mlchang616 wrote:
Hi,
Could you comment briefly on student interactions based on your campus visit. How does the professor generally interact with students?
Thank you,
-M
mlchang,
My campus visit was great! Student interactions were frequent and helpful. First, I was taken by a student to a class, Entrepreneurial Finance, and there he introduced me to everyone who walked in and sat down next to us. Everyone gave their take on why I should go to Columbia...everyone. The student also introduced me to thr professor, who gave me a handout with which to follow along. He told me upfront that he was not going to call on me, which also infers: don't participate. That was fine with me, as it was my time to observe. Come Fall, I will participate all day! I was surprised that I could follow along so well, I thought most of the material would go over my head. But, when you think about it Entrepreneurial Finance is just like learning about investments, but just a different type of vehicle than the usual stocks and bonds. The professor tried explaining it using the Black-Scholes Model, which is an investment tool that I use at work to value options and he applied it to venture capitalism. Very interesting, and it was exciting to think that I could be learning that material very soon!
After class, the student dropped me off at the Admissions Office where there were Peer Advisors. The Peer Advisors hang out in the Admissions Office to answer questions and discuss Columbia and the MBA epxerience. There were other prospective students there, as well. I asked a slew of questions, and the answers to some I even mentioned in my essay. One really cool thing was that Linda Meehan stepped out of her office to say hi and answer some of our questions! After about an hour, it was time for my next class. This class was a core Corporate Finance course, and it was the same thing: students talked to me about Columbia, and then I sat and observed the class.
Overall, the students were personable, and they all seem to have a genuine pride in their school. They built up Columbia to me without seeming forced to do so, nor did they bash other schools. I did not interact with the professors as I did with the students, but I did not plan on it. I was there to observe the professors, and I was nothing short of impressed! You can just tell that they are all brilliant. I especially liked how they had a perfect balance of lecturing and interacting.
I hope this encourages you to visit for yourself, or, that is not possible, interact with the community somehow. Best of luck with applications!