NYU Stern's admissions philosophy is one of the most explicit among top MBA programs: IQ + EQ. The school is looking for candidates who demonstrate strong intellectual ability, superior interpersonal skills, and a desire to create value for business and society – and it has built application components specifically designed to assess all three. In this post, I break down what each of these criteria actually means for your application, drawing on experience working with applic

Many MBA candidates assume Admissions Committees are looking for a flawless record. They aren't. This post explains why imperfection – handled honestly – is often what makes a candidacy compelling, and what that means for how you approach your application. For two years, he poured everything into his startup. He built a team, raised capital, pitched relentlessly, and made hard decisions when things weren't working. Some weeks felt like liftoff. Others felt like free fall. Eve

Investment bankers arrive at the MBA application process with some of the strongest credentials in the pool. That's exactly what makes it so hard. This post breaks down why – and what the candidates who actually get into the top MBA programs do differently. When I was applying to Harvard Business School (HBS), I wrote my first essay draft the way most investment bankers do – my deals, my transactions, and my role on each. It was accurate, well-structured, and completely hollo

As AI reshapes how people write and communicate, the qualities that Admissions Committees have always valued are becoming harder to find – and more important than ever. This post explores what those qualities are, why they matter more now, and what this shift means for how you approach your MBA application. Something I heard recently at The Association of International Graduate Admissions Consultants (AIGAC) conference has stayed with me. Not from a single conversation – but