Early Thoughts on NYU Sterns 2016-2017 Application Essay Questions

Application season at NYU Stern is officially underway with the release of the school’s 2016-2017 essay questions. Let’s discuss from a high level some early thoughts on how best to approach these essay prompts that have remained relatively consistent over  the last few years. The two essays Stern requires are structured to give applicants  a chance to showcase  both the professional and personal sides of their applications. Essay 1: Professional Aspirations Why pursue an MBA (or dual degree) at this point in your life? What actions have you taken to determine that Stern is the best fit for your MBA experience? What do you see yourself doing professionally upon graduation? (750 words) This is a very multi-layered prompt provides applicants with  a great  opportunity to share their professional game plan and why Stern specifically is a key part of this. This prompt differs from other more traditional â€Å"career goals† essays by including multiple questions that will tease out many details of your planned career trajectory. Keep your approach simple here and consider addressing each aspect of the question in order. The wording of this prompt  signals that you  should touch on the past a little  to provide context for  the factors that have  brought you to this point in your  professional journey. Make it clear that you are self-reflective and have a deep understanding of where you have come from and where you are going professionally. Don’t shy away from honestly assessing why now is the right time to pursue your MBA. Whether it is personal maturity, industry changes, desired promotion or something else that is motivating you, the impetus of your timing is important to have pinned down. The second aspect of the prompt involves â€Å"fit.† Stern is really looking for specifics here, so don’t shy away from the detailing your research of schools  and how Stern in particular has stood out for you from other MBA programs. The more you can personalize this aspect of your response, the better. The rationale and   likelihood of reaching  your  identified career goals post-MBA  is also a key aspect of how Stern  will evaluate its applicants. Connecting your personal development goals to Sterns unique offerings  is critical to showcasing true fit with this program. Essay 2: Personal Expression Please describe yourself to your MBA classmates. You may use almost any method to convey your message (e.g. words, illustrations). Feel free to be creative. Many programs have begun to move towards more open-ended and creative essay prompts such as this. The goal of this prompt for Stern is to get to know who you really are. Unique to most other MBA programs, Stern provides various multi-media options for candidates to use to convey their message.  This allows you the opportunity to have  a unique and creative approach in answering this prompt. Keep in mind that the use of more non-traditional media can really stand out in a typically  text-heavy process. Think creatively about how you plan to share your response, even if you are only using words. Creativity is not only limited to the medium how you structure and organize your response could be another interesting way to stand out. This essay is an opportunity to balance out the heavy professional focus of Essay #1 with elements of your unique personality. Make sure  you  share details that would be  relevant to someone who you are potentially about to spend a lot of time with over the next 2 years. This essay is a great place  to showcase your interpersonal skills as well as  how you plan to utilize them while working with your future classmates. Just a few thoughts on the new essays from Stern hopefully this will help you get started.  For more thoughts on Stern and its application essays, check out our free  Essential Guide to Top Business Schools. Applying to NYU Stern or other business schools? Call us at 1-800-925-7737 and speak with an MBA admissions expert today, or take our free MBA Admissions Profile Evaluation  for personalized advice for your unique application situation! As always, be sure to find us on  Facebook,  YouTube,  Google+  and Twitter. Dozie A.  is a Veritas Prep Head Consultant for the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. His specialties include consulting, marketing, and low GPA/GMAT applicants. You can read more articles by him  here.