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Columbia
Full Time MBA
Final Decision:
Interviewed
Status:
Online with Adcom
Interviewed on:
3 months ago Mar 3, 2026
1 month ago May 3, 2026 08:05
I had mine. Very chill. They had a hard stop at 30 minutes so we could not go through many questions. Despite this they mentioned they would put in a good word for me.
Literally only got through:
1. Introduce yourself
2. Why MBA
3. ST/LT goals
4. Why CBS (VERYYYYYY IMPORTANT)
I have friends at CBS who helped me prep. You need to be soooo specific with your Why CBS. Use the right name for clubs. Mention specific roles the club has that you want and specific resources that you’ve heard about. Mention if you’ve spoken to anyone from CBS. Be ready for a few TMAT style behavioral questions. My interview was short but most will be around 45 mins.
It was very conversational and I felt relaxed. I had 5 minutes at the end to ask the interviewer questions.
Good luck!
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Columbia
Full Time MBA
Final Decision:
Interviewed
Status:
Online with Adcom
Interviewed on:
3 months ago Mar 3, 2026
1 month ago May 3, 2026 08:05
I had mine. It was super chill and conversational- interviewer was so kind and very friendly.
1. Who are you outside of your resume?
2. Why MBA?
3. ST / LT Goals
4. Why CBS and why New York?
5. What do you want to be involved in on campus?
6. Any questions for him?
No behavioral questions. He also asked a few follow up questions on some of the things I said. Again, very conversational and laid back.
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Columbia
Full Time MBA
Final Decision:
Interviewed
Status:
Online with Adcom
Interviewed on:
7 months ago Nov 3, 2025
1 month ago May 3, 2026 08:05
I had a really “ok” experience with my interview. I felt I lost structure in some of my answers. I don’t think I bombed it but I certainly did not ace it either.
The interviewer was really not looking at the screen because they were taking notes and I couldn’t gauge if they are having an interest in what I’m saying. Only silver lining being that towards the end when I asked them how did they manage so many things to do at the school, they responded with “From your resume I can see you already multitasked so it shouldn’t be a problem for you”
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Columbia
Full Time MBA
Final Decision:
Interviewed
Status:
Online with Student
Interviewed on:
3 months ago Mar 3, 2026
3 months ago Mar 3, 2026 09:03
I believe they try to match you with someone based on your profile to make the conversation meaningful. It was conversational but few questions were curveball based on my goals. Lots of follow-up on goals, why a particular company, any particular client of the company I will be interested to work with. Then generic - TMAY, Why MBA, Why CBS and how will you contribute to CBS. Specific question around my resume as well on why certain professional qualification and how will it be benefit with an MBA addition. Lastly, they asked me interests outside work and opened the floor for any questions I had.
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Columbia
Full Time MBA
Final Decision:
Interviewed
Status:
Online with Alumni
Interviewed on:
3 months ago Mar 3, 2026
3 months ago Mar 3, 2026 09:03
Mine was with an alum - but similar experience. Very conversational and friendly in tone but also a lot of follow-up questions. The follow-ups did seem to come from genuine interest/curiosity, but they weren’t questions that would be easy to “gloss over”.
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0
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Columbia
Full Time MBA
Final Decision:
Interviewed
Status:
Online with Student
Interviewed on:
3 months ago Mar 3, 2026
3 months ago Mar 3, 2026 09:03
Hey. My interview was with a 2nd year student. I think they try to match you with someone with similar background. It was conversational but also tough because he asked a lot of follow up questions on my goals, my background, how it is linked, any specific companies (in terms of my goals) I am interested in etc etc. then generic TMAY, Why MBA, Why CBS, interests outside work.
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Columbia
Full Time MBA
Final Decision:
Interviewed
Status:
Online with Adcom
Interviewed on:
9 months ago Sep 3, 2025
6 months ago Dec 3, 2025 09:12
It was a friendly conversation, he started introducing himself and then he asked:
- take me through your resume
- why now / why mba / why CBS
- which courses do you want to take (asked names and professors)
And then we talked about his experience and what are really love of CBS
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Columbia
J-Term MBA
Final Decision:
Admitted
Status:
Online with Alumni
Interviewed on:
10 months ago Aug 3, 2025
10 months ago Aug 3, 2025 08:08
Applied on the 16th of June for R1 J-Term, received an interview invite on July 2nd, interview on July 12th, got accepted on July 15th. Interview was very friendly, conversational, I was asked the following:
-Tell me about yourself
-Why MBA
-Why CBS
-Why would you fit in CBS
-What type of leader are you
-Tell me a leadership experience
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1
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Columbia
Full Time MBA
Final Decision:
Interviewed
Status:
Online with Student
Interviewed on:
1 year ago Jun 3, 2025
11 months ago Jul 3, 2025 08:07
It was very conversational. He was really nice and really tried to get to know me and share his experiences. There weren’t any structured questions, but more sharing an experience and then asking how I would react in that situation.
Asked:
– Tell me about yourself.
– Why MBA? Why Columbia?
– Tell me about how you would react in a team that didn’t work well together.
– Asked more about specific clubs in Columbia I would join.
– Any questions for me?
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Columbia
Full Time MBA
Final Decision:
Interviewed
Status:
Online with Alumni
Interviewed on:
3 years ago Jun 3, 2023
11 months ago Jul 3, 2025 08:07
Most of the time spent on tier 1 questions all interviews will have with focus on Why CBS / where does CBS rank, you need to have that prepped and ironclad for this program.
Questions List:
Resume walkthrough.
Short- and long-term goals?
Why MBA?
Why CBS?
Where else did you apply and where does CBS rank?
Tell me about a time you were faced with a challenge at work and how you worked around it.
Questions for the interviewer.
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Columbia
Full Time MBA
Final Decision:
Admitted
Status:
Online with Student
Interviewed on:
1 year ago Jun 3, 2025
1 year ago Jun 3, 2025 08:06
My interview was with a second year student that had similar career track as the one I stated in my essays- below are the questions/interview:
1. Tell me about yourself
2. How do you want to contribute to the community/how do you want to shape your experience at CBS
3. Why MBA now?
4. Long term and short term goals
5. Why Columbia as opposed to other schools?
Last 10-15 minutes was for questions and then we talked about some mutual connections we had
Total time was around 45 minutes. Interviewer was friendly and easy to talk to; the interview had a conversation vibe to it, which aligns with Columbia's interviews historically.
Tips: Know your story, your goals, why you want to do an MBA, why CBS specifically (Anecdotally I hear CBS really cares about how you answer this), have good questions to ask at the end. Be prepared, but also go in with the expectation that they want to know you as a person and it will likely be more conversational to feel out your vibe.
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1
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Columbia
Full Time MBA
Final Decision:
Interviewed
Status:
Online with Adcom
Interviewed on:
1 year ago Jun 3, 2025
1 year ago Jun 3, 2025 08:06
Interviewed by an AdComm member
Lasted ~40 mins
Mix of conversational and structured, I had sent my resume as a pre-read which he picked up a few instances from
- TMAY
- Why MBA
- Why now?
- Why CBS, and any program highlights for me?
- ST/LT goals
- TMAT a conflict in my team
- Anything else I might like to add
- Questions for interviewer
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0
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Columbia
Full Time MBA
Final Decision:
Interviewed
Status:
Online with Alumni
Interviewed on:
1 year ago Jun 3, 2025
1 year ago Jun 3, 2025 08:06
I interviewed with an alum from 2002 located in Asia.
I really couldn't tell what she was thinking.
Questions:
- Tell me about yourself
- Tell me about an extracurricular activity you have done in the past
- How do you plan on enriching the experience of your cluster
- What will be an optimal experience for you.
- Why did you pick columbia University Mba
- Why an Mba
Then I asked two questions on how CBS has impacted her longterm goals and what was her biggest
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1
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Columbia
Full Time MBA
Status:
Online with Adcom
Interviewed on:
1 year ago Jun 3, 2025
1 year ago Jun 3, 2025 08:06
The Experience
With a sterling academic record and good GMAT and CAT scores, I entered the interviews for the MBA program confident. All the interviews, from Adcom to students to alumni, presented opportunities to communicate the story beyond the numbers.
Common Themes
Tell Me About Yourself: Reframing my narrative from academic prowess to considerable professional experience.
Why MBA? Why Now? Blending technical expertise and foresight.
Why This School? Highlighting the unique opportunities available to advance my goals.
Leadership & Teamwork: Giving examples from real-life situations about team leading and solving problems.
Handling Challenges: Resilience in the face of challenge.
Diversity & Inclusion: Telling about how I endorse diverse and inclusive working cultures.
Questions for the Interviewer: Thought-provoking questions about careers, community, and leadership.
Reflections & Takeaways
The best interviews resembled good conversations, not inquisitions. Being real, ready, and flexible helped. This experience validated the perception I already held, that an MBA is about developing into a leader, solving problems, and making a difference.
Final Tips for Applicants
Know your story and be real.
Be clear about "Why MBA" and "Why this school."
Prepare strong STAR responses.
Engage with current students and alums.
Stay confident and simply savor the experience.
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Columbia
Full Time MBA
Final Decision:
Interviewed
Status:
Online with Alumni
Interviewed on:
1 year ago Jun 3, 2025
1 year ago Jun 3, 2025 08:06
- tell me about yourself
- why CBS, why now
- short term long term. Very in depth on the industry
- tell me about a time you disagree with a boss
- how would you describe your leadership
- tell me three biggest impact you've made in your career
- tell me something you could have done better at X role
- tell me what classes are you interested in
- what other schools have you applied to and why
- besides school, do you plan to just to X (cbs activity) , basically a how will contribute to cbs question
- have questions for me
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Columbia
J-Term MBA
Final Decision:
Interviewed
Status:
Off Campus with Alumni
Interviewed on:
1 year ago Jun 3, 2025
1 year ago Jun 3, 2025 08:06
The interview was a friendly conversation, he started introducing himself and then he asked:
- take me through your resume
- why now / why mba / why CBS
- which courses do you want to take (asked names and professors)
And then we talked about his experience and what are really love of CBS
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Columbia
Full Time MBA
Final Decision:
Interviewed
Status:
Online with Adcom
Interviewed on:
2 years ago Jun 3, 2024
1 year ago Jun 3, 2025 08:06
I interviewed today, sharing some q
resume
St, lt
Whats your leadership style inside and outside of work
Leadership exp
Why mba, why cbs, why now
CBS Community engagement how
Share example you helped community
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1
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Columbia
Deferred Enrollment Program
Final Decision:
Interviewed
Status:
Online with Student
Interviewed on:
2 years ago Jun 3, 2024
2 years ago Jun 3, 2024 08:06
Basic questions (25-30mins, rly short)
1. Walk me through resume
2. Why undergrad major, why full-time job industry
3. Why CBS
4. Why deferred
5. Short-term & long-term goals
6. How you can contribute to CBS
5. Any Q?
Was quick and concise. Interviewer evaluation is just part of the process. The final decision will be made by the AC.
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1
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Columbia
Full Time MBA
Final Decision:
Interviewed
Status:
Online with Adcom
Interviewed on:
2 years ago Jun 3, 2024
2 years ago Jun 3, 2024 08:06
Basic questions (30 min)
- walk me through your resume
- startup questions
- why MBA/why now/why Columbia
- how will you contribute at CBS
- how did you contribute in your community
- TMAT teamwork with peers
- then time for me to ask questions (15 min)
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1
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Columbia
Full Time MBA
Final Decision:
Waitlisted with Interview
Status:
Online with Alumni
Interviewed on:
2 years ago Jun 3, 2024
2 years ago Jun 3, 2024 08:06
Since Interviewer was recent grad, interview was very structured with standard questions. Was friendly and smiling but asked many pressing questions.
First she said she would be asking a few questions, and in the last minute I can ask her any questions. Gave introduction of herself as well.
Walk me through your resume.
How did your undergrad prepare you for your current role?
Why MBA and Why CBS
Why now
How will CBS help you fulfill your short-term goals
Tell me about something you are particularly proud of in current role
Tell me about a time you disagreed with someone
What is your leadership style and tell me about a time you had to adopt the leadership style
Contributions to CBS
Any other clubs you would love to join
Any questions for me
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