Why does NYU ask that question?

They might ask this to give you the opportunity to explain poor academic performance. With regards to their undergraduate policy, I think it makes sense. Yes, it does reduce their liability, but I'm sure it's to the benefit of the student for them to take a semester or two off. Academic rigor is a major cause for emotional problems in undergrad. Having students take a semester off is a lot more than a lot of schools do, as some might not even care to recognize the problem in the first place.

 

If it is physical...I would definitely explain the issue. But if it is emotional then I would be much more conservative in terms of what I disclose. Reason being is b/c you will have access to a learning resources center once you matriculate. During orientation you can address your possible concerns (without having to worry about getting kicked out...technically)

 

I can understand where you're coming from. I would say you need to weigh the potential risk of disclosing emotional problems with the need to reconcile a transient slip in your GPA. The bigger the drop was in your grades, the more you need to place that into its proper context. You can also include a statement explaining what you've learned from the experience, that perhaps you've since learned how to compartmentalize your thoughts so as to not be academically distracted by an unrelated emotional problem.

Edit: For example, the only real dip in my GPA in my four years was during my junior year, and it really wasn't bad at all, just lower than I was earning in my other semesters/years. Yes, my grandmother passed away and my family had been taking it pretty hard, and I suppose I could've disclosed that to NYU as a reason for the slip, but frankly, I was just more lazy than usual that year. In this instance, I'd rather just look like I wasn't a straight A student for a year than to potentially come off as emotionally affected. If my grades had suffered more, then I may reconsider that.

 

I chose to mention this. My Overall and BCPM dropped by over a point during sophomore year. I like how AMCAS shows this by year, credit hours, types of classes, etc. If you look closely (and hopefully an ADCOM will) is that the year after my troubles I took 30+ science credits and had a 3.9+ GPA. Hopefully it'll count for something. But when I bring up my troubles, I focus much less on the positives and more on the positives.

Just my prospective on the question at hand.

 

I left it blank and clicked "submit."