Columbia Hub

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

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

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?

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.

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.

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

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

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.

- 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

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

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

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.

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)

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

Hey ya’ll, Got done with my interview. 40 mins. Alumn’19. Conversational. 1. What’s up? Chit chatted a bit about CBS taking off ED 2. What did the family member tell you about CBS 3. Why CBS? 4. Goals? 5. Plan B of goals and MBA 6. What other schools? 7. Fav footballer? Chit chatted about football and why it’s not soccer. About Messi, PSG and ‘dor. 8. A college extracurricular 9. Contributions to CBS 10. How do companies in India work organisationally? 11. How do will you lead learning teams with diverse personal goals 12. Discussed about a location in NY 13. Anything you want to share? 14. Questions for me?

1. Why MBA, Why CBS, Why now 2. A time in conflict 3. Career goal 4. Plan B 5. Clubs you wanna join 6. Why co-found XX(on resume) 7. Question for me

Had my interview with a very recent alum. He introduced himself and then the process. Very informal and conversational. Following questions were asked: 1. tell me about yourself 2. walk me through your resume 3. why mba, why now, why cbs 4. how would you contribute to cbs (on campus and then post MBA) 5. which opportunities at cbs do you intend to take part of 6. how do you plan to get into your desired post mba role if your target organization types dont normally come to campus (I shared Plan B voluntarily) 7. What is your role in a team (I assumed this meant how i work in a team and how that would look like at cbs) 8. An extra curricular not on CV

I was asked 3 questions: -Why MBA? -Why CBS? -Behavioral on teamwork and a follow-up on how I would take my experience/example to the CBS classroom and clubs. The interviewer was extremely friendly and conversational. I was surprised I was asked so few questions, but we expounded a lot on each question. They did an excellent job of sharing their own CBS experience and relating to the questions they asked me. This first part took about 45 minutes. The second part was me asking questions. I asked 3 questions, and we talked for another 25 minutes. The overall interview was definitely longer than I had expected (about 1 hour 10 minutes), but I really enjoyed the experience. By self assessment, I am likely a borderline candidate in my application bucket, but I am excited to see how this turns out.

Interviewed with an alumni. Scheduled on 9/22 and conducted on 9/26. Day of Debrief: It was pretty straightforward: 20 mins of background overview, why MBA / career goals, why Columbia,... and then 10 mins of me asking a handful of pretty straightforward questions... BUT I don’t know how well I sold my career goals, so I’m overthinking. My interviewer was from a completely different industry and asked about why I couldn’t do what I wanted to without the MBA. I’m already in my desired post-MBA industry but looking to do the MBA to excel/advance in specific roles, so I explained that the MBA would help me do that by citing specific CBS offerings... and then when asked about backup plan, I explained I could stay in my current role and learn and grow from there but I’m looking for the MBA to do the internships in-semester and during the summer to pivot a bit functionally... but because our industries and functions are so different, I don’t know how much I sold the "advancement" story... I felt like a "pivot" would have been easier to have explain because it’s just a "i literally need the MBA to get this job," but that’s only kind of the case for me... Later, when I got the admissions call, the AdCom member asked me how it went and I was like "oh, it was good - we were from different industries so I hope I explained my career goals well." And then they said "[The alum's] feedback was nothing but positive," and that I was accepted so hey! all's well that ends well.

SO I interviewed today, and it was pretty straightforward: 20 mins of background overview, why MBA / career goals, why Columbia,... and then 10 mins of me asking a handful of pretty straightforward questions... BUT I don’t know how well I sold my career goals, so I’m overthinking. My interviewer was from a completely different industry and asked about why I couldn’t do what I wanted to without the MBA. I’m already in my desired post-MBA industry but looking to do the MBA to excel/advance in specific roles, so I explained that the MBA would help me do that by citing specific CBS offerings... and then when asked about backup plan, I explained I could stay in my current role and learn and grow from there but I’m looking for the MBA to do the internships in-semester and during the summer to pivot a bit functionally... but because our industries and functions are so different, I don’t know how much I sold the "advancement" story... I felt like a "pivot" would have been easier to have explain because it’s just a "i literally need the MBA to get this job," but that’s only kind of the case for me...