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CBS MBA Interview Questions & Report: Rolling Admissions / Alumni / Zoom

Interview lasted shorter than expected – I shared a copy of my resume prior to our meeting, but it seemed like he never read my resume. Right off the back he started with a comment saying, he interviewed 3 applicants during this admissions cycle and they have all been admitted so that was a nice ice-breaker to get me to feel comfortable.

He explained that when Columbia asks him to fill out the interview report/commentary, they mainly ask for 2 questions:
(1) Does the applicant have clear career goals post-MBA and are they realistic and attainable?
(2) Will this applicant have positive impact on Columbia’s campus?

I gave him a tell me about yourself + overview of resume and translated those facts into my career goals and what I want to gain from a Columbia education. He stressed why Columbia (after asking me which other programs I applied to) and I highlighted reasons such as NYC, curriculum and endless network.

It was an odd question, but he asked me what my GMAT score was and when I told him my score he made a comment saying “just by that score they should admit you, but that paired with your career goals are very natural and seem achievable in the near future.”

After that, he didn’t have much more questions for me and opened the floor up for me to ask questions for him.

All in all, very short interview but wish he talked more about his time at Columbia (he graduated 20+ years ago so it felt a tad bit out of touch).

He submitted the interview report within 2 hrs after our interview – he stressed that given that he’s seeing people get admitted, he didn’t want to be the bottleneck in the process.

Posted in: Interview Questions & Reports

Schools: Columbia

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