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sdd996

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Schools: Duke '16 (WL) Booth '16 (WL) Yale '16 (D) Darden '16 (M) Johnson '16 (A)

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24 May 2012, 09:02

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Matthew - thanks very much for the great responses!

maxjuice11

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03 Jun 2012, 12:09

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I'm hoping I could get thoughts on my application profile and my chances at the schools listed below.

-GMAT: 670 (44Q, 38V)
-GPA: 4.0 at top 20 university (major in finance) - summa cum laude
-Job: Investment Mgt analyst at a premier bulge bracket U.S. investment bank

-Teaching Assistant in college for MBA level finance courses.
-Some degree of community service/philanthropy involvement
-Would go to business school to switch career path outside of investment management
-White male.

I know my GMAT is slightly low, but what are my chances at the following schools?

Columbia
Harvard
Stanford
Wharton
Northwestern
Yale
Duke
UCLA
UVA
USC

Thank you,
Jack

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lonesoui

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05 Jun 2012, 15:50

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Hi Matthew,
On the application, it asks: "How many months of post-college full-time work experience will you have upon enrolling?", however, my situation is very unique in that I was active duty military from Aug 2005 - Jun 2011, then went into the reserves part-time from Jun 2011- Jan 2012, and I graduated from college May 2012. I also had a full-time job from Jul 2011-Present. So my question is, how many months of employment should I list? From Jun 2012- Fall enrollment, or all of those months I've had a full-time job before and during college as well?

And also, should I utilize the optional essay to explain my below average gpa because I was active duty military for most of my time in college? Or would you guys be able to figure that out from the application/resume? Thanks!

josenunesp

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06 Jun 2012, 08:17

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Hi

Just a quick question - is there any difference of submitting the application on late September ?
I've just decided to take a MBA and it would be important for me to know if, since I'll just be able to apply end September, I shall need a stronger gmat score rather than if I would apply in June/July..

Thanks and best regards
Jose (Portugal)

ColumbiaMBA

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06 Jun 2012, 08:24

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lonesoui

Hi lonesoui,

Thank you for your question. You should list your post college full time experience. You should mention your other work experience in the Optional Essay.

Best,

ColumbiaMBA

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06 Jun 2012, 08:33

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ColumbiaMBA

lonesoui

Hi lonesoui,

Thank you for your question. You should list your post college full time experience. You should mention your other work experience in the Optional Essay.

Best,

As far as your GPA you should address this in the Optional Essay.

Regards,

ColumbiaMBA

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06 Jun 2012, 08:54

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josenunesp

Hi Jose,

Our application process is rolling, so it is always best to apply as early as possible; however we see most of our applications close to our deadlines. September is not too late to apply to any of our programs. Please visit https://www4.gsb.columbia.edu/mba/admissions/options for more on our deadlines.

I hope this helps.

Good luck,

golsey

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Concentration: Marketing

Schools: Cnsrtm-Hass '15 (D) Cnsrtm-Ross '15 (WL) Cnsrtm-Tuck '15 (D) Cnsrtm-Johnson '15 (A) Cnsrtm-Darden '15 (WL) Wharton '15 (D) Booth '15 (I)

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13 Jun 2012, 08:56

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Hi Matthew,

I appreciate that you take the time to provide advice to prospective students via this forum.

My question is regarding an admissions decision. I am a career switcher that applied to the fall 2012 full-time program. I received a decision notification that the AdCom could not offer me a place in the full-time program, but that due to my strong professional background and experience they recommend that I pursue the EMBA program instead. I understand that the EMBA is designed for working professionals who want to continue to develop their careers within the field they currently are and it is not for career switchers. Based on my professional career goals, I believe that the full-time program will benefit me the most.

Can you provide some advice as to how to go about this notification and what would be the options for me as a career switcher?

carolusmagnusrex

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18 Jun 2012, 00:56

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Hi,

when will the application for the January term be available?

The website indicated that it would become available in early June, however the dropdown menu in the application form contains only the option for the August Regular Decision Executive MBA.

Thanks!

ColumbiaMBA

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19 Jun 2012, 09:07

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golsey

Hi golsey,

Thank you for your question. In some rare cases the admissions committee will render decisions suggesting applicants to apply to another one of our programs. These are only recommendations/suggestions. The admissions committee may suggest that another program could be a good fit, but this is not a guarantee of admissions or a path that the applicant must pursue. If you do not feel the program makes sense for you and your goals you are welcome to apply to another program.

Best of luck!

ColumbiaMBA

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19 Jun 2012, 09:09

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carolusmagnusrex

Hi carolusmagnusrex,

Thank you for your question. The January Full Time application can be found here - https://apply.gsb.columbia.edu/apply/.

Best of luck!

OptimisticApplicant

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Concentration: Entrepreneurship, General Management

Schools: Babson '14 (M$)

GMAT 1: 680 Q49 V34 Verified score

GMAT 2: 730 Q48 V42 Verified score

GPA: 3

WE:Marketing (Computer Software)

Schools: Babson '14 (M$)

GMAT 2: 730 Q48 V42 Verified score

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Updated on: 10 Sep 2012, 10:44

Originally posted by OptimisticApplicant on 04 Jul 2012, 06:46.
Last edited by OptimisticApplicant on 10 Sep 2012, 10:44, edited 1 time in total.

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[EDIT - Thank you, Matthew]

ColumbiaMBA

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09 Jul 2012, 06:27

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OptimisticApplicant

Hi Matthew,

Thank you for taking the time to answer our questions.

I received my official GMAT score report this morning and had a quick question regarding the Integrated Reasoning section. My official score was:

730 Total (96%)
48 Quantitative (80%)
42 Verbal (95%)
6.0 AWA (91%)
6 Integrated Reasoning (70%)

Given that the IR section is new, how will my 6 out of 8 score be interpreted by the admissions committee this year? Do you think that a retake would be advantageous or simply a waste of time and money?

Hope you are having a nice 4th!

Thanks again,
OptimisticApplicant

Hi OptimisticApplicant,

Thank you for your question. We require that applicants take the IR section; however because it is new we do not have any historical data on the section. We will consider the IR section as part of the holistic application process. It is up to you whether you feel it is necessary to retake the GMAT.

Best of luck!

Steveresides

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11 Jul 2012, 18:39

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Hi Matt,

I understand Columbia has only recently started accepting the GRE in lieu of the GMATs, however I was wondering 1.) if submitting GRE scores were more "frowned" upon over an applicant submitting with GMAT scores; and 2.) if you would have any statistics with students applying with the GRE scores.

Thank you,
Steve

App01

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11 Jul 2012, 19:58

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Hi,

My name is Lucas and I'm a 28yo brazilian engineer. I started working in a Steel industry (~USD10Bi marcap) in Brazil in 2009 through an Mckinsey Fellowship special program (I've always been the Steel company employee but at the first year i worked as an Mckinsey consultant). After the first year with Mickinsey I was placed at Corporative Planning Department at the steel company and have been there ever since.

This year the company was sold and the department lost a lot of prestige and I got 2 job propositions:

I could move to the Strategic Planning Department inside the same group at a subsidiary mining company with one degree promotion to senior analyst (I would continue with Similar assignments)

or

I could move to FIAT/Chrylser working as an Financial Specialist (2 degree promotion and a huge raise in salary) for the Product Development Department (I would be responsible for the financial studies for new car projects in brazil)

Do you think changing companies would compromise my application or going to an international company with a bigger promotion would sound more interesting?

I really appreciate any comments.

qtrip

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14 Jul 2012, 03:19

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Hi Matthew

Thank you for your time here. I really appreciate your help.

I had a question about the Optional Essay. It goes:
An optional fourth essay will allow you to discuss any issues that do not fall within the purview of the required essays.

Can I use the optional essay to talk about certain interesting community involvement I have had, which I am unable to include in any of the other required essays? Or is the AdCom only interested in issues in this essay - such as low GMAT/GPA or inability to get a recommendation from a direct supervisor?

Many thanks,
q

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16 Jul 2012, 12:24

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Steveresides

Hi Steve,

Thank you for your question. If you submit GRE scores they will be considered equally to the GMAT. Unfortunately we do not have any stats on the GRE at this time.

Best of luck!

ColumbiaMBA

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16 Jul 2012, 12:28

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App01

Hi Lucas,

Thank you for your question. Unfortunately I am unable to give you feedback on the next step of your career. Keep in mind that the application process is holistic and your career is only one aspect of your application. I suggest doing what you think makes the most sense for your career rather than the MBA application. You have the opportunity to explain anything you would like about your career in the Optional Essay if you feel this is something that will need more clarification.

Best of luck,

ColumbiaMBA

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16 Jul 2012, 12:33

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qtrip

Hi q,

Thank you for your question. It is best if the Optional Essay is not used as another essay, but to explain parts of the application that need clarification. While you can certainly add something that was not addressed like your community involvement, in general the Optional Essay is not used for this. If this is truly something that is a necessary part of the application I suggest finding a way to include this information in the required parts of the application.

Best of luck!

str1der

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Schools: HBS '15 (D) Wharton '15 (D) Tuck '15 (M) Kellogg '15 (WL) Sloan '15 (D) Johnson '15 (A) Owen '15 (A$)

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19 Jul 2012, 09:44

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Dear Matthew,

I wanted to check how Columbia views reapplicants? Are there any metrics (eg: X% of applicants are reapplicants) that you can share.

Also, although I have significantly strengthened my application since last year (improvement in GMAT by 40 points, Promotion, more responsibilities etc.), my career goals as stated in the essays were too specific and of an 'atypical' field. I did visit Columbia during a recent trip to the US, and my interaction with students and faculty actually inspired me to do well on my GMAT, which I did.

However, I am a little perplexed around how my application from last year will be considered? For the purpose of full disclosure, I was denied without an interview.

The above may not seem too specific, but any advice for reapplicants, beyond whats already stated on the Columbia website, would be much, much appreciated.

Regards