Essays
Applicants must complete one short answer question and two essays.
Short Answer Question
What is your immediate post-MBA professional goal? (200 characters maximum)
Essay 1:
A. Why are you pursuing an MBA at this point in your career, and how do you plan to achieve your immediate and long term post-MBA professional goals? (Maximum 500 words)
B. Please view this video, entitled Community at Columbia. Diverse, tight-knit clusters and carefully selected learning teams are defining features of the first year at Columbia Business School. Along with more than 100 student organizations and countless events each semester, the cluster system helps to create a supportive and devoted lifelong community. Describe why you are interested in becoming a part of the Columbia community. (Maximum 250 words)
Essay 2: Describe a personal experience and how it has influenced who you are today. This essay should have a personal rather than a professional focus. (Maximum 500 words)
Optional Essay An optional fourth essay will allow you to discuss any issues that do not fall within the purview of the required essays.
Knight-Bagehot Fellows
Rather than answer the first essay question above, current Knight-Bagehot Fellows applying to Columbia Business School should use the space allocated to the first essay to complete the Wiegers Fellowship application essay.
Wiegers Fellowship Essay Question
What are your career goals? How has the Knight-Bagehot Fellowship affected these goals? How will an MBA help you achieve these goals? (750 words maximum)
International Applicants
International students who do not have a degree from an institution in which all instruction is conducted in English must take either the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) or the PTE (Pearson Test of English). You may be exempted from the TOEFL or the PTE only if you have earned a degree from an institution in which English is the language of instruction. We will not accept requests for exceptions to this policy.
The TOEFL and PTE scores are valid for two years. Your TOEFL or PTE score must be valid on the date of application submission.
Be sure to self-report your TOEFL or PTE score when completing your application. If admitted, you must submit an official score report. For the TOEFL, Columbia’s ETS code is 2174, MBA department code 02. For the PTE select "Columbia Business School" from the list of schools provided by Pearson. The Admissions Committee will consider only your highest score when reviewing your application.
Recommendations
All applications require two recommendations. If you have been working full-time for at least six months, one recommendation should be from your current supervisor. The second recommendation should be from either a former direct supervisor or from another professional associate, senior to you, who can add personal insight into your candidacy.
If you are a college senior or have worked full-time for less than six months, at least one, but preferably both, of your recommendations should be from a person who can comment on your managerial abilities. You may ask a summer employer or another person who you feel can objectively assess your professional promise. The second recommendation may be from a college professor.
Recommendation questions include:
- What is your relationship to and how long have you known the applicant?
Is he or she still employed by your organization?
- Please list three to five adjectives describing the applicant’s
strengths.
- Please compare the applicant’s performance to that of his or her
peers.
- What does the applicant do best?
- If you were giving feedback to the applicant regarding his or her professional
performance and personal effectiveness, in what areas would you suggest
he or she work to improve?
- How does the applicant accept constructive criticism or handle conflicts?
- How effective are the applicant’s interpersonal skills in the workplace?
- Please rate the applicant’s individual vs. team
orientation (1 = most effective as an individual contributor; 5 = focused
exclusively on the team)
Please elaborate on your rating:
- Please give an example of how the applicant has demonstrated leadership.
- Is there anything else you feel we should know?
Please be aware, the Admissions Committee does require all application materials be submitted online, including recommendations. |