS, UCLA, NYU, and IESE.

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Georgetown MBA Program Launches Applications for 2024 with Three New Essay Prompts

Samantha Krause

August 29, 2023

Georgetown MBA Admissions is now accepting Full-time , Flex MBA , and Flex MBA Online program applications for the fall 2024 semester. The application includes two new written and one new video essay prompt to provide prospective students with more opportunities to share their unique experiences, passions, and personal interests throughout the application process.

“The new essay prompts allow prospective students to dig deeper into their story and share more about the unique experiences and perspectives that shape who they are,” said Shelly Heinrich, associate dean for MBA Admissions and director of marketing. “Grounded in the Jesuit tradition, McDonough strives to educate the whole person – and that starts with telling your authentic story and what you hope to bring to the Georgetown community.”

This year’s written essays include three topics: focusing on Georgetown’s Jesuit value of Magis or achieving “more” or “greater” excellence; fostering a diverse community; and the legacy one hopes to achieve on the Hilltop. As with previous years, students only choose one essay to submit with their application materials. 

Looking beyond professional and academic achievements, the video essay offers a unique opportunity to highlight an applicant’s interests outside of work. Prospective students are asked to share five to 10 random facts that are not on their resume that contribute to who they are as a professional and leader. The video essay builds upon the written essay options, which help the admissions team curate a unique portfolio of students who bring varying personal and professional life experiences to the program. 

To increase program accessibility and reduce economic hardship, the MBA programs also offer application fee reductions and waivers for those with low to no income levels, are members of specific groups, and/or attend certain Georgetown McDonough events. 

The Round 1 application deadline closes on October 2, 2023. Learn about the full application process by reviewing the necessary MBA application components .