A dean of MBA admissions who's read over 50,000 applications answers 5 burning questions about getting into business school

With so many components of an MBA application, sometimes it's unclear what stands out most to a reviewer.

Isser Gallogly, a, visited Business Insider and provided some insight into what he most looks for in a winning application.

How do I decide between full-time or part-time business school?

How do I write a great application essay?

"We often get the question how creative should you be when you're writing your essays to business school,"

"Should your first sentence be, 'Call me Ishmael,' or, 'It was a dark and stormy night,' or, 'It was the best of times, it was the worst of times?' You don't necessarily have to have a headline or a grabber."

Instead, Gallogly

"I would treat this a little bit more like if you are presenting a business case on yourself and you are providing almost an executive summary as to who you are, what you're about, and why you're going to business school," he said.

How can I get good feedback on my essay before I apply?

"There's a reason you want to go to business school," he said. "We need to hear that excitement from you."

How can I make my application to Stern stand out?

"One of the most important qualities that we look for at Stern is what we call 'IQ' plus 'EQ,'" Gallogly said.

The best candidates demonstrate both strong intellectual capability and emotional intelligence.

Emotional intelligence, or EQ, is the ability to read other people's emotional states, and react in turn. Employers value EQ because it allows employees to work well as a part of a team. In fact,there's an indication that candidates with "soft skills," like adaptability and communication, may actually have an advantage over those with purely technical skills in an increasingly automated world, where computers and other machines can do technical calculations quickly.

Admissions teams at Stern are able to evaluate these qualities through a mix of in-person interviews — conversations which delve deeply into personal questions, rather than technical case studies — and an "EQ endorsement"

"I think that's one of the things that really differentiates our student body as well as our school — that we look for not only bright intelligent leaders, but those who actually are capable of leading teams, communicating complicated ideas, and bringing things forward," he said.

What's the biggest mistake I can make on my application?

"I think the worst thing you can do on an application is simply not have done your homework and not be prepared," Gallogly said.

An important part of that homework is ensuring you're absolutely sure you want to get an MBA.

"Business school is an endeavor not to take lightly ... Some people apply when they know they don't really enjoy what they're doing," he said.

A dean of MBA admissions who's read over 50,000 applications answers 5 burning questions about getting into business school

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