NYU has only one supplemental essay—this year, it focuses on “bridge building.”
If you want to get a clearer sense of what NYU is looking for, you can explore an extensive, by-the-numbers look at its offerings, from enrollment and tuition statistics to student life and financial aid information, on its Common Data Set. And for insights into how the university envisions itself and its role, and how it wants to grow and evolve, read its strategic plan. Reading through this will give you a strong idea of what NYU values—and may offer nuggets you can sprinkle into your essay.
What is the NYU supplemental essay prompt?
Prompt #1
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. (250 word limit)
Please consider one or more of the following questions in your essay:
- 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?
MLK Scholars- Incoming first-year applicants who have demonstrated outstanding academic achievement, leadership, and commitment to civic engagement and social progress are invited to apply to the Martin Luther King, Jr. Scholars Program at NYU (Optional):
Optional: In under 250 words, please share how you have demonstrated your commitment to the legacy of Dr. King's ideals of "Beloved Community" as evidenced through academic achievement, research or service.
(Note: This question is only available to those who select "yes" to being considered for the MLK Scholars program in the "New York Campus" section of the CommonApp)
How to Write The Supplemental Essay Prompt for New York University
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. (250 word limit)
Please consider one or more of the following questions in your essay:
- 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’s single supplemental essay invites you (through three different options) to describe how you’ve been a bridge builder in your life—making connections between groups, cultures, or ideas. Citing “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,” NYU signals its intention to admit individuals who can craft and lead us toward a more connected and collaborative world.
Consider your role as bridge builder.
How have you been a changemaker who has brought people or groups together, reached across divides, and shaped collaboration in your school, community, or personal life?
How do you see yourself expanding on those actions in college and beyond?
Option 1: 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?
Part—and really, a big part—of the college experience is being exposed to new people and perspectives. This prompt is the perfect springboard for showing your natural curiosity and interest in engaging in lively, productive discussions. “Productive” is key here—how have you learned to engage in ways that lead to understanding and growth (rather than, say, yelling), and how have you changed because of what you’ve learned from (or discussed with) others?
A few things to keep in mind as you brainstorm possible topics for this prompt:
Don’t think you have to write about a knee-jerk issue and a blow-up here. You can. But the point of this prompt is essentially to help a college see the kind of student you will be in a classroom—can you engage with people who disagree with you in ways that lead to productive discussions rather than just shouting or conflict. (See “Tips and analysis” below for more on this.)
Focus more on the engagement, change, and growth than on the conflict. How you engaged on the issue, what you learned, and how you grew are far more important to your readers here than the conflict itself. You can plan on spending fairly little word count on the conflict/topic, so that you can spend most of your time exploring some deeper whys.
For a bigger guide to these kinds of prompts, with further examples and analysis, head here.
Here’s an example essay written for a similar prompt for Brown that illustrates how you’ll want to approach these kinds of prompts:
Example essay:
The perspective of my father consistently challenges me. He lives in Missouri and does not believe the government should issue mask mandates and that as long as we take vitamins we will be all right. He believes that the government is trying to manipulate the general public with restrictions that neglect the individual freedoms of the people. I, on the other hand, believe that mask mandates are essential to ensure that the general public is better protected.
He wanted me to visit him in Missouri for our usual slate of activities—the State Fair, ComicCon, water park, and World War II museum—and I wasn’t sure what to do: I wanted to make good on my plans with my dad, but also wanted to stay true to what I knew was right.
In the end, I decided to go and see him, but laid out clear rules and conditions that would make me comfortable. Personal relationships are important to me, and I want to maintain a connection with my dad despite the fact that we live far away from each other and it is hard for us to accept our differences in ideas.
At the same time, I needed to draw healthy boundaries that would make me feel comfortable and respected. I’m invested in public health, and want to be a model of doing the right thing, even if it would have been a blast to whoop my dad’s butt in the Magic the Gathering tournament at Comic Con.
Tips and analysis
Show your stance. One common fear with these “differing opinion” supplemental essays is that the admissions officer reading it may not agree with you. Guessing the admissions officer’s personal position is actually not the point of these essays. Many colleges have opted for supplemental questions like this because of widespread public concern around free speech on college campuses and requests from their college leadership and Board of Trustees to identify students who are willing to listen to multiple viewpoints. A student’s response is more powerful when they specifically clarify their position, rather than sticking to vague terminology so that the reader will see them as “neutral.” Otherwise, you run the risk of coming off as apathetic or indifferent. Here, this student gives specific examples of their support for COVID-19 mask mandates, which was a pretty polarizing issue in the United States. Other students may choose a less controversial opinion— either route is fine! You can choose any opinion, so long as it A.—represents a “strong disagreement” based on your own values-system—and B.—concludes with a clear sense of how you approach dialogue.
Consider the “yes, and” approach. No, it’s not just a recent Ariana Grande bop/banger/ popular music term—it’s also a lifestyle. Admissions officers are looking to identify instances that show your college-readiness and maturity across your application. Colleges appreciate students who understand that most important disagreements are nuanced and can’t be solved by binary, black-and-white solutions. This student’s dilemma–wanting to maintain their meaningful personal relationship with their dad while not compromising their boundaries, comfort, and staunch belief in public health guidelines—provides a great case study for this point. They had to embrace a hybrid solution to honor their intersecting values: YES, I want us to continue to bond and enjoy one another, AND here are the ways I’m comfortable doing that. Choosing a disagreement that was difficult for you to voice or challenged multiple values you hold dear is a great way to show that you’re ready to tackle complexity—on college campuses and beyond.
And here’s an essay written for Princeton’s old version of this prompt:
Example Essay:
I probably argue with my grandfather more than I do with most other people combined. It’s not because we’re at odds. We just have different perspectives, influenced by our experiences—his as a life-long resident of India, mine as a first-generation American.
One pretty common argument we have is over Eastern vs. Western medicine. My solution to a headache, for example, is to take Advil. His is to rub Tiger Balm on his forehead and coconut oil on the soles of his feet. I try to convince him of the benefits of taking a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory, describing how it can reduce inflammation by blocking the production of certain chemicals. He tries to convince me that the balm creates a cooling effect, distracting the brain from pain and relaxing the muscles. Rather than becoming sore at or resentful of each other, we’ve grown closer through these debates, and I’ve learned how to disagree without letting the situation get acrimonious.
Through these interactions, I’ve learned that a discussion shouldn’t be confrontational. The purpose isn’t to win, but to share my knowledge with the other party and learn from them as well. So rather than saying, “Rubbing balm on your forehead is stupid; you should just take Advil,” I say, “While rubbing balm on your forehead seems to work, I’ve noticed that taking an Advil has a stronger and more immediate effect.” Respecting the opposing party makes them more willing to hear you out.
I’ve also learned there’s a fine line between logic and emotion. I try not to take personally the things my grandfather says in an argument. Just because he doesn’t think taking Advil is the better solution doesn’t mean he thinks I’m stupid. If I take it that way, we begin to move away from what the argument really was about—the facts.
I’ll continue to apply these learnings in discussions and debates I have with others, realizing that having a “successful argument” isn’t about winning. It’s about sharing my opinion and learning from theirs, expanding our perspectives without alienating each other.
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Tips + Analysis
The conversation topic can be anything. You might assume that for your essay to be attention-grabbing, you need to pick a “hot topic” like a recent SCOTUS decision or climate change. And those topics are fine, if they’re really reflective of who you are. Instead, consider challenging yourself to go more obscure. Less cliché. More you. Smaller discussions can be just as lively … just as relevant … and just as revealing. Who didn’t spend time debating whether the Vans tennis shoes were gray/teal or white/pink? Or whether brussel sprouts are great or gross. (Spoiler: The shoes are actually “mahogany rose” and “true white.” The jury is still out on the sprouts.) This student does a great job at finding a unique cultural difference—Tiger Balm vs. Advil—and showing how he’s used that as a springboard to finesse his art of debate and understanding.
But it’s important to show growth or a new understanding. In the tennis shoes debate, perhaps what was most interesting to you was the realization that people truly saw one set of colors vs. another. And they weren’t necessarily wrong: Our brains perceive colors in different ways. So perhaps this argument revealed to you that issues really aren’t black and white (or gray/teal) but that there’s sometimes a spectrum of “right answers” stemming from our backgrounds or even our physiology (e.g., taste buds, eyesight)—and that’s changed the way you’ve approached other, more impactful arguments. The student above uses the last lines in his second and third paragraphs—and the entire closing—to show how his perspective has shifted—all because of headaches.
Be willing to be wrong. We can learn as much from our failures as we do from our successes. In fact, sometimes, it says more about us when we’re willing to be vulnerable enough to admit we’re wrong—or, at least, not entirely right. This student echoes that point, acknowledging it “isn’t about winning.” Instead, having viewpoints that are different from those he respects and admires helped him learn about balancing logic and emotion as well as practice the art of listening.
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Option 2: 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?
There’s a lot of ground to cover with that prompt, meaning you’ll have to be strategic AND make sure you’re hitting each point they’re asking you to.
Let’s look at how you can do both.
First, parse out each element of this prompt. If you’re a person who likes bullet point lists, you’re in luck:
“Working with others who have different backgrounds or perspectives”
Challenges faced?
Overcame them? If so, how?
How did you bring people together? What did you learn?
Overall, this prompt offers a take on what is generally referred to as a “diversity” essay—check here for a full guide to various kinds of “diversity” prompts.
To brainstorm, focus on that first bullet: What are ways you’ve engaged with people from different backgrounds or perspectives? (Keep in mind that “different backgrounds or perspectives” can refer to things like race or ethnicity, but it doesn’t have to—you can keep a broad lens here.)
You’ll likely want to take a basic narrative approach here, since it specifies “challenges your group faced.”
But in the “actions I took” and “lessons I learned” sections, you’ll want to focus on actions that show how you brought people together/created engagement, and lessons you learned about how to effectively do so.
One option for this prompt is to treat this as essentially a “Community Essay” focused on how your engagement led you to develop a new perspective, change your point of view, and/or empower you to take an action or be courageous. You can find our comprehensive guide on how to write the Community Essay here. Or, if you’re short on time, here’s the abbreviated version:
Step 1: Create a “communities” chart by listing all the communities you’re a part of. Keep in mind that communities can be defined by ...
1. Place: Groups of people who live/work/play near one another
2. Action: Groups of people who create change in the world by building, doing, or solving something together (Examples: Black Lives Matter, Girls Who Code, March for Our Lives)
3. Interest: Groups of people coming together based on a shared interest, experience, or expertise
4. Circumstance: Groups of people brought together either by chance or external events/situations.
Step 2: Use the BEABIES Exercise to generate your essay content. Once you’ve chosen a community, map out your content using the BEABIES Exercise. That exercise asks:
What did you actually do? (Tip: Use active verbs like “organized” and “managed” to clarify your responsibilities.)
What kinds of problems did you solve (personally, locally, or globally)?
What specific impact did you have?
What did you learn (skills, qualities, values)?
How did you apply the lessons you learned?
Step 3: Pick a structure. You can potentially use montage structure here, but narrative seems like it will be easier to fit the prompt.
Consider answering these three questions in your essay if you choose the Narrative Structure:
What challenge/s did you face?
What did you do about it?
What did you learn?
Here’s an example, written for another school, that illustrates how you can approach this prompt (and others like it).
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Example:
Realizing that artists felt underrepresented at Haverford, I decided to create an art magazine to showcase our collective work. When I proposed the idea to my teacher, I made the deliberate decision to work with my classmate Tripp, driven by my awareness of his profound affinity for Haverford's art community. However, I did not anticipate that we would have drastically different working styles: while I work more in a measured and incremental style, Tripp works in spurts of creativity and intense industriousness.
Initially, this was frustrating. As I worked through the magazine, page by page, Tripp would go on a seemingly irrelevant tangent. However, as I saw various titles, descriptions, and new works trickle into the pages of the magazine, Tripp’s tangents began to make sense. Seeing this scattered but oddly consistent progress gave me newfound confidence in my colleague. As I formatted each page, I saw Tripp’s experiments evolving into intriguing features for the magazine, such as a full-spread cover that stretched to the back. I developed the magazine’s foundation while Tripp added little oddities that made it enjoyable to read.
From this experience, I learned that my working style is not always the best or correct one. Combining our two drastically different approaches allowed us to create a better product than we could have individually, one that celebrated the artists of Haverford.
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Tips and analysis
Start with a mix of action and context. It may feel tempting to just lay everything on the line and state the obvious—something like “I’m a collaborator in everything I do.” Sure, it’s true, but… it’ll probably feel a little generic. A stronger approach is to anchor your essay in a moment, like the student does here. In deciding to create an art magazine, they say, they “made the deliberate decision to work with my classmate Tripp.” It’s an opening that immediately conveys the project, the stakes, and the people involved—setting the scene for those differing perspectives.
Embrace the conflict. An essay with no conflict is pretty likely to fall flat. What makes your writing memorable in response to this prompt is the tension. The problem you encountered. The different perspectives you experienced. The obstacle you were forced to navigate. And especially, how (as in, the skills you used) you navigated it. And that conflict is what sets up the space for your growth.
If you’re familiar with College Essay Guy’s resources at all (and you’re here, so you probably are), you’ll know that we’re big on showing, not telling. And for good reason. That showing fuels the essay and gives the reader something to follow. Here, the reader does that by setting up the two very different working styles: the writer’s “measured and incremental” approach versus Tripp’s bursts of intense creativity. Because this student doesn’t just say “we work differently” and instead gives a play-by-play of how their individual working styles clashed (and clashed big), we’re pulled in with a deeper understanding.Embrace growth, not perfection. Students often think they have to be flawless in their applications. But we want to let you in on a little secret: Admission officers appreciate vulnerability in your essays—and sometimes that means acknowledging your imperfections, your ability to learn from others, and your willingness to adapt. Showing growth can make you look resilient (and even, go figure, teachable). Which is just the kind of student who will thrive on the NYU campus. We see the writer demonstrating their own growth when they say that “my working style is not always the best or correct one.” Instead of boasting or claiming victory, they show humility and that willingness to see value in a different perspective.
Find the bigger takeaway. While we want you to tell a great story, there’s a lot more to a standout essay than just a cool anecdote. So you’ve experienced all of these things—but what does that really mean about who you are and how you might take what you’ve learned and translate it to the NYU community? Being able to step back and identify (and then highlight) the broader significance is a great way to wrap up your essay. This essay does that in the final reflection: “Combining our two drastically different approaches allowed us to create a better product than we could have individually.” It’s a strong ending that shows not just what happened, but also what the student is carrying forward from it—like valuing collaboration and diversity of thought. And that’s what matters in college and beyond.
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Option 3: 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?
While this might seem like a pretty straightforward prompt, there are some big potential pitfalls here.
Many students take this prompt at face value, writing 250 words solely on the person they’ve observed and why they’ve been so influential.
And while we’re thrilled that you’ve got someone in your life you can write so effusively about, don’t forget the purpose of these essays: for your readers to learn something new about you that will help you get a “yes” from admission officers.
As great and impactful as Grandpa Fred is in teaching you to fish or as helpful as Coach Burns is in crafting winning football plays, this college isn’t considering them for admission. They’re considering you.
So give the admission officers what they want: insight on how this person has impacted you so much that you now exemplify the values, skills, and characteristics they’ve taught you.
In short: Make sure you’re still the main character of your essay.
The essay below, while written for another school, shows one way to approach this prompt.
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Example Essay
For a long time, it felt as if people couldn’t hear what I was saying, but Andy changed that through his desire to help people. When I was in 9th grade, he created our school's very first student council, a place to voice ideas to improve the school’s community.
As President, he organized interactive activities such as “candy grams,” through which people could write kind messages to each other, and tutored several students, including me. The compassionate environment he created made me feel more comfortable to speak up in the council. I shared that students could benefit from being exposed to the deaf and blind community and from being taught how to use LinkedIn. Seeing merit in my ideas, he encouraged me to run for a committee chair, and I won. To ensure others didn’t feel excluded like I had, I made sure my committee was a safe space for exchanging any and all ideas. Through these experiences, I gained the courage to tutor my peers in various subjects and even start my own club, Young Entrepreneurs, in which I could share my love for economics with others.
Andy left our school a better place and me, a better leader. He made me realize the value of my own voice and ideas. I now no longer feel inaudible. I make myself heard.
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Tips and analysis
Keep the spotlight on you. We know we just shared that tip above, but it’s worth repeating. It’s a lot easier to write about the great things that someone else has done vs. the awesome things we’ve done. We get it. Still, keep the essay to no more than about ⅓ about the other person (max), leaving the remaining ⅔ to highlight your awesomeness. In this essay, we see that while Andy has clearly been influential on the reader, the student keeps the essay circling back to themselves: their initial feeling of being unheard, how Andy’s example encouraged them to step up, and how they ultimately grew into a leader themselves. While Andy might be the initial spark that gets our attention, the student is the fire that holds it.
Trace the ripple effect through specific moments of growth. As you move into the stories about you, make a clear through line from what the person modeled to how you’ve taken their ability to navigate challenges and make that strength your own. So if your “impactful person” taught you to advocate for yourself and others, then describe what that ripple looks like for you. Here’s how this student’s essay does it: The student connects Andy’s mentorship to their own choices: running a committee, tutoring peers, and founding a new club. For the student, the ripple is clear: Andy modeled leadership, and now the student leads in their own way.
End with the full transformation. Some of the most memorable essays close by showing how you’re a better collaborator or problem solver now from when the story began. That clear arc—from who you were to who you are—is the payoff readers want to see. This student crushes their ending by contrasting their old feeling (“inaudible”) with their new reality (“I make myself heard”). Not only is that revelation personal and memorable, but it’s also deeply relevant to what colleges are looking for in their applicants: growth, confidence, and voice.
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Example Essay
When I met Bella, my ears didn’t work. I could hear, but not listen. When I conversed with friends, we were in our own universes. There was little empathy, just interruptions and distractions. And because nobody around me seemed to have the desire to listen, I gave up on it too.
From the moment Bella and I were crowned co-winners of a middle-school cup-stacking competition, each winning half of a coveted cookie cake, things changed. I soon realized how perceptive Bella was to people’s feelings.
Our chats morphed into meaningful conversations and fits of laughter. She was the first friend I came out to as bi. After telling her, I waited nervously for the uncomfortable acceptance and frantic search for other conversation topics. But instead, she looked me in the eye and said she loved me no matter who I loved. Then, she asked curious questions rather than trying to ignore my identity. And I was there for Bella too. When she told me about the emotional distance she felt growing up far away from her dad who lives in South Korea, I supported her, not trivializing her pain with dismissive reassurances. Since our cup-stacking battle, we’ve been strong for each other.
Bella unplugged my ears. That’s why she was the first person I interviewed for my podcast, Portraits, about people in my life. I know that as an empathetic listener, I am more vulnerable now, but, thanks to Bella, I understand how to communicate love. (246 words)
Tips + Analysis
Remember it’s OK to be a little quirky. Sometimes, those specific, memorable moments do a great job of grounding more abstract values and lessons. (And hint: It’s a great way to showcase your personality and interests in quick, not-in-your-face kinds of ways.) You see a great example of it in this student’s essay—bringing up middle-school cup stacking alongside a shared cookie cake? It’s delightfully unique and instantly memorable, marking the moment where everything shifted for the student.
Strike a balance while still tipping the scales. Yes, we want to hear about that person who impacted you—you can’t write this essay without talking about them. But as we mentioned above, that’s only part of the story. The (much) bigger part is how you’re different now because of that person. While we learn a bit about Bella in the essay above, we learn even more about the author and how she’s different because of Bella’s influence. While this essay was written in response to another prompt, just a few tweaks could make this essay stronger. Detailing, for example, how the student is a better, more nuanced listener and communicator in other parts of their life could show even more clearly how they’ve taken Bella’s lessons to heart.
Consider the obscure. Your mom. Malala Yousafzai. Your basketball coach. Taylor Swift. All are important and relevant, but as an essay topic for showing triumph over adversity, they’re likely a little too common—making it that much harder for you to stand out. But what about how how your school librarian fosters curiosity and who always remembers your niche interests and sets aside just the perfect book for you? These perhaps more obscure subjects can be just as (sometimes even more) impactful than those who are making headlines.
How to Write The MLK Scholars Essay Prompt
Incoming first-year applicants who have demonstrated outstanding academic achievement, leadership, and commitment to civic engagement and social progress are invited to apply to the Martin Luther King, Jr. Scholars Program at NYU (Optional):
Optional: In under 250 words, please share how you have demonstrated your commitment to the legacy of Dr. King's ideals of "Beloved Community" as evidenced through academic achievement, research or service.
(Note: This question is only available to those who select "yes" to being considered for the MLK Scholars program in the "New York Campus" section of the CommonApp)
When you hear the words “community,” what comes to mind? Your school, your local area, cultural or religious connections, your orchestra section, the Discord you started … ? The foundation of this prompt is the community(ies) you’re a part of and how you’ve made change within it/them.
To help you get started with brainstorming all the communities you’re a part of, check out the communities chart in our guide to “community essays.”
Choose one where you’ve had measurable impact bringing positive change to that community. It might be the Girls Who Code club you started at your school, a city-wide initiative connecting young social entrepreneurs with sponsoring organizations, a pride festival you organized, or service work with the mosque. Explain why you’ve chosen to engage in this way, answering the prompt’s inquiry about your motivation. Lay out the details of what you did—as well as the impact you had—in order to emphasize your scholarship-worthy talents, skills and accomplishments.
Here’s an essay that was written for a Boston College prompt but that demonstrates the direction to head here (though it would need fairly big word count cuts).
Essay Example:
In 2020, various racially motivated hate crimes such as the slew of disturbing police killings and spread of Asian hate caused me to reflect on racial injustice in America. While such injustices can take many different forms and be overt or subtle, all are equally capable of creating racial inequality.
A societal issue significantly impacting minorities is educational injustice between private and public schools since students of color account for more than 75% of public-school enrollment. The pandemic exacerbated this problem as some private institutions (like my school), not impeded by a lack of financial resources or bureaucracy, could return to in-person instruction, while many public institutions stayed closed for the majority of the 2020-21 school year, their students’ educational experience less optimal as a result.
The values of service instilled through my Sacred Heart education prompted me to act in response to this injustice and do my part to propagate educational equality across races in the Bay Area. My interest in tutoring began in middle school when I volunteered in my school’s peer tutoring program. In high school, I created a tutoring club, giving my peers the opportunity to help younger elementary students on financial aid with their homework. With the club being sidetracked by COVID-19, I joined 826 Valencia, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting under-resourced students in the Bay Area. This experience prompted me to transition my old club to a remote format, adapting to restrictions posed by the pandemic. I worked with my friend to rebrand the club, naming it TutorDigital, registering it as a non-profit, and designing a website, efforts which expanded our reach to include local public schools. Through our efforts, we’ve helped provide tutoring services to 32 underprivileged Bay Area students, while also identifying other opportunities to support public schools, such as donating upwards of 60 iPads and creating a book donation program.
While educational injustice is an issue that unfortunately will not be solved overnight, it’s an issue that must be aggressively addressed, now more than ever given the massive impacts from the pandemic. I look forward to continuing this work at Boston College. But for now, I gain comfort from each thank you note from a parent or good grade achieved by a student, knowing my efforts have potentially improved the academic trajectory of these children and helped to address racial injustice in America.
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Tips + Analysis:
Use the problem/solution structure. This student starts the essay by naming how racially motivated hate crimes raised their awareness of racial inequity and then identifying the specific context that concerns them, educational injustice. Once they flesh out the problem in the second paragraph, they launch into a description of the steps they took to address it. The structural approach used here can also work well in other essays you may be writing about volunteer or community service.
Be specific about your role and activities. The bulk of this essay—the third paragraph—clearly lays out this student’s actions on the issue: started a tutoring club, joined a nonprofit, rebranded the club, registered it as a non-profit, etc. Using clear, active verbs with this kind of detail helps you highlight your skills and achievements for your admissions reader.
Show your impact. Thank you notes and good grades let this student know how they might have improved their students’ academic trajectory and achieved their goal of addressing racial injustice. And offer tangible evidence when possible: 32 students, 60 iPads, book donations. What has happened because of your efforts? What outcomes can you report? Whom have you affected and how?
Looking ahead… at NYU. This author points out that there’s still much to do and that they plan to continue their work in college. You could go further by suggesting one or two specific things you plan to do on campus on your issue, building on what you’ve already done. For ideas, do a little “Why Us?” research and link back to the MLK, Jr. Scholarship mission: outstanding academic achievement, leadership, and commitment to civic engagement.
