Hi this is extremely interesting information for me pelihu. Would I still have a shot at the January 2008 start date if I apply now ? I am pretty keen to get started as early as I can and I am in Australia at the moment.
pelihu wrote:
I didn't apply to the Columbia program, but I have a few bits of info that might be helpful.
The Columbia program is actually a 16 month program. It starts in January and runs straight through. Basically, you skip the internship in the middle, and graduate at the same time as people that start the prior fall. After your first year, you're classes will be with the 2nd year MBA students from that year. The drawback, of course, is that the job search might be more difficult without an internship. The biggest plus is that the total time away from a full-time job is shorter. I do know that some 2nd year students at Columbia are able to work part-time so the lack of an internship might be minimized if you want to work in finance in NY.
My only first-hand information about this program actually comes from my interview for the regular program. I had a great interview and the alum I met with told me he thought my app was strong and that he'd give me a stellar recommendation. He also said that in the prior two years, he had interviewed two people he thought were locks and they were turned away. He told me that if I wasn't admitted, to get in touch with the admissions staff and tell them he (my interviewer) thought I was a great fit for the 16-month January term.
He thought that J-term admissions were more straight-forward in terms of numbers and so forth. He thought that they were more willing to accept older candidates with more work experience. He said that Columbia admissions during the regular decision round was about building a diverse class. The most qualified were not always admitted (in regular decision) if they didn't have desirable diversity characteristics. He thought the J-term was more predictable. I guess it's a quirk of Columbia's early decision system.
So I guess in summary, the Columbia J-term welcomes applicants with strong numbers with longer than average work experience. I think a preference for finance is also a positive given the lack of an internship and Columbia's location in NY. My interviewer seemed to think that Columbia liked to use the J-term to admit students that they liked but perhaps weren't able to fit in because of diversity concerns.
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29 Jun 2007, 15:54
