Admitted to Columbia Business School: Class of 2013

Hey there, I'm in the same boat as you, except no full ride option. Attended Booth's AW1, will attend CBS AW2.

If your wife's career is better in NY, then is losing the potential DINK "double income no kids" scenario worth the full ride? In two years of your wife working her current position, it will more than make up for the full ride, I would say.

Hey Sebastian - congrats my man. AWESOME problem to have. I had to make the CBS v. Booth decision as well and decided that CBS was the place for me. While I don't have a wife, I do have a long-term girlfriend with a great job in NY and I also have family nearby (bet you can't guess which city based on my name) and good friends in NYC. Both of those played into my decision but I also felt that CBS was a better fit for me as an aspiring financier because:

1. Proximity to the Street. Unlimited opportunity for face-to-face networking and informational interviews.

2. I used to live in Chicago and love visiting the city. However, it's nickname is the "Second City" for a reason...and that reason is New York. New York's energy, diversity, and aggregated intellectual breadth are unmatched by any other city in the world.

3. Faculty. This one may be a little counter-intuitive given that Booth has so many Nobel winners and highly regarded academians. But, the difference between the theoretical ideas you learn in the classroom and the practical application of those ideas in the workplace can be substantial. With that in mind, I'd rather learn from some of the notable adjunct faculty at CBS who apply the theoretical every day in the real world. Then again, if you'd prefer to learn from the life-long academic type, CBS has some heavy-hitting academians on faculty too, not the least of which is Dean Hubbard, who was a lead Economic advisor to Bush II and is a frequent OpEd contributor to the New York Times and various other major media outlets.

4. I don't know if you have any interest in banking or PE, so this reason may not apply to you. The most profitable pieces of banking and PE going forward look to be overseas in emerging markets. With that in mind, I propose that if you walk through the streets of Mumbai, Dubai, or Djibouti, and ask people on the street if they know "Booth" the answer will probably be "no." However, I bet that a fair amount of them will recognize "Columbia." Booth certainly does have a wonderful faculty, building, and terrific job placement for its graduates, but its name doesn't have the same international branding that Columbia does. Moreover, the Chazen Institute at Columbia offers free foreign language classes for CBS students and their partners. Ole!

5. My family moved a lot when I was a little kid. I hate moving. I have zero interest in packing up and moving my belongings any more than is absolutely necessary. If I go to Booth, I'll have to go through the hassle of sub-letting my apt. and moving to NY for 10 weeks of an internship in the summer. Then, I'll turn around and move to NY the next summer on a more permanent basis. Why not just move to NY once and forego the hassle of sub-letting an apt in Chicago and finding a place to crash in NY for 10 weeks?

And my $0.02 on your scholarship situation is this: if you're planning to enter the NGO, non-profit, etc. type of world after graduation, then the money may be an important factor for you. However, if you're headed for the consulting, banking, etc. world that starts its new hires in the 6 figure range, then the money issue is not that big of a deal. Assuming you stick with that job for more than a couple years, you will pay off your debts quickly. Remember, salaries, like careers, tend to move geometrically rather than linearly. You may start at $100k, but if you're any good, you could find yourself doing 5x that 5 years later.

Plus, you have a sugar momma who is contractually obligated to support you! I wish I had that...I have to keep my "game" tight enough to convince my GF to pay for my dinner every once in a while. Jokes aside, PM me if you want to connect at Columbia Connect in April. I'll be there.

Awesome summary of your thoughts, phillypoint!

Are language classes really free at the Chazen institute?? I had no idea!! Thats AMAZING!

As an international, I totally agree than the Columbia name anywhere outside of the US is much more recognized than Booth. If you think the Columbia brand is big in the US, it is significantly stronger outside and for that reason, I personally would not take Booth's offer (this is also the main reason why I didn't apply to Booth).

However, if you're planning to stay in the US, I would take the full ride at Booth. You certainly aren't any worse off going to Booth over CBS in the US. Instead of paying off the CBS tuition over the next 4-5 years, you can use that money toward a down payment on an apt/house for you and your wife (just as a random example) should you choose Booth. At the end of the day, all of the top business schools are fairly similar in terms of what they teach you in the classroom. It really comes down to where you feel more comfortable, the type of setting you feel you'd thrive in, the city you'll be living in, family considerations, and having no regrets with your decision. If you feel you may regret turning down CBS, then that feeling isn't worth any sum of money. But if not, then Booth might not be a bad option.

And if your post-mba ambitions are finance/NYC related but you feel more comfortable/it works out better for you to go to Booth over CBS, you can still end up on Wall street if you really want to...NYC is a hub for most major business schools and I'm sure you'll find a ton of Booth alums here. Maybe not as many as CBS for obvious reasons but with some effort + Booth on your resume, I'm sure you'll have no problem landing a fantastic job.

Best of luck!

For everyone whose kroll check went complete, sorry to harass you guys with questions, but I have one last one about it. Did Kroll call any of your recommenders?

I wasn't nervous before but this long wait is making me on edge!!

Thanks!

Not that I know of....but I didn't call my recommenders to check.

it was not my case

this is an old post, but maybe it would help you:
kroll-background-check-59285.html

Thanks for the insight, most helpful! I do feel like I would regret it later on if I do not pick CBS, so that's probably were I'll end up. And I have been dying to live in NYC. I'll definitely pm you about connecting next April 7th. See you there.

Anyone going to the happy hour tomorrow? Looking forward to meeting some of you.

It seems like there is a debate on campus about grade non-disclosure. I think they're taking a vote on the subject currently. What are your thoughts on the matter?

Edit: here is a report by the GBA on the issue: https://cbsgba.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/GND_Informational_Packet_v1.pdf

Thx for the link, Moss. That's helpful. I'm anxious to hear what the results are. Keep us up to date.

I lean towards implementing a grade non-disclosure policy. My arguments for moving to GND are all listed in the presentation:

- encourage more collaboration among students.
- encourage students to stretch themselves by taking more advanced classes rather than taking easier ones.
- forced grade curve can lead to imperfect outcomes.

What do you think?

I don' tknow, it's an interesting issue. I can see pros and cons on both side, but as a career switcher who did not perform well in undergraduate, I am kind of hoping for good grades from CBS to leverage myself.....

I support GND 100%. I'm going to b-school for the whole experience, not to spend all my time in the library.

I'm a bit on the fence. One the one hand, if I work hard and get good grades, I'd like a bit of credit for the effort. I didn't go to the best undergrad in the world, and having good grades could be a way of communicating my competitiveness to recruiters.

On the other hand, I did my undergrad in finance, have all the CFA coursework done, and work in finance: I can't stand the thought of paying close to $60,000/year, giving up my job, and foregoing learning something I don't already know just to be taught the same basic finance concepts one more time simply because I don't want to test out of core finance classes in order to pad my GPA. The thought of helping to set a high curve and punish my classmates who are actually learning this stuff for the first time also doesn't rest easy with me.

There are pros and cons. The fact of the matter is the GPA can come to light after you graduate, so during intern/full time recruiting it may be GND for a period of two years but after that the school does not regulate this policy for alumni. I generally feel ambivalent either way because I know I'm one of those people who like to see high scores in whatever I do, and I personally wouldn't take the MBA as an opportunity to take ridiculously easy courses or ridiculously difficult ones. Just take whatever is at your level and whatever you are most comfortable with, and the scores will follow.

Also, there may be students who are just learning accounting for the first time, but I believe CBS requires you to take pre-MBA courses or something before you start so you won't be so far behind.

Someone on the FB group says that he got a text from a student: it passed! GND is in effect.

Does anyone know when the first day of orientation/classes begin?

Orientation starts August 21 or 22 I think. It lasts for "2 weeks," but first year classes start in the 2nd week. I'm a bit confused by this.

p.s. GND passed. There is still a dean's list and awards for top 5/10% and I'm sure people will put that down to signal high GPAs.