Calling all CBS Applicants - (2015 Intake) Class of 2017

When did you submit your app? Check the interview reports on ClearAdmit and think about your answers to most common questions and you should be fine.

Hey there,

Does anyone know if Columbia is really strict when it comes to the word count of the essays? I am about 10% above the current word count limit.

congrats to all those that got acceptances! i feel so behind, still polishing up my why Columbia essay and waiting on LOR's. hoping to submit by end of next week (~2 weeks before the Oct 8th ED deadline)

You should be fine with 10% above the limit. My first essay was about 15% above the word count limit.

Hi, Thanks so much for your comments and suggestions.
As for international exposure, I was actually born and grew up in mainland China and decide to come to HK for undergraduate study. I have exchange in UCDavis for one semesters during my year3 in university and also attended the US work and travel program in year1 summer holiday. I think these really contributes a lot to my international experiences.
As for audit, I do agree that the application pool is too large and audit applicant may be hard to stand out.
Do you know someone who has WL first and then got the offer? I actually have no idea to deal with the situation and dun't know what should I do to successfully to get the offer.
Thanks so much!!!

Formally crossed the 2 week mark on Friday, guess its a unofficial ding!

I wouldn't go that far! Admissions officers are getting busier every day, and now there is a ton of applications to read. Just wait a couple more weeks to jump into conclusions!

Keep you're head up buddy! I don't think 2 weeks is a bad sign. As edukredensir said, the admissions officers are probably getting pretty busy right about now.

I think people on this thread are reporting 3 week invite time, so I wouldn't get too worried.

I got ding'd closer to the 4 week mark (3 weeks 5 days).
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No a problem. I can imagine the feeling being on WL. My view on WL is that you actually don't have much control over it. Two things affect your chance of getting an offer 1. You will be compared to the applications received later so it is really up to the competitiveness of the applicant pool. 2. If those who were accepted, declines CBS' offer, you will more chances to get in. That's just my guess and I have no idea how it actually works. Luck can be a determining factor here I don't actually know how WL works with early decisions....

I'm at the 3 weeks 1 day mark so I feel your pain! Out of curiosity what are your stats? If you don't wan't to share on the forum you can PM me.

Indian Male / 720 GMAT / 4 WE (by matriculation) / BB bank IBD

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Thanks!

Hi there, i am so sorry to hear about the WL.

I think you can visit the Class of 2016 and Class of 2015 thread. They are on this forum as well. If i remember correctly, there were a couple of "deferred applicants" who were basically wait-listed. you could see what they did to enhance their chance.

Also - re-take your GMAT and try to best the 740 you already have. that could be a bonus point.

Also.... try talking to an admission officer or your wait list manager (if there is one) and see what advice they could offer you.

Hope it helps.
Ken

off the top of head, here are a couple of things that you could do if you have time:

1. retake your gmat
2. visit the school and talk to admission officers there
3. after some time, send an update email telling the AdCom what you have been doing during the time to enhance your candidacy
4. do you know any CBS alumni? talk to them and have them send an additional recommendation letter
5. talk to an admission officer or wait list manager and try to get suggestions from them
6. review your application and reflect on where you might have gone wrong - did you show enough passion for CBS? were your goals realistic? did you answer "why MBA" and "why CBS" effectively? were your other essays strong enough? did you demonstrate "fit" with CBS?
7. could you ask your interviewer for some feedback? (this is a long shot though...) sometimes you feel like the interview went well but your interviewer might not feel the same way. it surely doesn't hurt to ask for some feedback (maybe you could try to schedule a short call with him/her if that's possible)

Guys, I am in the same boat with you - also hit the 2,5 week mark and heard nothing. Let's stay optimistic!

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I couldn't agree more with all points except #1. 740 is a pretty damm high GMAT. If you got invited to the interview its is obivious that you qualify as a candidate, meaning that they are satisfied with your stats. Maybe you couldn´t convey the message that CBS is the right fit for you and is your first choice. They may be wondering if they extend you an offer you are going to another school. If CBS is really your first choice, I recommend a visit to the school. Also, try to find some way to show them CBS is your dream school.

We haven't heard of any new admits in a few days, what's going on?! Hopefully the adcom was just on vacation and is getting on the phone soon! Best of luck to everyone else that has applied

Hi all --- I've been following this blog for a while and it's been super helpful thus far! I officially got an invite yesterday and requested an interview with one of the ambassadors. I sent it yesterday morning but haven't heard back yet. CBS recommends two days before contacting another Ambassador but admitted students have said it took as long as 4 days before they got responses. Should I move on to the next interviewer after 2 days or should I hold out for another day? Any thoughts or comments are much appreciated! (Perhaps I'm just being impatient/nerve-racked!)