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Admission & Application Survey |
| Full-time MBA |
One of the handful of B-schools that can attach "Ivy" to its name --
and the only one in the finance capital of the world to boot --
Columbia sets a very high bar for admission. The successful applicant
will sport, on average, a 3.5 from a competitive undergraduate program,
a 700 or higher on the GMAT and solid work credentials. There's room
to bend on the GPA (as far down as 3.0), but the Dean has placed
special emphasis on GMAT scores over the last several years, so there's
not a lot of wiggle room below probably 680. With respect to work
experience, it's best to come to the table with some banking or
consulting experience; however, the right spin can catapult just about
anybody, from history teacher to dog walker, into business school.
It's important to write some decent essays, but I frankly don't think
they will sway the committee much one way or the other, unless you're
really on the margin. I would invest time gathering some excellent
recommendations, particularly if you can find a Columbia alum (or even
someone who sits on the Board of Trustees) to support your
application. If your numbers give you a reasonable chance of getting
in, it is critical that you make the most of the interview. You will
receive a list of three potential interviewers; do some research and
select the interviewer that you think you'll hit it off with. Of
course, you should also attend the informational sessions and generally
get your name in front of the admissions folks with some regularity.
Finally, be certain to make it clear that Columbia is your number one
choice -- they really want to hear that.
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Columbia Business School Admission & Application Surveys
