Calling all the Columbia J-term 2021 applicants!

I think they will be the same as Fall term.

I'm in...drafting essays now assuming they stay the same. Good luck everyone! Also, please post here if you see the application go live!

Updates available on the CBS webpage.

MBA
Entry: January 2020
Deadline: October 4, 2019

Essay Questions are different from Fall 2019

Essays

Applicants must complete one short answer question and three essays.

Short Answer Question:

What is your immediate post-MBA professional goal? (50 characters maximum)

Examples of possible responses:

“Work in business development for a media company.”
“Join a strategy consulting firm.”
“Launch a data-management start-up.”

Essay 1:

Through your resume and recommendations, we have a clear sense of your professional path to date. What are your career goals over the next 3-5 years and what, in your imagination, would be your long-term dream job? (500 words)

Essay 2:

Why do you feel Columbia Business School is a good fit for you? (250 words)

Essay 3:

Who is a leader you admire, and why? (250 words)

Optional Essay:

Is there any further information that you wish to provide the Admissions Committee? If so, use this space to provide an explanation of any areas of concern in your academic record or your personal history. This does not need to be a formal essay. You may submit bullet points. (Maximum 500 Words)

Working on my application and these essays now. I actually like the new essays better. Anyone else applying?

Good luck Zakyfish22!

Deimos, I believe you are also applying, right?

Guys, here is a list of users who got into J-Term between 2015 and 2019 intakes. This may help in analysing the factors that admits have in common; although, you don't have to directly compare your profile with these for (1) this is just a small sample of applicants getting into J-Term every year and (2) admission decision is made not just on the profile stats but other factors such as essays, resume, post MBA goals, performance in interviews are equally important.

CBS J-Term Admits (2015-2019)
Username	Country	GMAT	UG GPA	UG Major	WE	Primary Industry	MBA Concentration
User1
User2				Business
User3
User4				Liberal Arts and Humanities
User5		720
User6	United States			Finance	7	Venture Capital	Finance
User7		720	3.55	Accounting
User8			2.97	Engineering
User9				Finance
User10	United States	740			3	Consulting	Entrepreneurship
User11	Germany			Business	4	Internet and New Media	General Management
User12						Computer Software	Marketing
User13		710	3.35	Business	4	Education
User14
User15		750	0	Business
User16
User17
User18							Entrepreneurship
User19				Business
User20				Other
User21		710
User22		730		Accounting	5
User23	Brazil	710		Engineering			Finance
User24
User25				Science and Math
User26				Economics
User27				Business
User28				Finance
User29			3.54	Finance
User30	Thailand	690	3.63		3	Other
User31
User32	United States	760
User33	Singapore	730			3	Consulting	Strategy
User34	Israel
User35				Finance
User36
User37
User38
User39		700		Finance			Real Estate

Application submitted! I know I'm early but CBS is my top choice and I was ready. Good luck to everyone! I'll post in this thread once I have any updates.

Hi. Quick question for those of you who might know more than me about the J-Term class profile.
I took the GMAT for the first time today, and got a 690 (Q44,V41). I was going for something above 700, after seeing the overall class profile (January + August).
I accepted the score, but I'm not sure if I should take the test again or not. In the last two official practice tests I did, I got 750 and 730. So I think I could do better a second time, but I don't know if I have to. I wouldn't want to spend an extra 250 dollars and delay the rest of my application if I really didn't need to.
So, is 690 a good score for the J-term? I think I have a good application overall, I just didn't want my GMAT score to be something that wheighed against me.
By the way, I really prefer the J-term, I plan to open my own business in the future, that's why I chose this program.

I think it really depends on the rest of your profile -- GMAT is just one piece of the application. Your undergrad transcript / GPA / essays /recommendations / fit for J-term are all important too.

This thread is interesting -- you can see that people with strong GMAT's got rejected from J term: https://gmatclub.com/forum/columbia-j-term-2013-calling-all-applicants-140059.html .. For example you can see someone with a 730 got denied without interview. But also someone with a 640 did get interviewed. GMAT is just one piece of the puzzle.

If you think you could score 730-750 with minimal additional prep I would personally say to do it. I know J-term has a higher acceptance rate, and it's very possible you could get in with a 690, but I think you want to be happy with what you submit and know it's the strongest representation of your profile. Also -- I got a 690 on my GMAT on my first try. I only did minimal additional prep and took it 3 weeks later and got a 740. I think just being familiar with the experience gave me a lot more comfort and helped boost my score. I also got to see where I underperformed and made sure to improve on those topics. Good luck!

Hi lucasfechino,

Thank you for posting your question. I like that your reason for applying to Columbia's J-term is to help you in your process of starting your own business. I require a better understanding of your profile as a whole to assess your chances, but, like Zakyfish22 mentioned, the GMAT is one component of the application and not the determining factor. That said, if you can retake the GMAT and still have time to submit a stellar application as a whole, I recommend retaking to at least break 700.

I am happy to discuss further offline and see how we can help you stand out in your application. If that works, please reach out.

Hi everyone,

I am also planning to apply for the J-term as I don’t intend to change my industry (Management Consulting). However, I’m planning to write my GMAT only in September since I started preparing few weeks back. I wanted to understand, would it impact my chances if I submit my application close to the deadline? Also, I would appreciate bit of guidance on my profile, happy to share via message or offline. I want to give my best shot but also be realistic about my chances.

Posted from my mobile device

Zakyfish22

Thanks for the advice! You're right, even though 690 would give me a good chance (considering the rest of my application), I wasn't happy with the result. I've already scheduled a second test. Unfortunately, the earliest date available in my city was July 17th. I'd like to get this done earlier, but at least that gives me more than enough time to continue practicing. I hope I do better next time. Once again, thanks for the insight.

Hello everyone,

I have been going back and forth between applying to August-term or January-term. Because I already have 5 years of experience and I think I should get started with my MBA ASAP, acceptance rate is a game changer for me.

I have come across the below quote in a website (poetsandquants). Is there anyone who can confirm this data from any other source?

"Last year, CBS admitted 233 of the 528 applicants who applied under that January option for an acceptance rate of 44.1% (up from 41.3% the year before)"

Got an invite to interview!!! I'll post any updates here so people can get an idea for timeline.

Submitted 5/29
Invited to Interview 6/11
Interview Date 6/19

Hi Zakyfish22,

Congratulations!! That is great news. Hope your interview went well. Please do share a debrief of your interview as I am sure it will benefit everyone here who plans to apply in the coming months.

Thanks.

Thank you!! Good idea -- I just submitted a debrief, hopefully that is helpful for people!