How does an Elmo Doll or a ski get you into business school? The infamous "Third Essay Question" at NYU's Sern School of Business asks applicants to "Introduce yourself to your future classmates any way you'd like." Prospoective business students have filled Stern's admissions office with everything from CD collections to sushi.
Laura Spero talks with director of admissions Isser Gallogly about how these quirky objects embody the qualities that make good business students. Then she hits the street to speak with two students to discuss what it was like to answer the Third Essay.
More from Laura Spero
Wood Cutting Trip
(04:05)
From: Laura Spero
An American gal accompanies a raucous group of neighbors down the mountain to cut firewood in rural Nepal.
Frying Cel Roti in Pokhara, Nepal
(04:57)
From: Laura Spero
Learning to cook a traditional fried bread in Nepal.
Mahane Yehuda
(01:05)
From: Laura Spero
The elbow-throwing, shekel-shouting, watermelon and halva and bread-selling chaos of Jerusalem's largest outdoor market on a Friday afternoon just before Shabbat.
Churning Milk in Nepal
(04:42)
From: Laura Spero
Let's talk about locally produced food--you've never had milk like this. In the village of Kaskikot, Nepal, Aamaa shows reporter Laura Spero how to churn buffalo milk to ...
Tibetan Refugees Do Crafty Business in Nepal
(03:29)
From: Laura Spero
Tibetan refugees have been living in Nepal for over fifty years, and refugee camps are well-established collections of concrete homes. But Tibetans still have very few ...
Pearl Harbor Patriots
(06:39)
From: Laura Spero
As Barack Obama accepted the nomination for President of the United States, he said that "Change...cannot happen without a new spirit of service, a new spirit of sacrifice. ...
Mission: Garage
(05:28)
From: Laura Spero
Kevin Filici has spent four years building a garage that is now more valuable than his house.
My Dad the World Champion
(05:09)
From: Laura Spero
Just before the opening of the 2008 Bejing Olympics, Don Spero tells his daughter, for the billionth time, of the epic rivalry he once had with great Russian sculler ...
Hairdressers of New York City
(03:07)
From: Laura Spero
Hairdressers in New York City describe how things look from behind the chair
Patriots
(26:44)
From: Laura Spero
In May 2002, seniors compare the post 9/11 world to Pearl Harbor and World War II.
Related Pieces
Piece Description
How does an Elmo Doll or a ski get you into business school? The infamous "Third Essay Question" at NYU's Sern School of Business asks applicants to "Introduce yourself to your future classmates any way you'd like." Prospoective business students have filled Stern's admissions office with everything from CD collections to sushi. Laura Spero talks with director of admissions Isser Gallogly about how these quirky objects embody the qualities that make good business students. Then she hits the street to speak with two students to discuss what it was like to answer the Third Essay.
Broadcast History
Markeplace, 12/27/05
