Undergraduate / Transfer essay: "I want an intellectually stimulating education at a research-oriented school" [3]

In an essay of 300 words or less, explain your motivation to transfer from your current/previous institution to Illinois and how your academic interests and/or professional goals will be fulfilled in your intended program of study.

study in nyu

When I chose NYU to pursue a degree in chemical engineering, I was extremely excited. I was going to live in the greatest city in the world and get an intellectually stimulating education. 18 months later, as I look back on the entire experience, it was not quite what I expected.

Academically, I do not feel like I'm learning as much as I would have liked to at NYU. Although NYU has a respectable and very rigorous engineering program, it does not compare well to the rest of NYU. NYU's business and film schools will always be one step ahead of the rest of the NYU pack, and these two schools are primarily responsible for NYU's reputation. The University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign's engineering program, which ranks consistently among the top programs in the country, is also among the highest spenders in engineering research in America. I want to attend a research oriented school where I can practically implement my classroom knowledge, an aspect that NYU lacks in. The Research Park at UIUC is an example of what I am looking for in a university. It is home to numerous big companies as well as startups that take part in scientific research in various fields. In doing so, it also employs hundreds of interns at a time. I want to pursue a career in the energy sector, particularly focusing on increasing energy efficiency. Several companies at the Research Park such as Ameren, Industrial Heat LLC etc. deal with green technology and sustainable energy.

I do not regret going to NYU. My freshman and sophomore years have been an integral part of my academic journey but I feel like it's time for me to begin the second half of my undergraduate education at a place that truly suits my interests.

So I'm around the 300 mark. But I want to know whether I should include the negative points about NYU or not and be more specific about my career goals.

Undergraduate / Transfer:"it's time to continue my undergraduate education at a place that truly suits my interests" [2]

State why you wish to leave your present college and attend Virginia Tech.

NYU vs Virginia Tech

When I chose NYU to pursue a degree in chemical engineering, I was extremely excited. I was going to live in the greatest city in the world and get a great education that stimulated me intellectually. A year and a half later, as I look back on the entire experience, it was not quite what I expected.

Academically, I do not feel like I'm learning as much as I would have liked to at NYU. Although NYU has a respectable and very rigorous engineering program, it does not compare well to the rest of NYU, and especially not to Virginia Tech's engineering program, which ranks consistently among the top programs in the country. Not only that, but Virginia Tech is among the highest spenders in engineering research in America. NYU's school of engineering is not quite as research oriented as Virginia Tech, and in order be among the best engineering schools, you need to practically implement your knowledge and improve the everyday lives of people. As a person who wants to pursue a career in the renewable energy sector, The Center for Energy and the Global Environment (CEAGE) will provide me with an opportunity to get some valuable experience in that field.

I do not regret going to NYU. My freshman and sophomore years have been an integral part of my academic journey but I feel like it's time for me to begin the second half of my undergraduate education at a place that truly suits my interests.