{"id":34518,"date":"2016-09-14T15:14:36","date_gmt":"2016-09-14T22:14:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/?p=34518"},"modified":"2016-09-14T15:14:36","modified_gmt":"2016-09-14T22:14:36","slug":"the-mba-menu-at-columbia-business-school-episode-171","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/the-mba-menu-at-columbia-business-school-episode-171\/","title":{"rendered":"The MBA Menu at Columbia Business School [Episode 171]"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.accepted.com\/?powerpress_embed=42752-podcast&amp;powerpress_player=mediaelement-audio\" width=\"320\" height=\"30\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/admissions_straight_talk\/p\/cdn2.hubspot.net\/hubfs\/58291\/IV_with_Emily_French_Thomas.mp3\" target=\"_blank\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-42793 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.accepted.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/sept2016_3.jpg\" alt=\"Listen to the show!\" width=\"700\" height=\"315\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/admissions_straight_talk\/p\/cdn2.hubspot.net\/hubfs\/58291\/IV_with_Emily_French_Thomas.mp3\">There\u2019s something for everyone at Columbia Business School.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Today\u2019s AST podcast is a first: an in-person interview! Our guest is Emily French Thomas, Director of Admissions at <a href=\"https:\/\/reports.accepted.com\/mba\/columbia_business_school\">Columbia Business School<\/a>, and we\u2019ll be talking about the menu of programs available at CBS. Welcome, Emily!<\/p>\n<p><strong>What is the common thread that unites the many programs at CBS?<\/strong>\u00a0[1:18]<\/p>\n<p>When people think of getting an MBA, they\u2019re often thinking about shifting careers, or building their network. And we definitely provide those strengths. But the more intangible benefit of a Columbia MBA is learning to see the world in a more holistic way \u2013 gaining a framework for all the decisions you\u2019ll make in your future career.<\/p>\n<p>Our goal is to cultivate an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.accepted.com\/mba\/entrepreneurship\">entrepreneurial<\/a>\u00a0mindset. That doesn\u2019t just mean starting your own company \u2013 it\u2019s about identifying opportunity. We\u2019re training business leaders who think entrepreneurially.<\/p>\n<p>Our core curriculum (accounting, marketing, big data, etc) teaches students how to look at a problem from multiple perspectives. It\u2019s really a transformative experience.<\/p>\n<p>We bring theories into the real world. And students have access to so many industries and business leaders in NY, to learn how the knowledge applies in the real world. And the networking opportunities from that are also invaluable. (For example, our students have regular coffee chats with alumni.) There\u2019s just an incredible amount of access that comes from being at the center of business.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Can you give an overview of the fulltime MBA program?<\/strong>\u00a0[6:05]<\/p>\n<p>There are two streams. One is a 20-month traditional program with August entry: there\u2019s a semester of core, a semester of electives, a summer internship, then the second year. We take about 550 students a year for the August entry. They\u2019re broken into clusters of 60-70 students and further divided into learning teams. So you have a home base of people you get to know really well.<\/p>\n<p>We do have exemption exams, so you can test out of specific core courses if you have expertise in the area, and replace them with an elective. But generally students are happier if they have at least some core courses, in order to build relationships with their learning team.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What about the January program?<\/strong>\u00a0[9:00]<\/p>\n<p>This is an accelerated 16-month program. The difference between this and the August entry is the summer internship. January students start one semester later and take classes in the summer, and are in the same place as the traditional students when they start the second year. It\u2019s a great way to minimize the opportunity cost.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s a wonderful option for students who are sponsored by companies or who are coming from family business.<\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019re changing your career in a major way (industry-function-geography) \u2013 you can probably change one area but not two through the January program. For more radical changes, in general, you need the summer internship. However, there are also school year internships, and JTerm students can do those.<\/p>\n<p>You\u2019re in a stronger position to succeed if you <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.accepted.com\/2016\/05\/11\/importance-defining-mba-goal\/\">have a very clear sense of your goals<\/a> and are proactive \u2013 that\u2019s one of the things we\u2019re looking for in applicants (people who have direction).<\/p>\n<p><strong>What else are you looking for in an applicant?<\/strong>\u00a0[16:20]<\/p>\n<p>We\u2019re looking at the whole application. Any one part of the application is just a data point.<\/p>\n<p>We\u2019re looking for academic achievement: we require either <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.accepted.com\/2016\/04\/21\/gmat-or-gre\/\">the GMAT or the GRE<\/a>. (If you\u2019re planning to retake, it\u2019s best to stick with the one you already took.)<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>Linda:<\/strong> Is it better to cancel a low score or show improvement?<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Showing hard work to improve is worthwhile. We don\u2019t need people to be perfect.<\/p>\n<p>In addition to academics, we\u2019re also looking for professional experience \u2013 particularly what you\u2019ve achieved in your work.<\/p>\n<p>Recommendations are important. People are often hung up on <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.accepted.com\/2016\/02\/15\/what-if-the-president-of-the-united-states-wrote-your-letter-of-recommendation\/\">getting recommendations from people with fancy titles<\/a>: but get the recommendation from the person who knows you best. They can write something more interesting and constructive about who you are.<\/p>\n<p>Our essays are personality questions \u2013 we want to think about you as a human being.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What makes qualitatively impressive <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.accepted.com\/2016\/04\/11\/work-experience-reveals-mba-application\/\">work experience<\/a>?<\/strong>\u00a0[21:25]<\/p>\n<p>We\u2019re interested in seeing what a person has done with what they have. Is your work impressive relative to your peers? Do you have <a href=\"https:\/\/reports.accepted.com\/leadership-in-admissions-2\">leadership experience<\/a> and have you taken initiative? Sometimes people working in small family companies or small firms have had more opportunities for leadership.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What are the hiring strengths at Columbia?<\/strong>\u00a0[23:00]<\/p>\n<p>It comes back to that question of access.<\/p>\n<p>A recent grad had a lot of coffee chats with alumni and had met a lot of people at his target company, so when he went for his interview, it was much easier and more natural, thanks to his extensive research and networking, and he got the job.<\/p>\n<p>There\u2019s also a very strong career management service and very active clubs.<\/p>\n<p><strong>There are three EMBA programs (NY, Americas, Global) at Columbia. What is common to the three?<\/strong>\u00a0[25:20]<\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.accepted.com\/2016\/08\/28\/columbia-2016-17-executive-mba-essay-tips-deadlines\/\">Columbia EMBA<\/a> programs have the same core as the FT programs. The EMBA NY takes in around 144 students, starting in August, for a 20-month program (meeting on Fridays and Saturdays for 9 weekends\/semester). There\u2019s also a program on Saturdays only for 13 weekends\/semester. There\u2019s no summer internship. The Saturday-only program is 24-months.<\/p>\n<p>The other programs are modular, with a 1 week intensive format. The Americas program is designed for people coming from farther away (outside NY) \u2013 students come from all over the country, and also from Latin America. There are even some students from Europe. There\u2019s one week of class each month for the first three semesters.<\/p>\n<p><strong>EMBA Global is modular, too.<\/strong>\u00a0[30:00]<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s a partnership with LBS, and incorporates LBS courses. Students can take courses from either school, and can tailor their electives to whatever structure works better for them (Saturday vs modular week).<\/p>\n<p>Finally, there\u2019s the EMBA Global Asia program, which is a joint program with LBS and Hong Kong University; students actually earn a joint degree.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Would you consider the EMBA a part-time degree or a degree for more experienced students?<\/strong>\u00a0[32:25]<\/p>\n<p>It really feels like a full-time program.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s also lockstep \u2013 students take courses with their clusters, developing relationships in a way you generally don\u2019t in a part-time program.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s not necessary to have reams and reams of work experience, but we do look more closely at work experience than academics for the EMBA. If you\u2019re junior in your career, just think about how you\u2019d contribute.<\/p>\n<p>If you can, come and visit \u2013 talk to students. It\u2019s the only way you\u2019ll know how you\u2019ll feel in the program.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What\u2019s the <a href=\"https:\/\/reports.accepted.com\/ace-the-emba\">EMBA admissions process<\/a>?<\/strong>\u00a0[35:40]<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s a rolling process (just like the FT MBA, but different from our peer schools with rounds). It becomes more competitive closer to the deadline.<\/p>\n<p>For EMBA: we look at your academics. We do require a test. We now accept the Executive Assessment, which has been popular with EMBA applicants.<\/p>\n<p>There are three required essays. Instead of the question we ask FT applicants (about how they would take advantage of the New York location), we ask EMBA applicants how you will balance work, life, and school.<\/p>\n<p>And we weight work experience a little more than academics.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What is the career benefit of the EMBA?<\/strong>\u00a0[39:00]<\/p>\n<p>Bringing new knowledge back to work in real time, and applying what you\u2019re learning right away. It\u2019s also a benefit to the company.<\/p>\n<p>EMBA students also benefit from networking opportunities.<\/p>\n<p>We had a recent student who came to the program after working in finance, and started thinking about how tough it was for vets to get services. He hooked up with other students, created a tech platform, and launched a company \u2013 it\u2019s a real success story.<\/p>\n<p><strong>How much do EMBA and FT students mix? And is there mixing among the different EMBA programs?<\/strong>\u00a0[44:20]<\/p>\n<p>There\u2019s definitely mixing among EMBA students.<\/p>\n<p>EMBA students can take FT electives, and vice versa. International Seminars bring EMBA students together.<\/p>\n<p>There\u2019s also interaction in electives and clubs. And there\u2019s leadership from the EMBA class in student government.<\/p>\n<p>A lot of what clubs do is recruiting-focused, but they also bring speakers to campus, and EMBA students get involved with that.<\/p>\n<p><strong>As an applicant, what should I do?<\/strong>\u00a0[48:20]<\/p>\n<p>Think about your strategy. Know what you\u2019re investing in. <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.accepted.com\/2016\/02\/29\/top-6-tips-for-visiting-business-schools\/\">Visit if you can<\/a>, but if you can\u2019t, learn about the program in other ways: talk to a student on the phone; come to one of our info sessions. You need to know what you\u2019re investing in. Also, the more you know, the stronger your essays will be.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Early decision vs regular decision for the FT MBA \u2013 how to decide?<\/strong>\u00a0[50:00]<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s a rolling process, so it gets more competitive later in the process.<\/p>\n<p>Don\u2019t apply Early Decision unless you know that Columbia is where you want to be, because it is binding. So make sure there aren\u2019t any other factors determining that decision (ie a partner who might not move to NY, finances, etc).<\/p>\n<p>You can still apply on the early side of the rolling process without the binding requirement of Early Decision. There\u2019s a deadline in January for merit aid \u2013 that\u2019s when most people apply. The final deadline is in April \u2013 by then, it\u2019s very competitive.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Any last advice?<\/strong>\u00a0[52:40]<\/p>\n<p>Be yourself in the application. Sometimes we read an application from someone who seems to be trying to push their story into a preconceived idea of what they think the adcom wants to read, and it doesn\u2019t match up.<\/p>\n<p>You\u2019re not competing with anyone else (especially because of the way our rolling deadline works) \u2013 you\u2019re competing with yourself. We want students who are nice and engaged. If we get a sense that you\u2019re completely transactional, we\u2019ll think that\u2019s how you\u2019d be on campus.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/admissions_straight_talk\/p\/cdn2.hubspot.net\/hubfs\/58291\/IV_with_Emily_French_Thomas.mp3\" target=\"_blank\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-29592 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.accepted.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/ListenToTheShow.png\" alt=\"Click here to listen to the show!\" width=\"340\" height=\"66\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><strong>Related Links:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left; padding-left: 30px;\">\u2022\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/blog.accepted.com\/2016\/04\/21\/columbia-business-school-2017-mba-essay-tips-deadlines\/\">Columbia Business School 2016-17 MBA Essay Tips\u00a0&amp; Deadlines<\/a><br \/>\n\u2022\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/blog.accepted.com\/2016\/08\/28\/columbia-2016-17-executive-mba-essay-tips-deadlines\/\" rel=\"bookmark\">Columbia 2016-17 Executive MBA Essay Tips &amp; Deadlines<\/a><br \/>\n\u2022 <a href=\"https:\/\/reports.accepted.com\/mba\/columbia_business_school\">Get Accepted to Columbia Business School [On-Demand Webinar]<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><strong>Related Shows:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left; padding-left: 30px;\">\u2022\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/blog.accepted.com\/2014\/10\/23\/bruce-delmonico-on-the-yale-school-of-management\/\">Bruce DelMonico on The Yale School of Management<\/a><br \/>\n\u2022\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/blog.accepted.com\/2016\/08\/31\/mission-and-admissions-at-yale-school-of-management\/\" rel=\"bookmark\">Mission and Admissions at Yale School of Management<\/a><br \/>\n\u2022\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/blog.accepted.com\/2016\/08\/10\/3-outstanding-mba-emba-alternatives\/\" rel=\"bookmark\">Too Old for an MBA? Check Out 3 Outstanding MBA and EMBA Alternatives<\/a><br \/>\n\u2022\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/blog.accepted.com\/2016\/07\/20\/20-year-mba-admissions-veteran-shares-insights\/\" rel=\"bookmark\">A 20-Year MBA Admissions Veteran Shares His Insights<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><b>Subscribe:<\/b><\/p>\n<p><a class=\"externalLink\" href=\"https:\/\/itunes.apple.com\/il\/podcast\/admissions-straight-talk\/id499238715?mt=2&amp;ls=1&amp;ign-mpt=uo%3D4\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"bbCodeImage LbImage\" src=\"https:\/\/forums.studentdoctor.net\/proxy.php?image=http%3A%2F%2Fblog.accepted.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2015%2F09%2FGet-it-on-itunes.png&amp;hash=01b60afa1891f41cc20c7e6e5f0b2707\" alt=\"[IMG]\" data-url=\"https:\/\/blog.accepted.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Get-it-on-itunes.png\" \/><\/a> <a class=\"externalLink\" href=\"https:\/\/www.stitcher.com\/s?fid=34489&amp;refid=stpr\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"bbCodeImage LbImage\" src=\"https:\/\/forums.studentdoctor.net\/proxy.php?image=http%3A%2F%2Fcloudfront.assets.stitcher.com%2Fpromo.assets%2Fstitcher-banner-88x31.jpg&amp;hash=7decc1b6a405d4f3d862a39cd18a810b\" alt=\"[IMG]\" data-url=\"https:\/\/cloudfront.assets.stitcher.com\/promo.assets\/stitcher-banner-88x31.jpg\" \/><\/a> <a class=\"externalLink\" href=\"https:\/\/subscribeonandroid.com\/blog.accepted.com\/feed\/podcast\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"bbCodeImage LbImage\" src=\"https:\/\/forums.studentdoctor.net\/proxy.php?image=https%3A%2F%2Fassets.blubrry.com%2Fsoa%2FBadgeLarge.png&amp;hash=033bde33395ca50bc4da40ab0737dc74\" alt=\"[IMG]\" data-url=\"https:\/\/assets.blubrry.com\/soa\/BadgeLarge.png\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/reports.accepted.com\/mba\/columbia_business_school?\" target=\"_blank\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-34519 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Get_Accepted_to_CBS_-_CTA_watch_webinar.png\" alt=\"Get_Accepted_to_CBS_-_CTA_watch_webinar\" width=\"700\" height=\"250\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Get_Accepted_to_CBS_-_CTA_watch_webinar.png 700w, https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Get_Accepted_to_CBS_-_CTA_watch_webinar-300x107.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/blog.accepted.com\/2016\/09\/14\/mba-menu-columbia-business-school-episode-171\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; color: #1155cc;\">This article<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; color: #222222;\">\u00a0<\/span><i><span style=\"font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; color: #222222;\">originally appeared on\u00a0<\/span><\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/blog.accepted.com\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; color: #1155cc;\">blog.accepted.com<\/span><\/a><i><span style=\"font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; color: #222222;\">.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; color: #222222;\">Applying to a top b-school? The talented folks at Accepted have helped hundreds of applicants get accepted to their dream programs. Whether you are figuring out where to apply, writing your application essays, or prepping for your interviews, we are just a call (or click) away.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; color: #222222;\">Contact us, and get matched up with the consultant who will help\u00a0<i>you\u00a0<\/i><\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/hubs.ly\/H01gxJF0\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; color: #1155cc;\">get accepted<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; color: #222222;\">!<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>There\u2019s something for everyone at Columbia Business School. Today\u2019s AST podcast is a first: an in-person interview! Our guest is Emily French Thomas, Director of Admissions at Columbia Business School,&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11,939,775,113,243],"tags":[1979],"class_list":["post-34518","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-mba","category-accepted","category-admission-consultants","category-applications","category-blog","tag-podcast-admissions","entry"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34518","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=34518"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34518\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":34520,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34518\/revisions\/34520"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=34518"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=34518"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=34518"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}