I’ve lived in NYC my whole life, but have always attended private school, where - admittedly - the majority of my peers are from similar backgrounds (i.e. white and American). For my “Why NYU?” supplement, I wanted to write about my experience transferring to an international school in the city, and how experiencing that kind of diversity (attending class with students from all over the world, learning about new cultures and customs, etc) was fascinating to me and I wanted to continue exposure to international students. I know that NYU has a large global focus, so I figured that this topic was a pretty specific and relatable thing to write about other than the more cliche “I want to go to NYU to be in New York City.”
However, when I sent my boyfriend (already in college) a draft of my essay topic, he flat-out told me I sounded racist, like a “white girl who had never seen somebody from a different race before.” This is NOT what I was going for (obviously) and I don’t believe I sound like that - but is he right, is this topic as a whole too racially controversial?
I have a plan B - expressing my interest in NYU’s Liberal Studies program - but I feel like I wrote a well-rounded and informative mini-essay about my true reason for wanting to attend NYU. If anybody wants to read it and let me know if it’s not as good as I think it is, that’d be great, but I also want overall opinions on my general topic of choice, as it truly is why I want to go there!
You’re not being racist. There’s nothing risky about your topic.
But gushing on about how NYU is the right school for you because it has “a large global focus”, is like gushing on about how great your neighborhood supermarket is because it has milk. Lots of schools have a “large global focus”.
@GMTplus7 thanks for letting me know it’s okay. and yes, that’s very true, but NYU has a large international student body + global focus against the backdrop of new york city, one of the most culturally sound and diverse cities in the world, which is why it stands out to me. NYU also has the most expansive study abroad program i’ve come across on my list of schools i’m applying to.
@bjkmom thank you! i will continue w/ my plan B in that case. and i prefer NYU over fordham because it’s larger and has more of a liberal arts focus, whereas my friends that go to fordham tell me that the school is predominantly prelaw and business majors. columbia is just a long shot.