Thoughts on Round 2 at Columbia and MIT

Question

Hey Alex,

I'm in the process of putting together my applications and am trying to decide which other schools to apply to outside of H/S/W. MIT and Columbia would probably be my preferred schools outside the big 3, however from what I understand from reading your other posts, Round 2 at both of these schools is very challenging (ie: their round 2 is the equivalence of round 3 at the other schools). Is this accurate, or do these two schools typically admit closer to 50% of their students in the second round?

I have decided I only have time to apply to five schools tops, so assuming the above is accurate, would I be better off applying to a "higher probability" school such as Chicago and dropping either MIT or Columbia (to maximize the chance that I will land somewhere)? Chicago is probably the only school outside of the 5 I have listed.

Thanks for your thoughts.

AlexMBAApply · Answer

As I've mentioned in other posts, yes, Columbia and MIT basically have two rounds -- and their second round is essentially the equivalent of everyone else's round 3 (there is a significant advantage in applying Round 1 for these two schools). As such, you may want to seriously consider swapping them out for Chicago and another school.

Blayze · Answer

Thanks for your feedback Alex.

I just have one more question for you... is the admission rate of Booth in round 2 significantly higher than MIT/CBS? It's hard for me to compare because the schools only release admission rates for the full year.

If the difference is marginal, then I would probably prefer to apply to MIT/CBS since I have a slight preference for these schools, however if the difference is significant then I will likely take your advice and reassess my target schools outside H/S/W.

Thanks again.

yangsta8 · Answer

When you say Columbia R2 is equivalent to everyone else's round 3, are you talking about the Columbia Regular Decision? From reading some interviews with the Columbia Adcom, it seemed that the purpose of Early Decision (assuming this is what you mean when you're talking about Round 1) is to provide a mechanism to assist the Adcoms in processing the large number of applications, and some interviews go on to say that on volume, they admit more students in RD than in ED. Sorry to hijack the thread but it's in line with the discussion

AlexMBAApply · Answer

There has been a lot of discussion about Columbia's Early Decision rounds in the past - not sure on the GMATClub, but certainly on other discussion boards and blogs.

The CBS adcom loves to spin and BS their explanation for the Early Decision. The real reason why it exists is it artificially inflates their overall yield, while trying to stem the flow of applicants away from HBS and Wharton - schools they lose most of their students to traditionally (and maybe other schools now too...).

Think of it like fishing -- the adcoms are a bunch of fishing boats. CBS is the fishing boats that decides to go out to the sea earlier than every other boat in order to scoop up as much fish as possible before others can get to it.

yangsta8 · Answer

Hi Alex,

Thanks for your response. Assuming that ED is an exercise in yield, would RD still be as bad as Round 3 in another school, where i've heard it's quite common that less than 1/4 of the positions are still available, or more like a round 2?

osbornecox · Answer

I remember there being some limitations with Columbia if you're an international student (as a dual national, I'm trying to decide how I should present myself). Is this true?

AlexMBAApply · Answer

There's limitation with respect to visa issues, which isn't a school specific issue, but the fact that it takes quite a while for immigration to process your student immigrant visa application. That's why Round 3 (or in Columbia's case - applying ideally before mid-Feb to be safe) is really a no go for a lot of applicants who need US immigration papers to study in the US.

osbornecox · Answer

Hi Alex, thanks for the response. I'm not applying this year, but next year (so in around 9 months I may become a client of yours!). I'm pretty sure I'll send all my apps in at the same time and Columbia is definitely on my list, but I haven't given as much thought to the "rounds" from a tactical perspective.

laxstar320 · Answer

Hey Alex,

If you have a moment, it would be much appreciated if you evaluate if you think I should spend the time to fill out a CBS application. I probably should've gotten an assesment before I even picked my schools but it is what it is at this point.

I've already applied to MIT Sloan (R1) and going to submit Haas (R2) this evening.

Demographics: 27 yrs old, Male, Asian American
GMAT: 700 Q48, V38, AWA6
Education: 3.5 in finance and information systems, top 5 business school. Graduated cum laude.

Work: 5 years, small market private equity joined at startup and helped them build up to 10 investments. Led key functions i.e. due diligence, capital raise, deal marketing, fundraising, investor communications, etc.

Extracurriculars: Club lacrosse, honors fraternity in college. Started non-profit pilot program and committee director for leading industry finance society. CFA charterholder.

Additional schools: Columbia, Michigan and Wharton. My goal is to stay in private equity with a focus on sustainable areas like alternative energy or pursue a strategy/corporate development role in the industry.

I appreciate your insights.

AlexMBAApply · Answer

Sure, why not. It shouldn't take too long to put it together given that you've already applied to schools where there's some overlap in terms of the essay questions.

Thoughts on Round 2 at Columbia and MIT

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