It gives me great pleasure to have back on Admissions Straight Talk Isser Gallogly, Associate Dean of MBA Admissions at NYU Stern School of Business. Isser earned his MBA from Duke Fuqua in 1995. He then worked in brand management for Unilever and L’Oreal before coming to NYU Stern as Director of Admissions and now Associate Dean for MBA Admissions. Isser participated in many of Accepted’s old admissions chats, typing madly away and getting finger cramps, but bravely answering applicants’ questions in that old text-only format. He also was the guest way back for episode 97 of AST when we discussed part-time options at NYU Stern. Isser, welcome to Admissions Straight Talk!

Can you give us an overview of NYU Stern’s Full-Time MBA program? [1:25]

Like many b-schools, our full-time program is a traditional, full-time, two-year MBA. The first year focuses on foundational basics, and in the second year you move into specializations.

Two things set us apart: first is our location and how we leverage that to our students’ betterment through experiential learning and career opportunities. And second is the unique makeup of our student population. We have about 400 students.

We value IQ and EQ – both intelligence and leadership. Our approach to academics is distinctive: it’s a mixed approach (not just lecture based or case-based, but a mix of approaches). We provide a range of opportunities; our courses are taught by a range of faculty (from Nobel Prize winners to practitioners who teach part time). There’s a lot of flexibility in the program – you can pursue between up to three specializations (or no specialization). And you can take classes overseas, or at other NYU grad schools.

What are specializations? [4:45]

These are most akin to what people think of as majors. We offer about 20 of them – it’s an organically developing list.

Some standard options include management strategy, finance, corporate finance, etc. But there are also more specialized areas, such as digital marketing, luxury marketing, entertainment and media, FinTech, etc.

You can specialize in none, and get a degree in general management – or pick up to three areas. So you can really tailor the degree to your short and long-term career goals.

We keep it fresh and in line with today’s business.

How many classes does it take to specialize? [7:45]

It takes nine credits to specialize. A typical class is three credits, though some are one and a half.

Stern is very proud of its 4 core values: Academic Excellence, IQ+EQ, Collaborative Community, and the Energy of a Global Hub. The stated focus on EQ is unusual. What does EQ mean at NYU Stern? [8:35]

Self awareness, judgment, understanding what’s going on in an interpersonal scope. Leading people. Negotiating, managing. Basically what might have been termed “soft skills.”

We see that an important part of business is not necessarily about your ideas, but about how you lead and manage your team’s ideas.

There are a number of ways we get at this value through the application process.

What are some of those ways? [9:50]

It starts with the essays. We’re looking for things that get at who you are.

Recommendations provide insight into people’s personality.

And the interview process adds dimension. We interview all the candidates we admit. Interviews are by invitation only. The interview is not blind – the interviewer will have read your application ...