What is your immediate post-MBA professional goal? (50 characters)
Here are some examples of possible answers:
For those that do not live in the NY tri-state area, please briefly share your plans for attending class from that distance. (50 words maximum)
Through your resume and recommendations, we have a clear sense of your professional path to date. What are your career goals over the next 3-5 years, and what, in your imagination, would be your long-term dream job? (500 words)
Columbia MBA program is ranked # 1 globally by FT in 2023. Its New York location has been its biggest strength. But that might be your biggest headache in the admission process. Hundreds of young and mid career professionals apply to CBS every year because of all the strengths it has – unlimited access to Wall Street, Manhattan, Fortune 500 companies, industry network, and rubbing shoulder with who’s who in the corporate world. That makes the competition pretty intense.
If you have a stellar profile (such as 740 GMAT, Consulting experience, rapid promotions, recommendation letter from Partners / Directors etc.), you don’t need to worry too much about this essay. You can pretty much write what you want to achieve in future. But if you aren’t a rock star applicant, you need to think before you take the next step.
You need to apply your imagination while writing this essay so as to convince the CBS admissions officers that you deserve a spot in this great institution.
Some of the parameters by which CBS will evaluate your leadership potential are:
Hence, think meticulously on all aspects of your career trajectory, leadership accomplishments, strengths/weakness, future aspirations, and career management opportunities at Columbia before writing this essay.
This essay is the heart and soul of your application. Talk to me if you need to brainstorm on your profile and create a persuasive goal essay.
Please describe a professional situation where you faced a particular challenge. What was the outcome and what did you learn from the experience about your own strengths and personal development needs? (500 words maximum)
The second admission essay of the Columbia EMBA program provides applicants a golden chance to highlight their leadership and management skills. “Show, don’t tell”, that’s the policy they need to adopt while narrating their experience. They must showcase their leadership in action. For instance, please don’t write that you believe in taking initiatives. Narrate the way you lead your team from the front, delegate tasks to appropriate persons based on their skill sets, organizes team meetings, update senior management about the progress of projects, face challenges head on, devises various strategies to accomplish your mission, mentor juniors to bring them up to speed and so on. Thereafter, discuss the results and the crucial lessons that you learned from this episode.
Your essay should provide the Columbia EMBA admissions committee with a clear picture of your wisdom, maturity, and leadership thinking. Don’t pick a story that’s more than two years old. ADCOM aspires to evaluate your current leadership skills. If you select a story which is pretty old, they might wonder how you have matured as a leader in the last few years.
Please review my tips on optional application essays in the following blog posts:
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Application Deadlines: Click here
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Politicians have speech writers. Journalists use news editors. Famous writers and columnists have an army of professional editors. Don’t you think you also need to have one?