Guide to new Columbia application/essay questions

[essaysnark]

Hello Beat The Gmatters!

As you probably know, Columbia released their new 2011 essay questions this week, and they are very different from past years! You can see the questions here: https://www4.gsb.columbia.edu/mba/admiss ... nts#essays

EssaySnark worked frantically over the past few days to develop a guide of tips and tricks for how to strategize for these new Columbia essays. We're offering this guide completely free through the weekend! You can view it at Scribd here: https://www.scribd.com/doc/55402683/Essa ... 011-Essays

If you have questions about the questions you can also post them in this thread -- we will be around a bit this weekend and would love to help you out.

The most important thing to keep in mind with Columbia is to focus on CAREER GOALS. The new questions they're asking put an even greater emphasis on how important this is at this school.

If you're just starting to think about your approach for your 2011 MBA application, you can check out that Columbia guide for some ideas, because a strategy that works at Columbia is often a winner at other schools too (like Wharton). It's still plenty early in the process but it's not too early to get started! Applying early to Columbia is a big advantage, so if you have some free time this weekend, why not dive in?

Good luck with it!!
EssaySnark

[hcueva]

I'm guessing the promotion ended?

[essaysnark]

@hcueva, yes, the free access period for the Columbia Essay Guide has ended. However, we just reconfigured the Scribd viewer so it shows a little more of the guide -- didn't realize it wasn't giving you anything in the preview mode! We'll also be releasing the SnarkStrategies Guide for HBS soon, and it will be available completely for free in the first little bit after it launches. So, stay tuned for that!!

[mbarealestate]

Does question 1 differ at all from last year's essay? The wording is different, but are the expectations any different? I am wondering because I already completed the essay under the assumption that the questions would not change.

[essaysnark]

@mbarealestate,

The answer to your question is "yes and no." Much of the advice we've been offering for years on how to tackle the standard Columbia career goals question remains the same (see our blog post from last year here: https://essaysnark.blocked/2010/06/ ... stion.html ). So, possibly, what you wrote for the previous version of the 'career goals' should work.

HOWEVER -- and this is a big caveat -- most people are not nearly as specific, nor as detailed, as they need to be when writing their answer to this question. We've seen it over and over. So, we do recommend that you revisit your answer to see how you can sharpen it or tighten it or otherwise make it as compelling and complete as you possibly can.

The other question we're getting asked is, how should the short-answer question and the new question 1 work together? We cover that in the SnarkStrategies Guide on Columbia. Quick response to that is they should be (obviously) complementary and reinforcing, and that everything in essay 1 should expand and support the answer to the "short" question.

Hope this helps!