Columbia Graduate School of Business: 2009 Application Guide
With its campus energized by regular interaction with experts from the finance, media, real estate, and other industries that populate New York City; its global focus; and its depth in multiple disciplines, Columbia Business School is your clear target. It is located in a city that is the crossroads of global business and the heart of the finance industry - let alone a world cultural mecca. Although most renowned for finance, Columbia GSB offers depth in areas as diverse as decision sciences, entrepreneurship, management, and social enterprise, to name a few. Your challenge: stand out with a fresh voice and intriguing story among the plethora of highly accomplished applicants Columbia sees each year.
* and Permanent Residents
** Applicants who wish to be considered for a merit-based fellowship must submit a complete application by January 7, 2009. Fellowship recipients for the September class are announced between January and May.
The following essay questions are part of the application to Columbia Business School. In addition to learning about your professional aspirations, the Admissions Committee hopes to gain an understanding of your interests, values and motivations through these essays. How you answer these essays is at your discretion, there are no right answers and we encourage you to answer each question thoughtfully and honestly.
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):
This is a forward-looking goals question. While you shouldn't ignore the factors that contributed to the development of your goals, the bulk of the essay should be about the future. What do you want to do immediately after completing your MBA? 5 years later? How will Columbia's program help you achieve your goals? Which of Columbia's strengths and programs are critical to your success? Be specific!
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):
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I also recommend you read the section of CBS' web site about Columbia's Masters Classes.
To me, the masters classes are CBS's attempt to integrate the various business functions and add a real general management element to a program that tended to keep those business silos distinct. To respond to the question, you need to bring an example from your life when you applied theory successfully. Ideally, you would want to use an example where you used management principles to guide your team, office, company, or club in solving a problem or completing a project.
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): When have you been part of a team that came in last. Or that came in second when it should have come in first? Or that failed to close the deal? Or did finish the project, but was so over budget and late such that your firm lost the client?
And more importantly, what have you learned from the experience? How would you attempt to change the outcome if you had the chance? When would you seize the initiative? When would you encourage others? When would you sit quietly and let someone with complementary strengths take center stage.
While the particular incident you choose should complement other elements of your essay and ideally discuss some interest, activity, or experience not discussed in other essays, the key part of this question is the second one.
For more assistance, please see: (Optional)
Is there any further information that you wish to provide to the Admissions Committee? (Please use this space to provide an explanation of any areas of concern in your academic record or your personal history.):
Obviously you could use this optional essay question to address a weakness in your application, but in my mind, it is also open-ended enough to allow you to discuss a diversity element in your personal background or simply some unique area of interest. Also, tucking a weakness explanation somewhere else would allow you to close the application with a strength and not a flaw.
If you would like help with your Columbia GSB application, please consider Accepted.com's MBA essay editing and admissions consulting or a Columbia Comprehensive Package.
For more tips on writing the Columbia essays, please consider the ebook, MBA BlastOff by Linda Abraham and Maxx Duffy.
Important Application Dates
| App Review Begins | Notification | Deadline | |
| Early Decision: | August 13, 2008 | w/in 10 weeks | October 8, 2008 |
| International: | January 7, 2009 | w/in 12 weeks | March 4, 2009 |
| US Citizens*: | January 7, 2009 | w/in 12 weeks | April 15, 2009 |
* and Permanent Residents
** Applicants who wish to be considered for a merit-based fellowship must submit a complete application by January 7, 2009. Fellowship recipients for the September class are announced between January and May.
Essays
On BW Forum's "Ask Columbia Business School Admissions" thread, Columbia GSB's AdCom representative advises that this year's questions are the same as those on the J-Term 2009 application, which has three required questions as opposed to last September's four.The following essay questions are part of the application to Columbia Business School. In addition to learning about your professional aspirations, the Admissions Committee hopes to gain an understanding of your interests, values and motivations through these essays. How you answer these essays is at your discretion, there are no right answers and we encourage you to answer each question thoughtfully and honestly.
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):
This is a forward-looking goals question. While you shouldn't ignore the factors that contributed to the development of your goals, the bulk of the essay should be about the future. What do you want to do immediately after completing your MBA? 5 years later? How will Columbia's program help you achieve your goals? Which of Columbia's strengths and programs are critical to your success? Be specific!
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):
View with Real Player
View via Google
I also recommend you read the section of CBS' web site about Columbia's Masters Classes.
To me, the masters classes are CBS's attempt to integrate the various business functions and add a real general management element to a program that tended to keep those business silos distinct. To respond to the question, you need to bring an example from your life when you applied theory successfully. Ideally, you would want to use an example where you used management principles to guide your team, office, company, or club in solving a problem or completing a project.
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): When have you been part of a team that came in last. Or that came in second when it should have come in first? Or that failed to close the deal? Or did finish the project, but was so over budget and late such that your firm lost the client?
And more importantly, what have you learned from the experience? How would you attempt to change the outcome if you had the chance? When would you seize the initiative? When would you encourage others? When would you sit quietly and let someone with complementary strengths take center stage.
While the particular incident you choose should complement other elements of your essay and ideally discuss some interest, activity, or experience not discussed in other essays, the key part of this question is the second one.
For more assistance, please see: (Optional)
Is there any further information that you wish to provide to the Admissions Committee? (Please use this space to provide an explanation of any areas of concern in your academic record or your personal history.):
Obviously you could use this optional essay question to address a weakness in your application, but in my mind, it is also open-ended enough to allow you to discuss a diversity element in your personal background or simply some unique area of interest. Also, tucking a weakness explanation somewhere else would allow you to close the application with a strength and not a flaw.
If you would like help with your Columbia GSB application, please consider Accepted.com's MBA essay editing and admissions consulting or a Columbia Comprehensive Package.
For more tips on writing the Columbia essays, please consider the ebook, MBA BlastOff by Linda Abraham and Maxx Duffy.
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