Jazzy3113 wrote:
KFA64,
bmierz86 -
Yes, I am curious too about bmierz86. His gpa and background are solid. Possibly the fact his undergrad was not higher tier or his GMAT score was not 700+. Also, if your interview lasted so long, that may signal something. But from the outside looking in you seem to be a solid candidate. Can you share what topics were discussed in your interview? Did they require you to explain any shortcomings on your application? Were your essays weak in their opinion?
The feedback I received on my application was favorable. They were impressed with my undergrad school, my work experience and essays. They were not impressed with my undergrad grades. The one comment that stuck out was that my EA score was much higher than the average score and laid to rest any concerns of whether or not I could handle the academic rigors of the program. My interview only lasted an hour and covered a range of topics from my background, to my work, to my personality. My interviewer was very professional and experienced.
I got the feeling that Columbia really wants to make sure this is an important endeavor for you. The classes are small and lean on student participation. They also require you to have a full time job and study a real MBA curriculum. If alot of people drop out due to the time demands, it can very detrimental to other students and really hurt the program. They want to make sure you are all in.
Yes, it is an EMBA and makes a ton of cash for the school. But the top programs seem to still be able to be selective. Alot of people have the attitude that an EMBA is a cakewalk compared to full time MBA and applying is easy, but I found the whole process quite taxing. I think if you go to a smaller or less renowned program there may be a high acceptance rate, but from the information I gather on the net is that Columbia rejects a decent amount of people.
People actually drop out of an EMBA program? If true, that's absurd, lol.
Can you share what topics were discussed in your interview?
Personal FIT questions,
Why Columbia,
Why now
Walkthrough my resume
Gaps in Employment
Delay in graduation
Professional experience
What are my hobbies
which books I read ( we spoke about this for a while, and shared some titles)
about my picture that I submitted ( this was another topic that made us go into cultural diversity)
Did they require you to explain any shortcomings on your application?
Yes, I had to address why the first 3 semesters in UG were pretty bad
I also had to address why I had a 8 month gap in employment after graduation
Were your essays weak in their opinion?
No my essays were probably the second strongest thing in my app, after my work experience, they were very favorable by Cornell AdComs.