Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Piano Prank Does Not Guarantee Cooper Union Acceptance
By
Jen Chung
Published Jan 29, 2011
Modified Jan 29, 2011
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Jen Chung
Published Jan 29, 2011
Modified Jan 29, 2011
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Earlier this week, a baby grand piano left on a sandbar in Florida's Biscayne Bay puzzled people... until 16-year-old high school student Nicholas Harrington revealed it was part of his application to super competitive Cooper Union. Harrington said, "I wanted to create a whimsical, surreal experience. I don't like it be considered as a prank. It's more of a movement." But what did Cooper Union think of the stunt?
The school's president, Mitchell Lipton, told the Daily News, "There are lots of ways to grab our attention, and that's not one we would necessarily condone"—possible reference to concerns that the sandbar will attract pranksters?—"I certainly wouldn't look at that application more favorably [than any other]." Lipton said, "You want to stand out, but within the context of the visual problems we're asking."
Applicants have to complete a "home test," which one person on College Confidential described as, "the cooper union home test just has really open questions on it, it is never the same, they like things that are both technically brilliant and super conceptual. there is a written portion too, i think. get ready for the best brain teaser ever." Here's an example of one home test.
One current student told the News, "They have six really obscure questions. One was 'incursion.' I filled vials full of blood and distributed them on Roosevelt Island. I grew up there." She added, "I hope [Harrington] gets in. I want to meet him. I thought it was beautiful. It was poetic."
Tagged
biscayne bay
college
cooper union
florida
nicholas harrington
piano
piano prank
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Brooklyn building collapse: 2 dead, 7 children among at least 19 injured
The three-story building collapsed near the intersection of Flatbush and Bedford aves.
By
Elizabeth Shwe
,
Hannah Frishberg
,
David Brand
and
Liam Quigley
Published Nov 11, 2026 at 6:10 p.m. ET
Modified Nov 11, 2026 at 8:56 p.m. ET
Manhattan’s East Side loses another movie theater to development
Cinema 123 by Angelika closed on Oct. 30 after more than 60 years of business.
By
Hannah Frishberg
News
Manhattan’s East Side loses another movie theater to development
Cinema 123 by Angelika closed on Oct. 30 after more than 60 years of business.
By
Hannah Frishberg
Teen arrested for fatal shooting of 15-year-old Bronx boy walking to school, NYPD says
By
Hannah Frishberg
Wind, rain, maybe snowflakes: It's about to get chilly around NYC
By
Giulia Heyward
NYC sanitation supervisors keep speeding on the job, data shows
By
Liam Quigley
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .