Columbia Executive MBA Application Essays 2023-24
The first short answer and Essays 1 and 2 are required.
Short Answer Question:
What is your immediate post-MBA professional goal? (50 characters maximum)
Examples of possible responses:
“Work in business development for a media company”
“Continue my career within investor relations”
“Launch a data-management start-up”
Short Answer Question 2:
For those that do not live in the NY tri-state area, please briefly share your plans for attending class from that distance. (50 words maximum)
Essay 1:
Through your resume and recommendations, we have a clear sense of your professional path to date. What are your career goals over the next three to five years and what is your long-term dream job? (500 words maximum)
Essay 2:
Please describe a professional situation where you faced a particular challenge. What was the outcome and what did you learn from the experience about your own strengths and personal development needs? (500 words maximum)
Optional Essay:
Is there something else you feel would be helpful for the Admissions Committee to know? An optional third essay will allow you to discuss any topics that do not fall within the purview of the required essays. These might include, but are not limited to:
Adverse circumstances in your background
An exciting side venture in which you are working
Areas of concern in your academic record
Or just a fun fact!
This does not need to be a formal essay. You may submit bullet points. (500 words maximum)
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Columbia Executive MBA Letter of Recommendation Questions 2023-24
The Admissions Committee requires one letter of professional appraisal; ideally this should be from your current supervisor. First-time applicants require one recommendation. Reapplicants are required to submit one new recommendation. If you are unable to secure a recommendation from your direct supervisor, please submit a statement of explanation in the Employment section of your application. Beyond your direct supervisor, other recommender options include: a former direct supervisor or another professional associate, senior to you, who can share their insights on your candidacy.
Please note that Columbia Business School and several of our peer institutions use similar, if not identical, recommendation questions. This is an effort on our part to make the process easier for your recommender. We expect that you, the applicant, will not participate in the drafting of your recommendation. When entering contact information for recommenders, please use their institutional or professional email address. We ask that the recommender upload their recommendation on letterhead, whenever possible.
References submitted from personal or anonymous email accounts (e.g. Gmail, Yahoo, 123.com, 163.com, qq.com etc.) will be subject to your admission being rescinded if significant discrepancies are found. Please ensure that if admitted, your recommender is aware that they will be contacted via email and phone in order to verify your recommendation.
After you have contacted your reference about writing a recommendation and completed the form on the Recommendations page of the online application, an email will be sent to your recommender with instructions and a web address they must visit in order to complete your recommendation. You will be notified via email when an online recommendation is received. Applications are not considered complete until all required information is submitted; this includes your recommendation. Note that the recommendation must be received by the Admissions Office within one week of your application submission.
We ask the recommender to consider the following guidelines when writing their recommendation (recommended limit – 1000 words):
1. How do the candidate’s performance, potential, background, or personal qualities compare to those of other well-qualified individuals in similar roles? Please provide specific examples.
- Please describe the most important piece of constructive feedback you have given the applicant. Please detail the circumstances and the applicant’s response.
Step-by-Step Guide
To Writing Great Letter of Recommendations
