Where can I find strong NYU college essay examples?

You're right that many of the "Why NYU?" examples online feel generic—often just listing famous programs, the city, or saying they love the diversity. The best NYU essays are personal, detailed, and connect the applicant's interests or background with concrete opportunities NYU offers.

A great way to find strong examples is to look at official NYU undergraduate admissions blogs where students occasionally share their work, or do deep dives in education journalism sites that profile students and include real accepted essays. Sometimes, student-led college admissions websites and forums also post peer-reviewed samples (just be cautious of plagiarism issues). If you belong to a high school, your college counseling office might have a binder or digital folder of past successful essays from alumni—these are super helpful for seeing how real applicants approached the prompt.

To be specific, here's one detail you might spot in strong "Why NYU?" essays: rather than writing something broad like "NYU’s study abroad options excite me," a student might write, "I want to join NYU’s Liberal Studies Core Program so I can spend my freshman year at NYU Florence, immersing myself in Renaissance art history, an interest sparked by my time volunteering at the city museum." This ties a personal interest, a NYU-specific resource, and a future plan together.

You asked how personal to get—the more you can authentically link your identity, aspirations, or experiences to NYU, the better. For example, rather than saying, "I love that NYU is in New York," describe a moment in your life that ties you to the city, or explain how a specific research institute, club, or unique class aligns with your goals.

If you want to avoid being generic, stay away from repeating what’s on the website or listing NYU’s famous qualities. Instead, try to tell a brief story showing your connection to NYU. One student I know wrote about their passion for urban agriculture and made a connection to NYU's Urban Farm Lab and the Green Grants program—specifics that couldn’t apply to any other school.

Lastly, crowdsourced essay-sharing is tricky since sharing personal essays can risk privacy. Sometimes online forums or counseling offices (with permission) anonymize great examples—try there before public sites. But above all, use examples as inspiration, not templates. Every memorable NYU essay leans into that student’s unique perspective and ambition.