Question 1
We are looking for students who want to be bridge builders—students who can connect people, groups, and ideas to span divides, foster understanding, and promote collaboration within a dynamic, interconnected, and vibrant global academic community. We are eager for you to tell us how your experiences have helped you understand what qualities and efforts are needed to bridge divides so that people can better learn and work together.
Please consider one or more of the following questions in your essay:
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- Tell us about a time you encountered a perspective different from your own. What did you learn—about yourself, the other person, or the world?
- Tell us about an experience you’ve had working with others who have different backgrounds or perspectives. What challenges did your group face? Did you overcome them, and if so, how? What role did you try to play in helping people to work together, and what did you learn from your efforts?
- Tell us about someone you’ve observed who does a particularly good job helping people think or work together. How does this person set the stage for common exploration or work? How do they react when difficulties or dissensions arise?
Explanation:
In college, you will meet people from all walks of life, and many will have cultural backgrounds, beliefs, values and ethics that differ from your own. Gaining exposure to those who are different from you is one of the best ways to learn about other parts of the world and grow as an individual. As a “global institution,” NYU admits students from all of the world to their main campus, aiming to create a learning environment that exposes students to international perspectives and strongly encourages students to become global citizens of the world through study abroad programming.
When reading the prompt, notice that the first three questions all point you in the same direction: can you provide a tangible example of a time when a bridge of some kind was built. You can choose to write about a time when you encountered a perspective differing from your own, when you worked with those who have perspectives different from your own, or when you observed someone build a bridge across differences.
Perhaps you were raised in a bicultural household, have lived in more than one country, or have discovered another culture through the process of learning a new language. Maybe you organized a club or event at your school or within your community aimed at bringing people together despite their many differences. No matter the experience, you likely encountered differences along the way, and had to navigate the experience in a mature and communicative manner.
No matter the experience that makes you a “bridge builder,” be sure to begin your essay by writing about it with specificity and eloquence. First, identify the difference/conflict you bridge, then explain how you went about bridging/resolving said difference and end with self-reflection indicating the ways in which this event or experience allowed you and others to learn from each other.
Note that the third option allows you to write about someone else if you don’t have a story of your own you wish to share or if you would rather highlight someone else’s tact. If you do choose to write about someone else, be sure to highlight that which you admire about their perspectives and bridge building abilities.
While you should aim to present the situation, provide enough context for your reader to understand it, and explain how it was resolved, you should focus your writing on the values and methods for bridging the divide more than on the logistics of the story you are recounting.
Use this as an opportunity to demonstrate your openness and curiosity about other people, places, and cultures. Your goal should be to demonstrate how your values align with those of NYU.
The second part of your essay should indicate the ways in which you hope to continue your “bridge building” endeavors as a member of the NYU community. Is there a specific club you would like to join or an event you would like to attend or even host once on campus? You could also write about a specific research or study abroad experience that would enhance your understanding of other people, ideas, or culture and enable you to foster bridge-building of your own on campus.
Sample:
“Where are the cleaning supplies?”
I paused. “What do you mean?
“For clean up block… at the end of the day.”
Clean up block was one of the first Japanese traditions Akira shared with me when we first met. I’ve since learned that teachers make house calls to students’ houses, and that many Japanese individuals refrain from public displays of affection. These discoveries spawned further questions: Did students in other countries clean up after themselves too? How did they greet their friends? Elders?
Akira’s arrival into my life triggered a curiosity about other peoples and places, and their values and traditions. Most importantly, it led me to found my school’s Dinner Party Club. One Friday evening a month, students from my school meet in our school kitchen to try our hand at cooking a traditional meal and watch a classic movie from a new country. If one of our members has ties to the country, they lead the charge, choosing the recipe and the film, and sharing more about their culture over dinner.
When my school asked me to be Akira’s peer mentor when she moved to our district, I assumed I’d make a new friend, but I did not anticipate the extent to which this new friendship would broaden my understanding of the world. At NYU, I look forward to building bridges between other cultures and peoples in informal “Dinner Parties,” and learning about international relations bridges (or lack thereof) in the classroom, both in NYC and abroad.