Not only did NYU Stern host the annual conference of Association of International Graduate Application Consultants – AIGAC – last week (along with Columbia Business School) – it also shared some valuable information about its program and applications process. Here are several highlights.
• The admissions team characterized the Stern MBA program as “deep, diverse, and [reflecting] academic excellence.” They cited particular strengths: finance, strategy, consulting, entertainment and media, marketing, entrepreneurship and innovation. This array behooves applicants to define their own, unique path and approach to productively using Stern’s resources.
• Community is huge at NYU Stern – so EQ is as important as IQ and is sought by the adcom. The value of community is even reflected in the program’s institutional resources, including the Center for Business and Human Rights established in 2013.
• Speaking of EQ, the adcom noted that applicants possessing this requisite quality will articulate fit with Stern in the application.
• It’s now the second year for the scholarship established in 2013 to “support exceptional college seniors”: William R. Berkley Scholarship Program covers full tuition and includes a housing stipend. Scholarship winners are selected based on academic performance plus potential to contribute to society.
• Stern’s loan assistance program is open to all types of students: regular full-timers, Langone part-timers, and EMBAs.
• Fun fact: about 40% of Stern MBAs receive some kind of scholarship, including international students.
• Another fun fact: about 70% of applicants who are interviewed are admitted.
• Last but not least fun fact: the 80% GMAT range for Stern’s full-time MBA is 680-760, and for the Langone part-time program it is 620-730.
• The Berkley Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation is a particularly cherished resource at Stern – a nerve center of sorts – deeply integrated into the fabric of intellectual and professional life at the school.
NYU’s presentation to AIGAC conference attendees also included two samples of successful video essays in response to the longstanding essay 3 asking applicants to describe themselves creatively to their classmates. In one, the applicant showed different aspects of himself (friend, student, professional, sportsman, etc.) in little vignettes, each with a touch of humor. None was highly unusual – one stood out because this presentation captured his charm and enthusiasm. In the second, the applicant focused with warmth and wit on her specific passion: parks and public spaces. So, two different approaches: one broad, one narrow. Both fresh, expressive, confident. Both brimming with EQ. As I’ve told people many times, there is no one formula for doing this essay well. And yes, it’s there again this year.