Chris Storer, director of admissions at the Boston University School of Management (Boston University Full-Time MBA Profile), has a decade of admissions experience to his credit, including a stint at the Harvard School of Public Health and four years at BU. In a conversation with BusinessWeek’s Rachel Z. Arndt, Storer talks about the great GMAT myth and why BU’s international diversity makes the School of Management stand out. An edited version of the conversation follows.

Can you take me through the life of an application?

During the fall—August, September, October—we travel a lot to do information sessions in cities around the world. We also go to recruitment events to meet with candidates. We try to share as much information about the school and lifestyle as we can with candidates. There are three application deadlines—one in November, one in January, and our final deadline in March, which is a little bit earlier than some other schools. Depending on the year, it can get more competitive as you move through the cycle. But other years it can be less competitive. It really depends on the year.

What do students tell you is the hardest part of the application?

Well, they tell me the most difficult part is the GMAT. But one myth I think all admission directors would like to dispel is that the GMAT is the most important criterion—it’s not. No matter how many times we say that, applicants still think it’s what matters most.

It’s important that we get to know the applicants. That way, we can decide whether they’d fit well in our program. In the end, we want a good match, because our job is to make sure that we have happy, satisfied students who go out and do great and wonderful things, and who have really enjoyed their experience. So if we make the wrong choices, that’s bad. The way we really get to know applicants is through essays and interviews. So, no matter how much people think they have to have 700s on the GMAT to be successful, there are plenty of times where someone with a 600 will get in over a lot of 720s, 750s, 780s.

What do you look for in the essays?

We’re looking for leadership potential and students with the drive to be successful. We’re looking for students who will carry the BU brand forward. We want a diverse student body. Diversity can take on many forms. It can be in the array of industries that are represented in the class. It can be international diversity—in this world you have to be global. If we’re not bringing in students from a wide variety of countries, we’re doing a disservice to our students. Of course we want domestic diversity, too. We want people from all over the country, because we all think differently. We’re designing a class that’s going to be interactive and engaging, Without diversity, the class won’t be exciting.
What would you say is the most unusual or difficult essay question on the application?

It may sound trite, but it’s the question we all ask: We ask applicants to reflect on their past experiences and explain why they’ve chosen our program and what they plan to do after graduating. People really need to put time into answering that question. I know it sounds like a simple question, but it’s worth putting a lot of time and energy into because it’s the most important.

What’s your advice for students when answering that question?

Many students want to know how to stand out in the essays. I don’t know that standing out for the reason of standing out is the reason to do it. We want applicants to be themselves. Our job in admissions is to really design the class. So the more you can sell yourself and tell us about your experiences, the more you can differentiate yourself from other applicants. Don’t tell us just what we want to hear. Just tell us about your experiences, and tell us about yourself naturally. That’s the best way to do it.

How do interviews work?

Interviews are by invitation only. Anyone admitted to the program has been interviewed. We generally interview about 60% of the candidates. One thing that differentiates our interview process from those at other schools is that candidates are only interviewed by members of the admissions committee—not students or alumni. We do that for very specific reasons. All the applications of people who have been interviewed are presented to the admissions committee, so the interviewer is in the room when we’re discussing the candidate. That way someone is there who has actually spoken with the candidate. The interviewer serves as the applicant’s advocate. Our interviewers, because they’re all in admissions, know both the applicants and the context of the class.

What mistakes do students tend to make on essays?

One of the most common mistakes is using the wrong name in essays. You’d think that, by now, no one would make that mistake. Spelling errors are common.

Applicants need to do their homework—they really have to do research on what that particular school or program is about. A lot of times, applicants try to keep it generic and apply to a lot of different places, but that usually works against them. When people aren’t prepared for the interview and don’t know the details of our program, it really comes through as a weakness in the interview. We’re looking for people who really want us and know our program is a great match for them.

What do you look for in applicants’ letters of recommendation?

We want to hear about their leadership potential and their potential for success. We prefer recommendations from supervisors who can give specific examples of projects and teams the applicant’s been a part of. But not everyone can get direct supervisors to write the letters. There are a lot of other good choices, too: a client in a consulting project, for example, or a vendor if you’re an entrepreneur. There are many options. But direct supervisors usually provide us with the most honest feedback.

What is the typical amount of work experience you’re looking for?

I know there’s a trend out there to go younger and take applicants directly from undergrad. Our school has opted not to do that, though we did admit a couple of people directly from undergrad. But, on average, work experience hovers around five years. The norm is at least two years of experience.

How do you evaluate students with less work experience?

We expect they they’ll bring diverse perspectives to the classroom. And usually that means they’ve had professional experience. The applicants for whom we made exceptions this year were exceptional in other ways and will still bring diverse viewpoints. In the end, the determining factor is the value you add to the classroom experience.

How important is the quantitative GMAT score vs. the verbal?

We look more at the quantitative score, but I don’t want you to discount the overall score either.

Our first job in admissions is to ensure that people are going to be successful in the classroom. The worst thing is, after two weeks of class, for a professor to come back to us and tell us someone can’t do the work. So that’s sort of a bottom-line criterion.

We also look at quantitative coursework they’ve taken as undergrads. We have to look in various areas to make sure they’re in the ballpark. A low quantitative score may be one red flag, but one red flag doesn’t necessarily mean you’re not going to get in.

How does financial aid work?

Financial aid is merit-based. It’s a generous program. The average scholarship award hovers around $18,000 to $20,000. You’re automatically considered for financial aid when you apply for admission. We tell students of scholarship funding at the same time we tell them our admission decision.

What has the school been doing to help students find jobs in a tough economy?

Enhancing the offerings we have in the health sector and enhancing the offerings we have in the non-profit sector. In four of the last five years, the health-sector program has had 100% job placement at graduation. Given what President Obama’s been talking about, the health industry is a perfect industry for us to enhance our focus on. We’re also blending IT management with the health sector—think medical device companies, think electronic medical records. We have courses that deal with that. It’s perfect training for hospital managers who want to move up—typically doctors who don’t have management training.

What differentiates BU’s MBA program from similar programs?

I would step back and say actually BU differentiates it. There are so many MBA programs in Boston, and because BU stands out in Boston, we can stand out, too. BU stands out because of the international diversity of the campus—it’s always in the top 10 universities in terms of the sheer volume of international students. The climate that permeates the campus is just immense in terms of global diversity. Our international outreach is tremendous. We’re a widely known university around the world, so that helps differentiate the MBA program as well.