Columbia '10 admit taking questions

[columbia10admit]

I put this on another thread but i think its also relevant here.
mods : hope this is ok!


Columbia: Culture
this is supposed to be Such a snooty school, when its not really! and for a finance-crazy applicant pool like ours, its surprisingly sidelined. but columbia doesnt make much of an effort to get indian attention, and thats completely their loss.
when you think of columbia, think of new york (or in the indian context - think of bombay) lots of colour and diversity (columbia has one of highest percentages of women and internationals) but also a very individualistic culture. columbia gives you opportunities, but its up to you to take advantage. ppl here dont like to waste time; if you call them with a question, make sure its relevant and to the point. no faff here!

now how do we use this information?
in your career goals essay, dont be wishy-washy; more than most places, you have to say up front "i like this, and x/y/z reasons is why i like it" ...columbia says that they give so much to choose from on campus that you will just go mad if you're not focussed. you shd show Focus in your essays: clarity of thought. and this comes across best in your career goals essay.
in an essay where i talked about my community service, i chose an instance where Action could be seen: not just feelings. thie thing to show is that you have other softer interests but your approach is to "get things done".
basically use the word limit to show that you are diverse, focussed, driven. a lil aggression may not be amiss show you have a softer side, but the A-type is your predominant side.
oh and columbia has a lil complex with h/w/s so show that you're crazy abt the school - and NYC!

[IIMblacki07]

Originally Posted by IIMblacki07
Quote:
Originally Posted by columbia10admit
i am planning to gv GMAT this june and only aiming for top 10 US bskools or top 15 global b skools..
apart frm a 700+ score wht kinda profile do u need to attract the interview panel of these skools.

my profile:


skoolPS RKP,grades:not gr8-->80s in 10th,70s in 12th

school is very irrelevant.. unless you have an extra curricular that stood out then and you are still involved in it; for example if you were a state/national level swimmer and you still swim.. then you can use it to show another side of yourself. otherwise - forget about school.. its ancient history.

grad:frm one of the top 25 tech schools in india,grade:First class with distinction
work exp:2 yrs in infosys,team leader
extracirricular: decent,have been a member of students council in skool,cultural head in college,vice head of self gov team in infosys and quite a lot of social service thruout my career.
achievements:blue coat nd blue bladge for academic excellence in skool,JSTE and NTSE scholar,bronze medal in zonal karate,on the spot award in infy.

what else do u think is needed in the profile?i know i cnt change my 10th 12th marx or get into the IITs..what i can do is probably gain more exp or try for onsite exp or change company..
wht do u think wud be appropriate??

its not like everyone who gets into the top 10 is from IIT or got 95% all their lives - i for one did neither of these things
you sound like you have interesting stories to talk about. i suppose the only things you can do now is make the best of what you have in teh 1yr you have:
- build a strategy: what are you going to tell the schools? make a clear plan of what you want to do post mba; draw a link between what you do now and what you want to do later. if there are gaps, you have the next year to fill them!
- do the best you can at work: get tangible results: a big deal you can show on your resume; improve your relationship with your recommenders.. get an award / promotion..
- changing your company.. thats a whole diff question... you'll have to give me more details for that
- build stories about what you're going to say about the rest of your life: who you are as a person..
- Most Importantly... please Research the schools!!! find out which schools suit you and your goals... this is THE most important thing

good luck!! let me know if you need more help.




Thanx a lot for all the info,its really of a gr8 help to me and I will definetely keep in mind while moving fwd for gmat.
As far as my ambition is concerned i wish to be an entrepreneur and start my own consultancy firm.After doing an mba frm US, i wish to work in one of the top consultancy firms which will be gv me the right exposure and experience to start my own venture.
i really have no clue as to which skool will help me achieve my goal.how did u start ur journey?whr all did u search and whom all did u get in touch with?
im trying real hard to get an onsite frm infy so that i can have a chance to go to these skools and have a chat with the adcom members and the students there,i blv that wud definetely gv me a brighter picture.

what are ur thots on the same?i wish to get into a b skool as soon as possible but only when my profile bcms attractive and it wud be really easy to sell my self..
I can see u getting admits frm couple of brilliant skools.ur profile really helped me blvg that one can crack the top skools even with 3 yrs of work ex which was considered as a myth

Is it possible to share ur gtalk id or ur mail id so that we can have frequent chats(only if ur comfortable with it)

P.S really sorry to make dat blunder(got confused b/w GSB chicago and columbia)

thanx and regards,

[eng_harsh]

FIrst thing you can do to improve your profile is try to be a bit more professional in communication. For example, you have used sms lingo in your post. This is unacceptable at any professional environment. This makes the post difficult to read. Moresoever, if you are asking for help from someone, then you should try to see how has the mentor responded to other queries. Just have a look at other posts and you will get the drift.

Originally Posted by IIMblacki07

Originally Posted by IIMblacki07
Quote:
Originally Posted by columbia10admit
i am planning to gv GMAT this june and only aiming for top 10 US bskools or top 15 global b skools..
apart frm a 700+ score wht kinda profile do u need to attract the interview panel of these skools.

my profile:


skoolPS RKP,grades:not gr8-->80s in 10th,70s in 12th

grad:frm one of the top 25 tech schools in india,grade:First class with distinction
work exp:2 yrs in infosys,team leader
extracirricular: decent,have been a member of students council in skool,cultural head in college,vice head of self gov team in infosys and quite a lot of social service thruout my career.
achievements:blue coat nd blue bladge for academic excellence in skool,JSTE and NTSE scholar,bronze medal in zonal karate,on the spot award in infy.



thanx and regards,

[columbia10admit]

Originally Posted by IIMblacki07

Originally Posted by IIMblacki07
Quote:
As far as my ambition is concerned i wish to be an entrepreneur and start my own consultancy firm.After doing an mba frm US, i wish to work in one of the top consultancy firms which will be gv me the right exposure and experience to start my own venture.
i really have no clue as to which skool will help me achieve my goal.how did u start ur journey?whr all did u search and whom all did u get in touch with?
im trying real hard to get an onsite frm infy so that i can have a chance to go to these skools and have a chat with the adcom members and the students there,i blv that wud definetely gv me a brighter picture.

what are ur thots on the same?i wish to get into a b skool as soon as possible but only when my profile bcms attractive and it wud be really easy to sell my self..

P.S really sorry to make dat blunder(got confused b/w GSB chicago and columbia)

glad i could help!
no worries abt the blunder.. i just got a good laugh at your expense and yeah... its not difficult to get in with 3yrs... you just need to selll yourself a little

to answer your questions:

- i dont know much abt entrepreneurship or consulting, but i can tell you that the schools you can look at would be harvard/stan/wharton (in that order i think) .. tuck.. and chicago is awesome for this i hear, and ross.. darden too. and kellogg!
columbia is more of a fin school.
the way to research is by hounding forums like this look at the top 15 list (look at the rankings and form your own idea) go to the recruitment sections on their websites.. figure out where your target firms recruit from, talk to some ppl from there if you can. talk to as many people as you can from each school! (i have another post on that)..yeah and nothing like a visit, ofcourse! for a better picture.. and brownie points with the adcom

- i cant judge when your profile is right.. you're the best judge of that

good luck! mail / post if you have more questions!

[jimmorrison]

hola!!

congrats on the columbia admit...m kinda stumped on essay 2 in the columbia application..any insights on how u approached this essay?and did u get a fellowship/schol in columbia?

Regards

[GMAK80]

Originally Posted by columbia10admit

I applied to cornell in the november deadline, its second.
my cornell interview came very late in the day, when I had almost given up on it: exactly 3 days before the final decision deadline. in hindsight, i think it was because cornell's apps grew by almost 33% (dont quote me on this! just read it around somewhere) in the first round in october. i do know for a fact that the first round decisions came much later than the deadline.

in the interview, they asked me to come to the campus in ithaca to meet them. i completely freaked out because i did not have the money or the time to do this so i wrote them a very polite email asking them if it was possible that i meet an alum. they were very friendly; responded immediately with the name of an alum in my city. the alum however could not interview me, he was travelling and there was a very short time frame. so the adcom was nice enough to do my interview on the phone; i was interviewed by an adcom member.

it was a short 30 minute session, very relaxed. very obvious questions - why mba, why now, why cornell. he got a little fixated on 'why mba now' and grilled me on why cornell as well.. i mentioned something about teamwork so he asked me if i thought i was good in a team, what role i played in a team and to give him an instance where i exhibited teamwork.. that one led to more questions about my work..
one interesting question was, he didnt ask me directly which other schools i apped to - but he asked me if i thought i was competitive enough for cornell in this very app-heavy year, with such little wkexp (i had about 2yrs 10months) .. this question threw me off a little.. i think i went awkward there for a bit! but then i covered it up saying something about having confidence in what i have done, reiterating why this was the best time for me.. and i said that i wdnt have applied if i thought i cdnt hold my own against the other applicants :P ..that got a smile out of him i think!

the tone of the interview is very friendly, like they genuinely want to get to know you.. but this can be misleading.. you tend to forget that you're in an Interview (atleast i did!! sometimes i talk too much!! ) .. so dont let your guard down!
also, do make a list of qualities you want to highlight in the interview, but dont go with a list of things you want to talk about - hat makes for awkward conversation. also, since the essays are tiny (400 words!! i can never get everything to fit in that) i tried to emphasise my fit all the time. cornell has a bit of a complex as the only ivy-league (ok im not counting yale here!) without a top 10 mba. but its a great school with its own strengths and character; you just need to show your understanding of it.


good luck!! and let me know if you need any more info

Thank yo Columbia '10 admit!!!! I am feeling a little better now. I am a R3 applicant and I haven't heard a word from Cornell. Its self imposed deadline is 3/5/2008. Every day I wait for the little rejection letter in the mail and its becoming frustrating to not hear from them and at the same time other schools are offering me fellowships. Thanks and for your help and the slight hope that I still have for attending Cornell (my 1st choice).


GMAK80

[thedevilgod]

Hi There!

First Congratulations on a cracko of an admit!

I need to know, if it is possible for someone from Sales and Marketing Background to fall in love with Finance and now wanting to switch over to finance for various reasons like interest in subject, clarity of subject, need of it as an enabler for future growth?

My Profile: MBA from top 15B Schools in India. Working with a top Consumer Goods organization and making decent money with 2 years of work ex. GMAT is 750. Computer Engineering grad with heavy Extra curriculars and Community service.

The problem is, Sales and marketing though dynamic in nature has not as much vastness as finance and coming into business has made me appreciate the value of Finance and the value it adds to an organizaion.

I intend to move to Finance for roles in Private Equity and I-Banking.

Two question based on this:
1. Does Applying to columbia makes a sense, as in will they consider my profile?
2. How good is Columbia for I-BAnking and PE Careers?

Thanks and Regards

[columbia10admit]

Originally Posted by jimmorrison

hola!!

congrats on the columbia admit...m kinda stumped on essay 2 in the columbia application..any insights on how u approached this essay?and did u get a fellowship/schol in columbia?

Regards

fellowship/ schol: not so far..
columbia has need-based schols only for american citizens (which i am not). merit-based fellowships are few and far between - so dont expect aid from columbia! it does have a decent loan policy, which i am planning to take advantage of. i've done some cost analysis.. to see how long it will take to pay back. turns out, not so long! if you have more questions on that, just ask.

the second essay! that was my bugbear too what an annoying question, haina? took me a long while to figure it out, and i still think that was the weakest in my app pack. still, let me try and help you, now that i've added that caveat
as i see it, there are 2 aspects to this question. firstly, there is the generic question - is an mba useful in the long run? will it be relevant 20yrs down the line?
this is an important question, and one you shd ask yourself. the mba is a huge investment - you need to show that you are doing an mba with your eyes wide open. in my opinion columbia looks for clarity of thought here - looking for whether you have thought through this decision (to apply) properly. the attached speech with the essay shd give you some direction.
secondly - the keyword here is YOUR mba. this aspect is an almost-continuation of the first essay. what is your career goal? how is the mba relevant to that? will your mba still be relevant in it 20yrs down?
then relate it to what the columbia mba offers - after all thats what you hope to make Your mba! for example, i am looking to make my career in an emerging industry, which by nature is constantly changing - today and for many years to come. columbia has some courses on how to deal with change : thats what i said the columbia mba will give me, which i can use forever..
i hope you get my drift!
also, a little tip: columbia allows alums to audit classes, with the professor's permission. this means that as an alum, you can attend any bschool class u want! columbia's mantra is 'lifelong learning'... use that

hope this has given you some food for thought! good luck

[jimmorrison]

Originally Posted by columbia10admit

fellowship/ schol: not so far..
columbia has need-based schols only for american citizens (which i am not). merit-based fellowships are few and far between - so dont expect aid from columbia! it does have a decent loan policy, which i am planning to take advantage of. i've done some cost analysis.. to see how long it will take to pay back. turns out, not so long! if you have more questions on that, just ask.

the second essay! that was my bugbear too what an annoying question, haina? too me a long while to figure it out, and i still think that was the weakest in my app pack. still, let me try and help you, now that i've added that caveat
as i see it, there are 2 aspects to this question. firstly, there is the generic question - is an mba useful in the long run? will it be relevant 20yrs down the line?
this is an important question, and one you shd ask yourself. the mba is a huge investment - you need to show that you are doing an mba with your eyes wide open. in my eyes columbia looks for clarity of thought here - looking for whether you have thought through this decision (to apply) properly. the attached speech with the essay shd give you some direction.
secondly - the keyword here is YOUR mba. this aspect is an almost-continuation of the first essay. what is your career goal? how is the mba relevant to that? will your mba still be relevant in it 20yrs down?
then relate it to what the columbia mba offers - after all thats what you hope to make Your mba! for example, i am looking to make my career in an emerging industry, which by nature is constantly changing - today and for many years to come. columbia has some courses on how to deal with change : thats what i said the columbia mba will give me, which i can use forever..
i hope you get my drift!
also, a little tip: columbia allows alums to audit classes, with the professor's permission. this means that as an alum, you can attend any bschool class u want! columbia's mantra is 'lifelong learning'... use that

hope this has given you some food for thought! good luck

hey thanks!!!saw that u got thru cornell ...good going!!did u apply to wharton also?

[columbia10admit]

Originally Posted by GMAK80

Thank yo Columbia '10 admit!!!! I am feeling a little better now. I am a R3 applicant and I haven't heard a word from Cornell. Its self imposed deadline is 3/5/2008. Every day I wait for the little rejection letter in the mail and its becoming frustrating to not hear from them and at the same time other schools are offering me fellowships. Thanks and for your help and the slight hope that I still have for attending Cornell (my 1st choice).


GMAK80

i completely understand your worry, i think everybody is equally paranoid about all of this! but dont worry.. it should be fine. i know of someone who got an interview call After the final deadline.. cornell seems to be swamped this year..
oh and congrats for your fellowships