Scott Edinburgh
March 14, 2022

MBA Candidate Success Spotlight: 2021/2022 Columbia Business School Admit

Woman Laughing in Meeting

One of the questions Personal MBA Coach often gets from candidates is “What does it take to get accepted into X school?” While there is no one answer, from time-to-time we share success stories from our clients.

If you are beginning the application process, we advise applicants to get a head start on the process by outlining their goals and developing an MBA resume. By doing so now, you will have one less application component to focus on when schools share their latest essay questions this spring.

Below, find out how this Personal MBA Coach client was accepted into Columbia Business School.

If you are considering applying to Columbia Business School or other MBA programs this upcoming fall, it is time to get started on round 1 applications! Keep in mind, Columbia Business School has rolling admissions so applying early is crucial!

Not sure where to begin? Personal MBA Coach is here to guide you through every step of the process via our comprehensive packages.

Columbia Business School Class of 2024 Candidate Profile Overview

MBA Program: Columbia Business School

Gender/Ethnicity: Female/White

Years of Experience: 3

GMAT: Low 700s

Pre-MBA Experience: Finance

Education: Top Public University

GPA: High 3’s

MBA Candidate Q&A 

Personal MBA Coach: Why did you decide to pursue an MBA?

Candidate: I decided to pursue an MBA in order to make a career transition into investment management.

Personal MBA Coach: How did you decide on which schools to apply to?

Candidate: Going into the process, I had a pretty good sense of the schools that I wanted to apply to, given my goal to pursue a career in finance post-MBA as well as my desire to attend a school near my family. During my kick-off call with Scott, we discussed what factors were the most important to me as well as a good balance of reach and target schools. After that, I had my set list of schools I was going to apply to.

Personal MBA Coach: What was the hardest part of the application process?

Candidate: The hardest part of the application process for me was staying on top of writing all the essays before the due dates while also working a demanding full-time job. The Personal MBA Coach team constantly made sure I was able to stay ahead of my deadlines and complete all materials in time for round 1.

Personal MBA Coach: Why did you decide to turn to Personal MBA Coach for help?

Candidate: When looking for a consultant, I had initial calls with a lot of companies. Personal MBA Coach stood out to me because of its boutique nature – I knew once I spoke to Scott that I would really get that one-on-one focus that I didn’t feel I would have with others. During our initial call, Scott was very honest about the parts of my application that I would need to work on to maximize my chances at top 10 schools. On top of that, Personal MBA Coach had some of the best reviews on sites like Poets & Quants and GMAT Club. Altogether, these factors made me decide that Scott and the Personal MBA Coach team would be the best partner for me during this process.

Personal MBA Coach: What was the biggest surprise for you throughout the application process?

Candidate: The biggest surprise throughout the process was how introspective you really have to get. Putting together your story and actually understanding what drives your short-term and long-term goals is something that doesn’t feel natural at first, but it makes you learn a lot about yourself in both a personal and professional sense.

Personal MBA Coach: How did Personal MBA Coach help you?

Candidate: Personal MBA Coach has helped me tremendously, and I truly don’t believe I could have gotten the outcome I have now had it not been for this team. Not only did the Personal MBA Coach team keep me on top of all my deadlines, but they also helped me pick essay topics and key points to focus on, reach out to recommenders, and prepare for interviews. I really felt I had someone to turn to from the beginning of the process straight through to the end – which is something that is unparalleled in this application process.

Personal MBA Coach: Do you have any final pieces of advice for prospective MBA candidates?

Candidate: My advice would be to really put in the time and effort. Crafting your story is a very important part of the application process, so it’s not something that will be created overnight. The process is long and, at points, can be tedious, but it is very worth it in the end.

Reach out today to get started on your MBA applications!

About Personal MBA Coach

Share
FacebookTwitterLinkedIn