NYU, Here and Abroad: College Admission Essay Sample

I remember the first time, for better or worse, that I ever visited New York City. My parents decided it would be a great idea to road trip there (creating the basis of my hatred for long car rides). After two long, exhausting days of torturous confinement, we finally arrived in the magical city only to encounter our first (of many) dilemmas: finding the hotel. While driving through the sleek, organized streets in our 2009 Honda minivan, our little merry band of misfits from Texas discovered that we didn't really fit into the fast-paced, no-nonsense New York vibe. We ended up running over the curb of a huge Victoria's Secret store in Times Square, a mere 40 blocks from where our hotel actually was.

The next day, being the rebellious son of a gun I was, I decided I was going to tell my parents I was working out in the hotel while really going out and exploring the vast city. I mean, what could go wrong? I was 12, with no money or cell phone; I was practically invincible.

No, this story doesn’t end up with some scary police report saying I was kidnapped, or my getting lost in the city and having to hop a subway turnstile to get back. (For the record, I did eventually get caught by my father because, when we went to get breakfast from the small corner bakery the next morning, the man at the cash register called me out on coming there two days in a row). However, this story does end with me realizing how amazing Manhattan really was, and from then on knowing I needed to end up there.

So, when you ask the question, “Where at NYU do you want to study?” I have many answers. While I dream of sitting on the lawn of Washington Square Park reading a communications textbook in preparation for my next class, I would also have to say that studying “The Anthropology of Indigenous Australia” in Sydney would be enjoyable. I wouldn’t say no to learning about abnormal psychology in London. It would be a dream to take Spanish Two in Spain, or a creative writing course in Ghana. “Algebra, Calculus, and the Rise Of Modern Science” might be more entertaining if taken in Shanghai. I’d never turn down an internship in communication studies in Prague. What I’m trying to say is that traveling the world has always been my dream, and with all the study abroad programs NYU offers, I feel like it could finally come true.

I plan to major in communications at NYU and eventually get a job in Public Relations. NYU is the perfect place to explore this discipline, because it has one of the top programs in the nation. How could it not, when it has all of New York City as its playground? While at NYU, I hope to get an internship in Public Relations that could help jumpstart the rest of my life as a fast-paced, no-nonsense New Yorker.