Columbia Business School Releases Voices Blog

Columbia Business School (CBS) has launched Voices of Columbia Business School that helps prospective applicants to understsnd admissions process.  The blog will include regular entries from the CBS admissions team, as well as from current MBA and EMBA students.

“Our goal in launching this blog…is to provide insights into the admissions process, offer any updates we may have about how the process is flowing, and, perhaps most important, offer reflections on the Columbia Business School student experience,” wrote Assistant Dean of Admissions Amanda Carlson in one of the blog’s inaugural posts.

The review timeline for applications has changed slightly this year with the school trying to provide applicants with decisions as quickly as possible and either invite candidates to interview or release their applications within six weeks of beginning the review process. 

Final decisions will be released within two weeks of receiving the completed interview report. 

There are  three sections, one for admissions, one for upcoming events and a third with posts detailing student life. 

Source: Columbia Business School 

Columbia Business School Sees 19% Drop in Applicants

Applications for two-year, full-time MBA programs that start this fall declined for the fourth year in a row, according to the Graduate Management Admission Council of 744 MBA programs. Meanwhile European based 1-year, and part-time and EMBA programs continue to get more popular. 

The median number of applications world-wide fell 22% in 2012 for the two-year degrees, after a nearly 10% decline last year because of prolonged economic uncertainty. The GMAC survey included 744 M.B.A. and other business programs at 359 schools world-wide.

Columbia Business School posted a 19% drop in applications to its flagship two-year master of business administration program this year, after four years of rapid growth.

But University of California, Los Angeles's Anderson School of Management reported a 22% jump in applications.

Overall, 62% of U.S. schools reported declines in applications to two-year MBA programs.

Some 79% of two-year degree programs in the Asian-Pacific region and 80% of those in Central Asia experienced application gains.

Part-time, online and executive MBA programs are growing more flexible  Applications to the evening and weekend part-time M.B.A. program at University of California, Berkeley's Haas School of Business rose 11% this year.

37% of 1-year Euro MBA programs reported an increase this year, compared with just 22% notching gains in 2011.

For more on this story, see the WSJ story. 

Columbia Business School Essays 2012-2013

Columbia Business School has slightly changed its essays for the Class of 2012-2013 applicants.

CBS has also shortened the application, requiring only two essay questions and a 200-character career goals statement.

Essay 1:
A. Why are you pursuing an MBA at this point in your career, and how do you plan to achieve your immediate and long term post-MBA professional goals? (500 words maximum)


B. Video: Community at Columbia. Diverse, tight-knit clusters and carefully selected learning teams are defining features of the first year at Columbia Business School. Along with more than 100 student organizations and countless events each semester, the cluster system helps to create a supportive and devoted lifelong community. Describe why you are interested in becoming a part of the Columbia community. (250 words maximum)

Essay 2: Describe a personal experience and how it has influenced who you are today. This essay should have a personal rather than a professional focus. (500 words maximum)

Short Answer: What is your immediate post-MBA professional goal? (200 characters maximum)

Source: Columbia Business School

Columbia Business School Deadlines 2012-2013

Columbia Business School (CBS) 2012-2013 deadlines  are as follows:

August 2013 Entry:
Early Decision Deadline: October 3, 2012
Merit Fellowships Consideration Deadline: January 10, 2013
Regular Decision Deadline: April 15, 2013


January 2013 Entry
Deadline: October 3, 2012



Applicants should note that all applications are due at 11:59 p.m. EST on the day of the deadline.

For more information, please visit the CBS admissions website.

 

 

Columbia Business School gets $25 Million for Manhattanville Campus

Leon Cooperman ’67, chairman and CEO of Omega Advisors and a member of Columbia Business School’s Board of Overseers, has pledged a gift of $25 million to support the construction of the School’s new home in Manhattanville.

The gift is the second largest donation in support of the cutting-edge facilities, which will be part of Columbia University’s expansion just north of its Morningside Heights Campus, the university said.

Henry R. Kravis ’69, cofounder, cochairman, and co-CEO of Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. (KKR) and cochair of the School’s Board of Overseers, pledged $100 million for the project in October 2010.
 

In 2007, Cooperman established the Cooperman Scholarship Challenge, which helped to create more than 40 need-based scholarships. He also created the Leon Cooperman Scholarship in 2000 to support students who need financial assistance, with preference given to graduates of New York City public schools; the scholarship currently supports seven MBA students. In 1995, he endowed the Leon Cooperman Professorship of Finance and Economics, a chair held by Professor Geert Bekaert since 2000.
 

The School’s Manhattanville Campus — designed by New York architecture firm Diller Scofidio + Renfro — will reflect the fast-paced, high-tech, and highly social character of business in the 21st century, according to Columbia Business School. The new buildings will encompass approximately 450,000 square feet, resulting in a net additional 170,000 square feet. The facilities will create multi-functional spaces that foster a sense of community — spaces where students, faculty members, alumni, and practitioners can gather to exchange ideas.

Source: Columbia Business School

Berkeley-Columbia to End Executive MBA Program

The February 2013 will be the last graduating class of the joint Executive MBA (EMBA) program of the University of California at Berkeley’s Haas School of Business and the Columbia Business School (CBS).

The Haas School will launch a stand-alone EMBA program in 2013 to complement its existing full-time MBA and evening & weekend MBA programs.

CBS recently launched a Saturday-only option to augment its EMBA-New York program. It also has EMBA-Global partnerships with London Business School and the University of Hong Kong as well as its full-time MBA program.

The Berkeley-Columbia EMBA Program enrolled its first class in May 2002. When it concludes next February, it will have graduated more than 600 students.

Source: Berkeley Haas School of Business