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!!

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mbagirl7568

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01 Mar 2011, 14:39

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Super sorry to all of the dings, especially because you all have such incredible profiles.

mindbullet26

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01 Mar 2011, 15:28

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wschaeff

LaChloe

I'm super anxious and a bit frustrated too.

And while it would have been nice for AdCom to have stated in an obvious way that submitting on Jan 5th was going to put me at a disadvantage, the self-evaluating side of me also knows that had I visited the school, researched all the forums, and attended admissions events (all with plenty of advanced notice), that fact would have become more apparent and I would have submitted earlier. I'm sure CBS and all schools want applicants who are very passionate about their schools, and gathering all the information about their schools early on (even the information that isn't so easy to find) is definitely a way to demonstrate that.

It's not impossible for later applicants (like myself) to get admitted, but definitely more difficult.

Submitted on the 5th, under review on the 13th, is there anyone else out there who went under review as early as I did?

FWIW, I visited the campus and sat through the "Why an MBA?" presentation in September. Maybe because it wasn't really an admissions event, but the admissions folks there took questions and I never remember hearing anything besides "It doesn't matter when you apply."

I really don't mean to rub salt on anyone's wounds, and I definitely sympathize with all of you. But I feel like I need to mention something.

I suggest looking at it from the adcom view. Now, they will never release the number of ED applicants & admits. But lets assume that for some reason there was an unusually higher number of ED applicants this year. Adcoms have responsibilities to both the applicants as well as the school. They need to make sure that applicants don't wait too long, while ensuring that the best candidates are admitted. ED candidates have an obvious advantage in that CBS clearly states ED candidates will get reviewed before RD candidates as long as they meet the deadline.

So, if there are 300 qualified ED candidates would adcom make them wait for 4 months to compare that stock to those of RD applicants from January/February? I don't think its fair to blame the adcom for the imbalance in the number of admits based on the date of submission. Based on profiles of some of the recent dings, I am sure that these people have written superb essays, had excellent recommendations, etc.. however, if (speculation...) CBS is either full or is about to be, then they also can't revoke someone's admission because a better candidate came along later either.

It is sad to see that people who seem to be superb are getting dinged. I hope that you get into the program of your dreams and that this is a blessing in disguise.

closetsnob

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01 Mar 2011, 15:29

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wschaeff

Same. I went to a presentation in late summer/early fall and the key takeaway I had from that presentation was that ED and RD have equal shot as long as RDs apply before the scholarship deadline (in this case Jan 5).

Obviously, I knew earlier in RD was better but I just kind of assumed that difference would be marginal and that as long as it was before the Jan 5th deadline, I'd be ok. Only just today did I see someone else post that the dean had said Dec 15 is actually the "deadline".

Point is, this blows. I spoke to another girl who had applied another year and had her interview in May (!!!) after applying in January. She ended up getting dinged a month later. She reapplied the following year much earlier and then had interview and admission pretty much within a matter of days. She ended up matriculating elsewhere, but yeah... CBS's rolling admissions process has been incredibly, incredibly annoying.

PGS17

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01 Mar 2011, 15:42

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I am not used to the practice of reapplying to business school, but it seems more than common among applicants.

Let me ask some (probably very dumb and embarrasing) questions:

1) When you reapply for the next MBA class, will you have to think of a different story / career ambition and motivation than you wrote about in your prior application? If yes, will they not look at your original one and compare and wonder how you yourself do not know what you actually want? If no, do some people have success by recycling used essays? Will admissions compare your old application with your re-application at all?

2) Regarding the additional re-application essay: How much could one have possibly learned that will make a huge obvious difference within let's say 9 months or less from the prior application? Despite the case that some people really make big leaps in that time, how do you generally develop credible stories for this re-application essay?

3) What about the recommenders? I suppose they will not change the questions the reccs will be asked. So, will the recommenders be allowed / accepted to recycle what they wrote?

Ducking from getting beaten up for my inexperience,

PGS17

mbagirl7568

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01 Mar 2011, 15:44

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@PGS17, this link tells you pretty much what you need to know about reapplying (only considered reapplicant for 1 year after first application). It's not as intense as the first time around:

https://www4.gsb.columbia.edu/mba/learnm ... ow/reapply

kraynro

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01 Mar 2011, 16:07

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wow alot of dings today, sorry to hear guys

applied 1/5 under review 1/21, still waiting...

steelersfan2011

Joined: 24 Jan 2011

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Schools:Stanford(R2), Wharton(R2 Ding), CBS, Haas(R3), Sloan(R2 Ding), Ross(R2 Int-WL), Darden(In!! + full $$)

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01 Mar 2011, 16:19

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Dinged today,
submit 1/4, under review 1/19
28/m/740/3.6/high tech
Good reality check, i guess =D
Best of luck to the rest of you guys~

jmb2275

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01 Mar 2011, 16:49

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I read somewhere that Columbia doesn't interview 100% of their admitted applicants. I also read somewhere else that last year they DID interview everyone they accepted.

Anyone know one way or the other?

Yeltsina

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01 Mar 2011, 16:55

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wschaeff

mindbullet26

There are going to be terrific applicants getting denied everywhere. That's not the point. (FWIW, I'm still waiting to hear if I'll be interviewed) Your comparison of ED to RD isn't what I'm talking about. Of course ED applicants will be reviewed first just like RD1 candidates would be at other schools.

But the point is an ED candidate should be admitted during RD and vice versa. The only difference is supposed to be that those admitted ED must attend CBS. What we are noticing, and why some people are a little upset, is that those who applied ED or very early RD seem to have a significantly better chance of acceptance. This flies in the face of what the adcom tells us!

Finally, ( I should shut my mouth on a public forum, but whatever) this process really makes me wonder if CBS is that elite. If the school has to game the process just to improve their yield and ranking, then I have to think. I'll likely choose CBS if admitted because of the brand and it means I move 40 mins away so my wife can keep her job in the city. But from what I've heard from alumni, the facilities are bad, the professors are bad (excluding the adjuncts), there's no community, and if the school wasn't in NYC it wouldn't be so well regarded.

At last, such a refreshing honesty on this board!

Thank you for sharing your candid opinion, mate. I thought about applying to CBS myself, but now I'm forced to reconsider.

peking24

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01 Mar 2011, 17:31

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wschaeff

mindbullet26

First, I think the fact that CBS can fill its class in 1 round demonstrates how elite CBS actually is. With an avg GMAT of 720-730, clearly admits in the ED round are solid.

Second, no offense, but you are sounding kind of petty here. You say you'll attend if you get it, but that you think the school is not great. Why go to a school you really don't think is "elite?" Doesn't make sense. Also, I know a couple of people who applied RD to CBS and got in. You can also see in the spreadsheet that RD people have been accepted.

Third, your thesis that "gaming" yield makes a school less "good" is wrong. Harvard undergrad actually REINSTATED early decision recently. It's no secret that universities try to fill their class with students who actually want to be there.

Lastly, if you really think that when an adcom says ED is not an advantage over RD means ED does not have an advantage then you have a lot to learn. Just being frank, don't mean to offend.

bionic45

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01 Mar 2011, 17:58

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I agree with peking24's analysis. It's widely known that B School admissions are never only about "stats". The fact that people with high GMAT scores are getting rejected in RD is not surprising at all and is not evidence of anything. The number of applicants with high GMAT scores who were rejected during ED as per the spreadsheet should show you that adcom really did review the apps and didn't just rubber stamp everyone.

The one other thing I'll say is that you can't judge whether it's easier or harder to get in via ED until the END of the cycle. You're taking a snapshot in time smack in the middle of RD round in which the bulk of applicants apply - decisions are being released a lot more slowly so how could you possibly judge until all is said and done?

bdubs

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01 Mar 2011, 18:21

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bionic45

It's really too bad that the rolling admissions process creates such anxiety. I am a joint JD/MBA applicant and unfortunately all law schools use this process. For law schools this has created a bit of a race to the beginning where a great majority of applicants apply many months in advance of the "official" deadline and late applicants only have a chance of getting into lower ranked schools than they otherwise would have. There are entire forums just like this thread dedicated to speculation and rumor about decision timelines and outcomes. It is really an unnecessary burden that schools place on us by utilizing this admissions process instead of the traditional "rounds". If I wind up at Columbia next year I will advocate to the administration that they move to a more traditional model.

progressiongirl

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01 Mar 2011, 19:34

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wschaeff

mindbullet26

So what wschaeff said are things that we probably have heard before- its facilities, some of the professors, the lack of community. It's not a huge secret.

With that said, the Columbia name IS elite. There are sooo many people in the US and around the world who would ALMOST trade in their little sister to go there. I don't think the school is more concerned about their yield than any other school. I think its ED and rolling admissions benefits those who really want, planned well, and deserve to go there, honestly. Their process is actually genius for that reason. Three of my friends have been admitted for the class of 2013- 2 applied in Oct, 1 applied in Dec. I didn't make it for the Dec 15th "deadline" but I'm not disappointed because I guess we should have known to apply early I guess.

mindbullet26

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01 Mar 2011, 19:50

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wschaeff

mindbullet26

Yeah I actually do think you need to be careful with what you say on a public forum. There are people here (myself included) who've had dreams of attending Columbia for years and applied ED. I researched the school thoroughly, visited the campus, went to info sessions, and that was back in August/September. I declined offers from similar programs who offered scholarships because I knew Columbia was the right one for me.

If you've talked with alumni who've told you those things, then why don't you do yourself a favor and withdraw your application? Based on your motivations (brand, wife keeping job in the city, etc.), I doubt Columbia is the right fit for you.

Finally, just to quash one last thought. My profile is almost identical to yours.

Tradeoff

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Updated on: 09 Mar 2011, 11:14

Originally posted by Tradeoff on 01 Mar 2011, 19:53.
Last edited by Tradeoff on 09 Mar 2011, 11:14, edited 1 time in total.

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...

MrsVigga

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01 Mar 2011, 19:57

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Hey everyone - just wanted to throw this out there. I was at a CBS admissions event early last fall and they gave this big picture summary:

Out of every 10 applicants:
--> 7 would be great at CBS
-> 3 can be interviewed
> only 1 can be offered admission

Clearly these are approximations, but thats not the point. I'm sure that everyone here (given that they are serious enough about admission to log on to an online forum about it

) is part of that 70% that have great stats/backgrounds would perform really well at CBS. But they have to find the one or two people out of every ten that 1) they are convinced really want to go to CBS (not just as a backup to Wharton) and 2) fit into the diverse class they are creating.

Hopefully everyone thats dinged will find their niche somewhere else or is a successful reapplicant for 2014!

LaChloe

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Schools:All R2 - Booth(attending w/$), Kellogg(WL w/int then ding), CBS(ding w/int), Harvard(ding), NYU(admit), UCLA PT(admit), USC PT(admit)

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01 Mar 2011, 20:03

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Hmmm ... you know what I just realized ...

Can't we safely assume that dings are significantly under reported in comparison to invites and admits? It really is a bloodbath.

Captain "Obvious", I know.

6train

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Updated on: 01 Mar 2011, 21:09

Originally posted by 6train on 01 Mar 2011, 20:45.
Last edited by 6train on 01 Mar 2011, 21:09, edited 2 times in total.

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wschaeff

mindbullet26

As an accepted candidate to Columbia, I really hope you get dinged. Your posts are not petty, they are pathetic. To come on a public board amongst peers that are excited and committed to the chance of attending Columbia and then denegrate the school is just irresponsible and immature. Lets all be serious. Gmat club is an extremely small subset of the total application pool. To make judgements about how the admission process works based on these posts whether it be timing, essay, etc. etc. is extremely short sighted and frankly, stupid. The process is spelled clearly by Columbia and if upsets you, you shouldn't have applied. and since you did, maybe consider withdrawing. Stop spewing your consipiracy theories with this nonsense you drummed up in your head. Wait patiently to get an answer and consider yourself lucky you haven't been dinged yet.

6train

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01 Mar 2011, 21:16

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wschaeff

6train

Congratulations to you and anyone else in this thread who I don't have time to reply to on your acceptance. I wish you (all) could see me in person to know that I don't begrudge your success.

The process is not spelled out as clearly as you suggest, and that's what I was commenting on. Furthermore, I don't believe it's fair to the applicants who worked hard on their GMATs and essays and to their recommenders who put in a lot of volunteer hours for the adcoms to wait 2+ months just to find out if the applicant will be interviewed.

"In a given application season, the Admissions Office will begin reviewing January and September Early Decision applications once all required materials have been received, and will begin reviewing September Regular Decision applications in December, again, once all required materials have been received. We work to release decisions in a timely manner and decisions can be rendered at any time. Please note that an invitation to interview may extend the review process beyond our 8-12 week goal."

Have you waited 12 weeks yet? If not, STOP COMPLAINING! you knew what you signed up for. Jeez man. Welcome to MBA admissions to top programs. Act like you've been here before. If you want to continue to complain about Columbia (the school everyone on here would hope to attend) take it elsewhere! Positive energy only!

nink

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01 Mar 2011, 22:41

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6train

Can we calm down here? It's the middle of application season. People are just frustrated (and that much disappointed that he/she may not get to attend CBS). No need to knock CBS as an applicant just because you didn't get in. No need to knock other applicants because they are saying things out of frustration. It is what it is (and trust me, I've been frustrated before myself)