Columbia MBA Essay Tips for 24

Columbia MBA Essay Tips 1:

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)

This is a straight forward goals essay questions. The whole internet is filled with millions of advice on goals essay question by admissions officers of various schools, admissions consultants, alumni, current students and so on. You can watch YouTube videos and read hundreds of blogs/forums to satisfy your hunger for tips/insights/analysis/ideas on what to write and how to write. Even this website has plenty of tips on goals essay. Read here.

So, I won’t delve deep into what to write in this goal essay.

However, my experience has shown me those applicants who focus on how to write THEIR STORY has a unique advantage of appearing authentic to the admissions team. If I send you 50 goals essay samples that various applicants has send me, you can quickly spot the 48 essays that looks quite same in approach and format. These applicants have extensively read all the sample essays in the internet, tips in GMATClub forums, and analysis in various admission consulting websites. They gathered extensive knowledge on goals essay but still couldn’t embrace the courage to write the desires of their heart in their own voice in their unique way. They all want to avoid the herd mentality; but, inadvertently create write-ups that look identical to whatever is available in the internet. Monkey see, monkey do.

My only advice is, if you behave like fifty other applicants, your output will look very similar to what those fifty will produce. There will be less, if any, differentiation.

Whatever you desire in your career, write that in your true spirit without thinking how others’ will perceive it. You don’t need help from anyone else.

In case you are unable to put your thoughts in a piece of paper, then you can talk to me.

Columbia MBA Essay Tips 2:

The Phillips Pathway for Inclusive Leadership (PPIL) is a co-curricular program designed to ensure that every CBS student develops the skills to become an ethical and inclusive leader. Through PPIL, students attend programming focused on five essential diversity, equity, and inclusion skills: Creating an Inclusive Environment, Mitigating Bias and Prejudice, Managing Intercultural Dialogue, Addressing Systemic Inequity, and Understanding Identity and Perspective Taking.

Tell us about a time when you were challenged around one of these five skills. Describe the situation, the actions you took, and the outcome. (250 words)

The primary focus of your answer should be how CBS’s course offerings, top notch faculty, visiting speakers, New York location, and unlimited industry access will serve as a springboard for your career. Know yourself, know the school and thereafter match the two to showcase your fit. Your answer must be tailored to your individual career goals along with your comprehensive knowledge of Columbia’s academic and professional opportunities. Specifics, specifics and more specifics is your only way to differentiate yourself from thousands of other CBS applicants.

The school is located at the heart of the world’s business capital at Manhattan, and NYC is the home of thousands of multinationals, the major stock, bond, and commodity exchanges, and a vibrant real-estate market. For the Columbia student, not only do internship and job opportunities abound, but also the school itself enjoys a close connection with Wall Street, and its faculty boasts a crop of renowned hedge fund managers.

How will this and allied advantages impact your MBA experience? How will you benefit from the entrepreneurial eco-system in New York and Columbia University? How is closer proximity to the Silicon Alley, which houses hundreds of tech, media and telecom start-ups, going to shape your future plans? How is the cutting-edge research and thought leadership of Columbia faculty members going to assist you to accomplish your dreams? Not to mention the practitioners who lead Wall Street and teach at Columbia. Academics at Columbia include an incredible portfolio of adjunct professors from industry. Or, are you going to explore the cultural treasures of New York as a global melting pot and thereafter take advantage of the incredible business opportunities in the arts, media and luxury goods? Well, in that case, Madison and 5th Avenues are in close proximity, giving you an unparallel access to the world of media, advertisement and retail. If you aspire to follow the footsteps of iconic investors such as Warren Buffet and join an investment bank or financial services, Manhattan and all the businesses in it are at your feet.

If you aim to launch your business, the strong venture capital community in NYC will be an asset. The Columbia Venture Capital club will offer you huge networking opportunity with the prominent VCs in NY. Or, if you wish to build a career in non-profits, NYC will provide you the suitable openings as it houses some of the best organizations such as Habitat for Humanity, American Red Cross, Salvation Army, United Way Worldwide, Feeding America, Task Force for Global Health and so on. Furthermore, if you are planning to switch careers, then you can explore Columbia’s internship opportunities to explore a variety of firms.

In terms of writing this essay, first identify all the skills and resources that you need in order to accomplish your career goals. Thereafter, do an elaborate research on how Columbia will fulfill those needs. Talk to current students, network with alumni via LinkedIn or Facebook, and attend any admission events. You may look at this MBA essay as an extension of Columbia MBA essay question 1, as it gives you an opportunity to demonstrate a link between your professional objectives and the benefits of studying at CBS.

Columbia MBA Essay Tips 3:

Tell us about your favorite book, movie, or song and why it resonates with you. (250 words)

Kindly review my tips on this essay in the Columbia EMBA Essay Tips section. Refer Essay # 3.

Columbia MBA Essay Tips Optional:

Is there any further information that you wish to provide the Admissions Committee? If so, use this space to provide an explanation of any areas of concern in your academic record or your personal history. This does not need to be a formal essay. You may submit bullet points. (Maximum 500 words)

To effectively answer the Columbia MBA optional essay question, please review my tips on optional application essays in the following blog posts:

How to stand out in your Columbia MBA essays?

As an admission consultant, I have observed that Columbia always aspires to create a diverse class of star performers who have “fire in the belly” to make it big in life. The CBS admissions team is looking for applicants who demonstrate willpower, perseverance, and the mindset of a global citizen.

Global Citizen

The phrase “global citizen” can have different connotations. For instance, it might mean applicants who have crisscrossed the globe for professional assignments and have eye witnessed various cultures. Such exposures have broadened their horizon about the positives and negatives of each culture and also made them tolerant of people who speak a different language or might have a different skin color. Global citizen also means people who are globally famous due to their own achievements or by association. For instance, the guy who won an Olympic medal or the swimmer who crossed the English channel last summer.

On the other hand, global citizen also means someone who will add his or her own diversity, confidence, or unique vibe to a multicultural student body. CBS wants to admit students with strong intellectual horsepower and big ideas. They want to admit students who can seamlessly network with people from all walks of life. Moreover, they want people who are confident, but not arrogant. They like people who will thrive in a large group setting and amidst the hustle and bustle of the New York City. They’re looking for applicants who illustrate resilience, steadfast determination and above all a zest for life — kind of like the city itself.

Sky-high Confidence

What do I mean by confidence? It might mean someone who has achieved extraordinary things in his or her professional or academic career. It might also mean someone who has persistently faced challenges head-on. Someone who can comfortably walk out of comfort zone and walk into the unknown.

It might also mean someone who doesn’t have a perfect GMAT score or a shinning resume. But he is an expert in networking and relationship building. He is someone who can step up to a challenge and persuade others to shoulder some additional responsibilities. Such a person can build a relationship with an adcom member, retake GMAT, enroll in an evening class to improve quant skills, make efforts to improve at work or have an impact in the community. He knows the art of managing relationship with admissions officers without being boring or pushy. This person might have to reapply, but fighting for an admission with steel in your spine can eventually mean an admission to CBS.

The New York Connection

Finally, this is a soft corner for the admissions officers. Columbia is looking for someone who will embrace New York. They all fundamentally believe that unparalleled access to Manhattan, Wall Streets and so on is the core strength of the school. They never forget to point out their location advantage. They basically want to understand do you know what New York can offer you. Can you thrive amidst all the hustle and bustle of NYC? Can you excel in the hyper-competitive business scenario?

A campus visit can be a huge plus–confirming for the adcom that you’re serious about attending Columbia. You will come to the obvious conclusion that CBS symbolizes the New York city: a global melting pot, energetic ecosystem, and dream to touch the sky. Where else can you meet the Who’s Who of Wall Street so easily? Where else can you meet prominent managers from top banks and hedge funds during subway rides? Or meeting with the JPMorgan Chase CEO, Jamie Dimon at a cultural event? And if you are super lucky, a class “talk” with the one and only, Warren Buffet? But, you should not feel intimidated or overwhelmed due to the overabundance of everything at NYC. Columbia wants you to embrace the New York city.

In your MBA essays, showcase to the CBS admissions committee that how you would thrive in the hustle and bustle of New York and demonstrate how they will capture all the advantages of living in New York – a city that never sleeps. However, if you are not from a big city, there is a possibility that you might actually feel scared about all the busyness and traffic snarls in New York city. But hang on! Columbia and New York have so many things to offer that they actually have the power to make your dream come true.


Sandip Bhattacharya MBA Admissions Consultant

Sandip Bhattacharya, General Management Program (Harvard), Master's in Creative Writing (Oxford)

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CBS Differentiation

  • New York. That’s enough!
  • Accelerated January Term
  • Ivy League B-School

CBS is known for

  • Finance! Finance! Finance!
  • Value Investing Program
  • Who’s Who as alumni (Warren Buffet type)

Apply if you have

  • You’re not changing careers
  • Bit more work experience
  • Want to work in Wall Street

Let us help you to write better!

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