Per Accepted’s MBA Selectivity Index, NYU Sterns is the fifteenth most difficult program in US News rankings to gain acceptance to. For students in the class that entered in 2018, the full-time MBA program boasts an average GMAT score of 716, an average GPA of 3.45, and an acceptance rate of 23.2%.
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 Good MBA.
NYU Stern’s essay questions and deadlines are the same as they were last year, but Stern is offering a new specialization in Healthcare this year for the first time. All its full-time MBA students will be eligible to pursue this concentration. Stern MBA students can select up to three specializations or choose not to specialize at all.
My comments and tips are in blue.
NYU Stern 2019-20 MBA application
NYU Stern MBA essay #1 (Professional aspirations)
(500 word maximum, double-spaced, 12-point font)
- What are your short and long-term career goals?
- How will the MBA help you achieve them?
Stern’s #1 is a fairly typical MBA goals question. At the heart of this question: What do you want to do after you graduate that requires an MBA and why is the MBA the best next step for you on this path? You should be able to answer Stern’s #1, or you shouldn’t be applying.
Make sure you answer all elements of the question while staying within the word limits (not guidelines). No adcom member actually counts words, but readers can tell when you are significantly over. “Significantly” in my book is more than 10%. Write succinctly.
You can start your essay with the goals and then give reasons for them as well as how an MBA will help you achieve them. Also consider including an experience that shaped your professional direction.
Alternatively, you can start with a past event or achievement and describe how it influenced the development of your aspirations. Then discuss how an MBA will help you realize your goal or perhaps how this or another event showed you that you currently lack the skills to achieve it.
NYU Stern MBA 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 three 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.
In my interview with Stern’s Associate Dean of MBA Admissions Isser Gallogly, he explained that today images are used for communications as much as words. He strongly feels that images combined with a few sentences and captions may be more comfortable for applicants accustomed to communicating on Instagram, Facebook, etc. So let your visual talents shine. You can go deep on 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 Pick Six.
Where essay 1 is all about your professional goals, the “pick six” essay is about personal expression – you as a human being. While you have the option of including something professional or related to your goals, make sure that this essay complements the first one, which is professionally focused. Let your individuality (not weirdness) shine in this essay. This can be a great place to reveal personal interests, hobbies, or community service commitments.
NYU Stern MBA 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, IELTS or TOEFL, or any other relevant information.
If you are planning to attend the Langone Part-time MBA program and do not currently live in the NYC Metro Area or the Westchester area, please indicate your plans to pursue the program. If you are planning to relocate to the NYC area, please indicate your plans for employment.
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 above, this question is open enough so that you still should write this optional essay. Just don’t duplicate what’s found elsewhere.
For expert guidance with your NYU Stern MBA application, check out Accepted’s MBA Application Packages, which include comprehensive guidance from an experienced admissions consultant. We’ve helped hundreds of applicants get accepted to NYU Stern’s MBA program and look forward to helping you too!
NYU Stern 2019-20 MBA application deadlines
| Application Deadline | Initial Notification By | |
| Round 1 | October 15, 2019 | January 1, 2020 |
| Round 2 | November 15, 2019 | February 1, 2020 |
| Round 3 | January 15, 2020 | April 1, 2020 |
| Round 4 | March 15, 2020 | June 1, 2020 |
***Disclaimer: Information is subject to change. Please check with individual programs to verify the essay questions, instructions and deadlines.***
By Linda Abraham, president and founder of Accepted. Linda earned her bachelors and MBA at UCLA, and has been advising applicants since 1994 when she founded Accepted. Linda is the co-founder and first president of AIGAC. She has written or co-authored 13 e-books on the admissions process, and has been quoted by The Wall Street Journal, U.S. News, Poets & Quants, Bloomberg Businessweek, CBS News, and others. Linda is the host of Admissions Straight Talk, a podcast for graduate school applicants. Want an admissions expert help you get accepted? Click here to get in touch!
Related Resources:
• Why MBA?, a guide to writing about your MBA goals
• Get an NYU Stern MBA: Interview with Admissions Dean Isser Gallogly, a podcast episode
• Personal Statement Tip: Less is More
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