Columbia Business School - Class of 2013 Application Year https://www.totalgadha.com/gmat/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/columbia-business-school.png For Roll Call, see the following spreadsheet. Please use the following form to add your stats to the spreadsheet. Add your name to the list here Spreadsheet 0Ak2vFwPQcf2zdHhjcXN2bjk2MUZ4ZW1pYVJCTFU5NEE Add your name to the list here Prior Years Application Thread CBS F'10 thread: calling-all-2010-cbs-applicants-merged-78610.html CBS F'09 thread: calling-all-columbia-applicants-for-63151.html#p460533

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Calling All CBS 2011 Applicants!!

1 2 3 4 ... 198

Moss

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17 May 2010, 12:02

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May deadline would be pretty severe -- they haven't even officially made the announcement of the "August" ED deadline and there are only 2 weeks left in May! Here's hoping we get until the end of June. But any news from anyone?

lawgonebusiness

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17 May 2010, 12:25

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ED deadline is Oct. 7.

hazay

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17 May 2010, 13:46

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chostein

essay #2 is very difficult, I think. First, it is 500 words and second, I gotta tell a good story that covers not only "me" but also "my personal interests" since the topic specifically has "AND" between those two.

Very very difficult indeed :cry:

charlerp

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17 May 2010, 14:26

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lawgonebusiness

ED deadline is Oct. 7.

All date info is on this page:

www4.gsb.columbia.edu/mba/learnmore/options

charlerp

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17 May 2010, 14:28

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chostein

However, I'm not sure eliminating the official review starting date will increase applicant pool for ED though.

Agreed, I don't believe that it will necessarily increase the size of the ED applicant pool. But I wonder how much of an impact it will have on releasing decisions. In last year's thread, there were people being interviewed in late Nov, but if they begin the review period sooner, could this mean that the decisions for applications submitted closer to the deadline will be rendered sooner?

lawgonebusiness

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17 May 2010, 15:02

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The only explanation for the early ED review is that they want to increase their yield rate by taking in more people during ED. Otherwise it doesn't make any sense to extend the review period.

futurestrategist

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17 May 2010, 15:34

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Looks like I might be reapplying to CBS from Round 2.

I am a bit confused. Has the timeline changed significantly? What's the difference with last year's deadline? The deadline says October 6th for ED.

And what are the two essays for this year?

mtmba

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17 May 2010, 15:38

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I'm currently waitlisted for Fall 2010, and may not hear a final decision until August. Does anyone have perspective on applying for Fall 2011 ED in the meantime? Can I put in an application while still on the waitlist for this fall? Any pros or cons?

redevil

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18 May 2010, 00:26

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Essay 1
What are your short-term and long-term post-MBA goals? How will Columbia Business School help you achieve these goals? (Recommended 750 word limit)

Essay 2
Please tell us about yourself and your personal interests. The goal of this essay is to get a sense of who you are, rather than what you have achieved professionally. (Recommended 500 word limit)

redevil

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18 May 2010, 01:40

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Any advice on how to approach the second essay? Considering the 500 word limit..

lagomez

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18 May 2010, 08:42

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redevil

Any advice on how to approach the second essay? Considering the 500 word limit..

I am assuming the goal is to find interesting people who do interesting things. I think this essay is great because it really lets you set yourself apart from the crowd by focusing on who you are. Find a way to set yourself apart.

Maybe they got bored with the Master Class essays; thousands of applicants all talking about the Master Class, that has to be pretty boring. I think the this year's second essay is really going to spice things up for adcom.

lawgonebusiness

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18 May 2010, 09:41

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You can only talk so much about Master Class. Btw, it's actually not that special. Most professional schools have those clinic-like courses, but they just don't name them Master Class. The second essay definitely is the make or break one. They want to know whether you are an interesting person.

shadow

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18 May 2010, 09:56

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some general thoughts / things i wish i would have known from my own app process:

- do it early. maybe not early decision if you don't want that level of commitment, but definitely early in the admissions cycle
- go to all their events, or as many as you possibly can. they regularly hold info sessions and targeted events later in the year. check their website and sign up for as many as you can, especially if you live nearby
- reach out to their current students. several of them are part of the hermes society (volunteer group for the adcom), and you can find and contact one that has similar interests as you: https://www4.gsb.columbia.edu/mba/learnmore/chat.

hazay

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18 May 2010, 10:32

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lagomez

The second essay is probably going to kill a few hundreds applications more than the master class essay indeed.
That essay will make a unique applicant shine, but it s going to seriously hurt the others.
No professional essay, will it mean that your resume will be looked at more seriously ?

lagomez

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18 May 2010, 10:43

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hazay

lagomez

Essay #1 and the resume are ways to show off your professional accomplishments

chostein

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18 May 2010, 10:59

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I agree with lagomez.

Resume should cover your current and past professional achievements, and the Essay #1 should provide a holistic yet detailed picture of where you want to be in the future.

And definitely yes, last year's Master Class essay is MUCH EASIER than this year's Essay #2

It looks innocent and routine like the undergrad app essay, but not so much when you read it carefully. Still waiting for admission consultants' topic analysis !!! for some epiphany.

Balancing between GMAT and essay is exhausting. I surely envy those who got GMAT out of their ways :evil:

x 100,000

redevil

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19 May 2010, 11:13

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hey guys

For the first essay what timeline are the short term and long term looking at? anything particular? I have just started my work on essays so am completely new to this. Does short term mean immediately after the mba like the job i am looking at or does it imply a slightly longer time after the MBA ? and does the long term mean like 5 years or 10 years down the line?

Thanks guys.

lawgonebusiness

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19 May 2010, 11:18

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redevil

I did "immediately after MBA," "4 to 5 years later," and "10 years later."

redevil

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19 May 2010, 11:20

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lawgonebusiness

redevil

I did "immediately after MBA," "4 to 5 years later," and "10 years later."

You covered all three.. makes sense i guess.. thanks

3underscore

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19 May 2010, 12:58

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Columbia are doing 500 word essays now? Way to pick a trick from Downtown. Guess they are reacting to the rankings saying the other school is doing something good...

While 1250 words isn't exactly a lot, it certainly ought to be enough. The worst thing to adapt to in business school is to have four people write a paper that is double line spaced, 12 point typeface on one sheet of A4. That is the reasoning behind short essays (that and thousands of applicants with AdCom not wanting to read war and peace.