Ask Columbia GSB Admissions

Hi Matt, thanks for answering questions. As a honored and accepted applicant, I was hoping you could shed light on the time table for when Merit Scholarships are awarded and if any have already been awarded. Thanks!

Hi bagdbmba,

Thank you for your question! Our goal is either to deny admission or invite for an interview or within six weeks of a completed application being received. Our goal for interviewed applicants is to render a final decision within two weeks of the interview report being completed.

I hope this helps!
_________________

Hi Kathmandu2013,

Congratulations on your admission! Fellowships can be awarded at any time after admission, but the majority will be awarded in the Spring.

Congratulations again on your admission!
_________________

Thank you Matthew for clarifying again!

Just one quick question - could there be any exceptions of the above mentioned time-line of decision/final decision ? If so, could you please shed some light on that aspect ?

Much thanks Sir!

Hi bagdbmba,

Thanks for following up! It is our goal that all reviews are within these timelines. I suggest that candidates reach out to us if their application is outside of the six week timeline, but before doing so they should check their application status page for their complete date. Regarding the interview, it is two weeks from when the interviewer has submitted the interview feedback, not the date of the interview, so applicants should keep that in mind as well.

I hope this helps!
_________________

Hi Matthew, thank you very much for taking time answering questions. I received my interview invite and had my interview with an admission ambassador last Monday. But as of today (a little more than 1 week after the interview), I haven't received any notice that the interview report was submitted yet. I just wonder what the timeline is and I would appreciate any suggestions on what I can/should do.

Thanks again.

Thanks Matt!

I had my interview today, and my interviewer stated multiple times that they had 48 hours to complete the report.
Let's see what Matt says.

Hello,

Does Columbia have any special considerations for couples who apply together? My fiance and I do not live in NYC and while we love Columbia and NYC we were reluctant to apply Early Decision in case one of us got in and the other didnt, despite our belief of Columbia as a top choice. I am also wondering if that needed to be noted to interviewers in the situation we are granted an interview.

Thank you for any guidance.

Thank you Matthew for clarifying this in detail. I'd refer this to the fellow applicants and I'm sure it'd be really helpful for 'em!

Much appreciate your help Sir!

Hi rarawwr,

Thank you for your questions. You should note that you are both applying (there is a section in the application for this); however we will consider your applications separately. You are also welcome to share this information with your interviewer, but it is not a requirement.

Best of luck to you and your wife!

Regards,
_________________

is there a way to get any feedback for a rejected application? i'm very disappointed as columbia was my first choice and things seemed to be going well until after the interview i had.

Hi - I've got a personal application question. I applied and was accepted to Columbia for undergrad but ultimately decided to attend another Ivy because my major was not offered at Columbia. For my MBA, I am very much interested in Columbia as my first choice but am worried that if I bring this up it may detract from my application. Should I bring this up in my essays, or not? If I don't, will the admissions committee be able to see that I declined acceptance to Columbia once before?

I would be shocked if they had the ability to cross check against undergrad applicants and whether or not they chose to attend school. Even if they could I wouldn't think that the undergrad decision would bother them enough to deny an applicant for the MBA program. As you said the school didn't offer the degree you wanted and if they can cross check your undergrad application status they should also have the knowledge of the degrees offered by the university versus your ultimate major. Having said that if you think there is a chance and you want to head it off, find a subtle way to work it into an essay without making it feel forced there probably isn't any harm in that. CBS definitely wants to know why you as an applicant are the right fit for them and why they are the right fit for you, so whatever you can do to stress that relationship is important, as long as it comes across as genuine. If you have any other questions don't hesitate to ask and best of luck!

I'm not part of AdCom, but I'm going to go out on a limb and say they probably don't track that, and even if they did, wouldn't care at all.

Hi macey15,

Thank you for your question. You do not need to address this at any point in the application. How you chose your undergraduate school is a very personal choice and not part of our process.

Best of luck,

Matthew
_________________

Hi dhlee922,

My apologies for the late response. It looks like I missed your question when going through the thread. We are not able to provide feedback for denied applications. I am happy to answer any questions you may have about the reapplication process if you decide you would like to be considered for next year.

Best of going forward,
_________________

Hi Matthew,

I was hoping to follow up on the Merit Scholarships, as, at least on my end, it's coming down to crunch time to figure out my loans, departure from work and financing from savings. Do you know if all Merit Awards have been issued, or is there still a chance something comes through over the next month? Any insight would be much appreciated.

thanks much

Hi Kathmandu2013,

I hope you are well! We are still awarding fellowships, but there isn't a definitive timeline as we award fellowships throughout the cycle. If you would like, we can set up a phone call to talk further about your specific questions.

Let me know if that is something you would to do or feel free to call or e-mail anytime.

Regards,
_________________