Undergraduate / Transfer to NYU from Rutgers Newark -- Entrepreneurs, Pioneers. [10]

Hi guys, i'm a freshman at Rutgers Newark and i want to transfer to NYU. this is my essay for the common app to answer: Please provide a statement (250 words minimum) that addresses your reasons for transferring and the objectives you hope to achieve. so yeah if someone could read it and tell me how it is that'd be very appreciated!

"We are a family of pioneers. We are entrepreneurs. It's in our blood." Growing up, I was often repeated that by my father. When he refers to my family being pioneers he refers to my grandfather's grandfather, who, along with his family and a group of other families, left their home in the Gujrat region of India. They boarded merchant ships travelling in the Indian Ocean and set sails for a new world and a new life. After months of travelling, they ended up on the beautiful shores of Madagascar where they decided to settle. The fierce spirit of trade and affairs and the need to survive, pushed them to settle and today those same families are known throughout the island and have built an empire that, together, has a strong hold over the economy of the country. My father too was a pioneer; he was the first of his generation to move to France, where my siblings and I were born, to pursue his studies and was quickly followed by other family members.

The term "pioneer" can be defined as "One who ventures into unknown or unclaimed territory to settle." Those Indian farmers became pioneers the minute they set sail for a strange place. A place in which they had to work for every cent they earned to make enough money to survive.

Similarly, "entrepreneur" can be defined as "One who starts a business or other venture that promises economic gain but that also entails risks." My ancestors were an example of this since they arrived in a new market and started businesses−small shops or road-side snack bars−that promised money to survive with which they were risking failure and/or rejection.

This pioneer spirit runs in the family; my father, who set up his own business, my grandfather who sold his mother's cooking on the streets of Madagascar, and so on. Ten years ago, in 1998, I was one of the first students to be enrolled in the first American school of Madagascar. I did not know a word of English so I was placed in ESL (English as a Second Language). After four months of ESL, the teacher deemed that my knowledge of the English language was good enough for me to be placed in the normal English class. He looked me in the eyes and said: "Ayaz, I am surprised at how fast you learned English. I can see already that you will go far in life." Being in fourth I didn't take much of that. The pioneer in me first came out when I was the first of my family to learn English.

Three years later, my family moved to Dubai where I graduated with an IB Diploma from Dubai American Academy. My senior year, when the time came to apply to universities, the pioneer in me once again showed himself. I, like my ancestors, wanted to set sail for new horizons. Given that France was already famous amongst graduates from Madagascar, I applied to somewhere new; the United States of America, the land of opportunities.

A university benefits from the student as much as the student benefits from the university. Having spent half a year at Rutgers University-Newark, I feel like an odd nail sticking out. I do not feel like the pioneer in me is given the chance to shine and most importantly, I do not feel like my background and international experiences are an asset.

Given its international recognition and its diversity, New York University is the perfect match for me. Being located in the financial capital of the world, NYU would allow me to observe, first hand, the business world as well as the impacts of the present economic situation. Moreover, the International Studies Program that is offered at NYU is an opportunity to add to my international portfolio, which I would take full advantage of, to try to satisfy by unquenchable thirst for knowledge.

The uniqueness of NYU is shown through many different aspects including its widespread campus located in the heart of New York City, allowing me to make connections to the real world. Furthermore, the variety of clubs and activities offered at NYU are unique in the sense that they would allow me to build a network of diverse friends to carry through to the real world.

I believe that my ability to adapt to challenging environments, given my experiences throughout the world, would be most beneficial to NYU and its diverse student body. Furthermore, the pioneer within me is yearning for a change and NYU is the place where he can be best appreciated, which would allow me to raise the standards for my family even higher.