Stern MBA Essays & Analysis 2022-2023
In this blog post we will analyze New York University’s Stern MBA admissions essays for the 2022-2023 admissions season. Let’s take a closer look:
Short Answer: Professional Aspirations
What are your short-term career goals? (150 word maximum)
The career goals essay at NYU has been condensed to only address the short-term goals. After graduating from Stern, you should briefly outline your goals as well as the specific role and responsibilities you are interested in. List your desired skills and target companies. If there is still room, you might describe your long-term goals or the influence you hope to have to further contextualize your short-term goals. Additionally, you ought to emphasize how Stern is the best starting point for your short-term position. Your short-term career goals, however, should come first and should be handled in great detail before you discuss any of these other topics.
Essay 1: Change
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? Examples:
Change: Dare it.
Change: Dream it.
Change: Drive it.
Change: Empower it.
Change: Manifest it.
Change: [Any word of your choice.]
(350 word maximum)
Stern wants to know how you can innovate, adapt, and conduct global business in this first essay. Stern requests that you provide personal examples of how you have applied the phrase to demonstrate how it has affected you. To generate ideas, watch their video. Think about your most recent accomplishments in your career or personal life. Look over your list of accomplishments and try to identify the ones that are most closely related to a sense of change. In an ideal world, you would be the major force behind change for the better and have a successful outcome. 350 words isn't much, so be as succinct as possible in identifying the slogan you chose, setting the scene with key figures, and explaining how you sparked change and produced desirable impacts.
Highlight characteristics of the Stern MBA program that will help you grow during the course of the program or have a good impact on other students. Speaking with alumni or visiting admissions events might give you ideas on opportunities at Stern. This can be club activities, in classes, and more.
The world needs future leaders who are adaptable and prepared to drive change, probably without a roadmap, according to Lisa Rios, Assistant Dean of MBA Admissions at NYU Stern. Through coursework, Stern Solutions experience projects with businesses, and more, Stern is the location where you will learn to make change your ally.
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.
When Lisa Rios announced this prompt this year she advised, “Be genuine. Community is a hallmark of the Stern MBA experience, and we are looking to get to know the real you! Use the Pick Six personal expression essay and other aspects of the application to show us your passions and what is most important to you.”
This is your chance to show the admissions committee who you are, where you come from, and what you care about. You should think about what about yourself you really want your classmates to know. You also need to think about how the content of the required essays fits together. Because the first question is about your career goals and you would have to talk about work experience, it would make sense to talk about your life outside of work in this essay question. You might want to take some time to think about your values and personality, as well as what makes you different from other applicants.
You should talk about how excited you are to meet your classmates and discuss how you would interact with them that wasn't in your first essay. The goal of this creative essay question is to show what you like, what you stand for, and who you are.
This prompt asks for a mix of text, pictures, and graphics. A captioned photo album of proud moments or a decision-making flow chart showing how you choose to spend your free time could show that you are creative and willing to put extra effort into your Stern application. Lastly, you should pay attention to tone and make sure you sound sincere, willing to collaborate with others, and excited about joining the NYU community, no matter how you balance the images and text.
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, Executive Assessment, IELTS or TOEFL, or any other relevant information. (250 words)
For this essay, you should only talk about the things the admissions committee is asking you to talk about. Do not include it in your application if it is not pertinent or adds nothing.
Also read an older but still relevant article: 5 Tips for Applying to NYU Stern for Round 1