Chance me NYU ED1 Steinhardt for Media, Culture, & Communications (HS Senior, PA) [94/100 or 3.57 GPA, 1430 SAT]

Chance Me / Match Me
1

I’m a senior applying ED1 to NYU Steinhardt major in Media, Culture, and Communications, Chance me

Demographics:
Medium sized public high school school in PA (~1700 students)

I qualify for the NYU Promise (free tuition). I know they prioritize full pay students even though they’re allegedly need-blind. If I don’t get as much financial aid as I expect, it won’t be the end of the world.

GPA/SAT:

3.57 UW. My school has an extremely granular grading system (100=4.0 uw, 99=3.9 uw, etc) UW GPA translates to a 3.76 UW on the 93-100=4.0 scale. I have a 94 grade average and extreme upward trend.

SAT is 1430, waiting on September score to determine if I go test-optional (currently yes)

HS Coursework: school offers 14 APS

Freshman year: No APs, No honors

Sophomore year: No APS, 4 honors

Junior year: AP Gov, AP Lang, AP Human Geo, AP Micro (self studied took test through another school), 2 honors

Senior year: AP Psych, AP Lit, APES, AP Calc AB, AP Stats, AP Computer Science Principles

ECS:

Extracurricular activities:

  1. Content creator; 1.3M+ subscribers; 122M+ views; 6.1M+ likes; 2 Silver Youtube Creator Plaques; invited to Youtube Creator Summit.
  2. Marketing research assistant with prof. at local uni.
  3. Virtual NSLI-Y Arabic Scholar. Selected as 1 of 20 for Arabic
  4. Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) President.
  5. Online Intern of Non-profit, Head of Social Media/Marketing department (was in charge of Columbia undergrads)
  6. Roblox Game Developer. 450K+ game visits; 5,700+ favorites; 3,200 thumbs up; filled three 100-member servers.
  7. Caretaker/Older brother for little sister.
  8. Model United Nations VP.
  9. Started middle school mentorship program on highschool readiness
  10. Country Club Pool & Clubhouse job.

Awards:

  1. U.S. Department of State Virtual NSLI-Y Arabic Scholar | National

  2. American Legion Boys State Sponsor | State

  3. U.S. Department of State NSLI-Y Arabic Summer Semi-Finalist | National

  4. Vogue Summer School Business Ambassador | International

  5. AP Scholar with Honor | National

Essay:

I would say my essay is strong. Throughout it I explain the difficulties of communicating with my nonverbal little sister and why I want to go into international marketing. I would say the biggest theme is growth and how I had to rebuild my understanding of connection.

Supplemental essay:

I talk about an experience bridging a relationship between a Palestinian and Israeli friend while at Vogue Summer School. 99.9% of VSS students were really wealthy and a few I know are now attending NYU, so I thought I’d write about this to maybe signal I might be full pay? But also it shows the global competence they look for.

Recommendation letters:

  • Guidance counselor rec will be as usual, not very detailed I imagine.
  • My french teacher is writing my other rec and I expect it to be 8.5-9.5/10. She said I’m “the strongest she’s written for” and she was accepted in MCC at Steinhardt for grad school. I took two years of french with her (I took up to French 3) but French 4 didn’t fit on my schedule.
2

This is wrong. When they introduced the promise a couple of years ago, they reduced the class intake so that they could meet need for all those admitted. Even before they had the promise, my D19 had some classmates who were on very good aid packages.

I can’t honestly think why you think this should be something to do. Write about the bridge building if you think it’s a sincere reflection and what they are looking for, but this kind of “signal” is not going to do anything for your application.

This gave me pause, but I assume the school profile will detail this so they would take it in context of your school. Do you have something like naviance, scoir, Maia at your school so you can judge how prior applicants from your school have done? I would be inclined to want to submit a test score as a “backup” to the GPA but agree it would preferably be higher (last year’s 25th percentile was 1470).

Can you be more specific about the other subjects you took? For example, do you have bio, chem and physics?

Your ECs look pretty good to me, and Steinhardt is easier to get into than some other schools within NYU, but it would be good if possible to get some insight into how other students from your school have done given the way your school calculates GPA.

3

Totally agree!

OP, you should reconsider this. Signaling your affluence based on your peer group actually might work against you. It could come off as entitled. Your essays should be about who YOU are and what you would bring to the NYU community.

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You should definitely apply test-optional. Find out if you can still submit some AP scores as optional. You do also need a math or science AP score if you decide to submit AP scores. I would only submit if you scored "4"s and "5"s.

5

Thank you for the feedback. To each of your points:

  1. You see a lot more “less qualified” admitted applicants who are wealthier compared to low-income. That’s where my assumption is based.

  2. When you say, “I can’t honestly think why you think this should be something to do” do you mean you can’t see

    why I would want to write about this topic? or why I would acknowledge the potential benefits of a piece of writing I already planned on? I didn’t brainstorm a topic thinking, “what would make me look like i’m full pay!” I brainstormed moments where I genuinely found myself building bridges, and later thought of the benefit that might come with this specific topic.

  3. Yes, the school profile my counselor will submit details the unique grading scale. I’ve attached a picture of it. We do not have a way to judge how prior applicants from my school have done. I know of very few students who were admitted into NYU in the past few years, but that’s because not many people at my school apply to top schools. Regarding the SAT, I only plan to submit if I end up getting a 1450+. I’m comfortable submitting a 1450 because I think it slightly strengthens GPA and it’s also near average for a Steinhardt admit. Again, if I put all the grades I’ve received into the more standard (93-100=4.0 UW, 90-92=3.7 UW, etc) GPA scale, I have a 3.76 UW.

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  1. Freshman year: Algebra 1, American Studies, Business Basics, Earth Science, English 1, French 1 & 2, Gym
    Sophomore year: Piano, Drivers ED, Honors Chem, Honors English 2, Honors French 3, Honors Geometry, Honors Global Studies, Law
    Junior year: AP Lang, AP U.S. Gov, AP Human Geo, Econ, Honors Alg 2, Honors Bio, Honors Trig/Pre-calc, Marketing, (Intercultural communication dual enrollment, and AP Micro self study, didn’t study a single day so I got a 3)
    Senior year: AP Psych, AP Lit, AP Environmental Science, AP Calc AB, AP Stats, AP Computer Science Principles.

Considering your last point, I think it’s a big flaw within my school district. They have this granular scale to eliminate ties in class rank, but it results in comparably low GPAs. I would assume the school profile works in the students favor as it shows their UW GPA is not as low as it may seem. I also explain my schools grading profile/scale in the additional info section just in case.

Overall, how competitive do you think I am? I’ve been talking to current NYU students within Steinhardt with the MCC major and I’ve heard GPAs from 3.3UW to 3.7UW and standard school level ECs like clubs, honors societies, sports, etc. So I hope I stand out. Thank you for the feedback!

6

Totally agree. The essay I’ve written has nothing to do with affluence, and is solely about the bridge I built between two people who would likely never cross paths because of geopolitical division and how that extended into my own bridge. NYU looks for bridge builders, global competence, and independence. I chose this supplemental essay topic because it not only answers the prompt but it displays the three qualities I listed. It was only after I wrote the essay I considered the potential benefit the program might have on my application.

I can almost guarantee all of the Vogue students NYU admitted were full pay. Participating in the program might signal “I’m another full pay student.” Obviously this is 100% not true and it’s just something I thought of and observed after drafting the topic. Also, Vogue Summer School is very similar to NYU life. It’s a diverse group of students studying in NYC. So I think it’s reasonable to acknowledge the benefit that might have on my application. I think they could view this as: this student has already experienced what it’s like to be a student in Manhattan, we know they can handle it and know what to expect. Thank you for your feedback!

7

As you are an experienced member how do you think I will do in the admissions process?

8

I really am going to push back on this. If you are talking about people you know personally, that’s a very small sample. You don’t know what their applications looked like. You don’t know how impressive their essays were, or what their teacher recommendations were like. You don’t know who might have been hooked. If it was a major that required a portfolio or audition, that can offset stats. But to point out, a lot of things can offset stats. They are building a class, not ticking boxes on grades. My kid got in with weaker on the face of it stats and ECs than one of her classmates (whose parent was at that stage CEO of a huge company and I guarantee you way wealthier than us). Full pay clearly had nothing to do with it. She spent 4 years as an undergrad at NYU. She met dozens if not hundreds of people who got admitted to NYU. I would think she has a fair idea of the student body. Did she meet wealthy people, yes. Did she meet the kid of a famous rock star there, yes. Did she meet people from lower income backgrounds who wouldn’t be there without significant aid? Also yes, a number, and this was all before they introduced the Promise.

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What is your SAT RW/M breakdown? I wouldn’t submit the AP scores since you did score a “3” in Microeconomics. Plus you lack the math/science AP that NYU requires if you choose to submit AP scores in your application.

You might improve your odds by submitting the SAT scores. You may also want to take a couple of sample ACT tests to see if you can score higher.

NYU admissions is not need-blind, meaning that parent’s ability to pay could matter. According to statistics, parents of almost 3 out of every 5 students at NYU are paying the full sticker price. I don’t expect that percentage to fall much in the next admissions cycle.

By the way, are you considering any other schools (e.g. Syracuse University - Newhouse School)?

Percentage of students paying full sticker price:

    Syracuse University               21%
    Northeastern University           40%
    Boston University                 49%
    New York University               58%

NOTE: For 2023 to 2024 academic year

Source: National Center for Education Statistics

10

I totally acknowledge it varies so much. But GENERALLY speaking, NYU will pick the student who can pay more (why wouldn’t they?) They have the largest international student population for a reason; those students are full pay! If NYU were accepting more in-need students, there would be a smaller population of wealthy students. My conclusion is based off of the people who surround me that got into NYU. I knew a very qualified student (4.0 gpa, 1500+ SAT, hadTineo College Prep as a college counselor, so application was definitely strong) who needed 100% aid and she was rejected. My other friend, the daughter of a very notable actor, had a mediocre profile but instead she was admitted. Yes, low income students are chosen all the time; however, when it’s between the two, we know who will be favored. My group of friends is applying ED1 to NYU this fall and the one thing that sets my application apart from theirs is I don’t have a last name the admissions officers will immediately recognize or a 90210 zip code. This data point (applying for financial aid) is a serious consideration in top college admissions, and it’s coincidentally even greater of a consideration when it comes to NYU. Besides that, how do you think I will do in the admissions process considering my profile. Again, thank you for your feedback.

11

They are need aware for international students. This isn’t a surprise. And actually not all internationals are full pay, but I would guess a majority are …because they are need aware for that pool of applicants. They are need blind for domestic applicants.

Again, your sample of people you know is tiny. You cited exactly two, and on one of them you assumed that because they had a counselor they had a strong application. Sometimes people who use counselors have essays that come across as inauthentic because they’ve been worked on so much. Some of the schools at nyu have under a 5% admit rate, and they reject high stats people all the time because there simply isn’t space. I’m not really sure how to answer your chance me tbh because you seem convinced that they hold as very important a factor that does not actually factor into domestic admissions.

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I have 720M, 710R. Not too sure if I did better on the September one, we will see. Also, Steinhardt has much less emphasis on math/science APs. I’m not too worried about academics considering some of the people I know who got in. They had a lower GPA than me and less AP classes even though their school offered them. I’m applying to Steinhardt for a reason, it’s typically easier to get in. Every person I’ve talked to who is majoring in Media, Culture, and Communications has either the same or lower GPA and school based awards/ecs.

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@SJ2727 take a look

14

I don’t think NYU is need-blind for domestic applicants. Can you share a link from the NYU website stating this; I couldn’t find it?

The NYU Promise does guarantee that every undergraduate–domestic and international–who start as a first-year student admitted to our New York campus will have 100% of their demonstrated need met through a combination of scholarships and grants.

15

Yes. So the international students they are accepting are full pay. NYU has a largely international student body. I wonder why? maijem11 cited some information above that might be worth taking a look at. Regardless of whether or not NYU factors in a students ability to pay for domestic students or not, my original question was my chances of being admitted into NYU Steinhardt with a major in Media, Culture, and Communications within the ED1 round considering my profile.

16

They were very clear about it at their admissions presentation, as well as the fact that they are need aware for international.

17

This may be true but NYU admissions still requires it even for Steinhardt if you choose to submit AP scores. Since you didn’t take any AP math or science classes junior year, this is not an option for you.

Your SAT section scores are about the same. Your composite is 1400+. I would submit the scores regardless or whether you scored higher or lower in September, or need to superscore.

18

I think my lack of AP math and science classes junior year highlights my upward trajectory. I hadn’t taken a single AP class previously and later jumped right into 4. Plus, I’m not allowed to take AP Bio or AP Chem before I take honors, so that wouldn’t work either way. I’m curious, does NYU say AP core classes are required each year to be considered? If that’s true, that would be a departure from Steinhardts emphasis on student qualities and contributions to their community rather than stats. Are you saying, if I choose to submit AP scores I must submit an AP science and math, but because I didn’t take one my junior year, I can’t submit AP scores? Also do you think I would be fine not submitting any scores at all? Like imagine i didn’t submit SAT.

19

NYU has 22% of students from outside the US. If that is large, consider that they have more than that - 24% - on Pell grants, and that the average aid to freshmen is over $59k a year.

I thought I had already answered your chance me. You’re going for a higher admit school in ED, and if your GPA is read in context you probably have a decent chance, assuming your essays and letter of recommendation are good.

20

This is what I read at the NYU admissions website. NYU is test-optional & also test-flexible. Any applicant can choose to submit AP scores in lieu of ACT or SAT scores. There is no exception for Steinhardt applicants.

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