Columbia Business School Alumni Interviews

This is updated from last year.  No major changes. You can find my analysis of Columbia's essays for Fall 2010 here. 

Columbia Business School offers only one flavor of admissions interview: "Columbia Business School Ambassador" alumni invitation-only interviews. You will get to select from multiple interviewers, so try to figure out who they are first before contacting them. I suggest using Google searches, LinkedIn, and perhaps your own network to do so. Select someone who you think you will be compatible with.  Think about this strategically.

While this interview is certainly important, it is not unheard of for Linda Meehan to admit someone the alumni did not recommend or ding someone the interviewer did recommend. She and her team have ultimate discretion over this issue and clearly see the interview as only one factor for determining the ultimate result. That said, the interview is certainly quite important. In my experience, clients who report not having a great Columbia interview rarely are admitted, so you as an applicant should assume that like with any interview, it is very important to do well.

Columbia alumni seem to be particularly effective gatekeepers for the program. They are well known for relentlessly determining whether Columbia really is the applicant's first choice. They are clearly told to do this as it is a consistent feature of interview reports. Not only should you be able to explain why Columbia is your first choice, but you had better explain why HBS, Stanford, and/or Wharton is not. Less then clear answers to the why is CBS your first choice question can prove fatal. Beyond that, I think alumni are really looking to make sure that you possess sufficient mental strength, personal drive (aggression), and career focus to become a part of their "club."

Some of the most common question topics you would encounter in a Columbia interview (Based on my own information and a review of reports at at accepted.com and clearadmit.com):

-Why MBA? Why now?

-What are you goals? Why do you need an MBA for them?

-Leadership related questions focused directly on your experience or perhaps stated more generally.

-Team focused questions about leading a team, contributing to a team, and/or overcoming team conflict are all common.

-Why Columbia? Where else are you applying? What clubs or activities would you join at Columbia? What can you contribute to Columbia?

-Either walk me through your resume or questions that amount to the same thing are always asked. Expect to be asked one way or another about how you standout professionally. Be honest, but very direct and sell your experience emphasizing your ability to make an impact. A common question is "What improvements have you made at work?"

- Ethical dilemma questions, especially related to work experiences are common. So lets go over them briefly here. Ethical dilemma questions are all about decision making and learning:
1. Define the situation, such that it involves clearly identifiable options that are in conflict.
2. The options have to be real. They each have to have clear "goods" associated with them.
3. Justify the basis for the decision you made.
4. If your decision was right, focus on the result.
5. If your decision was wrong, focus on what you learned and hopefully applied to a more recent situation.

-Be ready to ask questions to the alum. Prepare them ahead of time. Assume that unless the alum is a very recent graduate, they should not be asked about recent developments on the campus. This is a good opportunity to ask them about their Columbia experience and about the alumni network.

-If there is anything you wanted to mention that was not covered in your application that you want to bring to the admission committee's attention, you will possibly have the opportunity to do so because interviewers frequently ask about this.

You probably will not be asked any weird hypothetical questions, but rather expect to cover some variation of the above questions in a great deal of depth.

Reported interview length is typically 60-75 minutes, but some interviews are shorter and some go for 90 minutes.

If you are interested in my interview preparation or other graduate admission consulting services, please click here.

Questions? Write comments, but do not send me emails asking me to advise you on your application strategy unless you are interested in my consulting services. Please see my FAQ regarding the types of questions I will respond to. Before emailing me questions about your chances for admission or personal profile, please see my recent post on "Why I don't analyze profiles without consulting with the applicant."
-Adam Markus
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ビジネススクール カウンセリング コンサルティング MBA留学 インタビュー 面接

"I'm at Sloan (ft. D-Pain) - MIT Sloan MBA Rap Song"

Take a break between writing essays and studying GMAT:
MIT Sloan MBA Rap Song - Wanna know what life at MIT Sloan is like - check this out.
Directed and Edited by Ash Martin
Lyrics by James Blair and Ash Martin, Song performed by James Blair and Ash Martin Starring Dapo Bakare, James Blair, Ash Martin, and Tyler Spalding
Just another reason to love MIT Sloan. Foul language follows. Rod must be so proud.
These guys are pretty good.
-Adam アダム

UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School 日本人受験生向けオンラインチャット（日本語）開催のお知らせ

The Japanese students at UNC Kenan-Flagler asked me to post this notice regarding an online chat that they will be doing for applicants..
-Adam Markus
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UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School

日本人受験生向けオンラインチャット（日本語）

開催のお知らせ

MBA受験生の皆様

拝啓

秋晴れの候、ますます御健勝のこととお慶び申し上げます。MBA受験生の皆様におかれましては、受験準備でお忙しい毎日を送られていることと存じます。

さてこの度、UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School日本人在校生一同、 インターネットを通じた日本語によるオンライン・ライブチャットを下記の通り開催することといたしました。日本人在校生が、アプリケーション・インタ ビュー・チャペルヒルでの生活や卒業後の進路などについて、広く皆様のご質問にお答えいたします。当校へ出願を検討されている方を対象としておりますが、2010年以降に出願を予定されている方のご参加も大歓迎です。

インターネットに接続可能な環境がある方でしたら、どなたでも参加可能です。また事前登録も不要です。

受験仲間をお誘い合わせの上、ぜひご参加ください。皆様とチャットでお会いできることを楽しみにしております。

敬具

記

1. 日時
   日本時間2009年11月7日（土曜日）　午後11時～午前0時
   アメリカ東部時間2009年11月7日（土曜日）　午前9時～午前10時
    
2. アクセス方法
1. UNC at CH MBA日本語HPにアクセス
   http://public.kenan-flagler.unc.edu/mba/JapaneseAPP/
2. 近日中にアップ予定のチャット専用URL（トップ画面をご参照ください）をクリック
3. 新しいウインドウが現れ、Please enter your full nameと表示されるので、その下に表示されるブランクに参加者名（ハンドルネームで結構です）を記入
4. Sign Inボタンをクリック
5. チャットルームへの入室ができます
6. チャット画面の下にメッセージボックスがありますので、メッセージを記入の上、Send Messageボタンをクリックし、ご参加ください
7. 参加後、アンケートにご協力ください
   （今後のクオリティ改善のために実施するものであり、合否には何ら関係ありません）
    
3. お問い合わせ先　　UNC_MBA@hotmail.com

UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School

日本人MBA在校生一同

Interview with a Chicago Booth Class of 2010 MBA Student

A former client, a member of the Chicago Booth MBA Class of 2010, was kind enough to answer my questions. 

ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー

Adam: So, what did you learn during your first year at Booth?

Booth2010: First year is mainly getting core classes done (Accounting, Microeconomics, Statistics) to be able to take more advanced classes. Form a study group for each class, and learn to study together - collaborating in a team. 

Time management skill is critical since time flies and there are so many things you need to do. Corporate presentations, mini-presentations at lunch hours (lunch box provided), student groups, lectures of your areas of interest, study group, and social events apart from hours you spend on actually studying the material. MBA is very much about 50% intensive studying and 50% intensive job-hunting. You will need to manage time every minute if not, you will pile up things to do - so it is crucial to prioritize and allocate your time realistically. It helps to know your focus area of interest/industry/job function you want to pursue and keep current with what's going on in other end of recruitment - this year, due to economic hardship, many I-bank jobs were gone, and those who were aiming for I-bank jobs flooded into consulting and corporate finance jobs, while job opportunities itself diminished in number. It is also crucial to develop your network to create a pipeline for a potential position so that people may want to interview you for a position when available.  

Adam: What part of the program have you liked the most? The least?

Booth2010: I liked the fact that the program offered breadth and freedom of choice in courses, yet according to the class requirements, you have certain fixed path until you claim the concentration. Study group is formed in most of the classes. Professors and TAs allocate enough time for office hours. 

There was a program change since 2009: 3  Foundations areas of Accounting, Microeconomics and Statistics remain the same, 6 courses – One course in six of seven categories representing Functions (Finance, Marketing, and Operations), Management (Decisions, People, and Organizations), and the Environment in which firms operate (Macroeconomics and Global Institution and Political Economy) replaces the requirement to take four Breadth requirements and two General Management requirements (A and B).  11 electives, unchanged from the existing curriculum. Leadership requirement now applied to all (Full-time/Part-time/Evening) programs. There are some more changes, so I recommend you to read Booth homepage well and do not depend on past information so much. Basically school added even more flexibility to the program.

About the LEAD program, it is a very much a bond creating, fun program that focuses on your personality and development of team spirit and leadership. When you become 2nd year, you have a chance to become LEAD facilitator for cohort, with which you can develop/demonstrate leadership (and can write on your resume), as well as good presentation practice.  Also, other forms of mentoring/mentee opportunities are abundant.  

Some professors with less experience and low evaluation scores are to be avoided - it makes a difference. I also had to work extra to understand a professor who used slang a lot - but if asked they will listen to your needs/request. 

Adam: How would you describe the culture of Booth?

Booth2010: Supportive-competitive. It is not too individualistic as I imagined before - staff are supportive, and professors will make sure you understand the subject. Social events are abundant and you only need to sign up. Most of the students live in downtown, and it is far from Hyde Park where the school is, and you develop social circle at where you are based at. 

Alumni are very approachable and mostly helpful if contacted. Booth  has presence in major industries but not all - so if you are going for industry like healthcare, you might need to find Alumni to reach out for potential opportunities and inquiries.

Career track and classes you take divide your path - and you never see some faces throughout year, which probably makes Chicago different from other schools with core classes where everyone sits in the same class for the first year.   

Adam: Do you actually have any time for clubs? If so, which ones are you active in?

 

Booth2010: Clubs activities are mostly during lunch time and I found it difficult to go to those since most of the times there are some sort of lecture during lunch time, or I just wanted to prepare for classes. I am a member of the Healthcare Club in which we share info or organize conferences - also, some cultural group have frequent outings. Occasional communal events help to get back in touch with classmates you rarely see otherwise. 

It is crucial to have a membership and get your resume out in certain club's resume book to increase exposure to firms. Membership fees amounts to a lot, so select wisely.

Adam: Are there any common characteristics you find amongst your classmates?

 

Booth2010: Hard working, independent self-starters, as most of all MBAs. I find many people have strong finance background  - I found others are a bit of minority. However, we have diverse people of various backgrounds, like advertised at MBA fairs - it is true.  

Very international - many students from India is what I notice at most classes - South Americans are next, East Asia, then rest of Europe, Middle East. International Connection helps especially in times of recruitment.

Adam: How has the financial crisis impacted life at Booth? 

 

Booth2010: Impact is clear - many companies reduced their booth area or did not even come to Boston Career Forum - many students choose plan B (ex. IB to consulting). School wide, many people are having difficulty securing internship and full-time job. I heared rumor at some point in April  that 50% of 1st years were without internship (should have improved) and 40% of 2nd years without full-time job. (In September, I learned more than 90% had internship, paid and non-paid) Career services have been trying very hard to reach out for Alumni for job opportunities and they have launched a portal specific for that purpose. VC, Investment Managements are now very invisible, and many multinational firms terminated sponsoring visas for internationals. There are some internship opportunities created by school - working for projects. 

Economy seemingly boosted international students intake - as far as I heard from other students, number of acceptance doubled in many international countries - China, Japan, and France - so it should be a good time to apply, for international students, however loan situation is not any better. 

    

Class of 2011 is the biggest in history, reflecting the economy crisis and choices people made accordingly. While, recruiting is not picking up very quickly. 

Recruitment has been hit by cost cutting - less companies are flying to have session, some just canceled the program. 

Adam: Do you have any specific advice for those considering application to Booth?

 

Booth2010: Booth is not only finance - also strong in consulting marketing and other areas. If you look at job stats on school website you will verify that.  

Corporate sponsorship helps. They do care about creative essays. Campus visit helps especially if you meet Adcom and make impression. 

Also, especially if you know specific companies you want to target to apply in US, it is good idea to research which schools they target to recruit - some firms target not exactly based on school rankings, but geographic proximity. It impacts your candidacy for the company. 

Some companies recruit at Booth, and not at Kellogg, and some do at Kellogg, and not at Booth. Of course being a student at their target school improves your chance to be hired, since corporate HR's job is also to maintain School-Company relationship. It does make a difference in the end. 

Adam: Anything else you would like to tell us?

Booth2010: Two years are big investment in your life. Choose your school well - considering location, program, etc. It helps to have great friends who can support you.

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I want to thank Booth2010 for taking the time to answer my questions.

-Adam Markus

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MBA留学 , シカゴ、ビジネススクール

A Happy Story of HBS Rejection

A Happy Story of HBS Rejection: Reflections on The Snowball by Alice Schroeder 

Once upon a time a slightly odd nineteen year-old with a continuous entrepreneurial track record from early childhood, an odd university history (attended a top East Coast School, but graduated from a public university of little repute outside its home state), and who happened to be the son of a United States Congressman applied to HBS.  He was interviewed by a highly judgmental alumnus who decided on the spot that the young man was not ready for HBS.  He was rejected.

The young man than applied to Columbia Business School because he realized that the author of a book on investing that he considered to be one of the best on the subject taught there.  He applied and was admitted without interview. The author became the young man’s mentor.

From one perspective, it could be said that HBS had made perhaps the worst admissions decision ever as it lost the chance to educate the young man.  But for the young man, his HBS rejection worked out just fine.  Maybe he would of benefited from a case study based education, but maybe not.  One thing is sure, the young man greatly benefited from his association with his CBS mentor.  Finally, it is rather clear that CBS made a great admissions decision. 

The young man was Warren Buffett and his mentor was Ben Graham.   Buffett’s authorized biography, The Snowball,  does not record who the HBS alum was, but clearly the guy did not have an eye for talent. And yet, if one considers the issue of fit, everything about Buffett as a person strikes me as wrong for HBS and right for CBS.

The funny thing is, I am not sure the situation has changed.  While HBS certainly now is taking them rather young, would someone like Buffett even get in?  And more to the point, why would he want to go there?

Buffett applied to HBS because he assumed that is where he would want to learn business, but actually he wanted to master investment theory and company valuation. Studying with Graham gave Buffett the perfect education and network to pursue his dreams of wealth.  Did Buffett really want to master general management or leadership? It would hardly seem to be the case that Buffett was looking for that.  Buffett probably would have been as bored by HBS as he was as an undergraduate at Wharton.  What he really wanted to learn, how to make money, required a practitioner’s instruction.  Graham provided that to him.

 

Buffett’s authorized biography reveals the extent to which Buffett is a real weird guy, a true non-conformist, and someone who had little in common with the corporate mentality of the 1950s.   Looking from that perspective it is hard to imagine him fitting into the HBS of the 1950s. He was totally immature.  I suppose HBS has room for such people now, but I tend to doubt it based on the clients I have worked with who were admitted there.  Even my client who was just admitted to HBS 2+2 demonstrated social maturity way beyond his or her age. My view is certainly based only on the clients I have worked with and one visit to HBS, but I am inclined to think that HBS is still not the place for true eccentrics who lack a particular concern for sensitivity to group dynamics.    

For years now, Buffett has been meeting with MBA students, but I wonder if a Buffet of today would actually get to meet him. To some extent, I think Haas, Columbia, and Chicago would probably be our contemporary hypothetical Buffet’s best shot now.  I am not sure if he could make it to the interview invite round without significant coaching (from a mentor or admissions consultant) for Stanford or MIT as his emotional intelligence and leadership experience might not make it past the present clinical methods those two schools use when analyzing applicants behavior as demonstrated in their behavioral essays. 

Can you imagine our hypothetical Buffet applying to Stanford and writing,  “What matters most to me is becoming rich?”  Would Stanford go for that? I have joked about someone doing that theme, but I still have not worked with anyone who had the right background and perspective (and guts) to try it.   (Please don’t send me your essays where you do unless you are one of my clients!)

I think Buffett’s MBA story is above all, a story of two factors, fit and luck.  He was a good academic fit for CBS, but not for HBS.  He was lucky to be rejected from HBS and lucky not to have to interview for CBS as he might not have survived that one any better than the HBS interview.  Once he failed that HBS interview and figured out that Graham was at Columbia, he apparently wrote a very effective application essay indicating that he wanted to study with Graham. It did not hurt that the Associate Dean in charge of Admissions was David Dodd, Graham’s junior partner.  Still, it can be said that Buffett made his own luck when he applied to CBS.  He knew why he was applying there and did not focus simply on the brand name as had mistakenly done with HBS.  He found fit.

-Adam Markus

アダム マーカス

Questions? Write comments or contact me directly at adammarkus@gmail.com. Please see my FAQ regarding the types of questions I will respond to. Before emailing me questions about your chances for admission or personal profile, please see "Why I don't analyze profiles without consulting with the applicant." If you are interested in my graduate admission consulting services, please click here.

ビジネススクール MBA留学