Fall 2026 BWLC Fellows Program Application

Fall 2026 BWLC Fellows Program Application

Birnbaum Women’s Leadership Center
About the Application

Please visit the BWLC website for important information about the Fellows Program at NYU Law, including FAQ about the application.

The Birnbaum Women’s Leadership Center works to ensure that applicants with disabilities are accommodated. If you require any accommodations to complete the application, please contact the BWLC at womensleadership@nyu.edu.

Applications open: Friday, August 28, 2026, 9:30 a.m. EDT
Applications close: Wednesday, September 30, 2026, 11:59 p.m. EDT
Cohort selected: early November

Please click on the arrow next to each section in the application to expand it and see the corresponding questions. You may answer the questions in any order, but you will not be able to submit your application until all required questions (marked with an asterisk) have been answered. Please review your application in its entirety before clicking “Submit.”

If you would like to start the application and return to it later, please click the Save button at the end of the application. You will receive an email with a link to return to your application.
About the Fellows Program and the Sara Moss Leadership Intensive

The 2027 Sara Moss Leadership Intensive will take place on campus from Monday, January 11, through Friday, January 15, 2027, before classes resume for the Spring semester. The Leadership Intensive is a mandatory part of the Fellows Program.

The Fellows Program offers opportunities to build essential leadership skills not otherwise taught in the law school classroom. Fellows collaborate closely as a cohort, and independently, as each participant develops their own individual, authentic leadership style. Students apply and are selected as Fellows early in their 1L year and participate in programming throughout their tenure at NYU Law.

Consideration for the Fellows Program is based on a variety of criteria. We seek students whose backgrounds, past experiences, and application responses indicate a willingness to commit to the goals and ethos of the program and an openness to developing their leadership skills individually and with other members of their cohort.

The BWLC Fellows Program is open to all interested 1L students. We welcome applications from any first-year JD student at NYU Law seeking leadership training. Students of all sexes and gender identities and expressions are considered, and consideration of an applicant's identity-based or protected characteristics as a selection factor is prohibited. Students who have not previously had the opportunity to develop their leadership skills are encouraged to apply.

In our experience, students who are likely to get the most out of the Fellows program are those willing to seize and create opportunities to lead, exhibit resilience, demonstrate self-awareness, and practice good judgment. Successful candidates will also demonstrate alignment with the goals and mission of the Birnbaum Women's Leadership Center.

Please click on the arrow next to each section in the application to expand the section and see the corresponding questions. All fields marked with an asterisk are required and must be completed.

Please click on the arrow next to each section in the application to expand the section and see the corresponding questions. All fields marked with an asterisk are required and must be completed.
- First and Last Name
  
  First NameLast Name
- Preferred First Name
- NYU Email Address
- Hometown (City, State or City, Country)
- Undergraduate School
- Undergraduate Degree(s) and Major(s)
  e.g., BA, Political Science
- Year of Undergraduate Graduation
  e.g., 2018
- Graduate Degree(s)
  If you attended graduate school before coming to NYU Law, you may list your degree(s) here.
- Please click here to confirm that you are a 1L JD student at NYU Law as of Fall 2026.
- Please select your 1L section.
- Please select your Lawyering section.
- Please upload the most recent copy of your resume in PDF form, using the filename "Last Name_First_Name_BWLC_Resume."
  
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- There are no “right” answers to the essay questions. We are looking for answers that demonstrate leadership potential and reflect applicants’ willingness to be thoughtful and open in their responses.
  
  As part of the review process, essays are initially reviewed anonymously. To maintain your anonymity, please avoid references to your own name or (under)graduate institution(s) in your essays.
  
  Please note that Questions #1 and #2 allow for answers 250 words max in length, while answers to Question #3 may be 300 words max.
- Question #1: Why are you applying to the Fellows Program, and what do you hope to get out of it? (250 words max)
- Please write your answer for Question #1 below.
  
  0/250
- Question #2: As both a law student and a practicing lawyer, you will encounter situations that require adaptability and resilience. Please describe an experience where you did not achieve your goal/things did not go as planned (personally, professionally, or academically), and how you responded. (250 words max)
  
  If possible, please refrain from describing experiences related to a disappointing grade or test score.
- Please write your answer for Question #2 below.
  
  0/250
- Question #3: What do you identify as your greatest strength, and why? What is a leadership strength that you would like to work on? How do or will you lean into these strengths in your daily life, both in and out of the classroom and in your career? (300 words max)
- Please write your answer for Question #3 below.
  
  0/300
- You’re at a cocktail party with former BWLC Fellows (who are familiar with the Fellow Programs). One of them turns to you and says, “Tell me about yourself: How are you already a leader? How are you looking forward to leading in the future?” Using the guidelines listed below, video-record your response, and then upload it.
- Upload your elevator pitch video, using the file name format “Last Name_First Name_BWLC_Elevator Pitch”
  
  We'll accept .avi, .m4v, .mkv, .mp4, .mpg, .mov, and .wmv files.
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- Guidelines
  1. Videos should be a single take of no longer than 60 seconds.
  2. Once you have recorded a complete take of your response, please do not edit or re-record your video.
    
    While we recognize the instinct to re-record after you’ve critiqued your initial video, for purposes of the application, we ask that you submit your first complete take and initial assessment.
    
    We are not looking for a “perfect” elevator pitch. We want to see where you are right now, get to know you a little bit, and assess your willingness to engage with the discomfort of self-reflection.
  3. This exercise is assessed on (1) the substance of your video, and (2) your reflection on it. We care more about your ability to reflect than presenting a “picture-perfect” pitch.
  Recording/Uploading Issues
  If you encounter any issues uploading your video below, please email womensleadership@nyu.edu.
  
  As an alternative, we recommend uploading a placeholder video and uploading your elevator pitch directly to Google Drive (via your NYU account) and sharing it with yejin@nyu.edu.
- Self-Assessment: Imagine yourself as a coach, watch your video, and write down a maximum of three things you’d like to improve about your elevator pitch based on the video. (150 words max)
  
  0/150
- To the extent that you would like to share any additional information for consideration in our review of your application, please use the space below to do so.
- Final Submission
- Date
  
  MonthDayYear
  Hour MinutesAM/PM Option
- Time
  
  Hour Minutes
  
  AM/PM Option
- Should be Empty: