How to strengthen your CUNY Baruch College application

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What CUNY Baruch College weights most

Baruch prioritizes demonstrated quantitative readiness and genuine interest in business, finance, or accounting, not broad extracurricular prestige. Applicants who thrive show strong rigor in math-related coursework, internships or paid work in NYC finance/office settings, and clear plans for leveraging Baruch’s Zicklin School and City College pipeline; the admissions office is more forgiving on non-business extracurricular breadth but stricter about upward academic trajectory and relevant experience. Competitive applicants often come from NYC-area public or parochial schools with solid GPAs and contextualized achievement rather than national awards.

Supplemental essay strategy

For Baruch’s why-us or supplemental prompts, connect specific resources - Zicklin majors, the Lawrence N. Field Center, Weissman Center career services, Bloomberg terminals, and NYC internship pipelines - to one concrete past experience and one short-term internship/career goal. Mention intended major and cite a particular program, faculty, or local employer partnership you would use, showing knowledge of Baruch’s practical NYC advantages rather than generic praise.

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Where to focus next

If you only have time for one thing this month, do this:

1. Read 2 admitted-student essays from CUNY Baruch College (search official admissions site or Reddit r/baruch). Notice the level of specificity — that's the bar.
2. Write the ‘why this school’ supplement first, before anything else. If you can't fill 250 words with school-specific reasons, pick a different school.
3. Find one current student to ask about their experience — admissions offices often connect prospective applicants with current students. The follow-up email becomes specific essay material.