Ask Columbia GSB Admissions

Thank you for your question. We do not have a breakout for employment between August and January. Previous employment is combined for both classes and shown here https://www4.gsb.columbia.edu/mba/admiss ... assprofile. The application for January should be available in late May.

We look forward to seeing your application!

Hi! I applied 1/4, and was notified 3/29 that my interview report was received. I understand that you admit applicants on a rolling basis, but I was wondering if you could give me a general idea of when my decision will be released. Also, are you still awarding merit scholarships at this point? Thank you for your time.

Hi,

I got rejected from columbia post and interview call. I have a 680 on my gmat, i really dont have a clue as to why i got rejected as my interview also went really good. I am very keen to re apply to columbia, but i dont want to retake my gmat as i have already taken it twice and i dnt want to take a risk by taking it the third time because in case it is below 680, it really is a big negative on my application.

I just want to get a feedback on the loose pieces of my application so that i can work on them, especially wether re taking the gmat is a big must.

Kindly advise.

Hi siddharth123

Thank you for your question. We are not offering individual feedback on denied applications.We understand the enormous commitment of time and energy that applying to business school represents, but we simply do not have the resources to provide feedback to each denied applicant. Please visit our website at https://www4.gsb.columbia.edu/mba/learnmore/faqs#5 for a self assessment of your application. Please keep in mind the application is holistic there is never a single factor for admission or denial. The GMAT is just one aspect of the application.

If you decide to reapply you can learn more about the reapplication process here https://www4.gsb.columbia.edu/mba/learnm ... ow/reapply.

I hope this helps.

Hi evigirl,

We do not have a specific timeline after the interview is complete. If your application has been under review beyond 12 weeks please contact our office. Please keep in mind that the timeline for a final decision can be extended because of interviews.

We are still awarding some merit based fellowships.

Best of luck,

Hi!

I will be applying to CBS for the January 2013 class and have a question about scholarships. I read on CBS's website that fellowships are available to the Fall applicants only; I'm wondering if there are other types of scholarships for January applicants. Does CBS give out full scholarships?

Thanks!

Hi KAS1,

Thank you for your question. There are some need based awards for our January applicants.

We do award full fellowships, but these are extremely competitive and awarded to a select few admitted students. These fellowships are awarded to students in our two-year program.

Best of luck,

Greetings ColumbiaMBA,

One of the primary reasons I am in pursuit of an MBA is to transition from IT to Marketing/Management (a classic "career-changer" move, if you will). I also have a strong GMAT verbal score but my GMAT quantitative score is not as strong.

Would the Admissions committee look favorably upon the decision to enroll in a quant-based marketing course at an accredited institution to a) assuage fears regarding the ability to handle grad-level quantitative work, and b) to demonstrate my interest towards marketing? Do you recommend that this summer class approach is looked upon more favorably than re-taking the GMAT to try and earn a slightly higher score?

Thanks

Hi OjilEye,

Thank you for your question. We will take into consideration additional courses if you submit these as part of your application. Taking additional courses certainly isn't a requirement, but some applicants find these courses helpful. As far as retaking the GMAT vs. taking a course - the application process is holistic so there isn't a right or wrong approach. Keep in mind that we only consider your highest score for the GMAT, so if you decide to retake and do not score higher we will still consider your highest score.

Best of luck.

Regards,

Hey

I would like to ask what does Columbia think about students who took overload in order to graduate early, like 1 semester earlier for purely financial reasons ? I am really considering this, I will save 1 semester of tuition and I will also be able to enter workforce and gain experience earlier. However, I would not like this to impact me negatively in the long term. So, does it make any difference ?

Hi Ivan91,

Thank you for your question. Graduating early will not negatively impact your application. As long as you have completed your bachelor's degree you are welcome to apply.

Best of luck!

Hi,

I applied this past January but was unfortunately not accepted. I plan to reapply early decision this year because Columbia is my top choice. I have a few questions if you wouldn't mind answering them:

Do you have any advice on what Columbia looks for in reapplicants that might be different from that of other programs, or any areas of the reapplicant application where Columbia may weight as more important than others?

The website mentions that reapplicants need to submit one new letter of recommendation. Can this be from someone who wrote one of the letters of recommendation the previous year?

Can an applicant submit new versions of the standard application essays if they feel they will be better than the originals?

Additionally, and unrelated to being a reapplicant, could you provide an estimate as to when you expect the 2013 application and essay questions to be available?

Thanks

Hi sdd996,

Thank you for your interest! I am sure you have seen the reapplicant list- www4.gsb.columbia.edu/mba/admissions/applynow#reapplications - be sure to follow these steps once the application is available. Keep in mind the application process is holistic so there is no specific weight given to any part of the application.

Your recommendation should be new. You should not use the same recommenders. We have access to your previous application as a reapplicant so we ask that you provide new recommendations from someone new.

You are welcome to answer essay questions in addition to the reapplicant essay, but you are not required to do so and this is not expected.

The application for ED should be available sometime in early June.

Best of luck!

Thanks for the quick reply! Just two quick follow up questions.

On the topic of the recommender - One of my recommendations last year was from my supervisor. They are still my only supervisor, and the person who would be able to speak best to my improvement over the past year. My plan was to ask them for a completely new recommendation, focusing more on my growth in the past year than years prior. The only other type of person I can think I could ask would be a manager I worked with for a project or two, and are not familiar with the rest of what I do or my growth. Is it still preferred/required to change recommenders in a case like this?

On the essays - I definitely understand the concept behind only requiring the reapplicant essay. However, my natural worry is that if my application (and essays) were not sufficient to get me accepted last year, and these essays will be used along side the new reapplicant essay, won't whatever criticisms or flaws in my past essays still appear now, and therefore hurt my application? Do you find many accepted reapplicants only submit the new essay, or do they rewrite all of them?

Thanks again!

Hi,
I would like to know when the jterm application will be available
Thanks,

Hi sdd996

We prefer an entirely new recommender. You can also use a colleague who does not report to you or a client as other options.

Reapplicants are only required to submit the reapplicant essay. We admit applicants every year who only submit the reapplicant checklist. It is rare that reapplicants rewrite the entire application. The reapplicant essay is your chance to address your growth and changes since your last application.

I hope this helps,

Hi battletux,

Thank you for your question. The application for our January Program will be available sometime in early June.

Best of luck,