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 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!
NYU Stern application deadlines
| First deadline: | September 16, 2024 |
| Second deadline: | October 16, 2024 |
| Third deadline: | January 16, 2025 |
| Fourth deadline: | April 16, 2025 |
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
Women: 43%
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:
- GMAT: 45%
- GRE: 22%
- EA: 14%
- 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%
- Other: 6%
- Consumer Products, Retail: 5%
- Real Estate: 5%
- Advertising, Public Relations: 3%
- Engineering 2%
- Law: 2%
- Manufacturing, Import/Export, Trade: 2%
- Energy: 1%
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!
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