Fordham University supplemental essays

The prompts, one by one

1. New York City essay (optional)up to 300 words · Challenge

   “Our motto is 'New York is my campus, Fordham is my school.' New York City is a diverse and global city that provides Fordham students with a special kind of educational experience, full of both challenge and opportunity. What has prepared you to embrace the unique opportunity of living and learning in New York City?”

   What it's really asking

   How you behave when something goes wrong. The challenge itself matters less than the steps you took and what you now do differently.

   Where drafts go wrong

   Spending most of the words on the problem and two sentences on the response. Picking a tragedy for weight when a smaller, more honest problem would show more of you. Tidy endings where everything was fixed.

   The shape of a strong answer

   State the problem in two or three sentences. Then the specific actions, in order, including the one that didn't work. End with what changed in how you operate, with one example of it since.

2. Message to younger self (optional)up to 300 words · Goals

   “At Fordham, we have a tradition of having our graduating seniors send a message to their younger selves. What will the future 'you' tell the 'you' of today about what you accomplished as a Fordham student?”

   What it's really asking

   Whether you've thought past admission. Fordham University wants a direction and the reasoning behind it, not a guaranteed career plan.

   Where drafts go wrong

   A job title with no reasoning, or a mission so large it can't be checked ("change the world"). Plans that don't connect to anything you've done.

   The shape of a strong answer

   The problem or kind of work that pulls you, one thing you've already done toward it, and what you'd need next that Fordham University provides. It's fine to say the plan might change; say what wouldn't.

3. New perspective essay (optional)up to 300 words · Community

   “At Fordham, we expect students to care for and engage with their communities and be active citizens for positive change. Please share an experience you had that caused you to develop a new perspective, change your point of view, and/or empower you to take an action or be courageous. Your response should include examples of your personal growth (e.g., what did you learn, did your point of view change, did you develop new skills or strengths?).”

   What it's really asking

   Two things at once: which community actually shaped how you think, and what you will bring to Fordham University because of it. The second half is where most drafts stop short.

   Where drafts go wrong

   Describing the community instead of your role in it, or choosing the one that sounds impressive rather than the one that changed you. "Diversity" as an abstraction, with no scene.

   The shape of a strong answer

   Pick a community you can describe with a scene, not a label. Show one moment where it taught you something or asked something of you. Spend the last third on what that means you'll do at Fordham University: a specific contribution, not "bring my perspective."

Every US applicant also writes the Common App personal statement: 650 words, seven prompts. Don't repeat it here; the supplements are for what the statement didn't show.

A self-check before you submit

Cover the school name and read the essay. Then cover your name and read it again. It should fail the first test (it only makes sense for Fordham University) and pass the second (only you could have written it). If it passes the first test, it's a brochure. If it fails the second, it's a template.