New York University (NYU) 2025-26 Supplemental Essay Prompt Guide

New York University (NYU) 2025-26 Application Essay Explanations

The Requirements: One optional short essay of 250 words

Supplemental Essay Type(s): Why, Community

Optional:

We are looking for students who want to be bridge builders—students who can connect people, groups, and ideas to span divides, foster understanding, and promote collaboration within a dynamic, interconnected, and vibrant global academic community. We are eager for you to tell us how your experiences have helped you understand what qualities and efforts are needed to bridge divides so that people can better learn and work together.

Please consider one or more of the following questions in your essay: (250 words)

• Tell us about a time you encountered a perspective different from your own. What did you learn—about yourself, the other person, or the world?

• Tell us about an experience you’ve had working with others who have different backgrounds or perspectives. What challenges did your group face? Did you overcome them, and if so, how? What role did you try to play in helping people to work together, and what did you learn from your efforts?

• Tell us about someone you’ve observed who does a particularly good job helping people think or work together. How does this person set the stage for common exploration or work? How do they react when difficulties or dissensions arise?

NYU aims to admit students who will be active participants in and contributors to a dynamic and inclusive campus culture, so all of these prompts focus on the idea of building community in a different way. The first one asks you to describe a situation in which your beliefs or opinions were challenged, how you responded, and what you took away from the interaction. The second asks you to describe a situation in which you worked with a group of diverse people, how you overcame any obstacles, and what you specifically did to encourage collaboration. The third asks you to describe a person you know who brings people together well along with their methods and responses to conflict. Note that you can also talk about the themes from the first two prompts in your final essay. Maybe you worked as a camp counselor and admired your team lead who demonstrated how to resolve conflicts among a cabin of teenaged campers, lessons you applied to your own group. Perhaps your co-worker at the coffee shop expressed a political opinion opposite to your own, and you successfully navigated a tricky conversation during a lull in your shift that changed your own viewpoint. Whatever your example(s) may be, don’t be afraid to touch on what those experiences meant to you and how you will take these lessons into your college career!