Ask Columbia GSB Admissions

Hi

Just a quick question - is there any difference of submitting the application on late September ?
I've just decided to take a MBA and it would be important for me to know if, since I'll just be able to apply end September, I shall need a stronger gmat score rather than if I would apply in June/July..

Thanks and best regards
Jose (Portugal)

Hi lonesoui,

Thank you for your question. You should list your post college full time experience. You should mention your other work experience in the Optional Essay.

Best,

As far as your GPA you should address this in the Optional Essay.

Regards,

Hi Jose,

Our application process is rolling, so it is always best to apply as early as possible; however we see most of our applications close to our deadlines. September is not too late to apply to any of our programs. Please visit https://www4.gsb.columbia.edu/mba/admissions/options for more on our deadlines.

I hope this helps.

Good luck,

Hi Matthew,

I appreciate that you take the time to provide advice to prospective students via this forum.

My question is regarding an admissions decision. I am a career switcher that applied to the fall 2012 full-time program. I received a decision notification that the AdCom could not offer me a place in the full-time program, but that due to my strong professional background and experience they recommend that I pursue the EMBA program instead. I understand that the EMBA is designed for working professionals who want to continue to develop their careers within the field they currently are and it is not for career switchers. Based on my professional career goals, I believe that the full-time program will benefit me the most.

Can you provide some advice as to how to go about this notification and what would be the options for me as a career switcher?

Hi,

when will the application for the January term be available?

The website indicated that it would become available in early June, however the dropdown menu in the application form contains only the option for the August Regular Decision Executive MBA.

Thanks!

Hi golsey,

Thank you for your question. In some rare cases the admissions committee will render decisions suggesting applicants to apply to another one of our programs. These are only recommendations/suggestions. The admissions committee may suggest that another program could be a good fit, but this is not a guarantee of admissions or a path that the applicant must pursue. If you do not feel the program makes sense for you and your goals you are welcome to apply to another program.

Best of luck!

Hi carolusmagnusrex,

Thank you for your question. The January Full Time application can be found here - https://apply.gsb.columbia.edu/apply/.

Best of luck!

[EDIT - Thank you, Matthew]

Hi OptimisticApplicant,

Thank you for your question. We require that applicants take the IR section; however because it is new we do not have any historical data on the section. We will consider the IR section as part of the holistic application process. It is up to you whether you feel it is necessary to retake the GMAT.

Best of luck!

Hi Matt,

I understand Columbia has only recently started accepting the GRE in lieu of the GMATs, however I was wondering 1.) if submitting GRE scores were more "frowned" upon over an applicant submitting with GMAT scores; and 2.) if you would have any statistics with students applying with the GRE scores.

Thank you,
Steve

Hi,

My name is Lucas and I'm a 28yo brazilian engineer. I started working in a Steel industry (~USD10Bi marcap) in Brazil in 2009 through an Mckinsey Fellowship special program (I've always been the Steel company employee but at the first year i worked as an Mckinsey consultant). After the first year with Mickinsey I was placed at Corporative Planning Department at the steel company and have been there ever since.

This year the company was sold and the department lost a lot of prestige and I got 2 job propositions:

I could move to the Strategic Planning Department inside the same group at a subsidiary mining company with one degree promotion to senior analyst (I would continue with Similar assignments)

or

I could move to FIAT/Chrylser working as an Financial Specialist (2 degree promotion and a huge raise in salary) for the Product Development Department (I would be responsible for the financial studies for new car projects in brazil)

Do you think changing companies would compromise my application or going to an international company with a bigger promotion would sound more interesting?

I really appreciate any comments.

Hi Matthew

Thank you for your time here. I really appreciate your help.

I had a question about the Optional Essay. It goes:
An optional fourth essay will allow you to discuss any issues that do not fall within the purview of the required essays.

Can I use the optional essay to talk about certain interesting community involvement I have had, which I am unable to include in any of the other required essays? Or is the AdCom only interested in issues in this essay - such as low GMAT/GPA or inability to get a recommendation from a direct supervisor?

Many thanks,
q

Hi Steve,

Thank you for your question. If you submit GRE scores they will be considered equally to the GMAT. Unfortunately we do not have any stats on the GRE at this time.

Best of luck!

Hi Lucas,

Thank you for your question. Unfortunately I am unable to give you feedback on the next step of your career. Keep in mind that the application process is holistic and your career is only one aspect of your application. I suggest doing what you think makes the most sense for your career rather than the MBA application. You have the opportunity to explain anything you would like about your career in the Optional Essay if you feel this is something that will need more clarification.

Best of luck,

Hi q,

Thank you for your question. It is best if the Optional Essay is not used as another essay, but to explain parts of the application that need clarification. While you can certainly add something that was not addressed like your community involvement, in general the Optional Essay is not used for this. If this is truly something that is a necessary part of the application I suggest finding a way to include this information in the required parts of the application.

Best of luck!

Dear Matthew,

I wanted to check how Columbia views reapplicants? Are there any metrics (eg: X% of applicants are reapplicants) that you can share.

Also, although I have significantly strengthened my application since last year (improvement in GMAT by 40 points, Promotion, more responsibilities etc.), my career goals as stated in the essays were too specific and of an 'atypical' field. I did visit Columbia during a recent trip to the US, and my interaction with students and faculty actually inspired me to do well on my GMAT, which I did.

However, I am a little perplexed around how my application from last year will be considered? For the purpose of full disclosure, I was denied without an interview.

The above may not seem too specific, but any advice for reapplicants, beyond whats already stated on the Columbia website, would be much, much appreciated.

Regards