NYU and FAQs (Application tips and Getting in)

For starters I want to say that there is no magic recipe for getting in to NYU, or any school for that matter. Being apart of X, Y, and Z or having this test score or that GPA can't guarantee admission to a selective school like NYU. With that being said, I've recently received a handful of questions asking for tips about the admission process and what my stats were and I know that when I was applying I was obsessed with comparing myself with students who had been admitted to see where I stood. I don't want this post to discourage anyone who may have lower scores or fewer extracurriculars, but I hope that this can be used as a motivating force and help you work towards your goal of getting in to NYU or where you want to go! With that being said, let's get into what you're really here for.

SAT: 2000 (710 math, 670 reading, 620 writing) I took a prep class with revolution prep and it's a bit pricey, but I did see a significant increase in my score from when I took my first practice to when I took the real thing (I went from a 1600ish to 2000).

GPA: 3.90 unweighted 4.82 weighted. I was ranked 4 out of 55 in my class. 

PRE-AP/AP CLASSES: I took 8 Pre-AP Classes and 6 AP classes. My school is small and doesn't offer as many advanced classes as a typical school and I took as many Pre-AP/AP classes that my schedule would permit. The only things worth noting about my classes is that I was a year ahead in math and doubled up my sophomore year so I graduated with 2 extra math credits.

EXTRACURRICULARS: Key Club (2 years), Yearbook Editor (4 years), Blogging (3 years), Latin Dance (1 year), Breakfast club (2 years), Austin Youth Council (2 years), NHS (3 years).

Really the only notable things I had were being yearbook editor for 4 years and being in my city’s youth council and being elected as a representative during my second year. Don’t join clubs or do things just for the sake of adding on to your application. Make sure to do things you are active in and enjoy! I would have done key club all four years because it’s easy and looks good, but I wasn’t active nor did I really care for it so I dropped it and tried to focus my time on other things.

If your school doesn't offer anything you're interesting in, then start something for yourself! Honestly, if I didn't have my blog then I would have had nothing to write about in my essays. Starting something yourself shows ambition, passion, and helps set you apart from the rest.

ESSAYS: NYU, like many schools, uses the common app and has their own essay that you must write for your application. The prompts vary year to year (I think) so I can't give any specific tips. I will say that my common app essay was average at best, but I think I really nailed my NYU essay. I highly recommend looking up how to write an application essay and what admission officers are looking for. For all essays, regardless of the prompt, I think you should really strive to answer these questions: What makes you special, why do you want to be there, and how is the school going to benefit from someone like you. Look up the schools philosophy or see what they talk about incessantly in their brochures. For NYU that means honing in on being "global, urban, inspired, smart, connected, and bold"

In my essay I started off with the typical "NYU is my dream school blah blah blah" It's not bad to do this, just make sure it doesn't take up most of your essay! I used how I was raised by Nigerian Immigrants to connect to the idea that I'm a global thinker and I'm excited to go to a school that connects me to various cultures, ideas, beliefs, etc. I also used this as a time to briefly mention their international studies program which shows that I've done my research into the program I want to be accepted into. I would totally recommend that you take the time to scour the website looking for any interesting tidbit or program that isn't well known or promoted because it shows that you've taken the time to research every aspect of the school which in turn shows dedication and passion about that school. 

I'm pretty lucky in the sense that I feel pretty strongly about what I'm majoring in, so with that knowledge I was able to work it into my essay. I want to major in marketing and I tied that in with my blog that has exposed me to the marketing side of business already. This is a little excerpt of what I wrote:

"Through my blog, I have been exposed to the inner-workings of marketing, and my experiences from marketing and blogging put me above the rest. At NYU, I can only improve. I want to motivate and challenge others, and I am fully capable of taking my acquired knowledge and experience and applying it on a global scale."

Once again, I tied in the whole global aspect and made sure that I wrote with confidence. Your entire application is basically you bragging about yourself and your accomplishments but try to do so in a way that doesn't seem cocky. They already know your accomplishments from other parts of your application, but the essay is where you can really show your passion and drive.

Wow. This post is long as hell. I know that this is a lot to take in, but the best advice I can tell you is be active in things in and out of school, challenge yourself academically, edit your essays ruthlessly (and have other people edit your essays as well), and don't worry too much. You will end up exactly where you need to be.

If you have any more comments, questions, concerns or need some motivation feel free to leave a comment, or reach out to me on twitter/instagram (@toyosioyelola) or tumblr!