Calling all Columbia Applicants for 2009!

I visited Columbia in April. I really loved it. I attended the global economy. I think the professor did a really good job at engage the students in the class, and the students also participated. I like how the class is integrated with the theory and analysis of current events instead of just theory (drawing curves). At the end, there was a debate on whether Chinese economy is overheating. I thought that was very entertaining and I can see how engaged the students are on the topic.

I had lunch and chat with the Investment banking group VP(asia), since that is my short-term career goal. It was quite fruitful. He worked in IB before he attended Columbia, so he already have his own experience with the industry. The fact the he worked both in the US and in China give me have a better understanding of the career that I'm pursuing. I also walked around and talked to random people on campus, they were all very friendly. But, the important thing is that they all look happy.

Anyone is frustrated with the theory and practice essay?

Good luck ryguy!

Wait, so it's confirmed that the J-term essays are going to part of the ED/RD applications, too? I'm dropping by Columbia for a quick visit tomorrow. Will certainly share anything extraordinary!

I remember it was around mid-July, this time last year, that ED applications were released. I would expect something this week, given that they are not running behind schedule.

Keep working on the J-Term essays because they most likely will be the same, and if they're not they won't be drastically different. Make sure your recommenders are ready to go if you have not prepared them already; the Columbia recommendation letter requires more of recommenders than I've seen at other schools.

Good luck to everyone! You are all starting early, which puts you on the right path, and your strong applications will be a direct result of this level of initiative.

This is funny

I attended through the host program in April 2007... and there was the same class about China overheating! I guess it's still a hot topic.

No, it's not confirmed. I'm just working on it and feeling very frustrated.
Hope you have fun at Columbia. Update us

Haha.. that is funny. Where Chinese market is the hottest market right now.

I was really frustrated too and I thought it was a terrible question. But, I ended up doing about 7-8 drafts of it and I now feel really good about that essay. So, now if they replace it I'm gonna be pissed off! I'm almost done with my career goals essay also and a couple drafts into both the failure essay and the passion essay. The passion essay is really tough. Hopefully they don't change these essays at all (or at least not much) because I've done a lot of work. I'm thinking I may have actually done too much work on them already since I don't know if we will even get the same questions, but I really want to get my app in by the end of August.

I just started my first essay - the goals essay, and it is taking time. I thought the passion essay would be easy. Why did it feel so tough to you?

IHateTheGMAT, I might have some good news for you.

I went to an information session with the Assistant Director of Admissions at CBS today, and she said this year there were going to be 3 essays instead of the 4 in earlier years. The ones she specifically mentioned were:

-edit posting the actual essay topics below-

Essay 1: What are your short-term and long-term post-MBA goals? How will Columbia Business School help you achieve these goals? (Recommended 750 word limit)

Essay 2: Master Classes are the epitome of bridging the gap between theory and practice at Columbia Business School. View link below. Please provide an example from your own life in which practical experience taught you more than theory alone. (Recommended 500 word limit)
RealVideo: https://merlin.gsb.columbia.edu:8080/ramgen/video1/faculty/MasterClass-promo.rm

Essay 3: Please provide an example of a team failure of which you’ve been a part. If given a second chance, what would you do differently? (Recommended 500 word limit)

The optional essay remains, well, optional.

It looks like the essays are going to be the same as the J-term essays, except that there's not going to be an Essay 4 about your "passions" etc.

She said the ED application was going to go live by the end of next week.

A couple of other interesting things said during the session, "no difference in selectivity between ED and RD" , and that CBS expects applications to be up 20% in the coming cycle (unless I misheard her and she was talking about 2007 applications being up 20%).

So, happy writing folks! Will be visiting a class at CBS tomorrow morning.

Kudos. Thank you very much for the news.

Let us know how the class visit goes.

When the application season closed this year, Columbia had posted on their website that applications were up 7% from 2007.

20% yikes. I don't buy the selectivity issue. I've heard from AdCom members that early RD is the same as ED.

Kudos!

Thanks a ton for the awesome news! It's really helpful. I guess all my work on the J-Term essays wasn't a waste, and my worst one is gone! Cool.

The 20% number is definitely scary though.

Thanks again. great info

I liked the passion essay for a while now Oh.... well.

I hope there is an advantage in applying ED than RD, because I expect the love to be mutual.

Maybe I'm going crazy, but to me this sounds like bad news. :-/

3 essays, only? #1 future goals, #2 theory/practice, #3 team failure. 1750 words in total to convey the roundness of our profile? ECs? Leadership? Accomplishments? Personal values/traits? Future plans?

Is it me, or this is a lot to cover in such specific essays? I thought the original 4 didn't allow much room either, but this seems worse.

Maybe I'm not being creative enough, or short sighted as to how to make the most of these 3 essays. Can someone please share how he plans to cover all the bases using these 3 essays?

Thanks a lot
Andrea

I don't believe that the quality of students ED to RD are the same, maybe the % admitted.