Congrats on the McCombs acceptance and sponsorship opportunity. That will look great if you do apply again to Columbia.
What have been the significant changes in your application since you last applied to Columbia? Other than applying earlier, I'd feel better about your chances there if you had some tangible improvement in your profile (e.g., promotion, more leadership, higher test score, etc.).
You're smart to be thinking about the differences between J-Term and the 2 year option. Even though there are opportunities for internships and it is possible to make career switches, the successful J-Term applicants I've seen are ones that truly fit that definition of not needing an internship, either because they are advancing in the same field, working for a family business or starting their own business. So if you do apply, you may want to frame up your immediate post-MBA goal as returning to your current firm.
Sounds like you want to give it a shot and I think it's worth doing so if you're willing to put in the effort and back out of the McCombs spot if needed. Definitely apply as soon as you can because of this -- the application is open and live now. Also, double check how Columbia defines reapplicants -- I think if you applied in 2014 you are not technically considered a reapplicant and you'll need to do an entirely new application. So good to know that as soon as possible. If you have other questions specific to your application, feel free to pm me or sign up for a free phone consult at
Hello
mbamission,
I have been a long-time follower of gmatclub forums and extremely thankful to the consultants who help the MBA applicants. I especially like your 'Diamonds in the rough' blog series.
I am myself in a dilemma regarding school choice. I would really appreciate your wisdom nuggets regarding the same.
So here goes my situation:-
I got accepted to McCombs(without any scholarship). I recently informed my organization that I will be quitting to pursue my MBA. To my delight, my company extended an offer to partially sponsor my MBA if I intend to return back. The HR is even fine if I want to join some other company after MBA (I just have to pay back the sponsored money). Now that's a sweet deal.
Now this changes things.
I had applied to Columbia in 2014 but got dinged.(I applied too late in the rolling admissions cycle - That's DOA for CBS)
However, given the sponsorship offer from my company, I am thinking of applying to CBS J-term. [Learning from my past mistake I want to apply as early as possible]
My post-MBA goal is to work in Consulting/Marketing/Entrepreneurship.(not looking into Finance)
Now regarding my goals, this is what my research tells me:-
1)Consulting - I know that J-term students can switch to MBB without a need for internship.
2)Marketing/Gen. Mgmt - Marketing is very difficult to switch for international students even with an internship(2 yr MBA).
3)Entrepreneurship - J-term is ideal for entrepreneurs according to my chats with current J-termers.
Lastly, I have the option of coming back to my company. Also, a backup job frees me to pursue entrepreneurship.
Now, a lot of CBS students that I talked to mentioned that lots of students do school year internship. So I was wondering that maybe I can leverage that opportunity for career switching.
Moreover, I have a decent network in NYC(in IB & MBB).
What I see is that traditional Finance recruiting requires internship. However, I am not interested in Finance.
Given the HR offer of sponsorship, what do you guys suggest ? (I guess I should apply ASAP so that I can get CBS result before starting at McCombs)
Thank you in advance for your time.
Kate Richardson
mbaMission Senior Admissions Consultant
Chicago Booth Alum, over 80 5-star reviews on GMAT Club
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