NYU Stern MBA Essay 1: Change: _________ it (350 word maximum, double-spaced, 12-point font)

In today’s global business environment, the only constant is change. Using NYU Stern’s brand call to action, we want to know how you view change. Change: _____ it. Fill in the blank with a word of your choice. Why does this word resonate with you? How will you embrace your own personal tagline while at Stern? Examples:
Change: Dare it.
Change: Dream it.
Change: Drive it.
Change: Empower it.
Change: Manifest it.
Change: [Any word of your choice.]

Background Information: An applicant – a second generation American, braved a learning disability to enter the Finance industry and started a venture to fund his education.

Theme: Financial Insecurity, Resilience, Entrepreneurship

Theme (Explained): Dare it as a theme in NYU Stern essay should include journeys from your life that, for an outsider, look impossible. The applicant’s hardship to survive in the US with a minimum wage income is the first clue to the hardship.

The diagnosis of a learning disability in 8th grade is the second setback.

The third – funding his education would have been a cliché if the applicant cited traditional funding sources, but starting a business to fund his education is a unique narrative. 

Remember – without courage and resilience to withstand hardship or a setback, there is no ‘dare it’ narrative.

Profile: Financial Analyst, Entrepreneur

Industry: FinTech

MBA Essay Strategy: The essay starts with the family’s immigration story, the education of parents and the struggle growing up with the income of minimum wage parents.

The transition from the setback is towards another setback – the diagnosis of a learning disability that nearly cost him his education. 

The first example of ‘daring’ is not from the applicant’s action but from a teacher who persisted in teaching the applicant a method to overcome his learning disability. The person who became a mentor showed the applicant the value of daring to question one’s limitations. 

When the applicant’s parents, with regret, shared their inability to fund his undergraduate degree, he found inspiration from his teacher to question the status quo and started a venture to fund his education. 

Opener: Starting the essay with a fact from the applicant’s life is a shortcut to establish the theme of the essay – financial insecurity.

NYU Stern MBA Change Essay Example: Dare It (Finance Candidate – Immigrant Family & Entrepreneurship) (348 Words)

My parents grew up in abject poverty in the Dominican Republic.  Immigration to the US changed our destiny. Without education, my parents had to take minimum-wage jobs. While the family found stability, I struggled in Grade 8th. 

The principal suggested that I shift to a special-ed school. Mrs. Y dared to take a stand against it. She sat with me, encouraged me to read the question word by word, and queried to find what I understood. With the support of a psychologist, I was diagnosed with a learning disability. 

Unlike dyslexia, I took ...

Download the Change Narrative of the Finance Candidate