Our new series, MBA Admissions Brief, continues with tips and advice about the Leonard N. Stern School of Business of New York University, located in Manhattan.
Associate Dean of Admissions and New Program Innovation, Isser Gallogly
We hear from the Associate Dean of Admissions and New Program Innovation, Isser Gallogly, who came to Stern over 15 years ago. Since then, he’s had a hand in almost every aspect of admissions for the school’s MBA programs. After a start in banking, he himself sought out an MBA to pivot into marketing, spending several years working for Mattel, Unilever and L’Oreal before heading into higher education. So he understands the MBA application process from both sides, as well several of the career paths the degree can help students pursue.
Read on for his insights into the NYU Stern MBA program.
What would you say to someone who’s applying next fall and just getting started in the MBA application process now?
Take time to reflect on your goals and why you believe an MBA is the optimal path. Determine where you’d like to take your career and start to connect with people in the industries that interest you.
Once you have a clearer picture, begin researching schools to find your fit. At Stern, aside from speaking to our Admissions team, we can connect you with current students who are eager to share their journeys and experiences to help you chart your own.
Next, use this time to start taking stock of your strengths, core characteristics and professional accomplishments and begin to think about how you’ll tell your personal story. At Stern, for example, a unique and relatively new part of our application is our popular Pick Six visual essay. The Pick Six asks you to express who you are through six images, such as pictures, charts, infographics and artwork, along with six short captions. This is an opportunity for you to go beyond your résumé and tell the Admissions Committee about who you are as a person, what’s important to you and what you are passionate about. We’ve gotten great feedback from candidates who say they had fun with this part of the application.
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