Congrats on your business @PLZSTERN2024 - that took serious initiative. Very impressive. I could barely handle a part time fast food job hahaha. If you were offered Gallatin, CAS or NYU AD or Shanghai instead of Stern, would you accept? Stern and Tisch are super selective, the others slightly less so.
My older brother got in to NYU NYC campus with slightly higher grades and scores - but not by much. And not nearly the ECs. And he got a fantastic scholarship. He had heard that their fin aid was terrible and so was pleasantly surprised. It wasn’t - the staff there were super nice and very helpful. He was OOS, white male. He did have a study abroad and language hook - but it seems on par with your incredible business hook, so… Also, his experience across the board with advisors, fin aid dept, admissions, professors, RAs, really every support system was terrific - very, very supportive. My cousin went to a state flagship and couldn’t believe how much better and more personalized NYU was for my brother in comparison. Brother graduated with honors in 4 years from CAS.
I asked my brother for advice for you - he suggested really playing up your business and what makes you totally unique in your essays, and being very communicative with your admissions counselor both before and after the deadline. Express your interest to them OFTEN. You have a unique story - really focus on telling YOUR story and emphasizing your varied interests and talents.
So while all the advice here is on target and very true in most cases, your mileage may vary. Might as well apply and see how things turn out. You never know. But agree that if terrific merit is not offered, it’s not worth being in heavy debt for the rest of your life.