The following analysis examines the admissions essays for Columbia Business School. The Columbia MBA essay questions below are for the 2022-2023 admissions season. You can also review essay topic analyses for other leading MBA programs as well as general Essay Tips to further aid you in developing your admissions essays.
Columbia MBA Essay Questions & Analysis 2022-2023
Compared to last year, the adcom has kept their longstanding goals essays and introduced an option about DEI. Given the range of topics, these essays allow the applicant to cover a fair amount of material and present a well-rounded picture of one’s candidacy.
Let’s take a closer look at the Columbia MBA essay questions:
Short Answer Question
What is your immediate post-MBA professional goal? (50 characters)
For the 12th year in a row on the CBS application form, this question asks applicants to speak directly about the job they wish to have upon graduating from business school. The adcom offers several sample answers to illustrate the sort of direct response they’re seeking. Given a short and strict limit of 50 characters, you’ll want to clearly and concisely describe your short-term goal, making sure that it aligns with what you write in Essay 1.
Columbia MBA Essay Question 1
Through your résumé and recommendations, we have a clear sense of your professional path to date. What are your career goals over the next 3-5 years and what, in your imagination, would be your long term dream job? (500 words)
Appearing for a sixth year in a row on the CBS application, this first essay prompts applicants to focus almost exclusively on their career goals. We say “almost” here because a bit of context will be important. For example, applicants might remark on how their professional experiences to date have informed their interest in their post-MBA path, and might also comment on transferable skills they’ve gained on the job that will apply to their future posts. In short, make sure that your comments build on rather than repeat material that the adcom can find in your recommendations or résumé. Also, the reference to a “dream job” stands out here. In light of this language, your long-term plans should be aspirational, as top programs want to admit folks who will make an impact in the world. That said, they should be realistic, based on your short-term aspirations, an MBA and career to-date.
Columbia MBA Essay Question 2
We believe Columbia Business School is a special place. CBS proudly fosters a collaborative learning environment through curricular experiences like our clusters and learning teams, co-curricular initiatives like the Phillips Pathway for Inclusive Leadership, which aims to equip students with the skills and strategies necessary to lead in an inclusive and ethical manner, and career mentorship opportunities like our Executives-in-Residence program.
Why do you feel Columbia Business School is a good fit for you academically, culturally, and professionally? (300 words)
To get as much mileage as possible out of this essay, you should aim to develop a very detailed response that explains how the highlighted offerings resonate with you. The adcom will also be interested in hearing about how you see yourself contributing to the community and enhancing the experience of other students, so explaining how you would add to at least one of the examples given will also bolster your case. Also keep in mind that CBS sees New York City as an extension of their campus, so you’ll want to comment on why it adds to “fit” for you.
Covering all of this ground within a 300-word essay is no easy task, so zeroing in on how these aspects of the CBS MBA program align with you academically, culturally and professionally will be important to developing an effective response. Be sure to read the material the adcom provides in the prompt and then reflect on the connections that stand out for you personally. What are you most looking forward to about the cluster experience? How would your role in team projects at work transfer to your learning team? What experience do you have with inclusivity and why would you be excited to participating in the PPIL? What do you most hope to learn from an executive in your future field? Reflect on these ideas as you begin to craft your essay.
Columbia MBA Essay Question 3
Tell us about your favorite book, movie or song and why it resonates with you. (250 words)
This prompt reflects a desire to get to know applicants on a more personal level. While applicants have a myriad of options in choosing a book, movie or song to discuss, the most important part of a candidate’s response will be to showcase their self-awareness by articulating why they connect with the content in just 250 words. It’s also worth noting that selecting an item that isn’t currently ubiquitous can help one stand out from other applicants and showcase a tendency to follow your own path. At the same time, selecting something that’s too obscure may create a missed opportunity to connect with the admissions reader over a shared favorite. We therefore recommend selecting a book, movie or song who several of your friends or family have at least heard of. (That said, if you believe that something by an unknown local artist is truly your best and most authentic answer to this question, we wouldn’t rule it out — and maybe you’ll win them a new fan in your admissions reader.) Given that CBS prides itself on its New York City location, you may immediately think of Frank Sinatra’s classic song, “New York, New York.” However, try to push past the obvious to ensure that you stand out in the admissions process.
No matter which you select, applicants should not presume that the admissions reader will be familiar with your choice. Effective responses to this question will highlight specific details about the selection and explain in detail why they resonate with one’s own character or personality. Remember that the selection is a vehicle for sharing information about yourself — and hinting at your fit with CBS — in this essay.
As a final note, applicants should review the entirety of the book, movie or song they choose to ensure that the message they want to convey is supported. It would also be wise to consider the entirety of a writer’s or creator’s oeuvre and public image, and to steer clear of the controversial or over-exposed.
Optional Essay
Is there any further information that you wish to provide the Admissions Committee? If so, use this space to provide an explanation of any areas of concern in your academic record or your personal history. This does not need to be a formal essay. You may submit bullet points. (Maximum 500 Words)
The admissions committee offers a rather direct prompt to address liabilities in one’s application, e.g. gaps in employment, a weak quantitative record, etc. In such cases, applicants should keep their responses brief and to-the-point, offering explanations without making excuses and humbly bringing mitigating factors to the reader’s attention. That said, it’s possible that there are other elements of one’s background that would be appropriate and not covered elsewhere in one’s application, for example an anticipated promotion or an element of one’s identity not covered in the program’s data forms. While applicants should make an effort to fully represent their candidacies within the required elements of the application, this leaves a bit of room for short exceptions.
Clear Admit Resources
Thanks for reading our analysis of this year’s Columbia MBA essay questions. As you work on your Columbia MBA essay questions and application, we encourage you to consider all of Clear Admit’s Columbia offerings:
- Columbia School of Business Profile on the Clear Admit website: up-to-date advice and admissions information
- Clear Admit LiveWire: admissions updates submitted in real time by applicants to CBS
- Clear Admit DecisionWire: school selections in real-time by admits to CBS
