Columbia Business School posted its
incoming MBA class profile. Here's the scoop:
What does the data show? Pretty much steady state with marked improvements in class diversity. And there's both good news and bad from an applicant perspective.
The most noteworthy change is a 12.5% increase in the female make-up of the class -- no pun intended -- and a 9% increase in minorities of U.S. origin. The percentage of internationals went down insignificantly, but I expect that small decline will reverse itself in this upcoming application cycle since Columbia now has a no-cosigner loan program fully operational for international MBA students.
The 1-point dip in CBS' average GMAT score is also not significant, especially given the lower acceptance rate and higher yield that Columbia enjoyed last year. It is a little surprising because of the GMAT score arms race that seems to have gripped much of CBS's competition. (
Chicago,
Kellogg, and
Wharton have all reported increased average GMAT scores for their incoming classes.)
Apparently in this past year CBS chose to focus more on diversity and
less on the GMAT. I expect that CBS will want to report an increase in its GMAT average in the upcoming class. And with it's 715 score, it still remains one of a handful of schools with an average GMAT equal or greater than a lofty 715.
By Linda Abraham, president and founder of Accepted.com and co-author of the new, definitive book on MBA admissions,
MBA Admission for Smarties: The No-Nonsense Guide to Acceptance at Top Business Schools.Related Resources:
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Columbia Business School 2016 MBA Essay Tips•
Get Accepted to Columbia Business School•
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