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globalMBA
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Columbia 2012 - Calling All Applicants 19 Aug 2011, 19:55
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Just had my interview...lasted 2 hours! My interviewer asked me a LOT of questions - I guess thats because he just graduated and doesnt have a lot of experience on this so he went by the book. My questions were:

Resume
why do you want to get an MBA
why now
why columbia
what if you dont get in
how will an mba help you achieve your professional goals
are you sure you cant achieve your goals without an mba
leadership example
how do you work in groups? give me an example
ethical dilemma
questions for me?

When I answered each of the questions above he kept on digging deeper and deeper and asking more and more...it definitely got tricky at times so i dont know what to think overall - i feel like i answered a bunch of the questions well and did not do so great on others. We will have to wait and see but i am definitely anxious...was kinda confident before the interview but dont know what to think now hehehe...good luck everyone!!!
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MDF
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Columbia 2012 - Calling All Applicants 19 Aug 2011, 20:32
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globalMBA
Just had my interview...lasted 2 hours! My interviewer asked me a LOT of questions - I guess thats because he just graduated and doesnt have a lot of experience on this so he went by the book. My questions were:

Resume
why do you want to get an MBA
why now
why columbia
what if you dont get in
how will an mba help you achieve your professional goals
are you sure you cant achieve your goals without an mba
leadership example
how do you work in groups? give me an example
ethical dilemma
questions for me?

When I answered each of the questions above he kept on digging deeper and deeper and asking more and more...it definitely got tricky at times so i dont know what to think overall - i feel like i answered a bunch of the questions well and did not do so great on others. We will have to wait and see but i am definitely anxious...was kinda confident before the interview but dont know what to think now hehehe...good luck everyone!!!
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Thanks for the debrief!

But wow, 2 hours is rough! How long were your typical responses to the behavioral questions?
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globalMBA
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Columbia 2012 - Calling All Applicants 19 Aug 2011, 20:46
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All my answers were pretty long - at least 5 min! The thing is he kept on questioning things I said on my answer and trying to push my limits. I was expecting something informal but instead my interview was actually pretty intense. I guess it all depends on your interviewer. I know people who had very different experiences but just make sure you are ready to answer all the questions above and be able to justify everything you say. On the "ethical dilemma" question, for example, he kept on going deeper and deeper trying to put me on the spotlight...also my interviewer kept on switching languages on each question since I am not in America... it was tough but I think he knows he was tough so lets wait and see...
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Columbia 2012 - Calling All Applicants 20 Aug 2011, 05:12
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Honestly.. that stinks man. You may still do very well but I guess I just got real fortunate with my interviewer selection. He's been a CBS alum for over 30 years and actually is an adjunct at my undergrad university now. Really relaxed and comfortable. In fact, he advised that I keep in touch and reach out to him on any questions I may have, relating to CBS or general career, as he likes to see ambitious people succeed. I think having someone 1-2 years removed might make it much more difficult as they are trying to stick to the formalities... either way, best of luck!
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mbarealestate
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Columbia 2012 - Calling All Applicants 20 Aug 2011, 05:26
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I wouldn't put much emphasis on the age of the interviewer. Mine was a 2010 grad of CBS. Our interview was very casual.
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MDF
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Columbia 2012 - Calling All Applicants 20 Aug 2011, 08:58
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globalMBA
All my answers were pretty long - at least 5 min! The thing is he kept on questioning things I said on my answer and trying to push my limits. I was expecting something informal but instead my interview was actually pretty intense. I guess it all depends on your interviewer. I know people who had very different experiences but just make sure you are ready to answer all the questions above and be able to justify everything you say. On the "ethical dilemma" question, for example, he kept on going deeper and deeper trying to put me on the spotlight...also my interviewer kept on switching languages on each question since I am not in America... it was tough but I think he knows he was tough so lets wait and see...
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Yeah, that is rough!

I can get through all of my anecdotes in about 2-3 minutes. I really spent some time making my responses concise enough so that they leave out all of the long boring details. I'll be happy elaborate on anything per the interviewer's request, but as a person who has done interviews myself, those details are often just plain boring and better left out. I truly couldn't imagine being interviewed that long. I think that I could adequately provide comprehensive answers to all of those questions you listed in under 30 minutes. So it really sucks that your interview kept probing so deeply. And it's also weird that he asked you "Why an MBA," followed by "How will an mba help you achieve your professional goals." Are these not the same question?

Anyways, best of luck. Let us know how it pans out!

Also, I'm not bilingual, but isn't that weird that he kept jumping back and forth between languages? Talk about making an already stressful situation more confusing...
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Columbia 2012 - Calling All Applicants 21 Aug 2011, 18:38
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For the people who just had interviews... Anyone have it go complete yet?

Posted from my mobile device
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mbarealestate
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Columbia 2012 - Calling All Applicants 22 Aug 2011, 06:15
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My interview occurred on Thursday night and my status changed to 'Interview Complete' on Friday. Is there another status change, such as 'Interview Report Received', or am I pretty much waiting for a decision at this point?
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Columbia 2012 - Calling All Applicants 22 Aug 2011, 06:28
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No, I think that means that the report has been received. You only has to wait for the Final Decision release.

From Columbia's web page:

Quote:
Complete*

If you are invited to interview, within two weeks following the interview your interviewer will submit a report to the Admissions Office. Your status will change to “complete” as confirmation that the interview took place and that the Admissions Committee received the interviewer’s report. Please remember that there is no set timeline for receiving a final decision once an interview is completed.

Final Decision Is Rendered

Final decisions are either Admission, Denial of Admission, or Wait List. Decisions can be rendered at any time and all decisions are final.



*Indicates a subphase that may or may not apply to your application.

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Columbia 2012 - Calling All Applicants 22 Aug 2011, 06:43
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Right, it goes to status "Complete"... then it's just waiting for the admit/ding.
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mbarealestate
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Columbia 2012 - Calling All Applicants 22 Aug 2011, 08:53
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Just got a decision... ding! Best of luck to the rest of you. Back to the essays.
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Columbia 2012 - Calling All Applicants 22 Aug 2011, 08:59
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Damn, sorry man. That's not giving me a warm fuzzy feeling. You said your interviewer seemed in a rush or something... again I wonder if having a younger interviewer actually hurts you as they are trying to follow a "by the book" type of approach. Both having 3 years WE... now I'm nervous! Your gmat was higher than mine (710) but my gpa (3.93) was slightly better. I guess I need to just wait and see.
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Columbia 2012 - Calling All Applicants 22 Aug 2011, 12:46
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Wow sorry bro. 1 day to review is really quick. Any ideas what happened?

I'm scared now too. My interviewer just graduated in May, and I thought that would actually help since he remembers exactly what we would be going through. Still haven't gone complete though.
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Columbia 2012 - Calling All Applicants 22 Aug 2011, 12:53
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To be honest, I don't believe my interview had anything to do with the ding. It went great. At the end of the day, I'm a white male from the Northeast with a 3.08 GPA. I didn't save anyone from a burning building or cure a terminal disease. Pretty tough hole to climb out of, regardless of my 750 GMAT.
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Columbia 2012 - Calling All Applicants 22 Aug 2011, 13:03
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mbarealestate
To be honest, I don't believe my interview had anything to do with the ding. It went great. At the end of the day, I'm a white male from the Northeast with a 3.08 GPA. I didn't save anyone from a burning building or cure a terminal disease. Pretty tough hole to climb out of, regardless of my 750 GMAT.
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I'm sorry to hear that you got bad news. I don't really know if your GPA is why you got dinged. Does Columbia give feedback? You got an interview so something about you interested them. If your GPA was a dealbreaker they wouldn't have even interviewed you. While your GPA may be the obvious place to put the blame that doesn't mean it's the correct place. Did you use the optional essay to discuss your grades? Since Columbia was obviously your first choice you might want to create an alternate transcript if you reapply next year. Otherwise, best of luck for your remaining applications this year.
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mbarealestate
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Columbia 2012 - Calling All Applicants 22 Aug 2011, 13:10
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From what I understand, they do not offer any sort of feedback, even if it is requested. They deny thousands of people every year so they wouldn't have the time. Regardless, I will ask and let you guys know what the answer is. It would be really helpful for future applications.
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Columbia 2012 - Calling All Applicants 22 Aug 2011, 13:22
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My thought would be to contact the interviewer. Tell him you did not get accepted and ask him if he can provide any feedback or insight into how you can improve your candidacy. Columbia does say that interviews can occur any point during the application process which is indicative that the interview is not the end all decision. You may be correct that the GPA was the factor pulling you down but if you had a solid optional essay addressing that and your GMAT score, I think that should of offset. Certain schools are more focused on GPA (HBS for one) for the general applicant pool. The less experience you have the more important that GPA is also. Having only 3 years post-undergrad (2 year prior to UG in management role), I know that my GPA will likely be more focused on than if I had been working for 5 years or so. That may be the issue as well, but perhaps your interviewer may provide some feedback that provides more detail. Best of luck with other apps (if applying), otherwise maybe next year!
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Columbia 2012 - Calling All Applicants 22 Aug 2011, 15:41
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Sorry to hear the news mbarealestate! best of luck with the rest of your apps.
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Columbia 2012 - Calling All Applicants 22 Aug 2011, 16:08
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I emailed a member of the admissions department and got this in return:

"As policy, we do not give feedback but I will say generally that all involved thought that you might be better served getting a little more experience before business school."

Hope this helps.
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Columbia 2012 - Calling All Applicants 22 Aug 2011, 16:22
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mbarealestate
I emailed a member of the admissions department and got this in return:

"As policy, we do not give feedback but I will say generally that all involved thought that you might be better served getting a little more experience before business school."

Hope this helps.
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Do you have 3years of WE now (so 4 years at enrollment)?
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