nyu law essays

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The Full Faith and Credit Clause and the Puzzle of Abortion Laws

Diego a. zambrano, mariah e. mastrodimos, sergio f.z. valente.

In 2021, Texas adopted a powerful antiabortion statute—known as S.B.8—that bars anyone from performing abortions in the state of Texas after approximately six weeks of pregnancy. But instead of empowering government officials to enforce its provisions, S.B.8 relies entirely on private lawsuits. In response, California enacted A.B. 1666, which prohibits its courts from serving as a venue for S.B.8 claims or enforcing S.B.8 judgments. California’s statutory response, however, faces tricky challenges under the Full Faith and Credit Clause (FFC) of the U.S. Constitution. And, more generally, the clash between S.B.8 and A.B. 1666 raises larger questions about conflict of laws, constitutional rights, and horizontal federalism.

Grappling with A.B. 1666’s constitutionality directly, this Essay argues that the statute probably complies with the Full Faith and Credit Clause. California has a strong argument for the constitutionality of A.B. 1666’s venue provision under the public policy exception to the FFC. And California has a weaker, but still colorable, argument in support of the statute’s judgment enforcement bar under the FFC’s penal judgment exception. The central question going forward is whether courts will interpret the Full Faith and Credit Clause in a flexible manner—allowing for capacious exceptions—or apply a tight leash to state legislative schemes. Indeed, state clashes like this one continue to matter even after Dobbs overturned Roe v. Wade because states will attempt to use private civil claims to go beyond criminal law on topics like abortion, guns, and LGBTQ rights.

(More) Legal Guardrails for a Unicorn Crackdown

Alexander i. platt.

The explosive growth of private markets and the proliferation of “unicorns,” private startups valued at $1 billion or more, has pushed the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) away from the center of the action and towards the periphery. In 2021, the SEC announced plans to reassert its jurisdiction by forcing unicorns to go public. But those plans fizzled. By the end of last year, the legality of the maneuver had been called into question and key proponents had left the Commission, leaving the unicorn crackdown seemingly on ice.

Now the regulator is back with a new plan to reclaim its throne. In January 2023, one Commissioner proposed inventing a new mandatory periodic disclosure regime just for unicorns. Under this plan, the agency would amend Regulation D, the rule that allows unicorns and many other private companies to raise capital without going public, to require unicorns to disclose audited financial statements and to provide independent attestations regarding the issuer’s internal controls over financial reporting, both at the time of offering and on an “ongoing” basis thereafter—just as public companies are required to do under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.

This paper questions the legality of this proposal. I show that the SEC likely lacks legal authority to impose ongoing disclosure obligations on private companies not linked to any particular offering or transaction or to condition particular private offering-related disclosure obligations on issuer size. For the second time in two years, an SEC Commissioner has proposed a regulatory overhaul to fundamentally redraw the lines between public and private companies. And for the second time in two years, that proposal appears to fall outside of the agency’s legal authority.

Copyright and Copying Rights

Federal copyright law limits the copying of certain informational goods. But can state laws, and in particular state contract law, also do that? Until recently, the dominant approach was that they could. However, two recent Second Circuit decisions seem to suggest that only copyright law is allowed to do it. In other words, the Second Circuit assumes that copyright law is the only law that can regulate copying.

The Essay argues that the Second Circuit’s approach, while shared by several other courts, is wrong. It is in tension with the text and history of the Copyright Act and with the desirable relationship between federal IP law and state commercial law. This relationship is best described as symbiotic, but the Second Circuit has put those laws on a collision course. In doing so, the Second Circuit has ignored the practices of multiple industries and the ways in which copyright law and contract law work together. Indeed, state laws, in general, and contract law, in particular, have always regulated copying. Those rights and those contracts play a crucial role in our economy. Holding them unenforceable, as the Second Circuit did, might therefore disrupt well-established legal mechanisms without promoting identifiable federal policies.

Representation of United States Territories on the Federal Courts of Appeals

Anthony m. ciolli.

Many aspects of the relationship between the United States and its territories are inherently undemocratic. This Essay draws attention to one: the continued and systematic discrimination against United States territories in the appointment of judges to the federal courts of appeals. This failure not only contributes to the well-known diversity crisis within the federal judiciary but also to the stagnation in the development of the law of the territories as well as the persistent second-class treatment of the territories and their people under the United States Constitution as interpreted by the federal courts.  Unlike larger and more difficult issues such as voting rights, territorial representation on the federal courts of appeals could be achieved through a simple amendment to 28 U.S.C. § 44(c) or by the president exercising his discretion to reject the unofficial custom of filling vacant circuit court judgeships with judges who hail from the same state as their prior occupants.

Legal Empowerment is Abolition: A Response to the Symposium on Critical Legal Empowerment

Jhody polk, tyler walton.

This Essay is a joint endeavor of two authors equal in dignity, aligned in purpose, and, at one point, radically separated in social position. We hope that it will accomplish many things: locate the work of jailhouse lawyers within abolitionist frameworks, enunciate the role of jailhouse lawyers as community paralegals, and advocate for recognition and valuation of jailhouse lawyers as key members of the American legal ecosystem. However, if all this Essay articulates is a well-communicated theory on the path from our currently deplorable system of incarceration towards justice, we fall short of our ultimate goal.

Reflections on Fees and Fines as Stategraft: A Response to A Theory of Stategraft

Rebekah diller, mitali nagrecha, alicia bannon.

In A Theory of Stategraft , Bernadette Atuahene advances the concept of “stategraft” to describe situations in which “state agents transfer property from persons to the state in violation of the state’s own laws or basic human rights.” This Essay delineates the ways in which criminal legal system fees and fines can be characterized as stategraft and explores the value of this concept for social movements. In many ways, the stategraft frame, with its focus on illegality, fits well with much of the litigation and advocacy against unconstitutional fees-and-fines practices that have occurred over the last decade. Exposing illegal practices such as the operation of debtors’ prisons laid the groundwork for a more fundamental critique of the use of the criminal legal system as a revenue generator for the state. The Essay cautions, however, against relying too heavily on illegality to describe what is wrong with fees-and-fines regimes in light of courts’ reluctance to impose robust legal protections against state practices that saddle those who encounter law enforcement with debt. Relying on an illegality critique may make it harder to attack entrenched practices that courts are inclined to bless as legal and obscure more fundamental dynamics of predation and regressive revenue redistribution. At this juncture, calling attention to these structural issues is likely to be more fruitful both as an organizing tactic and as a description of the harms posed by fees and fines.

Illegality in a World of Predation: A Response to A Theory of Stategraft

Beth a. colgan.

Professor Bernadette Atuahene’s theoretical framework for “stategraft” denotes actions by which state agents transfer cash or property from the people to the state in violation of the law or basic human rights norms. Because illegality is central to stategraft, attention to it may push other forms of state predation—those that are legal or whose legality are uncertain—out of the realm of reform given the dearth of funding for legal advocacy and difficulties in marshalling lawmaker attention. This Essay suggests, however, that consideration of stategraft provides opportunities for advocates to push back against legal, or not yet illegal, predatory practices. It does so by looking to recent advocacy efforts related to two types of predatory behaviors outside the bounds of stategraft: the use of fines and fees, and civil forfeiture practices.

The Midas Touch: Atuahene’s “Stategraft” and Unregulated Artificial Intelligence: A Response to A Theory of Stategraft

Sonia m. gipson rankin.

Professor Bernadette Atuahene’s article, A Theory of Stategraft , develops the new theoretical conception of “stategraft.” Professor Atuahene notes that when state agents have engaged in practices of transferring property from persons to the state in violation of the state’s own laws or basic human rights, it sits at the nexus of illegal behavior and revenue-generating activity for the government. Although there are countless instances of “stategraft,” one particularly salient example is when the state uses artificial intelligence to illegally extract resources from people. This Essay will apply stategraft to an algorithm implemented in Michigan that falsely accused recipients of unemployment benefits of fraud and illegally garnished their paychecks and intercepted their IRS tax refunds.

Generating Revenue Through Civil Forfeiture: A Response to A Theory of Stategraft

Dick m. carpenter ii.

Civil forfeiture is a mechanism by which law enforcement can seize and keep property purportedly connected to a crime absent the arrest, formal charging, or even conviction of the property owner. Forfeiture laws also allow law enforcement to keep a portion, and sometimes all, of the seized property for agency use and, in some jurisdictions, even for the salaries and benefits of law enforcement personnel directly. In the past several decades, forfeiture laws have distorted law enforcement priorities by shifting the focus away from other activities and toward revenue generation. Civil forfeiture illustrates Professor Atuahene’s theory of stategraft: state agents transferring property from residents “to the state in violation of the state’s own laws or basic human rights,” often during times of budgetary austerity. But this Essay identifies important elements of forfeiture that do not comport with the theory. It suggests ways in which the conceptualization of stategraft may be expanded to encompass laws, regulations, and systems that legally, although arguably unjustly, allow or encourage state actors to exploit their fellow residents for the benefit of the bureaucrat’s budget. The Essay concludes with recommendations for reform of civil forfeiture laws and stategraft more generally.

Menstruation in a Post- Dobbs World: In Response

Bridget j. crawford, emily gold waldman.

In this Essay, we re-examine our 2022 book, Menstruation Matters: Challenging the Law’s Silence on Periods , through multiple related lenses, including the human rights, sustainability, and workplace issues emphasized by our three reviewers; the COVID-19 pandemic; and the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization . All of these perspectives converge on the inherent dignity and autonomy interests in being able to manage one’s own body. Menstruation and related conditions like breastfeeding, pregnancy, and menopause should not be sources of shame or stigma. Nor should they be vectors of formal control by the government or de facto exclusion from school, work, or any aspect of public life. Yet the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade means that r eproduction-associated bodily processes likely will be the focus of legal battles for years to come. As we continue to emphasize the many ways that menstruation matters in life and law, we strive for a legal future that recognizes the full humanity of all people and safeguards our equal rights.

Published September 18, 2023

Your Guide to the NYU Supplemental Essay

Katie Hindman

Senior Assistant Director of Admissions

As part of this year’s first-year application , you’ll have the option to answer a new NYU supplemental essay question. This year, we’re asking something brand new:

We are looking for peacemakers, changemakers, global citizens, boundary breakers, creatives and innovators – Choose one quote from the following and let us know why it inspires you; or share a short quote and person not on our list who inspires you, and include why (250 words).

• “We’re used to people telling us there are no solutions, and then creating our own. So we did what we do best. We reached out to each other, and to our allies, and we mobilized across communities to make change, to benefit and include everyone in society.”  Judith Heumann, 2022 NYU Commencement Address
• “ I encourage your discomfort, that you must contribute, that you must make your voice heard. That is the essence of good citizenship .” Sherilynn Ifill, 2015 NYU Commencement Address
• “If you know how to fly but you never knew how to walk, wouldn’t that be sad?” Lang Lang, 2015 NYU Honorary Degree Recipient
• “ You have the right to want things and to want things to change. ” Sanna Marin, Former Prime Minister of Finland,  2023 NYU Commencement Address
• “It’s hard to fight when the fight ain’t fair.” Taylor Swift, “Change,” Released 2008, 2022 NYU Commencement Speaker
• Share a short quote and person not on this list, and why the quote inspires you.

No matter your initial reaction to this new question (perhaps “How or where do I start?!” or  “Hmm, nobody has answered this before…” or even “Woohoo! I get to be the first to take this on– no expectations!”), we want this question to give you a chance to shine.

Remember that there are real people (like me!) on the other side of the screen reading your application, and no matter what you write, we are grateful that you’re willing to share with us. 

We encourage you to approach the (optional!) NYU supplemental essay question with a sense of curiosity and excitement– because, after all, it’s all about YOU! 

HOW SHOULD YOU START?

Everyone’s writing process is distinct and personal. To begin, it might be helpful to jot down some ideas about what inspires you in each of these quotes. Even if one jumps out immediately, give some thought to them all! Is there a common theme that comes up in the ways you relate to each? Do they remind you of another quote that inspires you? Brainstorm in the way that works best for you, but give yourself a fair opportunity to consider your best answer.

Once you’ve chosen the quote you’ll reflect on, get all of your thoughts on paper. Sometimes the best writing comes from fragmented and unedited ideas, so try to stay away from judging your own writing before it’s time to edit.

WHAT SHOULD YOU SAY?

While each of the selected quotes has a specific connection to NYU, we want your answer to be about YOU. We assume you’re excited about NYU because you’re choosing to apply, so there’s no need to use this as a way to tell us about your interest in the school. You also don’t need to give us a literary or academic analysis! We’re confident you’re developing these skills in school. Rather, this is our opportunity to read about what inspires you as an individual (because we’re inspired by these quotes, too)!

Finally, think about how your answer might enhance what you’ve already shared with us through the rest of your application. Remember, you only have 250 words to answer the NYU supplemental essay, so start big and then narrow your ideas down to their most succinct form. Pick an idea and get right to it.

THE BOTTOM LINE…

There is no right or wrong way to answer as long as your answer is genuine to you. 

Remember that this question is completely optional (we promise). If you decide that you don’t want to answer the question, you will not be penalized in the admissions process. 

All of us admissions counselors are wishing you the very best of luck as you complete your college applications. We are already looking forward to learning more about the unique and dynamic class of 2028!

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Your campaign for law school admission should begin up to 18 months before you step into your first law classroom. For example, if you plan to matriculate directly following graduation, you will want to start the process in the spring semester of your junior year. Below is a checklist/schedule of what you should be doing during each season.

Application Timeline

Application checklist.

• Review the  NYU Prelaw website  for an overview of the law school application process.
• Meet with a preprofessional advisor to discuss the law school application process and if you haven’t already, watch the  Prelaw Overview Webinar
• Start reviewing LSAC’s  Official Guide to ABA-Approved Law Schools  and researching law schools.
• Register for the June LSAT (you can re-take in September if your score needs improvement).
• Begin preparing for the LSAT using a method most appropriate for you (e.g., prep course, tutor, practice exams, etc.).
• Take the June LSAT.
• Subscribe to LSAC’s Credential Assembly Service (CAS ). 
• Begin drafting your personal statement.
• Send transcript request forms to all undergraduate and graduate schools you have attended.
• Think about which faculty members you will ask for recommendations. Review the LSAC's section on letters of recommendation.
• Begin to compile a list of schools to which you might apply, and visit their websites for more information.
• Visit as many of your target law schools as possible (if you have the means).
• Register for the September LSAT if you are not satisfied with your June score.
• Meet with a career counselor at Wasserman to have your resume critiqued.
• Attend the “Writing the Personal Statement for Law School” workshop sponsored by our office.
• Meet with your recommenders. Provide them with a copy of your resume, personal statement, and transcript so they have ample information to write the strongest recommendation possible. In addition, if you are seeking a recommendation from a professor it may be helpful to bring a copy of a written assignment that has been submitted for a grade from their course for reference.
• Make a checklist and schedule of important dates and deadlines for each law school application.
• Attend an LSAC Law School Forum if you are able to do so.
• Attend law school information sessions on campus, which are presented throughout the fall semester.
• Meet with the expository writing center to revise your personal statement. Tailor it to specific essay topics, if any, on individual applications.
• Attend as many of the prelaw events sponsored by our office as you can.
• Take the September LSAT, if necessary.
• Finalize your personal statement. Have several people review it for tone and clarity and to ensure that it is error-free.
• Put the finishing touches on your applications.
• Check in with your recommenders to find out the status of your letters of recommendation.
• Request financial aid application materials from your target schools, making sure you review the instructions carefully.
• Obtain a copy of the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) application. You must complete this form to be eligible for federal and private aid.
• If you have completed your applications, send them in early (by Thanksgiving).

LATE FALL/WINTER

• Verify that your recommenders have submitted their letters of recommendation to LSAC.
• Submit any remaining law school applications.
• Complete and submit all financial aid forms.

SPRING AND SUMMER

• Review financial aid notices from law schools.
• Attend law school events for accepted students to which you are invited.
• Decide which law school offer to accept, and submit the necessary deposit.
• Complete your student loan applications.
• Review your finances to be certain you will have sufficient resources to meet law school expenses.

REFERENCES:

Lammert-Reeves, Ruth. (2004)  Get Into Law School: A Strategic Approach, The Expert Advice You Need to Get Into the Law School You Want.  Kaplan, Inc.

Linda Dunleavy, Vassilev, George, and Kathy Toro.  Law School Applicant Guide.  Providence, RI: Brown University: Office of the Dean of the College & Center for Careers and Life After Brown, 2015.

THE APPLICATION

Transcripts & gpa.

Admissions committees require official transcripts from every higher education institution attended, both undergraduate and graduate, even if you took only one or two courses. Competitive applicants should strive for a minimum 3.5 GPA, but this number is higher at many law schools. (Consult the  ABA Official Guide to Law Schools  to find the minimum GPA for schools that interest you.)

Law School Admissions Test (LSAT)

The LSAT is the standardized test required for law school admissions. The test will be offered six times a year and consists of five 35-minute sections of multiple-choice questions, and a 35-minute writing sample. Section questions measure reading comprehension, analytical reasoning, and logic skills. Competitive applicants should strive for a minimum score of 160, but many schools look for higher scores. We advise taking the LSAT in June of the year in which you will apply, with September as a backup date. A number of ABA-accredited law schools also accept the GRE General Test in lieu of the LSAT (check  www.ets.org  for a list of schools).

Personal Statement

As most law schools do not offer interviews, the personal statement may be the only time for an applicant to speak directly to the admissions committee. Applicants should reflect upon and think carefully about how to describe themselves—their values and motivations—and how to go beyond their résumé and transcript. It is recommended to consult with the Writing Center and attend workshops sponsored by CAS Preprofessional Advising.

Recommendations

Two letters of recommendation from instructors are highly recommended for those applying in their senior year of college and recent graduates. Letters should speak to the applicant’s academic performance, intellectual promise, creative abilities, writing and research skills, communication skills, etc. One additional letter may be submitted by a recommender who can speak to an applicant’s leadership ability, professionalism, work ethic, and/or personal character.

Résumé and Extracurricular Experiences

Applicants should submit a résumé that highlights their education, professional experiences, community service, and other extra-curricular activities. Law schools prefer well-rounded applicants who have done more than simply attend classes and pay close attention to your extracurricular involvement. Applicants are strongly advised to take full advantage of the Wasserman Center to create a résumé that speaks to their strengths.

Some law schools require a Dean’s Certification Form to verify a student’s good standing in the NYU academic community. CAS students seeking certifications should complete a Dean’s Certification Request Form . Certifications typically require two weeks for processing. (Students in other NYU divisions should go to their own Dean’s Office.)

Timing of Applications

Students and alumni are advised to apply to law schools in the fall (November is ideal), as law schools admit applicants on a rolling basis.

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NYU Law Personal Statement

An NYU Law personal statement must be a clear, unique, thoughtful, and demonstrative expression of why you are the perfect fit for the program.

Law school personal statement tips as well as expertly written law school personal statement examples will give you the edge you need.

In this article, we will go over general personal statement objectives and format and provide examples of personal statements geared specifically to NYU Law to guide you in writing your own best statement.

>> Want us to help you get accepted? Schedule a free strategy call here . <<

Article Contents 8 min read

What to include in a personal statement.

In your NYU Law personal statement, you tell your story. Unlike for other essays, where you might have to pick between law school admissions essay topics , the emphasis here is on the personal.

The main question that you want to answer in your personal statement is, “Why am I perfect for NYU law school?” What is unique to you and your journey to becoming a lawyer, specifically one who will be studying law at NYU? However, because this is a personal statement, you’re not going to spend the whole time talking about NYU Law, especially given that NYU Law School has a 500-word cap on their personal statements.

Check out the top Harvard Law School personal statement examples in this video:

The main goal of your personal statement should be to show yourself. You have a passion for the law, for your career goals, for altruism, for justice, or, in other words, for some aspect of this profession that has kept you motivated to study hard and gain the experiences necessary to get into NYU Law.

• Start with that idea of the personal story. What was the first moment you wanted to enter the legal profession? Your introduction sets up your story.
• How have you pursued that goal? Pick one major event that shows the biggest step forward in your journey. Ideally, this part of your story will highlight one or two desirable traits that you have.
• Conclude the story with a brief statement about how you are continuing your journey and/or where you would like your journey to lead. Do you have political aspirations? Do you want to be a judge? Do you want to make top legal services more accessible? Where will NYU Law help you get to?

Your story can’t be a lot of “I feel” or “I want.” It’s better to say, “I am pursuing law because...” and talk about something you have done to advance your position. This could be on a personal level – aspects of yourself – or it might be something you have accomplished, courses you’ve taken, law school extracurriculars , or jobs you have performed.

You’re going to use a standard essay format.

• Beginning: the first thing on the page is the “hook” sentence. Start your essay with a good attention-grabber.
• The remainder of the introduction sets up the rest of the essay.
• Chronological order is easier to write and easy to follow as a reader. So, you will probably start with the catalyst or defining moment that set you on your journey.
• The body of the essay consists of one or two examples of how you are pursuing and advancing toward your goal.
• Conclude by talking about your aspirations.
• If possible, link the conclusion to the introduction for a “complete circle” feel to your essay; this won’t always be possible.

The following samples are between 460–499 words each, which is about perfect for an NYU Law personal statement.

Example No.1:

I have pictures of my family on my desk; my picture of my dad is his mugshot. Dad had the bad luck to look like a guy who knocked over a liquor store in our neighborhood. Fortunately, he wasn’t in for long – less than a year – before the other guy got caught and confessed to the crime. My Uncle Terry was so angry about the whole thing that he rails against lawyers, judges, and cops every chance he gets. In contrast, my reaction was to hit the books so that I could contribute to preventing such problems.

Most people my age get a part-time job to buy a car or a cell phone, or to help their families get by. I got one so that I could open an account with PACER and start studying interesting cases. I got the idea to email law offices in my city, state, and around the country, and ask them which landmark cases I would learn from the most. Some didn’t get back to me, but most were happy to help out a kid with a passion for the law.

I also joined the debate club at my college. I hoped to learn how to argue properly, but I learned two lessons that were far more valuable:

1. You can’t win every case, and it’s not always your fault. Most of the time, I could build a pretty persuasive argument and keep my opponents on their toes. But sometimes that didn’t matter. Some audiences are stacked with people who aren’t willing to have their minds changed, or even with friends of the other debaters. I’m not bitter. I’m not complaining. I’m not saying it isn’t fair. Life isn’t fair – with my father’s experiences, you can’t help but know that. What I’m saying is that I learned to handle a disappointment or a loss and respect my opposing debaters regardless of outcomes. This was the perfect introduction to the tricky nature of a trial by jury.

2. You can’t always get what you want. There is a profound satisfaction to taking a subject you’re passionate about and arguing from that position. But in debate club, as with the law, sometimes you get stuck with a topic or position – or client – you dislike. You do your job anyway. This really helped me because any animosity I still felt for the lawyers, judges, and jury members who wrongfully convicted my dad melted away. These were people doing a job – a necessary job for fairness in society.

That doesn’t mean I’m going to just accept that the system can’t get better. I know a lot of people say they want to make a difference, but I will make a difference by becoming a lawyer. I will not only defend clients, but also contribute to the progression of the justice system so that we can perfect it for everyone – people like me and my dad.

Want to learn how to get into law school with a low GPA? Check out this infographic:

Example No.2:

When most people think about lawyers, they conjure up a TV drama filled with cries of “OBJECTION!”, people pleading the fifth, and last-minute, Hail Mary gambits that shock witnesses into tearfully confessing right on the stand. That makes for great television, but for me, it’s about the quiet, methodical work of getting the job done. I know this from my aunt, who practices law, and who has been a big influence on my life in a lot of ways.

When I was small, my parents got divorced and lived far apart. This complicated my life, but Aunt Jane – she got me to call her “AJ” – made it a lot easier. AJ would help my mom with drop-offs and pick-ups. She would often watch me while my mom ran around doing errands or was at work. Even though her career as a lawyer was extremely busy, she always found time for me. I will never forget that.

AJ was my big inspiration, but what really got me interested in law occurred one day after school when I was at her office. I could walk to her firm’s offices from the school, and I would do homework there while waiting for my mom’s shift to end and she could pick me up. I sometimes talked with the other lawyers, and that day, I remember seeing two people exiting a meeting room, with their lawyers, looking really relaxed. They were a couple splitting up, and their lawyers had kept the negotiations amicable and casual. I knew how hard my parents’ divorce was, and I was pleased to see that with skill and care, lawyers could actually make that process a lot easier.

I asked AJ if I could come to the offices more and maybe help out, and she arranged for me to do some basic-level office tasks like photocopying or setting out water for boardroom meetings. But the real purpose of the job was to get to know what a law office is like and to be able to see how the legal profession worked.

It was nothing like TV, but that didn’t matter to me. I didn’t mind doing paperwork, learning the filing systems, or helping lawyers prepare for client meetings. From the moment I encountered that couple leaving, so relaxed and relieved, I appreciated how my office work with AJ helped provide much-needed services, but I also came to understand the importance of the daily diligence required for law. My natural disposition has always been a bit more oriented toward careful, methodical preparation than bombastic speeches, so it suited me. Of course, lawyers see their fair share of drama as well, but I am mainly motivated by the chance to work quietly in the background to help people.

In high school, I enjoyed debates, whether I was in debate club or not. Teachers both feared me and loved me. My participation was always high, but I could tell that I was a challenging student for them. I wasn’t trying to be difficult; I just wanted to know more about the “Why?” of any given subject. I’ll never forget Mrs. McGillicuddy seeing my hand shoot up in Civics class and saying, “Not today, Ralph.”

My search for a better “Why?” is being piqued all the time. In college, I was working on a mathematics degree because I have always been good with numbers and statistics, and I was talking about mathematics in the library with a co-worker, where I had a job.

The conversation went from mathematics to computers, and we started talking about AI. I hit upon this question:

“When AI can think for itself, and while it’s making art, is it AI art or real art?”

This philosophical quandary got me into full research mode, and I hit the stacks hard. I started thinking about the copyright issues around AI art. Does it belong to the creator, who used the AI to make the art? Or does it belong to the programmers who developed the AI? What about the company that paid to develop the AI? Then I wondered, “Does the AI itself have a claim here?” From that night on, I started working on pre-law courses as electives before simply adding a second major in pre-law.

I am applying to your LLM in Legal Theory specialization because I want to explore more “Why?” questions around the legal aspects of technology. Legal issues are constantly changing and evolving, along with the modern world, and I want to be a part of advancing those issues. This might seem over-eager, but I have already started my research. The main areas I would like to research concern AI, and I have been communicating with the computer science department at my institution, talking to them about their own thoughts and opinions on copyright questions around AI.

Every answer I seek becomes another question. Some of my main questions right now include the following:

• How does AI affect copyright legislation, and how will it affect copyright legislation in the future as it advances?
• What should the law have to say about AI in terms of the job market?
• Should we create laws to prevent an AI takeover of the job market?
• Do unions have precedent to freeze out AI workers?”

Yes, each of those questions lead to multiple other questions, but I still can’t stop raising my hand in class.

NYU puts a 500-word cap on their personal statement. Do not exceed this limit under any circumstances.

Absolutely they do. You cannot hope to leave a good impression with bad spelling. Proofread or employ one of the best law essay writing services to help you with your edits.

You don’t have to literally use the words “New York University” in your statement. The focus is on you, personally. However, you should make sure that your statement clearly syncs up with NYU’s values and programs so that it is, at the very least, implicitly clear why you are perfect for NYU.

No less than two weeks, and maybe three. You need time to write the statement and refine it. This is more than proofreading; you need to carefully edit the statement to make it perfect. That takes time. Work on it a little bit every day.

They are crucial components of your application. In a sea of transcripts, personal statements set you apart.

Not formally, but they are evaluated, so put in maximum effort.

You would have to write to NYU and ask to change aspects of your submission. Assume you can’t, however, and turn in a perfect statement the first time.

Law school acceptance rates show that NYU has a 33% acceptance rate. While this is not the most prohibitive rate on the list – that spot goes to Yale Law School with 6.9% – it isn’t one of the easiest law schools to get into, either. It’s somewhere in the “lower middle” in terms of range.

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How to get into nyu law | acceptance rate and requirements.

Reviewed by:

David Merson

Former Head of Pre-Law Office, Northeastern University, & Admissions Officer, Brown University

Reviewed: 11/21/23

If you have a passion for justice and want to join a top-ranking law school to kick-start your law career, read on to learn how to get into NYU Law and stand out as an applicant.

Known as “an intellectual powerhouse,” the New York University (NYU) Law School offers comprehensive legal education programs that assure graduates are well-prepared for their future law careers. If you’re wondering where to attend law school , you may find your match in NYU Law. 

Ranking as the fifth-best law school in the United States, NYU Law has established quite a reputation for itself as one of the most prestigious law schools in the United States .  

If you’d like to join this top-tier university but don’t know where to start, this guide will explain the application process. Below we’ll discuss NYU Law School’s admission requirements and provide helpful tips to do well on your NYU application essays.

NYU Law Acceptance Rate: 15.65%

The acceptance rate for NYU School of Law is 15.65%. This is on par with some of the most competitive law school acceptance rates in the US. In a recent admissions cycle, there were 8,874 applications, and only 1,389 applicants were accepted. 

For more information on the NYU Law School acceptance rate, here is a table with the admissions rates from the past few years: 

Source: ABA Required Disclosures

How Hard Is It to Get Into NYU Law? 

With an acceptance rate of 15.65%, NYU School of Law is very difficult to get into. You will need to put together a strong application in order to stand out from the crowd!

However, NYU Law looks at applicants’ experiences and interests rather than just their scores, giving diverse students a fair chance of getting in.  

NYU Law Programs Offered & Ranking

Offering a diverse curriculum, NYU Law has various law programs for students interested in legal education. Here are some of the programs that are available to you!

NYU Law School Ranking

NYU Law is ranked at #5 in the Best Law Schools in the United States, according to US News. This makes them an incredibly desirable law school to attend! 

Here are some of their other rankings:  

• #1 in Criminal Law and International Law
• #3 in Intellectual Property Law
• #4 in Environmental Law and Business/Corporate Law
• #5 in Clinical Training, Constitutional Law, and Contracts/Commercial Law 

NYU Law School Admissions Statistics

Sometimes it’s helpful to look at statistics from previous admitted classes to see how you measure up and prepare the best application possible. Here are some admission stats from the most recent incoming class at NYU Law. 

NYU Law Average GPA: 3.90

The average GPA at NYU School of Law is 3.9. In the most recent class profile, NYU Law reported undergraduate GPAs ranging from 3.77 (25th percentile) to 3.96 (75th percentile). 

As a prestigious school, the NYU Law School GPA requirements are quite high. To compete with these scores, you will need to study hard during your undergrad and maintain strong study habits. 

NYU Law Average LSAT Score: 172

The NYU Law School average LSAT score is 172. The 25th percentile LSAT score in a recent incoming class profile was 168, and the 75th percentile was 174. 

While NYU Law does not specify any minimum LSAT score required for admission, you should aim for your score to be equal to or higher than the median of 712. 

NYU Law Average GRE Score: 332 

While NYU Law does not release average GRE scores, we predict that the average score falls around 332. According to the GRE Law School Comparison tool , a score of 166 on both GRE sections is equal to a score of 172 (NYU’s average) on the LSAT. 

NYU applicants who do not want to write the LSAT may write the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) instead (but cannot submit both). The GRE measures the overall academic readiness of students for graduate schools, like law school. 

NYU Law School Requirements

To apply to NYU Law School, candidates, including LLM applicants, must submit the following required materials : 

• A baccalaureate degree
• Application form
• Standardized test scores (LSAT or GRE)
• Credential Assembly Service (CAS) report
• Two letters of recommendation
• $85 application fee
• Personal statement
• Optional supplemental information

In addition to these materials, JSD applicants must also submit:

• A sample research paper : This can be a published paper, a research paper written for seminar credit, or a paper written for your application to this program
• A proposal of study : You must submit a dissertation of 3,000 words or fewer to state the research questions you would like to explore, review current literature in the field, identify the contributions this research will make, state your methods of conducting research, and list any difficulties you may encounter.

As you can tell, a lot is required from you during the admission process! To avoid stressing over each component, try gathering these application requirements well before applications begin. For instance, many students complete their LSAT while still in their undergraduate program!

NYU Law Letters of Recommendation

You’re required to submit two recommendation letters in your NYU Law application. These letters are an opportunity for NYU Law to hear from a respectable, trustworthy source that you are capable of facing the demands of law school and becoming a great lawyer. 

Prioritize recommenders who know your academic abilities, like faculty members. NYU mainly requires these letters to be written by people who can “attest to your ability to succeed in a rigorous law school program.”

NYU Law Personal Statement

Your NYU Law personal statement should be roughly two double-spaced pages in 12-point font, meaning that it will come out to about 600-650 words. However, LLM personal statements must be 500 words or fewer. 

NYU Law leaves the content and exact length of the personal statement up to you, as it essentially replaces an interview . This means that you’ll need to work hard to create a unique personal statement to set you apart from the crowd. Your statement should also be meticulously written, as good lawyers need excellent communication skills!

NYU suggests the following tips to consider when beginning your personal statement:

• Ask yourself why you want to go to law school
• Ask yourself why you want to go to NYU in particular
• Read through past students’ personal statements and ask yourself how you can stand out from them
• Be personal and focus on yourself
• Tell an interesting story where you are the main character
• Highlights qualities that would make you a good lawyer
• Avoid cliches, vagueness, or reiterating your resume

For some inspiration, take a look at this example personal statement written for Boston University Law School: 

“When I applied for Teach for America in the winter of 2009, it was more for the opportunity to leave the Rio Grande Valley than to accomplish the movement’s real mission of bringing a quality education to low-income students. A predominantly Mexican area with most families living under the poverty line, the Valley represented, for me, a place where ignorance met apathy, a place where people got what they deserved, and above all else, a place I refused to spend any more time in. I applied for major cities around the nation, but Teach for America had different plans for me, and when notifications were sent out at the end of March, I was placed as an elementary special education teacher in the Rio Grande Valley. And in what I could only chalk up to be divine intervention, I was hired at the same elementary school that I had attended.

Two years and I will be done. I couldn’t shake that thought as I entered my classroom on the first day of school. Making a real difference seemed unlikely: my heart wasn’t into the work I was about to do. When the bell rang and I began picking up my students from their classes, life as I knew it ceased to exist.

That first day, I didn’t pick up a single child that wasn’t wearing dirty or ripped clothing. One was covered in bug bites. Another’s stomach growled as I walked the students through classroom rules and procedures. None smiled. I could not seem to wrap my mind around the fact that these students attended the same school that I so happily did not-so-many years before. By Thanksgiving, a brother and sister in my class scratched so hard at their wrists and fingers from poorly treated scabies that they’d return their assignments to me with small blood streaks staining the bottom. Stomachs still growled during my math lessons. But when a fifth-grade student told me she’d spent the night in a small bedroom closet, arms around her four younger siblings as her mother and father went at each other with broken bottles and angry fists, I could no longer stand it.

Something changed in me that day. I’m not quite sure if I finally grew up or realized the enormous responsibility my job had given me, but something changed. And for probably the first time in my life, I stopped thinking of only myself. Suddenly I was so ashamed of ever thinking negatively about being Mexican or growing up in the Valley—so embarrassed that I thought so little of the community that had given of their time to ensure that I would have all the opportunities in the world. It dawned on me that I was only able to have the strong opinions I did because countless individuals had made my success their mission. And it was time for me to do the same. It may have been pure chance that I ended up returning to the Valley where I was raised, but doing so gave me such an advantage over my Teach for America counterparts: Parents found me more trustworthy, my intentions and abilities as a teacher were rarely questioned, and my ability to speak Spanish comforted. My Valley roots made me an ally, and my children only benefited from this.

For the next three years, I poured my soul into my work and let my students have my heart. I organized community reading groups to get parents and neighbors involved in literacy. When parents began telling me that they wanted to help their children with math homework but didn’t understand the objectives, I requested my principal set up a family math night so that parents could come into my classroom and have me teach the concepts to them alongside their children. I watched as my community grew closer together and my students’ academic abilities blossomed. It didn’t matter if students had autism or Down Syndrome, learning disabilities or emotional disturbance. All my students were learning at a pace faster than expected. By the spring semester of my second year, I even dismissed two students from special education services entirely.

My time in the classroom has been a wonderful, challenging experience. I’ve seen children accomplish more than others thought possible; at times, certainly more than I thought possible. I’ve seen a real love of learning blossom in the children and the families I’ve served. These were my miracles—my proof that if you wanted something badly enough you could make it happen. My children made great gains. And I tried my hardest to do all the things I thought a great teacher needed to do. But at times, it still wasn’t enough. My children needed more. My classroom was a safe place for my students, but their time with me was limited. I could shelter them to my heart’s content during the day, but once that bell rang and I handed my children back to the outside world, all I could do was stand and watch as life’s circumstances tried and often did bring them down. That’s when I decided to apply for law school. I have enjoyed every moment in the classroom, but I want to help children and their families in ways I simply cannot as a teacher. I want to fight for them and their families in an effort to improve their lives as much as I possibly can. If I’ve learned anything from my time in the classroom, it is that even the smallest of changes in circumstance can make for the biggest changes in one’s quality of life.

This past year was my third working with students from my own community. And although my students may never know it, my time as their teacher has instilled in me a sense of urgency and purpose that fuels me to continue working for children and their families as long as I am able. Working as a special education teacher in my own community has taught me humility and respect. It has taught me that, for many children, the need is great, the time is short, and I have an obligation to do whatever I can to help. I now believe that those with special talents, extraordinary abilities, or just a moment of free time have a responsibility to help those around them in every way possible. I have learned that in helping others achieve even the smallest of victories, I have not only made new opportunities possible for them but also contributed to the content of my own character. A life of service is a noble one that I hope to achieve. A life where I can inspire as I have been inspired and offer hope when hope seems most unlikely.

I laugh a little now when I think about how a group of disabled children helped me find my home again and gave me a place in the world. They showed me that being from the Valley is something to cheer about. I am now so proud to be a Mexican-American woman with a rich culture and language who had the opportunity to learn from and be embraced by the community I spent a lifetime criticizing. I am so honored and humbled to have been a special education teacher for my little ones, showing them that education, opportunities, and justice are for everyone, regardless of life’s circumstances and arrogant opinions. As a law student, you will find few more passionate than I; as an attorney, few who work harder and demand greater of themselves. For three years, my students and their families have allowed me to work for them, trusting my judgment and welcoming my help. But I can do more. I am ready to do more.”

Why this essay worked : This is a beautifully written personal statement that paints a vivid and engaging picture of the applicant’s experience with Teach for America. It includes specific details to draw the reader in and make the story unique and personal. 

The author also discusses the intriguing dynamic between the culture in which she worked and her own cultural background. This forms a clear narrative arc as the author describes what she experienced, how she grew and changed as a result, and her dedication to the practice of law and the pursuit of justice. 

Optional Statements

NYU offers applicants the opportunity to write optional essays to supplement their applications. Like personal statements, these essays can showcase your abilities, talents, and interests, which can help you become a more attractive candidate.

You may choose to write a diversity essay, which allows applicants to highlight their unique perspectives and understanding of the world. Many students who write diversity statements focus on their race, sexual orientation, gender, or ethnicity. However, you can write about any factor that makes you a non-traditional applicant!

You may also choose to include an optional addendum if you need to give reasons for any weaknesses in your application. NYU specifies that these must be legitimate reasons, not excuses. Focus solely on facts and candidly explain your circumstances, and avoid including this essay if there are no obvious weaknesses in your application.

Some reasons to write an addendum are:

• A long gap in your resume or education
• Academic misconduct
• A criminal record
• A lower LSAT score but a high GPA
• A very low grade or withdrawal from a course
• A poor semester in an otherwise good year
• Financial circumstances that caused a lower GPA due to less time for education

NYU Law Tuition and Scholarships

The cost of tuition at NYU School of Law is $76,878. However, including fees and other expenses, the total cost of attendance is estimated to be around $114,000. 

Here is a full cost breakdown of what you can expect to pay as a student at NYU Law: 

NYU Law Scholarships 

If you’re concerned about affording your education at NYU Law, good news! There are many financial aid options available to you, including scholarships , fellowships, loans, and other award programs. 

NYU Law School Application Deadlines

The deadline to apply for NYU Law’s JD program is February 15. However, if you choose to apply for Early Decision, you’ll need to submit your application by November 15. 

Here are some important dates for you to be aware of in the application process: 

Source: NYU Law School

NYU Law Bar Passage Rate: 98.7% 

NYU Law School’s first-time bar passage rate is incredibly high at 98.7%. This is a near-perfect score, and just goes to show how well NYU Law prepares their students for life as a lawyer! 

How to Get Into NYU Law School: Tips to Improve Your Admission Chances

As we can see, getting into NYU Law School is no easy feat. Luckily, we have some tips on how to gain admission to NYU Law to make the process a bit more surmountable for you. 

• Keep Your Personal Statement Personal : NYU Law advises students to keep the focus on themselves in their personal statements. It may be tempting to write about a mentor or significant relationship, but make sure that the primary subject of your story is what you learned, accomplished, or overcame. 
• Format Your Resume Properly : NYU Law provides some helpful guidelines for tackling your resume, including using a professional format, mentioning odd jobs and Greek organizations (if applicable), and excluding high school experiences.
• Choose Strong Recommenders : Law schools always prefer recommendation letters to be written by people who can speak to your abilities, skills, and qualities. NYU advises choosing a recommender based on how well they know you rather than their status. 

With these tips to get into NYU Law, you’ll be able to put together a stellar application!

What Does NYU Law Look For? 

NYU School of Law is looking for students with a “diversity of experience” who are able to think critically and engage in interdisciplinary research. They also look for students who are willing to participate in experiential learning methods . 

If this sounds like you, then you’ll be able to find your place at NYU Law!

FAQs: How to Get Into NYU Law 

If you still have questions about getting into NYU Law, read on to find the answers!

1. Does NYU Have a Good Law Program?

Yes! NYU Law is ranked as the fifth-best law school in the United States. It offers a diverse and extensive curriculum to its students to prepare them for their legal careers.

2. What LSAT Score Do I Need for NYU?

The average LSAT score for the admitted 2023 applicants was 172. Interested applicants should aim for a score equal to or above this or be willing to provide a legitimate explanation for significantly lower LSAT scores in the optional addendum essay.

3. What GPA is Required for NYU Law?

The average GPA score for the admitted 2023 applicants was 3.90. Interested applicants should aim to maintain a GPA equal to or above this or be willing to provide a legitimate explanation for a significantly lower GPA in the optional addendum essay.

4. Does NYU Conduct Interviews As Part of the Application Process?

No, NYU asks applicants to write personal statements instead of conducting interviews.

5. Do Students Require Undergraduate Prerequisites to Be Admitted to NYU Law?

No, but the committee appreciates students who have taken courses in a broad range of categories, some of which are analytical and others that are more reading and research-based.

6. If I Take the LSAT Multiple Times, Which Score Will the Committee Consider?

The committee requires the submission of all LSAT scores. If an applicant wants the committee to consider a score aberrant, they must write about why in the optional addendum essay.  

Law School In the Big Apple: A Summary 

After going over how to get into NYU Law, its admission requirements, and how hard it is to gain admission, hopefully, you feel less overwhelmed about the application process. 

NYU Law, situated in the Big Apple, truly holds up to this nickname as one of the country's biggest and best institutions. Gaining admission to this prestigious school will thoroughly prepare you for your legal career and give you the right resources and experience to excel!

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• Law + Health Degree: Earn your online & low-residency Master of Science in just 12 months
• Courses and topics: Artificial Intelligence (AI), Digital Health, Information Privacy, Healthcare Reform, Antitrust and M&A, Equity and Ethics, Comparative Health Law, Healthcare Fraud, Waste, and Abuse
• GRE, GMAT, and/or LSAT not required .
• Next Deadline: May 10th  Apply Now!
• Patrick Renner   - Class of 2024
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• Chris Boone   - Business Analytics, Technology and Policy
• Sherry Glied - Healthcare Reform
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[email protected] 212 992 6093

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Ms in health law & strategy, link to online application, key admissions criteria.

To be admitted to the MS in Health Law and Strategy program, applicants must have a bachelor’s degree and at least five years of relevant professional experience including mid- or senior-level management experience.

The admissions process is rigorous and selective. The Admissions Committee considers applicants holistically based on the qualities they will bring to the MS in Health Law and Strategy program.

The application to the Master of Science in Health Law & Strategy for Fall 2024 can be found here .

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STEP ONE Contact us with any questions. You may reach our admissions representatives at [email protected] and 212.992.6093.  Follow us on LinkedIn .

STEP TWO To start your application,  create an account . If you have already created an account,  log in   using the same account details you created. 

As a reminder, applications are due by 11:59pm ET on the day of the deadline . If you have any questions throughout your application process, please email us at [email protected].

Your online application consists of the following:

• Two essays (approximately a page each)
• Two letters of recommendation (one personal and one professional)
• Official College transcripts*
• TOEFL or IELTS result (if required)
• Non-refundable application fee of $85

*Official transcript instructions: If your institution has a process for emailing official electronic transcripts (such as services available through eSCRIP-SAFE, Parchment, or National Student Clearinghouse), please have your institution(s) send it/them directly to: [email protected] . If your institution does not offer a digital transcript service, please submit your official transcripts by post to the following address:

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Cost and paying for your education

Invest in your future in health law.

The MS in Health Law and Strategy program is designed to allow you to work while you earn your degree, so you can put what you learn into practice right away. This unique program positions you for promotions within the health sector, or for the opportunity to change or pursue careers in the health sector.

The Class of 2025 program fee is USD $87,510. This fee includes tuition, registration/service fees, course materials, and official events. Hotel and travel expenses for the residencies are not included.

A non-refundable tuition pre-payment of $1,000   is required to secure a spot in the class and begin the pre-program coursework.

The program fee will be paid in installments of approximately:

• $28,170 for the Fall 2024 semester
• $29,170 for the Spring 2025 semester
• $29,170 for the Summer 2025 semester

Dates are subject to change based on the NYU Bursar calendar.

Financial Aid & Scholarships

There are no scholarships offered for this program, however most US citizens or permanent residents are eligible for federal student loans. Private student loans are available to US citizens or permanent residents and international students, if eligible.

Applying for Financial Aid

To apply for financial aid, please submit the FAFSA using the code for NYU: 002785 as soon as you start your application. All eligible admitted students will be reviewed for federal financial aid, provided that they complete the most recent FAFSA and submit all necessary items to the NYU Office of Financial Aid.

After completing the FAFSA, students may be eligible for Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loans and the Federal Direct Graduate PLUS Loan:

• Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan: The Direct Unsubsidized loan can cover up to $20,500 per academic year.
• Federal Direct Graduate PLUS Loan: The Graduate PLUS Loan can cover up to the cost of attendance minus any financial aid received.

Need-based application fee waivers may also be available for applicants experiencing financial hardship. Applicants must provide a written statement of financial need, accompanied by documentation of financial status.

Employer Sponsorship

Some employers may provide tuition benefits, including tuition reimbursement or loans, to employees seeking a graduate degree. If you think you may be eligible for financial assistance from your employer, reach out to your human resources or employee benefits department.

Yellow Ribbon Program

NYU School of Law is proud to participate in the Yellow Ribbon program . Yellow Ribbon is a part of the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2008 and provides education benefits to military veterans who have served on active duty since September 11, 2001. Beginning with the fall 2018 semester, NYU School of Law will contribute the maximum amount in Yellow Ribbon benefits to be matched by the VA for all Yellow Ribbon eligible veterans.

To learn more about the Yellow Ribbon Program, please visit the NYU School of Law website .

For more information about applying for VA benefits, please visit the Veteran Students at NYU Law page .

Request more info .

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How to Write the NYU Essays 2023-2024

NYU has just one supplemental prompt this year, which allows you to choose from six different options. Although this prompt is technically optional, NYU’s prime location in the heart of downtown New York City, campuses all across the globe, and affiliation with excellent graduate schools in a range of subjects make it highly competitive to gain admission. So, we strongly encourage you to take advantage of this opportunity to share something new about yourself with admissions officers.

Read these examples of past NYU essays about diversity and “Why NYU?” to inspire your writing.

NYU Supplemental Essay Prompts

Prompt: We are looking for peacemakers, changemakers, global citizens, boundary breakers, creatives and innovators – Choose one quote from the following and let us know why it inspires you; or share a short quote and person not on our list who inspires you, and include why. (250 words, optional)

• Option A: “We’re used to people telling us there are no solutions, and then creating our own. So we did what we do best. We reached out to each other, and to our allies, and we mobilized across communities to make change, to benefit and include everyone in society.” Judith Heuman, 2022 NYU Commencement Address
• Option B: “I encourage your discomfort, that you must contribute, that you must make your voice heard. That is the essence of good citizenship.” Sherilynn Ifill, 2015 NYU Commencement Address
• Option C: “If you know how to fly but you never knew how to walk, wouldn’t that be sad?” Lang Lang, 2015 NYU Honorary Degree Recipient
• Option D: “You have the right to want things and to want things to change.” Sanna Marin, Former Prime Minister of Finland, 2023 NYU Commencement Address
• Option E: “It’s hard to fight when the fight ain’t fair.” Taylor Swift, Change, Released 2008, 2022 NYU Commencement Speaker
• Option F: Share a short quote and person not on this list, and why the quote inspires you.

“We’re used to people telling us there are no solutions, and then creating our own. So we did what we do best. We reached out to each other, and to our allies, and we mobilized across communities to make change, to benefit and include everyone in society.” Judith Heuman, 2022 NYU Commencement Address (250 words)

Brainstorming Your Topic

Although the framing is a little more particular, this prompt has similarities to two supplemental prompt archetypes: the  “Global Issues” essay and the “Community Service” essay. Basically, you want to show NYU that you’re able to not just identify a problem in the world around you, but actively work towards solving it.

That second piece, of showing that you’re someone who acts when you see injustice, rather than merely observing, is crucial. So, you should have a personal connection to the issue you write about, as the point of your essay ultimately isn’t to teach admissions officers about a particular issue, but rather show them what your passion for that issue says about your potential as an NYU student.

So, don’t write about how aboriginal people in Australia struggled during the 2020 wildfires if you don’t know anyone in that community and have never been to Australia, as your essay will likely end up sounding overly factual and academic. Instead, think about issues that have directly impacted your own life. 

Maybe that’s a social media campaign you spearheaded to help abandoned animals get adopted when the shelter was overcrowded. Or working with your friends from Spanish class to ensure the local soup kitchen always had a Spanish speaker working, to make the environment more welcoming to immigrants from Spanish-speaking countries.

Keep in mind that the story you tell should have some component of “reach[ing] out to others,” as this quote highlights the importance of collaboration when solving big issues. So, while creating a statistical model on your own to show the viability of solar polar is certainly something to be proud of, it may not be the best anecdote to write about for this prompt. If you then hosted webinars sharing the model with local business owners and answering their questions, however, that could be an effective way of aligning the story with the spirit of the prompt.

Tips for Writing Your Essay

Like any good college essay, your response should show, rather than tell, your readers what you did. What that means is to use descriptive writing, with strong sensory details, to paint NYU admissions officers a picture, rather than just saying “I did x, y, and z, and learned a, b, and c.” The more detail you can include, the more immersive your story will be, which will make your essay both more engaging and more fun to read.

The other key to a strong response is having takeaways that are both clear and personal. You don’t want your essay to feel like a Hallmark card, so avoid clichés like “This experience showed me the power of diversity” or “I realized that deep down, we’re all the same.” The point of the college essay is to distinguish yourself from other applicants, and relying on generic tropes won’t accomplish that.

Instead, think about how you can take one of these overused ideas and creatively reframe it through the lens of your story in particular. For example, if you write about the soup kitchen example above, you could talk about how you bonded with one person who attended frequently because you discovered you both enjoyed crocheting, and how that taught you to look for shared experiences even with people who may outwardly seem quite different from you. 

The general idea of diversity as a unifying, rather than divisive, force is the same, but by connecting that idea to something specific that happened to you, you’ll give NYU admissions officers of how that idea tangibly impacts your day-to-day life. Ultimately, they’re trying to figure out how you would fit into their classrooms, clubs, dorms, dining halls, and so on, and specificity gives them a much clearer idea of that than just big-picture ideas.

Mistakes to Avoid

There isn’t really any major pitfall to keep an eye out for here. Just make sure you’re conscientious of how you frame your issue. Even though NYU, like most colleges, is much more liberal than society as a whole, you still want to use discretion when discussing politics in a college essay, as you have no way of knowing exactly what context your readers are coming from.

So, if you’re writing about a fundraiser you and your friends organized after the overturning of Roe v. Wade to help women from red states afford travel to states where abortion would remain legal, keep the focus on your efforts and what this experience taught you. Don’t talk about your feeling that anyone who opposes abortion is a misogynist, as, for all you know, the person reading your essay may have a loved one who is pro life, or they may even be themselves. 

You can talk about controversial topics in this essay, but do so in a way that’s introspective and acknowledges the complexity of the issue, rather than in a way that celebrates your own moral superiority.

“I encourage your discomfort, that you must contribute, that you must make your voice heard. That is the essence of good citizenship.” Sherilynn Ifill, 2015 NYU Commencement Address (250 words)

Like Option A, this prompt has elements of both the “Global Issues” essay and the “Community Service” essay. However, the scope here is a little broader, as you’re being asked to talk about a time when you made “your voice heard,” rather than one when you were an active part of helping solve a particular problem. That means you have a little more flexibility in what you write about.

For example, you could describe the time when a conversation with a Jewish friend of yours made you realize Christmas-centric your school’s holiday decorations were, and how that motivated you to accompany her to talk to the principal about it, as she felt uncomfortable going alone. You could also take a similar angle as the one described above, with Option A, and talk about service work, like advocating for preserving wildlife habitat over expanding the boat launch at a nearby lake, or something else on a slightly larger scale that you spoke up about. 

However, don’t talk yourself out of writing about a more personal story like the Christmas example. Although this approach may seem less “impressive,” in reality talking about that kind of smaller moment in daily life can do a lot to show admissions officers what you’re like when nobody’s watching. Just about everyone applying to NYU will have an impressive resume, so you can really distinguish yourself by telling them a story that you’re still kind, altruistic, and thoughtful even outside the context of a particular project or organization.

That being said, both approaches can work incredibly well, so long as they honestly reflect your desire to speak up about the things that matter to you.

Once you’ve picked a particular moment to focus on, you want to think about what lessons you took away from that experience. NYU admissions officers care about who you’re going to be for the next four years, not who you were in the past, so they want to get a sense of how this experience is going to impact your contributions to their community.

There’s no one right way to do this, so if you immediately see a way to tell your story in a reflective, informative way, go for it! If you’re having writer’s block, though, one reliable approach would be to explain what happened, what you learned, and then include a second, much briefer anecdote that shows how you’ve utilized what you learned in the time since. 

For the Christmas example, after you finish describing the principal’s willingness to include menorahs and dreidels alongside the Santas and Christmas trees, you talk about how this experience showed you most people do want to be inclusive, they just might not know exactly how, so we all have a responsibility to speak up when we see a way to be better. You could then talk about how this realization then motivated you to talk to your manager at your part-time job about adjusting shift start times to align with the bus schedule, as she didn’t know that some employees didn’t have their own car.

250 words isn’t a lot, so depending on how much space you need to describe the original anecdote, you may not have space for the second one. That’s completely fine–as long as your takeaways are framed in a personal way that directly connects to the story you have just told, your readers will understand the significance of this experience to who you are today.

Letting your main anecdote breathe is the most important thing, as if you rush through things, your reader might not have enough details to properly anchor your eventual takeaways, which could make your essay feel impersonal or generic. 

For a somewhat extreme example of this, say you wrote about the day you noticed your school had changed their holiday decorations, and how happy that made you, but totally glossed over your own involvement in driving that change. Having a takeaway about the importance of standing up for what you believe in would then make no sense. So, make sure the details you include at each point in the essay work together to create a single, cohesive unit.

“If you know how to fly but you never knew how to walk, wouldn’t that be sad?” Lang Lang, 2015 NYU Honorary Degree Recipient (250 words)

This prompt may come across as overly philosophical at first, but before you rule it out, take a second to think about what it’s actually saying. Flying is more glamorous, exciting, and magical than walking, but walking is what we all do every single day to move around the world. While practicality never makes any headlines, daily life wouldn’t work without walking. 

Connecting that idea, about the value of practicality, to NYU’s focus on difference-makers means that you’ll want to discuss the importance of small, seemingly insignificant actions to driving broader change. As the saying goes, Rome wasn’t built in a day: for every figurehead of a major, earth-shattering movement, there are thousands or even millions of people who spent years paving the road so that the leader could one day walk down it. These people rarely get fame or recognition, but the movement never would have succeeded without them.

Of course, to write a strong, engaging response here, you don’t want to write about a huge historical movement that happened generations before you were even born. Instead, apply the same general idea to your own life. Think about what you do, or observe, on a daily basis that shows you the value of sometimes just taking things one step at a time. If there’s something you’ve been passionate about for a long time, that can be a great starting point, as you’ve probably made many small contributions over the years, compared to something where you were just involved in one, big, “flying” project.

For example, maybe you’ve always loved animals, and as a child you used to talk to your mom about flying around the world and rescuing all the endangered species. Once you got older, you realized you couldn’t do that, but what you could do was start a blog featuring a different endangered species every month, along with nonprofits dedicated to helping that species survive. You’ve even established partnerships with some of these groups, and helped organize fundraisers such as bake sales and 5Ks.

As this example shows, ideally you want to show how you’re finding a way to contribute to a much bigger cause. NYU wants to accept difference-makers, and although most of us aren’t able to donate millions of dollars or spearhead new technological initiatives, you can still show that you’re dedicated to finding ways to help however you can. 

Remember, as we noted in Option B, describing your grassroots efforts can in some ways demonstrate your dedication to a cause more than a high-level accomplishment or accolade, because that kind of work truly shows who you are on a day-to-day basis. So, if something comes to mind, don’t sell yourself short by saying “Oh, but they won’t care about that.” If whatever it is was meaningful to you, we promise they will 🙂

This is the kind of prompt where the brainstorming, if you do it well, is 90% of the work. Since the prompt is more abstract, you’re going to have to spend more time up front thinking about exactly what you want to say, or else you may end up sitting down to write and realizing you have no idea where you want to go. So, if you find yourself staring at a blank page, we would suggest rewinding, and spending a little more time brainstorming.

Once you have a clear sense of the story you want to tell, all you really need to do is actually put the words on the page. As you do that, remember that you want to include strong sensory details, to make your essay as immersive and engaging as possible. Focus less on what you did, and more on how you felt and what you learned from the experience. You may or may not do something similar to, for example, raising awareness for endangered species during your time at NYU, but you want to show admissions officers that, whatever you get involved with, you’re going to bring a thoughtful, dedicated perspective to your work.

For example, rather than saying just “My post on the work done to get manatees from ‘endangered’ to ‘threatened’ got 5,000 views, from places as far away as Italy, Kenya, and New Zealand,” take the next step, and describe how that success made you feel. That might look something like: 

“When I saw the number, I went back to the first post I ever did, on the African Bay owl. That post didn’t get a single view from someone who wasn’t related to me. But as I flipped back to the manatee post, I realized that we’re all related to each other in ways other than blood, as we all share this planet, and reminding people of that can be as simple as putting up a blog post and letting them come find it.”

NYU would be impressed by your outreach alone, but what will truly take your essay to the next level is including this next layer of reflection, and showing them the broader lessons you learned from this experience. That will prove to them that you’re not just talented and motivated, but also that your values align with theirs.

We noted at the beginning of this prompt breakdown that you shouldn’t get scared off just because it’s a little more philosophical than some of the others, and we stand by that. However, its more abstract nature will likely make the brainstorming process take longer, and it’s possible you do end up just feeling stuck. 

If you don’t think you have the time right now to give this prompt the attention it needs, that’s completely fine! The advantage of option prompts is that you have, well, options. Even if you’re initially drawn to this prompt, if you find yourself beating your head against the wall and not getting anywhere, don’t be stubborn–just pivot to one of the others.

“You have the right to want things and to want things to change.” Sanna Marin, Former Prime Minister of Finland, 2023 NYU Commencement Address (250 words)

Like Options A and B, this prompt is, roughly, a version of the “Global Issues” essay. That means you should have two main goals here. First, identify an issue that matters to you. Second, explain what your interest in that issue says about you as a person. 

Note that, unlike the first two options, the problem you choose doesn’t have to be one you’ve taken a lot of tangible action towards resolving. Obviously, you should have some level of personal investment in your issue, as otherwise your essay could come across as disingenuous. But if you have a cause you’re passionate about, but for whatever reason haven’t been able to get involved in directly, that would still be fair game here.

For example, maybe you’d like to increase access to healthy food options, as you live in a remote area and grow a lot of your own food with your family, so you know what a difference high-quality produce makes, but you also know how frustrating it can be to simply not have access to certain things, as your supermarket’s stock is limited. Because you don’t live in a city, you haven’t had the chance to get involved in any volunteer work related to this issue, so instead you’ve done your very best to learn everything possible about the process of growing your own food, so that you’ll have a wealth of hands-on experience to draw on when you are eventually in a situation where you can discuss theoretical, bigger picture solutions to this issue.

This hypothetical student hasn’t been able to take much concrete action towards addressing food inequality. However, they’re still demonstrating a genuine desire to help fix this issue, as well as forethought and motivation, by explaining how they’re finding a way to build up their skill set now, so that when the time comes, they are prepared to create tangible change. Any NYU admissions officer would feel confident about this student’s potential to become a difference-maker.

Of course, you are also more than welcome to write about an issue you have already done some work to help solve. We only want to highlight that already contributing to the solution isn’t a prerequisite for this prompt, so you can cast your net a little wider in your brainstorming than you would for Option A or B.

Once you sit down to actually start writing, the key is to make sure you aren’t just discussing your personal connection to this particular issue, but also highlighting admirable personality traits that will serve you in any of your future endeavors, whether related to the same issue or not. To see what we mean here, look back at the example we gave above. That student shows several traits admissions officers will find attractive, including:

• They are able to extrapolate from their own lived experiences to better understand a broader, societal issue
• They can appreciate the nuance of a big-picture issue
• They can critically evaluate their own skill set and determine the best way for them to contribute to a resolution

These qualities come across because of the (hypothetical) level of detail the student provides. If they were to instead just give a general sketch of the situation, along the lines of “I care about food inequality, and although I haven’t yet been able to combat this issue, hopefully I will one day,”  then admissions officers have a lot of blanks to fill in. 

Instead, you should do the work for them: build a concrete connection between this issue you care about and certain, broader attributes that are fundamental to who you are. That will show them not just that you’re passionate about this one issue, but that you’re an overall thoughtful, mature person who’s ready to take advantage of all NYU has to offer.

If you choose to write about an issue that you haven’t taken much concrete action on yet, just be careful that your essay doesn’t become more about the issue, and your interest in it on a theoretical level, than about your own personality. In the context of the example given above, that might look like a bunch of statistics showing how lack of access to healthy food disproportionately impacts lower income people. 

While that is certainly informative, remember that this isn’t an academic essay. It’s a personal reflection, so even if you’re still figuring out how you can best contribute to tangible change, you still want to highlight specific experiences or moments that showcase the strengths you will eventually use to make a real difference. Otherwise, NYU admissions officers may come away from your essay knowing more about the issue you’re highlighting, but not much about what you’d bring to their community, which is ultimately the question they’re trying to answer.

“It’s hard to fight when the fight ain’t fair.” Taylor Swift, Change, Released 2008, 2022 NYU Commencement Speaker (250 words)

Like the previous prompt, this quote wants you to discuss a cause you are currently fighting for, or would like to fight for during your time in college and beyond. But the angle is a little bit different, as this quote is centered around the challenges of fighting for something in unfair circumstances.

If you choose this prompt, you’ll want to talk about an obstacle you’ve overcome, or are in the process of overcoming, in your effort to make your communities a little more just. This doesn’t have to be anything intense, like facing harassment or threats after a talk you gave at a school assembly about your experiences with racism. Of course, you are welcome to discuss this kind of extreme hardship if you are comfortable doing so. 

You don’t have to, however. There are a whole bunch of things that make advocacy work difficult, and many of them have nothing to do with physical violence. For example, you could talk about your attempts to research successful city planning projects that incorporate more green spaces, and your frustration upon realizing many of the articles you wanted to read were stuck behind paywalls.

Alternatively, you could talk about how you want to help increase access to affordable education in your city by tutoring, but not having a car makes it difficult for you to reach many of the people who seek out your help. No obstacle is too small–as we’ve highlighted in several of the previous breakdowns, contextualizing a societal issue within your own life is what NYU wants you to do with pretty much all of these prompts, so don’t feel like you need to dramatize anything. Just be honest about your efforts, and the things that have gotten in your way.

The key to writing a successful response is to not focus your entire essay on the challenge itself, as that will result in a rather defeatist tone. Rather, spend the first part of the essay explaining the difficulties you’ve faced in your efforts to resolve some societal issue, and spend the second half explaining what you’ve done to overcome them. That will result in a more positive overall vibe for your essay, which shows your ability to adapt and grow even in the face of challenges, a skill that will be vital to your success in college.

Like with the challenge itself, you don’t have to glamorize whatever it is you did to work around the obstacle you encountered. For example, don’t say you set up a consortium of high school students where everyone pitched in some money so that you could create shared accounts on all the sites you wanted to use, unless you actually did do that. 

It’s okay to say you asked your parents for their credit card, and that you agreed to take on extra chores around the house because being self-sufficient in your advocacy work is important to you. Or that saving up for your own car proved too difficult, so you’ve worked out a schedule with your elderly neighbor to use his car in the evening, since he goes to sleep early anyways, so long as you pick up his groceries on the way home. 

NYU isn’t going to judge you for the particulars of your situation. They just want to see that, when the fight isn’t fair, you still find a way to keep punching.

Taylor Swift may be the biggest pop star in the world right now, but this sadly isn’t an essay for you to talk about your fandom. Keep the focus on the challenges of tackling inequality, not on your Eras Tour outfit or opinions on which (Taylor’s Version) album has the best (From The Vault) tracks 😉

Share a short quote and person not on this list, and why the quote inspires you. (250 words)

While you may initially feel drawn to this option because of the freedom it affords you, we advise against defaulting to it if you don’t immediately feel a connection to one of the other prompts. The other options do have narrower focuses, but you have five to choose from, and all of the quotes are open-ended enough that you aren’t being forced into a box.

Because this prompt is already unusually flexible for a supplemental essay, you should have a good reason for creating your own option. Ideally you’ll already have a particular quote, or at least a particular person, in mind. If you’re just thinking “Oh, I’d like to write about [general topic],” the time you spend googling possibilities is time you could instead be spending on your actual response, so we’d encourage you to look back at the options already given to you and see if any of them could be an inroad to your desired topic.

Additionally, you may have noticed that, while the options NYU gives you all portray slightly different perspectives, and come from a wide range of speakers, they all have something to do with the theme of justice and equity. In the main prompt, NYU even says they’re looking for “peacemakers, changemakers, global citizens, boundary breakers, creatives and innovators,” so your quote should show your potential to become a difference-maker in the world. Avoid writing about, for example, Stephen Hawking’s thoughts on black holes, as that would be jarring for admissions officers.

Obviously, the exact structure of your essay will depend on which quote you select. But in general, many of the points we’ve made in our breakdowns of the other prompts will apply here too. The best advice we can give is:

• Use anecdotes, rather than speaking generally about whatever your topic is
• Make sure the essay doesn’t just focus on your topic, and instead teaches your reader about a few tangible personality traits that speak to your potential as an NYU student 
• Provide enough detail that your story feels personal, rather than like something any old applicant to NYU could have written.

With regards to this prompt specifically, since you’re taking this choose-your-own adventure path, don’t be afraid to be a little unconventional in how you do these three things. Maybe you share a quote of something meaningful your dad once said to you about having a responsibility to give back to others, and then you describe a few moments you have shared with him that exemplify how he embodies this ideal every day, and how you seek to do the same.

Alternatively, say you study Latin in school. Maybe you choose a quote from Ovid, your favorite Roman author, that relates to injustice, and explain how to you, this quote shows that, although it’s easy to get discouraged by all the doom and gloom on the news, humans have been trying to make the world a little bit better for as long as our species has existed.

These two examples both take advantage of the fact that you have a pre-existing personal connection to the actual person who said the quote, not just their words, as that’s something you probably don’t have with any of the options given to you (with the possible exception of Taylor Swift). As a result, NYU admissions officers get to see a level of depth and reflection in your response that they otherwise wouldn’t, which is the benefit of this option–you can pick both the framework and the content of your essay, rather than needing to fit what you want to say into a particular structure.

This isn’t a mistake, but just something to keep in mind if you’re seriously thinking about coming up with your own prompt: you still only have 250 words, and you’re going to have to spend probably about 20 of them just on your quote and the name of the person who said it. So, make sure your quote is relatively short (you can also use well-placed ellipses to save yourself room)–Option A, for example, would be much too long, as you’d be using over 20% of your space just on the quote itself.

Regardless of how short your quote is, however, you’re still going to have less space available than if you had chosen one of the options NYU provides, which is yet more reason you need to be 100% sure that this option will allow you to say something none of the others will. If you choose this option without already having some sense of what you’d like to say, having 20 fewer words may end up really biting you.

To summarize: if you’re feeling bold, and already have a clear sense of how you’re going to channel that boldness, this prompt is a great opportunity to truly set yourself apart from other applicants. But if you’re just choosing it because you can, and coming up with your own prompt sounds fun, we’d encourage you to give the pre-established options another look.

Where to Get Your NYU Essay Edited 

Do you want feedback on your NYU essays? After rereading your essays countless times, it can be difficult to evaluate your writing objectively. That’s why we created our free Peer Essay Review tool , where you can get a free review of your essay from another student. You can also improve your own writing skills by reviewing other students’ essays. 

If you want a college admissions expert to review your essay, advisors on CollegeVine have helped students refine their writing and submit successful applications to top schools. Find the right advisor for you to improve your chances of getting into your dream school!

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Support NYU Law

NYU Law to launch new initiative targeting environmental racism

This Fall, the Law School will launch the NYU Law Environmental Justice Laboratory (EJL). The EJL will work with partners, including impacted communities, to address longstanding environmental racism and build a just, decarbonized future. Two of the Law School’s centers—the Center on Race, Inequality, and the Law (CRIL) and the Guarini Center on Environmental, Energy and Land Use Law —will work together to develop and oversee EJL’s strategic direction and operations.

A gift from attorneys Marie Napoli LLM ’01 and Paul Napoli provides for the establishment of the EJL.

“This gift innovatively targets the intersection of two areas of pressing social concern, environmental harm and racial inequity,” said Dean Troy McKenzie ’00. “Environmental justice has been an emerging area of focus here at the Law School and across the country. This funding will enable us to significantly expand that work and contribute meaningfully to the field. I’m grateful to the Napolis for their extraordinary generosity.”

The EJL will provide law students with a unique opportunity to engage in cutting-edge policy advocacy, litigation, and research in the field of environmental justice. It will aim to develop a critical mass of legal practitioners, academics, and clinicians dedicated to addressing environmental problems that disproportionately burden communities of color and low-income neighborhoods, and promoting environmental and social change.

“Through this broad-based approach, the Environmental Justice Laboratory will help to train the next generation of environmental justice advocates and serve as a significant force in addressing past environmental injustice and shaping a more equitable future for all of us,” said Associate Professor of Clinical Law Vincent Southerland , faculty director of CRIL.

“I appreciate the generosity of the Napolis in funding this important initiative,” said Professor Katrina Wyman , faculty director of the Guarini Center. “I look forward to partnering with people inside and outside of NYU Law to realize the potential of the Environmental Justice Laboratory.”   

During their 30 years of law practice, Marie and Paul Napoli have focused on complex litigation. Among the cases they have handled are claims for contamination to land and water supplies from petroleum, chemicals, and other toxins. Their environmental advocacy extends to several high-profile matters involving environmental justice and public health, including the Flint, Michigan, water contamination case and a lawsuit against 3M, also for chemical contamination of drinking water. Through their work on these matters, they witnessed firsthand the disproportionate impact of environmental pollution on communities of color across the country. The Napolis’ connection to the NYU Law is multigenerational: Their daughter is a Class of 2026 JD student, and Paul’s father, Joseph Napoli, received his LLM from the school in 1973.

In a statement, Marie and Paul Napoli said, “We are delighted to announce our gift supporting the Environmental Justice Lab, a testament to our deep commitment to advancing environmental justice and supporting the critical work that lies ahead in this essential field. Recognizing the monumental challenges and the imperative need for dedicated research and advocacy, we are confident that there is no better place to address these issues than with the team at NYU Law. Under the leadership of Professors Southerland and Wyman, and with valuable input from Dean McKenzie, it is our hope that the Environmental Justice Lab will stand as a beacon of hope and progress in the quest to tackle some of the most pressing environmental concerns of our time.”

Posted April 22, 2024

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