Columbia - Too Late for Rolling Admission?

Question

Hi,

I'm interested in applying to Columbia's B-school but the deadline for fall admission is in 2 weeks on April 15. They also have a program to start in January where they have not yet begun accepting applications. I have only recently begun thinking of applying to business school at all. Would applying for fall admission dramatically reduce my chances of getting in at this point? Is it worth it to try for fall admission or strongly advisable to wait and be one of the first applicants for January term.

Of note, somebody mentioned Columbia strongly wants applicants to want to go there. I'm interested in their value investing program and CBS is the only program in the country that has this so I could convincingly communicate it would be my #1 choice by far. I might not even want to apply elsewhere to be honest.

Thanks

ValueInvestor · Answer

Hi,

I'm interested in applying to Columbia's B-school but the deadline for fall admission is in 2 weeks on April 15. They also have a program to start in January where they have not yet begun accepting applications. I have only recently begun thinking of applying to business school at all. Would applying for fall admission dramatically reduce my chances of getting in at this point? Is it worth it to try for fall admission or strongly advisable to wait and be one of the first applicants for January term.

Of note, somebody mentioned Columbia strongly wants applicants to want to go there. I'm interested in their value investing program and CBS is the only program in the country that has this so I could convincingly communicate it would be my #1 choice by far. I might not even want to apply elsewhere to be honest.

Thanks

adegrandchamp · Answer

Hi there! I just visited Columbia last week, and I agree, the Value Investing Program is impressive. A note on J-term, as they call their January-start option: it graduates at the same time as those starting in the fall. That means classes throughout the summer and no formal opportunity to complete an internship. If an internship is important to you or your future career, then I would caution you to think hard about applying to J-term. However, Columbia is also in Manhattan, and the students I spoke to mentioned it was very possible to obtain an internship/job in your target industry during the semester. In fact, it's almost an unspoken prerequisite to the Value Investing Program. So I think if you were enterprising and willing to work very hard, you'd be able to achieve all of your goals in the shorter timeframe of J-term.

Good luck!

Good luck!

kbz · Answer

I would say, apply.

Two weeks is short, so be prepared for that. I did 4 apps in two weeks over vacation and it was a pain train, but you can absolutely do Columbia if you are thoughtful about the timeline.

The point you mentioned about your preference for CBS is on point, and important. Say that. The way you put it here was great, only needs a little "formalizing".

sar9876 · Answer

It is very late for CBS. If you have a stellar profile, you may be ok. What do you think about applying to jterm? Jterm has a lot of people with great buyside experience who do the value investing program.

bb · Answer

Columbia - Too Late for Rolling Admission?

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