Columbia Business School - Class of 2015 (Matriculating 2013) Official Columbia GSB Admissions Team on GMAT Club to Answer All Your Questions https://images.businessweek.com/ss/08/11/1112_best_business_schools/image/8-columbia.jpg Also, please see: Columbia GSB MBA Guide Columbia Applicant Summary (Real Time) Quick Glance: GMAT Club vs. Latest Intake (Class of 2014) Application Tracker Feed Detailed Applicant List: Add Yourself to This List (add Columbia GSB to your profile) GMAT Club's Real-time Admissions Statistics Add Your Profile to This List Questions about this Roll Call ? Application Dates for 2013 January 2013 October 3, 2012 August 2013 Early Decision October 3, 2012 August 2013 Merit Fellowship Consideration January 9, 2013 August 2013 Regular Decision April 10, 2013 Rankings (2012 GMAT Club Rankings Table) US News 2011 #8 Executive MBA #5 Finance #4 International #5 Management #10 Marketing #9 Nonprofit #8 Production/Operations #8 Bloomberg Businessweek #1 Financial Times #12 The Economist #2 Historical GMAT Club Applicant Threads Fall 2012 - Calling All CBS Applicants Fall 2011 - Calling All CBS Applicants Fall 2010 - Calling All CBS Applicants Fall 2009 - Calling All CBS Applicants Fall 2008 - Calling All CBS Applicants Fall 2007 - Calling All CBS Applicants Popular Links Programs Offered at CBS CBS Employment Reports Notable Alumni Essay Questions Short Answer Question: What is your immediate post-MBA professional goal? (200 characters maximum) Essay 1: A. Why are you pursuing an MBA at this point in your career, and how do you plan to achieve your immediate and long term post-MBA professional goals? (Maximum 500 words) B. Please view this video , entitled Community at Columbia. Diverse, tight-knit clusters and carefully selected learning teams are defining features of the first year at Columbia Business School. Along with more than 100 student organizations and countless events each semester, the cluster system helps to create a supportive and devoted lifelong community . Describe why you are interested in becoming a part of the Columbia community. (Maximum 250 words) Essay 2: Describe a personal experience and how it has influenced who you are today. This essay should have a personal rather than a professional focus. (Maximum 500 words) Optional Essay An optional fourth essay will allow you to discuss any issues that do not fall within the purview of the required essays. Recommendations All applications require two recommendations. If you have been working full-time for at least six months, one recommendation should be from your current supervisor. The second recommendation should be from either a former direct supervisor or from another professional associate, senior to you, who can add personal insight into your candidacy. Recommendation questions include: What is your relationship to and how long have you known the applicant? Is he or she still employed by your organization? Please list three to five adjectives describing the applicant’s strengths. Please compare the applicant’s performance to that of his or her peers. What does the applicant do best? If you were giving feedback to the applicant regarding his or her professional performance and personal effectiveness, in what areas would you suggest he or she work to improve? How does the applicant accept constructive criticism or handle conflicts? How effective are the applicant’s interpersonal skills in the workplace? Please rate the applicant’s individual vs. team orientation (1 = most effective as an individual contributor; 5 = focused exclusively on the team) Please elaborate on your rating: Please give an example of how the applicant has demonstrated leadership. Is there anything else you feel we should know? Class Profile - Class entering 2011 (January and August) Applications Received -6669 Applicants Accepted -1062 Acceptance Rate - 16% Class Size - 751, divided into 11 clusters January Entry Class Size - 203, divided into 3 clusters August Entry Class Size - 548, divided into 8 clusters GMAT Scores (average) - 716 GMAT Scores (middle 80%) - 680–760 Undergraduate GPA (average) -3.5 Undergraduate GPA (middle 80%) - 3.1–3.8 Work Experience (average) - 5 years At Least One Year of Work Experience - 100% 28% Financial Services, 20% Consulting, 8% Marketing/Media, 8% Tech, 5% Military/Gov, 4% Healthcare, 4% Real Estate, 3% Non-Profit, 2% Energy, 1% Manufacturing, 11% Other 35% Social Sciences, 29% Business, 12% Engineering, 5% Sciences, 3% Technology, 1% Arts, 15% Other Re-Applicant Checklist (if applied last academic year) Submit a new application fee (US$250). Update the “Personal,” “Family,” “Employment,” “Education,” and “Extracurricular Activities” sections of the online application. Update the “How Will You Finance Your MBA?” section of the online application. Submit transcripts of any additional courses taken since your previous application. Submit one new, two-part essay: A. How have you enhanced your candidacy since your previous application? Please detail your progress since you last applied, and address how you plan to achieve your post-MBA and long-term professional goals. (Maximum of 500 words) B. Please view this video , entitled Community at Columbia. Diverse, tight-knit clusters and carefully selected learning teams are defining features of the first year at Columbia Business School. Along with more than 100 student organizations and countless events each semester, the cluster system helps to create a supportive and devoted lifelong community . Describe why you are interested in becoming a part of the Columbia community. (Maximum 250 words) Submit one new recommendation letter, preferably from your current employer, but if not, another colleague in a supervisory role or a client will suffice. UPDATE: We have created a Facebook group for admitted students as well as a LinkedIn group. Join your fellow (soon-to-be) classmates online: https://www.facebook.com/groups/cbs15/ https://www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=4686288

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Columbia 2013 (CBS) - Calling All Applicants

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ANZ73

Joined: 26 May 2012

Last visit: 26 Oct 2012

Posts: 11

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GMAT Date: 06-30-2012

GPA: 3.1

Posts: 11

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20 Sep 2012, 00:03

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I've been following the boards since I sent my application out, but have yet to participate. I've really appreciated everything you guys have to share. It's really helped me keep my sanity through this process. So with that in mind I thought I'd share a little about my application for those who might be interested.

Submitted my application for J-term on 8/18
received an invitation to interview on 9/19

Stats

Male/28/Indian born in America
UGPA 3.1 top 25 public school in history
GMAT 710 Q47 V41 AWA 6
Work Background: started an online education company with my cousin in when I was 22. I currently act as COO, and manage the US side of the business.The compay today has more than 150 employees. I als earned my JD (non-prestigious part-time program) and am licensed to practice law in my home state. Ex curriculars- pro-bono legal representation for immigrants seeking asylum, founder of a professional group related to my industry, and member of business law society in my region. :-D

shoesncars

Joined: 09 Jul 2011

Last visit: 18 May 2013

Posts: 12

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Given Kudos: 2

Schools: INSEAD '14 (WA) CBS '15 (A)

WE:Consulting (Consulting)

Schools: INSEAD '14 (WA) CBS '15 (A)

Posts: 12

Kudos: 2

20 Sep 2012, 02:19

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Bananas

Joined: 24 Jun 2012

Last visit: 30 Apr 2013

Posts: 56

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Given Kudos: 4

Status:Applying

Concentration: Finance, Economics

Schools: Wharton '15 (D) Sloan '15 (D) Kellogg 1YR '14 (I) CBS '15 (D) Tuck '15 (D)

GMAT 1: 710 Q48 V40 Verified score

GPA: 3.5

WE:Asset Management (Finance: Venture Capital)

Schools: Wharton '15 (D) Sloan '15 (D) Kellogg 1YR '14 (I) CBS '15 (D) Tuck '15 (D)

GMAT 1: 710 Q48 V40 Verified score

Posts: 56

Kudos: 12

21 Sep 2012, 08:30

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Denied! Got an automated email this morning. Pretty bummed. :cry:

str1der

Joined: 02 Feb 2009

Last visit: 27 Apr 2015

Posts: 371

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168

Given Kudos: 27

Concentration: General Management, Strategy

Schools: HBS '15 (D) Wharton '15 (D) Tuck '15 (M) Kellogg '15 (WL) Sloan '15 (D) Johnson '15 (A) Owen '15 (A$)

GMAT 1: 690 Q48 V35 Verified score

GMAT 2: 730 Q49 V42 Verified score

Products:

Schools: HBS '15 (D) Wharton '15 (D) Tuck '15 (M) Kellogg '15 (WL) Sloan '15 (D) Johnson '15 (A) Owen '15 (A$)

GMAT 2: 730 Q49 V42 Verified score

Posts: 371

Kudos: 168

21 Sep 2012, 08:40

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mba2014hopeful

Bananas

Denied! Got an automated email this morning. Pretty bummed. :cry:

Nooo

I am so sad for you!! What are they looking for this year??

Posted from my mobile device

Sorry to hear this bananas. Dont worry though, you got interviewed, m sure your profile is good and probably your essays as well. Im sure youll get in elsewhere. Where all did u apply/are applying?

Chupacabra

Joined: 12 Mar 2011

Last visit: 01 Jul 2013

Posts: 62

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Given Kudos: 7

Status:Applying to enroll in 2013

Location: United States

Concentration: General Management, Finance

Schools: Tuck '15 (A) Yale '15 (A) Kellogg '15 (A) CBS '15 (A) HBS '15 (D)

Posts: 62

Kudos: 14

21 Sep 2012, 09:58

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Sorry to hear that bananas. I find the whole admissions process to be a huge blackbox and it is impossible to gauge your chances at getting into any top tier program (even if you're super qualifited).

On the "Application Status" pg. does it update when they start looking at your app?

akinakbiyik

Joined: 28 Apr 2011

Last visit: 12 Dec 2012

Posts: 24

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Posts: 24

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21 Sep 2012, 10:37

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I am in.. !!! So relieved after 3 months of stress....

@Bananas, sorry to hear.... Good luck for the rest of your applicationts I am sure you will succeed...

Chupacabra

Joined: 12 Mar 2011

Last visit: 01 Jul 2013

Posts: 62

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Given Kudos: 7

Status:Applying to enroll in 2013

Location: United States

Concentration: General Management, Finance

Schools: Tuck '15 (A) Yale '15 (A) Kellogg '15 (A) CBS '15 (A) HBS '15 (D)

Posts: 62

Kudos: 14

21 Sep 2012, 10:39

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akinakbiyik

I am in.. !!! So relieved after 3 months of stress....

@Bananas, sorry to hear.... Good luck for the rest of your applicationts I am sure you will succeed...

What are you stats akinakbiyik??? GMAT, GPA, WE??

KAS1

Joined: 22 Mar 2012

Last visit: 02 Jan 2016

Posts: 83

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256

Given Kudos: 27

Location: United States (NY)

Concentration: General Management, Marketing

Schools: CBS '15 (D) Rutgers '15 (M) Stern PT '16 (D)

GPA: 3.1

WE:Accounting (Other)

Schools: CBS '15 (D) Rutgers '15 (M) Stern PT '16 (D)

Posts: 83

Kudos: 256

21 Sep 2012, 10:49

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So sorry Bananas

And congratulations akinakbiyik.

akinakbiyik

Joined: 28 Apr 2011

Last visit: 12 Dec 2012

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Posts: 24

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21 Sep 2012, 10:55

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mtk232

akinakbiyik

I am in.. !!! So relieved after 3 months of stress....

@Bananas, sorry to hear.... Good luck for the rest of your applicationts I am sure you will succeed...

What are you stats akinakbiyik??? GMAT, GPA, WE??

720, 3.6, 3 years top-tier management consulting firm, international...

I submitted my application in june so if you submitted in july or August dont stress to much they are rolling

MBABusinessBuilder

Joined: 21 Sep 2012

Last visit: 22 Oct 2012

Posts: 14

GMAT 1: 720 Q44 V45 Verified score

GPA: 3.44

GMAT 1: 720 Q44 V45 Verified score

Posts: 14

Kudos: 0

21 Sep 2012, 11:10

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Congrats @ akinakbiyik!

@ Bananas, my sincerest apologies. You've been an active contributor to this board and we are all grateful to you. Just for comparative purposes, would you be willing to share your GMAT/GPA #'s with us?

Bananas

Joined: 24 Jun 2012

Last visit: 30 Apr 2013

Posts: 56

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Given Kudos: 4

Status:Applying

Concentration: Finance, Economics

Schools: Wharton '15 (D) Sloan '15 (D) Kellogg 1YR '14 (I) CBS '15 (D) Tuck '15 (D)

GMAT 1: 710 Q48 V40 Verified score

GPA: 3.5

WE:Asset Management (Finance: Venture Capital)

Schools: Wharton '15 (D) Sloan '15 (D) Kellogg 1YR '14 (I) CBS '15 (D) Tuck '15 (D)

GMAT 1: 710 Q48 V40 Verified score

Posts: 56

Kudos: 12

21 Sep 2012, 11:15

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MBABusinessBuilder

Of course. Can't quit now!

GMAT: 710 (48q, 40v), 3.5 GPA, 2 Yrs of IB, 2 Yrs of PE (both fairly name brand firms). I've had some unemployment on my resume, but just as natural course of the industry and economy. I addressed it in my app.

I will be applying to more, for sure.

Best of luck to you all!

MBABusinessBuilder

Joined: 21 Sep 2012

Last visit: 22 Oct 2012

Posts: 14

GMAT 1: 720 Q44 V45 Verified score

GPA: 3.44

GMAT 1: 720 Q44 V45 Verified score

Posts: 14

Kudos: 0

21 Sep 2012, 11:22

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Thanks, @ Bananas. Go have a few beers. You damn sure deserve em'.

aerien

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Posts: 1,593

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23 Sep 2012, 06:00

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I know there were issues with the PDF reader earlier this summer. It seems that most of the bugs have been fixed, but the explanations for activities seems to be cutting off at one line. Does anyone know if admissions will still receive the entire explanation or should I shorten my answers to one line each?

KAS1

Joined: 22 Mar 2012

Last visit: 02 Jan 2016

Posts: 83

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256

Given Kudos: 27

Location: United States (NY)

Concentration: General Management, Marketing

Schools: CBS '15 (D) Rutgers '15 (M) Stern PT '16 (D)

GPA: 3.1

WE:Accounting (Other)

Schools: CBS '15 (D) Rutgers '15 (M) Stern PT '16 (D)

Posts: 83

Kudos: 256

23 Sep 2012, 07:41

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mba2014hopeful

Here's an answer someone else asked the adcoms regarding the PDF reader. Hope it helps!

HeFe

Yes, I've the same problems...
I sent a email to the admissions office, and this was their answer:
"Thank you for your email. We have been having trouble with our PDF converter and current disabled this feature for repair. The view of your application through our reader program is not distorted. If we find that any information is incomplete we will contact you directly. Please let us know if you have any questions."

I wouldn't shorten my answer to one line each. Even though CBS has fixed most of the bugs with the pdf reader, this is the one they haven't fixed.

lucyvanpelt

Joined: 01 Aug 2012

Last visit: 04 Jan 2015

Posts: 21

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Posts: 21

Kudos: 16

[2]

23 Sep 2012, 21:04

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Thought I might do an interview debrief for those who are still watching and waiting, because I have nothing better to do and am already starting to get antsy. I hate that CBS' app status tracker this year doesn't actually show status changes -- so we have no way to know if the interviewer submitted the feedback form or not yet

Anyway, got my interview invite on 9/12. Got the names of my potential interviewers on 9/13 and emailed the first one on the list that day. She had already moved out of my area, and responded quickly, so I emailed the second interviewer also on Thursday. No response, so Monday night emailed the third person -- was getting really nervous at this point that no one would response. Thankfully the third person on my list responded, and we set the interview up for Saturday morning (9/23)

The interview itself was a LOT more formal than I expected from what I've read here on the boards. I know all interviewers have their own style, but mine was a very recent grad and asked to meet at a coffeeshop instead of a workplace, so I assumed it might be a little more relaxed. Nope - all in business attire, and had a portfolio spread out on the table with my resume and a notepad. Felt a lot like a job interview, actually. My interviewer was definitely cordial and spoke very passionately and positively about the community at CBS, but I'm not sure what to think overall because it pretty aloof and professional throughout.

Questions:
- tell me about yourself -- used this to launch into a very broad interview of my resume and how I got where I am. There weren't that many resume specific questions, though.
- why MBA, esp with my background
- why CBS?
- lots of CBS-specific questions: how much did I know about the core and flex-core, and how I wanted to use this to achieve my goals? Specific classes and clubs I was interested in? Other opportunities I might want to look into? This was definitely IMO the biggest chunk of the questions and where my interviewer dug in the most, and it matched up pretty well with Essay 1b (where they ask you to watch the diversity video). My advice to future interviewees: really get to know the CBS methodology, class structure, clubs, etc!
- tell me of a time you faced adversity, and follow-ups to this: what makes a good leader and why you are a good leader, how you might bring that to your studies and to your learning teams, etc.
This took somewhere around 35-40 minutes.

Then my interviewer let me ask questions about the various opportunities at CBS, clubs, etc. The emphasis was definitely on COMMUNITY, getting involved in clubs, learning from other people both in classes and in social settings, etc. The feeling I got was that he wasn't feeling me out so much in terms of why I wanted to get an MBA, but how I might be able to fit into the intellectual and esp. the social community of CBS. He really stressed that you go to CBS not for the hard skills as much as for the networking and soft skills and the people.

Total interview time - a little over an hour. Overall, I feel pretty ambivalent about it -- we talked a lot and my interviewer was friendly but so formal that I couldn't get any specific vibes off of him. Worries me, compared to some of the really enthusiastic interview debriefs I've read here and on other sites...

Anyway, hope this helps some of you out there preparing for your own interviews! For me, it's now just time to settle in, wait, and try to stop worrying either way.

ihopeihave

Joined: 24 Sep 2012

Last visit: 25 Apr 2013

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Posts: 7

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24 Sep 2012, 05:20

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Hello. guys.

It's 9:16 pm but I am still working in the office.

I have one question for an application.

I am a reapplicant. I am applying for ED and just started on-line application.

I read that a reapplicant should update "Employment" “Personal,” “Family,”,“Education,” and “Extracurricular Activities” sections of the online application.

I am confused here. It says "update" . Do I have to use my previous application which I submitted last year? or Do I have to create a new application?

Thank you in advance.

mappleby

Joined: 04 Oct 2011

Last visit: 08 Nov 2018

Posts: 432

Own Kudos:

134

Given Kudos: 150

Concentration: Finance

Schools: Booth '15 (II) CBS '15 (M$)

GMAT 1: 700 Q44 V41 Verified score

GMAT 2: 750 Q48 V46 Verified score

GPA: 3.03

WE:Project Management (Military & Defense)

Products:

Schools: Booth '15 (II) CBS '15 (M$)

GMAT 2: 750 Q48 V46 Verified score

Posts: 432

Kudos: 134

24 Sep 2012, 08:20

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ihopeihave

I created a brand new application and updated everything. I wanted to make sure it was all perfect.

ninawilliams9876

Joined: 23 Aug 2012

Last visit: 16 May 2013

Posts: 5

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Given Kudos: 4

Location: United States

GMAT Date: 10-15-2012

GPA: 3.65

WE:Project Management (Non-Profit and Government)

Posts: 5

Kudos: 5

24 Sep 2012, 08:53

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Oh my gosh!! I was gonna do CBS Round 1 but really dont think I'm ready!!! Is it horrible to push to Round 2???

lucyvanpelt

Joined: 01 Aug 2012

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24 Sep 2012, 09:18

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ninawilliams9876

Oh my gosh!! I was gonna do CBS Round 1 but really dont think I'm ready!!! Is it horrible to push to Round 2???

CBS doesn't have rounds. If you're referring to Early Decision (binding) or Regular Decision, ED might give you a little bit of a boost, but applying early in the RD pool will not really hurt you. Plus, if CBS is not your top school, you shouldn't commit yourself with ED, as the $6k seat deposit is a good chunk of money you may be forfeiting.

As for when to apply regular decision -- it's rolling without specific "rounds," but I was at the Spotlight on Women event last Friday, and one of the adcoms noted that CBS sees a huge spike on Jan 6, the deadline for merit fellowship consideration. If you want to make sure there are enough seats available for you, you should definitely try to apply by late Nov/December to avoid being in this spike (when they'll have tons of people to compare you to...). Obviously if you don't need the fellowship and think your app will be substantially stronger after this deadline, go for it, but the rule of thumb that the adcoms gave at the event was to apply by Nov/Dec for your best shot at regular decision.

Good luck!

bullsfan4life

Joined: 22 Mar 2012

Last visit: 26 Sep 2012

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24 Sep 2012, 11:55

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Does anyone know if Columbia's online application system provides specific status updates like they did last year. Specifically do they inform you when the application goes from "submitted" to "under review". I submitted my application for the J-term nearly 2 weeks ago and my application still hasn't gone into "under review" or "complete" so I was concerned. Also, does anyone know if re applicants who interviewed and were subsequently dinged during their first application to CBS will be asked to interview again? Or is the decision rendered just based off the first interview? Thanks.