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Columbia 2011 MBA Application Questions, Deadlines, Tips.

May 27, 2010 By

Update: The tips for the Columbia 2012 MBA application are now available online.  Please review the tips and post questions or comments to the new post.  Check out the entire 2012 MBA Application Tips series for more valuable MBA application advice. 

This Columbia 2011 MBA Application tip post is one of a series of posts providing MBA application and essay advice for applicants to top MBA programs around the world. You can access the entire series at http://blog.accepted.com/acceptedcom_blog/tag/2011-mba-application-tips. My tips for answering Columbia’s essay questions are in red below.

Columbia September 2011 MBA Essay Questions

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.

Dual Degree applicants: Please address the following question within your response to Essay 1: How will the Dual Degree enhance your short-term or long-term goals?

Reapplicants: How have you enhanced your candidacy since your previous application? Please detail your progress since you last applied and reiterate your short-term and long-term goals. Explain how the tools of the Columbia Business School will help you to meet your goals and how you plan to participate in the Columbia community . (Recommended 750 word limit)

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)

This is a forward-looking goals question. While you should include events and experiences 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? And be specific!

Essay 2

Please tell us about yourself and your personal interests. The goal of this essay is to get a sense of who you are, rather than what you have achieved professionally. (Recommended 500 word limit)

What is important to you and distinctive about you? If you have one experience, characteristic, or value that addresses all three topics in the preceding question, you know what to write about. Even two out of three can contribute to a terrific answer to this question.

This is a great place to reveal the non-professional side of you. What do you do for fun? What do you do for satisfaction? How do you like to test yourself and stretch your limits (outside of work)? Where do you want to contribute?

Optional Essay

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 end the application with a strength and not a flaw.

If you would like help with your Columbia MBA application, please consider Accepted.com’s MBA essay editing and admissions consulting or a Columbia School Package.

Columbia September 2011 MBA Deadlines

Columbia Business School using a rolling admissions process. Applications are reviewed in the order in which they are received, and decisions can be rendered at any time. All decisions are final. It is always to your benefit to apply before the posted deadline (11:59pm of the posted date).

Application

Deadline

 Application Review Period Begins
Class of 2013: September 2011 Enrollment — Early Decision October 6, 2010 Upon Submission
Class of 2013: September 2011 Enrollment — Regular Decision April 13, 2011 December 2010

* Applicants who wish to be considered for a merit-based fellowship must submit a complete application by 11:59PM EST on January 5, 2011.

 

By Linda Abraham, President and Founder of Accepted.com.

Filed Under: Columbia, MBA Admissions Tagged With: , , , ,
About Linda Abraham
  • http://getmoneyforschool.org Brandy

    I went to college here and I am glad to see a post about MBA here…Thanks Linda, great post!

  • EK

    Dear Linda,

    Thank you for your suppotive answers. Having read the last statistics on top-10 US bs admissions, I'm a bit concerned if I might be "too old" for top schools. Could you, please, estimate my chances for CBS/Stern/Booth for 2012 intake? Any chances to Wharton?

    F/29/Russian/GPA 4.0 in economics from one of the leading Russian uni, #1 in the class, several scholarships/second degree in law from top Russian uni/ 5.5 WE as tax lawyer in ILF, have interesting M&A and public private partnership experience (incl. negotiations with Russian authorities)/ GMAT – 710

  • Linda Abraham

    EK,

    Age is not the only factor in admissions. Schools in general want to increase the representation of women and Europeans so those are two factors in your favor, not to mention your academic record and work experience which are impressive. I think you have a chance at all 4 schools and are applying appropriately. You may want to also consider Tuck and Kellogg, both of which are friendly to older applicants.

    Best,
    Linda

  • Steve

    Linda-

    I have been accepted ED for CBS this fall. Over the past several months living abroad and studying in a religious institution I have gone through a serious transformation and would like to come back for a few months next year. How could I switch my start from this fall to the January term?

    Thanks

  • Linda Abraham

    Steve,

    You need to respectfully contact the school. Explain your situation. Say that you feel your religious studies are making you into a better, more ethical leader. Offer to put down a non-refundable deposit to show you are serious about attending CBS in January 2012. Then pray.

    Best,
    Linda

  • Mark

    I am considering applying ED or RD to Columbia MBA. Will have 3 years quality experience upon entering the fall of 2012. Will turn 25 that September. 3.1 from top 15 undergrad bschool, 750 gmat. My two questions are:
    1) Do you like my chances?
    2) I failed a class abroad. The class was more difficult than anticipated and I should not have been placed in the class. I also have a connection with a very highly esteemed alum from the program. Should I talk about the challenge of my abroad class and how I decided to fight through instead of dropping? What about bringing up the relationship with this alum?

  • Mark

    The above post refers to the third (optional) essay.

  • Linda Abraham

    Mark,

    1) I think the 3.1 is an issue at CBS even with your 750 GMAT, and that definitely mitigates. Depending on the qualitative aspects of your application (and perhaps your GPA if calculated without the failing class) you could still have a chance but I don't think you can apply with confidence. And there aren't too many people who can.

    2) I definitely think you need to discuss in the optional essay what happened when you took that one class that you failed. What mistakes did you make? What did you learn from the experience. Did you later take the class and do well? I am not sure of the importance of your contact in this context so I really can't express an opinion. Is your contact a CBS alumn or an alum from the program where you had a problem? Assuming the connection is with a CBS alumn, it would depend on how active (and generous) the alum has been and how well the alum knows you.

    For more tips on handling an MBA application weakness, please see http://www.accepted.com/mba/applicationweakness.aspx.

    If you would like help with your CBS essays or to discuss your situation in more detail, please let me know.

    Best,
    Linda

  • sams

    I have 8 years of experience in a Big4 operating in the Middle East. Currently, am a Senior Manager at the Advisory Department. I have a poor GPA of 3.05/4.0 from a leading University in Jordan.I earned my CPA from the States and I have done several advisory/transactions in the MENA region. I will sit for the GRE by the end of this month. What do you think i should do to be accepted in the january intake of Columbia?

  • Linda Abraham

    Sams,

    Aim for 80% plus on the GRE would be a good place to start. Your work experience, especially if you show leadership, sounds competitive.

    Then you need to write great essays that highlight the impact you have had in the positions you have held along with an international perspective and entrepreneurial initiative.

    If there were extenuating circumstances that contributed to the low GPA, tell the adcom about them.

    You might be interested in "MBA Action Plan: 6 Steps for the 6 Months Before You Apply!" at http://bit.ly/hjXDrh

    Best,
    Linda