The Application Process

levinkl wrote:Applied on Dec. 31st. Application went under review on January 10th. Any idea on how long most people wait to recieve an interview invitation?

Profile:
25 Yrs. Old
710 GMAT
3.5 GPA U of Mich, Economics
4 years Financial services Merrill + JPMorgan

The entire process can take about 12 weeks so you could hear anytime then. CBS reviews apps in FIFO order, but the caveat is that some apps take longer to review than others,, skewing the ordering. But once you get an interview, you should hear within a week.

Thanks for the information. I got my interview invitation this past Friday - meeting this week!

Hi levinkl, I hope your interview went well! I applied to CBS RD and just got invited for an interview.

Do you mind sharing how the interview went, what questions they asked etc.?

Thank you so much and best of luck!

Liz

I applied mid-December, was invited for an interview two weeks later, and rejected yesterday - less than two weeks after the interview. The good news is that it was a quick process, the bad news, obviously, is that I was rejected.

Profile: 27 y.o. minority female, 720 GMAT, Top 3 undergrad w/ a 3.2 GPA, 4 years of work experience in investment banking and corporate M&A w/ one year of unemployment, during which I volunteered and did some ad hoc projects overseas.

I can't say for sure what went wrong. I didn't really click with my interviewer, but I don't know if that was the deciding factor. I'm still keeping hope alive for my other applications. Wish me luck!

Hi, all. I applied R2 right before the deadline (Jan. 3 or so). Haven't heard anything besides that they're reviewing my application.

Profile:
31 y/o white female, 9 years work experience in journalism
GMAT: 740 (44 Q/47 V/6.0 AWA)
GPA: 3.58 at University of Colorado at Boulder, film studies degree, 4 semesters on Dean's List, honors courses

Obviously, I'm hoping my unconventional background will help, though I realize that might hold much sway with Columbia. I applied to three other schools, all also R2. No word yet save for an interview request from Kellogg (which of course they extend to every applicant; interviewed with an alum last week, thought it went well).

Best of luck to everyone else who is applying!

I applied Round 2 on the day of the deadline (Jan 5th.) and my status says that my application has been printed and is currently being reviewed by the adcom. Seems like most people got their interview invites around a month after they submitted...so I hope to hear in the next few days.

27 y.o female
720 GMAT
5 years work experience in film production
3.6 GPA from Public University (the program I attended is #4 film program in the country)
Recommendation from "famous" director who is a Columbia Alumn

I did everything I could to make sure I was a standout applicant. Traveled to NY to visit the campus, talked with students and professors. Brother-in-law was a January start...

...now I wait... I'll keep everyone posted if I hear anything.

Anyone know if they send out dings faster than interview invites?...I'd like to think that the longer they keep me waiting the better news I'll eventually get

Hi Elizabeth,
Sorry it took me so long to get back to you. My interview was actually rescheduled several times and I didn't have any information for you until this morning. I think it went really well, so I hope to have more good news shortly - keeping my fingers crossed!

As far as the interview went, it was very straight forward. My interviewer kind of showed me the list of questions he had to choose from - another one was "why did you pick you undergraduate school", but he joked and said he didn't really care about that so he wasn't going to ask me. On the form it appears that they have a list of optional questions to ask, but that the questions the admissions office asks them to respond to are a mix of qualitative and quantitative. This is by no means official, but I would suggest you should absolutely expect to get the following questions:

-why business school
-Why Columbia
-What can you contribute to Columbia
-What are your future goals
-Example of a time you lead a team
-Example of an ethical dilemma
-Example of facing adversity


Good luck!

Hi everyone

Congratulations to all those who have already been admitted to Columbia, and all the best to those on the wait-list.

I had a quick question - does anyone know what percent of people who were interviewed received acceptance decisions in years past?

Thanks

I realize how neurotic this question sounds, but does anyone know if there is a particular time of day that they are calling to notify admitted candidates? I've been checking my phone ever 10 minutes for the last three days...

Hey guys!

I applied R2 on Jan 5 (scholarship money hopeful!). I haven't heard anything other than my application has been printed and is being reviewed. I do know that there was some delay with getting my official score report out there on my end. I'm a ball of nerves as Columbia reps have made it clear that they're no Harvard when it comes to young applicants so you're really applying against the odds.

Profile:

22 y/o Female

Entrepreneur (Started a Magazine)

3.3 GPA

Howard Grad, Journalism

Some awards for entrepreneurship, service and journalism from Howard

14 Internships (hope this offsets my lack of professional exp)

GRE - 740 Quant; 520 Verbal (exam 2); 690 Quant; 580 Verbal (exam 1)

Attended Columbia Women in Biz event in January - you had to apply to attend and in the application they asked if you applied so maybe attending helps odds? Who knows.

At the event I met someone who submitted Dec 27 and had already heard back about an interview in early January so I'm hoping R2 applicants are just held up by the slump. Also a completely unhelpful but interesting tidbit lol, at the Women in Biz event they had a "price is right" segment where they announced the names of women who had interviewed and accepted. Very cute. But I wonder if there were any women who had interviewed and been denied admission in the room. My guess is adcomm considered this and submitted denials quickly to ensure denied applicants weren't at the event so this might provide insight into how soon you should expect to hear back from adcomm after an interview. Who knows!

Good luck everybody!

Hey Kendra,
Sorry to hear that your still waiting. I know that they get a huge influx of applications on January 4th and 5th, so perhaps that is partially to blame for the delay. I think my experience was a little different because I managed to sneak my application in by Dec 31st. It went under review on January 10th and I received an invitation to interview on the 20th. I had my interview on February 4th, so now I am anxiously awaiting the final decision.

How was the Women in Biz event? I can only imagine how exciting it was for those few girls who found out they had been accepted! I was scheduled to go, but was stranded in Atlanta on my way there. Huge disappointment. Did they give any insight on their expectations for this year's applicant pool?

levinkl wrote:Hey Kendra,
Sorry to hear that your still waiting. I know that they get a huge influx of applications on January 4th and 5th, so perhaps that is partially to blame for the delay. I think my experience was a little different because I managed to sneak my application in by Dec 31st. It went under review on January 10th and I received an invitation to interview on the 20th. I had my interview on February 4th, so now I am anxiously awaiting the final decision.

How was the Women in Biz event? I can only imagine how exciting it was for those few girls who found out they had been accepted! I was scheduled to go, but was stranded in Atlanta on my way there. Huge disappointment. Did they give any insight on their expectations for this year's applicant pool?

The Women in Biz event was great but was less about admissions and more about being a woman in business. A lot of the prospective students I met who had gotten an interview had applied before the Jan 5 deadline like you did so perhaps that's why. My application went under review on Jan 13 but my GRE test scores weren't delivered until late January because I took the GRE again Jan 3. I skipped the Admissions Q&A at the end as did most attendees as it was geared for people who hadn't applied yet. It was great talking to fellow applicants though because as it turns out I'm not the only one who was going crazy during deadline season lol. Turns out a lot of applicants last minute, cut out schools in order to make deadline to their recommenders chagrin--I cut out one school last min but it was via the Consortium so my recommenders didn't waste their time. There was some mention of how business schools in general want more women but they aren't willing to lower standards to do so, instead they're trying to encourage more women to go to b-school to increase the odds of receiving more qualified applicants.

Good luck! How was the interview?

Thanks for the insight. It would really have liked to have made it there, but it sounds like I didn't miss anything critical.

I think the interview went well - of course now I have had way too long to sit and think about it. I have over analyzed everything that I said! The questions were very standard. As I mentioned on a previous post, it mostly consisted of the basics. I.e., why mba, why Columbia, example of leadership, example of failure.

Hope you get your invitation soon! Good Luck

Hi all,

I submitted my application on the 3rd Jan and the status is still showing as Submission Status: Submitted

Nothing about 'printed and being review'.

Would you be concerend about this, or is the normal? It will be 7 weeks on Monday.

Steve

levinkl wrote:Hi Elizabeth,
Sorry it took me so long to get back to you. My interview was actually rescheduled several times and I didn't have any information for you until this morning. I think it went really well, so I hope to have more good news shortly - keeping my fingers crossed!

As far as the interview went, it was very straight forward. My interviewer kind of showed me the list of questions he had to choose from - another one was "why did you pick you undergraduate school", but he joked and said he didn't really care about that so he wasn't going to ask me. On the form it appears that they have a list of optional questions to ask, but that the questions the admissions office asks them to respond to are a mix of qualitative and quantitative. This is by no means official, but I would suggest you should absolutely expect to get the following questions:

-why business school
-Why Columbia
-What can you contribute to Columbia
-What are your future goals
-Example of a time you lead a team
-Example of an ethical dilemma
-Example of facing adversity


Good luck!

Hi levinkl,

Thank you so much for your reply!!! No worries at all for the delay, just in time for my interview. I am meeting my interviewer tomorrow at 3 pm. Just got back to NY from Asia, so hopefully wont be too jetlagged for the interview!

How long was your interview? I just realised that my interviewer is more in the media entertainment industry and I am mostly concentrating on finance for my MBA intentions and current and prior work experiences. Do you think this would work against me?

I am sooo scared that i will perform poorly just because how much i want this offer!!! Thanks so much for your response again!!! and BEST OF LUCCCKK! (though from the sound of it, you aced it!!!)

Liz