Gmat Club T-15 Essay writing Series : Columbia Business School

In our weekly series of Essay writing for the T-15 and other top schools, the second in the queue is Columbia Business School. CBS, an M7 school is highly ranked by students and recruiters alike. Receiving around 6500 applications every year, CBS is one of the most coveted place for a B-school applicant.

Should you be interested in having your essays reviewed, please fill up this form, the most appropriate essays shall be chosen and will be given a personalized review : https://forms.gle/fT5t4JSWcwxSyoGL9


Let us look at the essay questions released by Kellogg in its last cycle, our analysis, and how to tackle them ahead of this application deadline.

The following four essays are required of all applicants:


1. Short Answer Question: What is your immediate post-MBA professional goal? (50 characters maximum)


Read it again, It is not 50 words, these are 50 characters! 50 characters would translate to 25 words. The word limit implies that your answer should be clear and pithy.

From the website of CBS, following are some of the examples :


Note that this question is repeated for the 10th time in a row and is likely to be repeated in this cycle and hence it is crucial to be clear of your immediate goal. Make sure that the goal is practical and can be realized within the CBS framework.

2.Essay 1
Through your resume and recommendations, we have a clear sense of your professional path to date. What are your career goals over the next three to five years and what, in your imagination, would be your long-term dream job? (500 words)

Note that the Essay prompts reflects your career progression via your resume and then goes on to ask for your short term goal and a long term goal ("dream job")
Where are you and what you are going to do are the possible questions one should ask themselves making sure that the goals resonate with the prior experience, knowledge, and skills. This means that you need to portray a coherent story of your MBA journey and the path you would like to take to further figure out your journey up and coming in another 3 to 5 years.

The question further asks you to imagine your dream job and this might seem a little mawkish but this could be an opportunity for you to delineate your long-term vision. Though not necessary but how your short-term goals help you achieve your long-term goals with the acquired skill set, leadership and journey will further bolster your vision to adcom.

Essay 2
Why do you feel Columbia Business School is a good fit for you? (250 words)

Now, this could be as personal as possible and to each his own's fit. CBS offers a number of prospects that make you belong there. Note that this is a most likely question asked in various B-school interviews. the more detailed (yet succinct ) your answer the more it goes on to show your research and interest in a particular school. Often times one would write about curriculum, the community, experiential learning and engagement via school tribe, career tracks, location and its advantage, your fit in particular, and how only and only CBS can help you realize your goal.
Note that this question details heavy and yet the word limit is 250 words. It could be pretty challenging to write all aspects of why CBS and hence pick the ones that most resonate with you.

Essay 3
Tell us about your favorite book, movie, or song and why it resonates with you. (250 words)

It is more of a personal question asked herein and it is your chance to show to adcom what are your values and belief. What songs make you-You or at least speaks about you or maybe there is something you want to convey via this art. There is no harm in picking up something obscure or unusual as long as you clearly mention enough details about that material. Whether or not you connect this answer to your short-term goal is up to you. The values and the core belief system are something that forms your long-term vision and it would be good to show how a book, movie, or song fits in well there.

Further notes from Admissions Page : https://academics.gsb.columbia.edu/mba/ ... quirements
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