Calling Columbia applicants for 2008

From what I know, Columbia is very favorable to reapplicants, I don't think age will matter either. Just improve upon your application as much as possible, so that when you write your reapp essay you can go into detail on how you're a better applicant this time around versus the last. I don't know you're GMAT score, but if it is below their average it never hurts to bump it up.

EDIT: Just looked at your profile, you're GMAT is fine!

They are the most reapplicant friendly school. Just make sure you apply ED as a reapplicant.

In fact I am actively seeking feedback from a lot of friends and colleagues about the dings. If I get a sense that my overall profile did me in then I will refrain from applying this year and hold back for a couple of years to improve my profile and then look at an EMBA. However if I get a sense that it was my essays that did me in then I definitely plan on reapplying in ED for Columbia.

I really don't know how much of an improvement I can show in the next 4-5 months. I have been promoted in Jan this year but beyond that it looks difficult to add more value to my profile in such short a time.

Congratulations on the Chicago GSB admit! I have been following a lot of stories on this forum and yours as well. Getting an admit in such a competitive year is something to be very proud of.

Yes, ED seems to be the way to go but I won't jump in till I am sure that it was my essays that hurt me this year and not my overall profile.

You can show a lot of improvement in 4-5 months, especially with a recent promotion. If your promotion is significant, such as a new role and new tasks, then by the time you reapply you will have a lot more to write about than writing about your promotion with only a couple of months into it.

My application went under review on March 27. In this cruel MBA decision waiting game, I feel this is a huge accomplishment and something I should celebrate!?!? lame, I know.

A question was asked on the NYU page where someone said that he heard a person will only fit at either Columbia or NYU. Has anyone else heard this? If so, what are the differences? I didn't notice anything when I visited and both schools stats are almost identical. The guys goals specifically were IB in NYC if that helps.

Thanks navy...That was me; I wasn't sure if I should post it in both or not.

My interview is early next week so I could use some help from the Columbia experts at GMATClub. My sense is that the "Why Columbia" question is extremely important during the interview since the school does not want to be viewed as a back up for other m7 schools. Columbia is definitely NOT my backup, but I want to make sure I can convince them of that. I am hoping that someone familiar with the process will be able to critique my why Columbia answers.

I want to attend Columbia for three reasons: Location, finance reputation and the school's social enterprise electives.

Location: My short-term goal after completing an MBA program is to gain employment as a portfolio manager at a non-profit endowment (investing capital and investing the returns into social programs). My long-term goal is to become the Chief Investment Officer of a non-profit endowment. Given that NYC is home to the majority of the large non-profit endowments in the U.S., attending Columbia makes sense. Attending school in NYC will allow me to network with prospective employers during my MBA, which will be a huge benefit to me since I am a non-traditional candidate (I have finance + non-profit experience) seeking employment in a non-traditional field.

Finance Reputation: Everyone knows that Columbia is a top-notch finance school. What I like about Columbia more than some other top-notch finance schools is the breadth and depth of the school's finance offerings (it has the most finance electives of any top program). Specifically, I am interested in the Practitioner's Seminars, which allow students with strong finance backgrounds (such as myself) to move beyond the introductory theory they may have learned elsewhere (in my case, through the CFA program, which I hope to complete prior to matriculation) and get into real life applicability by studying under practicing finance professionals. Taking courses such as Applied Equity Analysis, Applied Portfolio Management and Seminar in Applied Value Investing will allow me to learn from people who have been successful in my intended career field -- a valuable experience that is offered to a greater extent at Columbia than any other finance school.

Social Enterprise: I am interested in several of the social enterprise electives offered at Columbia. Courses such as Finance and Sustainability, Board and Executive Management of Nonprofits, and Social Entrepreneurship will help me round out my knowledge of endowment management (I have managed a $1MM endowment for the last two years) by providing the theorhetical background on issues that I will likely face in my career. Since my future career will demand knowledge of both finance and non-profit issues, it makes sense that I should attend a school that offers a deep curriculum in both areas, and Columbia does so.

I would appreciate feedback on this post and any other issues you guys think I should be aware of in relation to an interview at Columbia. Please feel free to be brutally honest -- after multiple dings, I have thick skin. Thanks!

Sudden,
I read over your post about your upcoming interview. A few suggestions:
1) The NYC reason is valid, but everyone says it. You should couple it with something specific to the community and culture at Columbia. For example, Columbia is in sprawling NYC, yet the students are very close-knit.
2) The Value Investing Program at Columbia is something very unique to the school, and it fits well with your goals. You should look into it, and discuss it during your interview.
3) "Why Columbia" is very important, but here are some other questions to you might be asked: "Take me through your resume" (because they will have it), "Why an MBA now", and "What is your international experience"

Good luck, knock em dead! GMAT Club needs more Columbia students!

good points, djhouse. i should find a way to tie NYC to columbia instead of the other way around -- i will have to figure out how to do that. i do think that wanting to work at a foundation is probably pretty unique, but the extra effort of making the connection to columbia itself is likely to pay off. good stuff. in terms of the finance curriculum, i am very familiar with the value investing program. i am a value investor, so this is a natural connection for me. the challenge with columbia is that there is such an overwhelming number of finance offerings that its hard to focus in on specifics.

were those the only other questions you were asked? the columbia interview questions seem pretty straightforward. thanks for your feedback!

Yes, those were the other questions that I was asked. However, she didn't fire off questions at me, it was more of a conversation. Make sure you turn the interview into a conversation. I think, above all, they want to know that you are a genuine and interesting person who they can converse with. People have a million different yet reasonable answers, but it does not matter what you say if the interview is not enjoyable on both sides of the table. And, if it is enjoyable then the interviewer is likely to provide positive feedback back to Columbia.

kudos to you, dj! i just had the interview and it was a great experience. i took your advice and really sold why columbia (not exactly that hard since i love the school). any idea on the decision turn around? i have heard the decision usually comes pretty quickly, like 3-5 days. hopefully, i will hear positive news soon.

good luck sudden.

how long was your interview? did you get the typical questions?

I heard the decision come pretty quick once your interveiwer submits his/her feedback.

I'm glad to hear that it was such a great experience! The turnaround, if it is a good one, usually takes 3-7 business days from when the interviewer submits their feedback. If it takes longer do not fret, it may be different this late in the round. The first email you get will be a status update informing you that the interviewer has submitted their feedback. The next one after that will be the final decision. Keep us posted!!!

the questions section was about 45 min and then about 20 minutes of my questions (my interviewer was really excited about the program and had a lot to say). the questions were typical -- nothing that you couldn't find on the internet or from the interivews most other schools give. there were THREE ethics questions, though. i couldn't tell you what they were exactly, but i felt like we were talking about ethics forever.

overall, i am very happy with the interview. i definitely think i've improved at interviewing as this process has gone on (4th interview), so there is probably an implication in that for people who are applying next year. don't interview with your top choice first if you have a choice.

also, make sure that you profess your undying love for the school, whether it's your first choice or not. i spoke in fine detail about how columbia fits my goals better than some other finance schools and the interviewer was suprisingly knowledgable about not only columbia, but the other programs i referenced. i scored some big points here on why columbia and issues related to fit... they kept saying "yes, i noticed that too" and "yes, i definitely agree." anyway, i think my previous interviews all went well, but i don't think "well" is good enough if you are a younger applicant -- you have to knock the ball out of the friggin park, and my previous interview experience helped me do that this time. dj's advice helped a lot as well.

Whoa! Sudden, it looks like an admit call from Columbia is just a matter of time. Congratulations!