Chances for NYU Steinhardt; unique story

Colleges and Universities A-Z New York University
1

<p>Hi CC community,</p>

<p>First poster here, although i have been reading the forums for quite some time now. I have quite a strange story and am wondering if I could get some help figuring out my chances to my top choice school. </p>

<p>Coming into highschool, I had somewhat of a hard transition but quickly got up to speed. I became a straight A student throughout most of freshman year and all of sophomore year, resulting in a 3.75 unweighted GPA and top 10% of my class by the beginning of junior year. Then, however, things took a turn for the worse. In addition to a number of family and personal issues including the separation of my parents, i suffered a phase of depression. This resulted in a huge drop in my grades, resulting in a 3.37 GPA by the end of junior year. By the end of the year, having overcome my depression, I became determined to do what I could to recover the damage done to my academics. I enrolled in 2 summer courses in the University of Pennsylvania and found an internship for a Wharton professor who I plan on getting a rec from. I did fairly well at Penn, with an A in a communications course and a B in a game theory course.</p>

<p>Now, I plan on applying EDI to NYU Steinhardt for communications. I have heard in numerous places that Steinhardt admissions put less importance on numbers (GPA and SAT) than other NYU schools, taking a more holistic approach to admissions (confirm?). Given my good grade in a UPenn summer communications course and the rest of my profile, how do my chances look?</p>

<p>GPA: 3.37 UW; 3.88 W
SAT: 1750 (Taking again in October, expecting to boost up a fair amount)
SAT II: Math I: 690 ; US History: 640
APs: Calc AB, US History, Modern Euro History, Statistics
Essay: strong
2 summer courses at UPenn: Communications A; Decision Theory B</p>

<p>ECs:
Nationally competitive snowboarder (top 20 in the country for my age group)
National Honors Society Member
Internship for prominent Wharton Professor (getting recommendation)
150+ hours volunteering at kids' summer camp
Volunteer at Cardiologist's office
Computer science program (4 credits through Stanford continuing studies program)</p>

<p>I realize my stats are low. But given my ECs, and my previous successful studies in communication, how are my chances. I also plan on applying without financial aid, as I realize NYU is not need-blind. How does this look?</p>

2

<p>NYU is need-blind. I don’t know where you heard otherwise.</p>

<p>GPA is much below average, but potentially explainable. SAT is very low. </p>

<p>I wouldn’t say you will be completely rejected, you do have a chance. But, remember, NYU becomes more competitive every year.</p>

3

<p>Thanks so much for the feedback. I guess I was misinformed about NYU being need-aware. </p>

<p>I’m aware my SAT is low right now, but I’ve been prepping a bit for the Oct. SAT and plan on boosting the grade by a fair amount. How would my chances look with at least a 1950?</p>

<p>Also, is it true that Steinhardt admissions put less weight on SATs and GPA and focus more on other aspects of your background? Or is this only in certain majors?</p>

4

<p>I think for certain majors like Music, Steinhardt focuses more on a student’s ECs. And yes, NYU is a need-blind school, as are most major US institutions. </p>

<p>You need to raise your SAT scores for sure. I think if you explain the GPA situation you will be okay as long as you have the high test scores. Your ECs and recos are great but yes, try to score at least a 1950+ and you should be okay.</p>

<p>Good luck!</p>