Columbia Business School’s NY-Saturdays EMBA program has its final submission deadline for the 2019-2020 admissions cycle on February 8, 2020 – approximately five weeks away. Columbia operates with rolling admission, which means that it reviews applications as they are submitted. So, you should try to avoid waiting until the final week to submit. You should try to submit your application as soon as possible. The sooner you apply, the more seats will still be available for the incoming class. Below, we provide some tips about how to pace yourself to be ready to submit as soon as possible.
Special Timing Considerations Due to the Winter Break Period
(end-December through early January):
During the end of December and early January, many recommendation writers are unavailable. Additionally, Columbia will be closed for much of that time and unavailable to offer class visits and interviews. Since you may be limited during the winter break period in your ability to contact your recommenders and engage with Columbia, you should push other elements of your application preparation forward, so that when the winter break period ends, you are not left scrambling to do everything in hopes of submitting before the final deadline.
To pace yourself well, you can consider timing like this in your preparations:
During the Winter Break Period (end-December through early January):
Draft Your Essays. Columbia has three required essay questions. Most candidates consider essays 1 and 3 the most difficult. For Essay 1, give yourself time to think through what you will present as your short-term and long-term goals, and be able to articulate why you need the CBS EMBA to achieve your goals. For Essay 3, think carefully about a leader you want to highlight, because who you choose will tell the admissions committee a lot about you and your values. Allot ample time to brainstorm and compose outstanding essays. The essays represent your marketing package, so use them excellently!
Turn Your Resume Into a Winning Application Resume. When reading your application, many admissions officers will begin with your resume. It offers, after all, a very convenient snapshot of your candidacy. With your resume, you are making a first impression – and first impressions last! Remember, an EMBA application resume and a job resume are two different things, so tailor your resume so it serves you well in the admissions process. It should showcase your strengths in the areas Columbia most cares about with regard to admission.
Prepare for Your Executive Assessment (EA) Exam or GMAT Test. Most candidates prefer to take the EA rather than the GMAT, since it takes significantly less time to prepare for the EA. You should take your EA or GMAT test before submitting to Columbia, leaving time ideally to take the test a second time in the event that your first score is not what you’d like. For a discussion about the ideal EA and GMAT score for Columbia’s EMBA program, you can read our recent article about this topic.
Strengthen Your Record. Preparing for admissions can include building up your record academically or in the extracurricular arena, if you have weak credentials in either. Make sure to gain a solid understanding of whether you have notable weak spots in your profile and how to best address them before you submit your application. Yes, it is possible to strengthen your profile with only five weeks to go before the deadline.
As Soon As Possible Following the Winter Break:
Reach Out to Recommendation Writers. You should reach out as early as possible to your recommendation writers and ensure they compose outstanding recommendations in time for the deadline. Take the time to consider who will be the best writers for you. Who can write a glowing recommendation that conveys deep details about your strengths as a businessperson and leader? Once you decide, you should reach out to the writers, secure their commitment to write for you, and guide them about what a great recommendation letter looks like. If your recommendation writers are available during the winter break period, all the better.
Visit Columbia. Columbia usually holds its formal admissions interviews after you submit your application. The interview is an invitation-only interview, and not all candidates receive an invitation to interview. Ideally, you should not wait until you are invited to interview to visit the school. If you visit Columbia before then, you send a signal to the school that you are so interested in the program that you feel it is worth the time and effort to visit before the interview. If you cannot visit beforehand, however, you should take steps to show you made other efforts to get to know about the school and its curriculum, culture, and offerings. You should demonstrate interest in the program beyond merely reading the program website.
Do you need assistance in preparing an outstanding application to an EMBA program? Feel free to reach out to us!
Best wishes,
Dr. Shel (Shelly Watts)
President, MBA Admit.com
https://www.mbaadmit.com
Email: info@mbaadmit.com
