columbia mba essay samples

Columbia MBA Essay Examples

Here are some Columbia MBA essay examples and tips for how to write your own! Columbia Business School is at the top of MBA rankings , and getting accepted is very competitive. This means your MBA admissions essays for Columbia need to be very strong, meaning well-written and captivating for the admissions committee. In this blog, we’ll look at how to write a great MBA essay for Columbia, the essay requirements and some Columbia MBA essay examples to help inspire you.

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Article Contents 6 min read

How to write a columbia mba essay.

Your Columbia MBA essay examples need to be strong and well-structured but also add something significant to your application. Columbia Business School is home to one of the best MBA programs in the world , so getting accepted is competitive. Your MBA essays can be a significant strength in your overall application, along with your MBA resume and MBA interview questions .

Columbia MBA asks applicants to respond to MBA essay prompts, so to write an effective Columbia MBA essay, you should address the prompt as thoroughly and in-depth as possible, while keeping to the word count and exhibiting strong writing skills. For each prompt, reflect on your experiences to identify the ones most relevant to the prompt, and most important to you. You can also talk to an MBA essay consultant for brainstorming and writing help. Lastly, be sure to do some research on Columbia’s MBA program to find out what the admissions committee values.

The Columbia Business School’s mission statement and values reflect a commitment to transformative leadership, the dissemination of knowledge and a respect for diversity and inclusion. Columbia Business School’s values statement is:

“To achieve our vision of developing innovative ideas and inspiring leaders that transform the world, the members of CBS strive to build and sustain a welcoming and intellectual community that values and respects individuals’ different and shared identities and perspectives.”

The Columbia MBA program is looking for applicants with strong, proven leadership skills, intellectual curiosity and high academic ability, as well as students who will contribute meaningfully to the school culture. Although you don’t need to write an MBA diversity essay for Columbia, the admissions committee does want to see your unique perspectives and meaningful experiences in your Columbia MBA essays.

Columbia MBA Essay Requirements

The Columbia MBA requirements include a section for three required MBA admissions essays and a short answer question. There is also an optional MBA essay and additional MBA essay questions for the deferred enrollment program.

For the short answer question, keep it to a bullet point or short sentence. You can describe the job title or position you hope to achieve or condense your short-term career goal into a simple sentence. ","label":"Deferral and Short Answer","title":"Deferral and Short Answer"}]" code="tab1" template="BlogArticle">

Here are some MBA personal statement examples from the Columbia MBA program.

Columbia MBA Essay Example #1

Through your resume and recommendation, 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)

  Over the next three to five years, my career goals revolve around developing expertise in strategic management and honing my leadership skills within a global organization. Building upon my academic foundation and professional experiences, I aspire to assume roles of increasing responsibility and contribute to driving sustainable growth and innovation.

 In the short term, I aim to secure a position in a renowned financial consulting firm where I can immerse myself in diverse industries and work closely with senior executives to solve complex business challenges. This would provide me with valuable exposure to different sectors, sharpen my analytical and problem-solving skills, and allow me to cultivate a deep understanding of strategy formulation and implementation. Simultaneously, I intend to pursue advanced certifications in areas such as project management or data analytics to enhance my skill set and stay abreast of emerging trends and technologies. These additional qualifications will equip me with the tools needed to navigate the ever-evolving business landscape and add value to my future employers.

To achieve these goals, I plan to take on progressively challenging projects that allow me to expand my knowledge base, strengthen my decision-making abilities, and cultivate strong relationships with key stakeholders. Additionally, I will seek out mentoring opportunities to learn from seasoned professionals and gain insights into effective leadership practices. Looking beyond the next five years, my long-term dream job is to serve as a Chief Strategy Officer (CSO) or Chief Financial Officer (CEO) of a global organization. As a CSO or CFO, I would have the opportunity to shape the strategic direction of the company, lead transformative initiatives, and foster a culture of innovation and inclusivity.

In this role, I envision myself leveraging my strategic acumen and business expertise to drive sustainable growth, adapt to disruptive market forces, and navigate geopolitical complexities. I aspire to create a positive impact not only within the organization but also on a broader scale by addressing societal challenges and promoting sustainable business practices.

Tell us about a time when you were challenged around one of these five skills ( Creating an Inclusive Environment, Mitigating Bias and Prejudice, Managing Intercultural Dialogue, Addressing Systemic Inequity , and Understanding Identity and Perspective Taking) . Describe the situation, the actions you took, and the outcome. (250 words)

During my sophomore year in college, I was confronted with a challenging situation that tested my ability to create an inclusive environment. As a member of the student council, I was responsible for organizing a campus-wide Cultures of the World event. However, I soon realized that there was a significant lack of representation from certain underrepresented student groups in the event planning committee. This was a clear indication of a potential bias and a missed opportunity to create an inclusive environment.

Firstly, I initiated a dialogue with the committee members, expressing my concern about the lack of representation and the importance of incorporating diverse voices in the planning process. I also encouraged everyone to reflect on their own biases and be mindful of the need to mitigate prejudice in our decision-making. I reached out to student organizations representing underrepresented groups, inviting them to join the event planning committee. I also organized brainstorming sessions focused on ensuring that various cultures and perspectives were represented in the event's activities, performances, and discussions.

The outcome was incredibly rewarding. By actively involving underrepresented student groups in the planning process, we created an event that showcased the true diversity of our campus. The inclusive environment fostered open and respectful dialogue among students from different backgrounds, promoting a sense of unity and understanding. Moreover, the event received positive feedback from attendees, who appreciated the efforts made to address systemic inequity and highlight marginalized voices. The experience taught me the importance of taking action in promoting inclusivity.

Want more MBA personal statement examples?

Columbia MBA Essay Example #3

Why do you feel Columbia Business School is a good fit for you academically, culturally, and professionally? Please be specific. (250 words)

Academically, the school's commitment to experiential learning and its emphasis on real-world applications would provide me with the practical skills and insights necessary for success, especially in working with non-profits through the Non-Profit Board Leadership Program, as working in the non-profit field is my goal. Moreover, the opportunity to engage with distinguished faculty members, such as Melissa Berman, would allow me to delve deeper into the business and organization of non-profits and broaden my intellectual horizons.

Professionally speaking, Columbia Business School's location in the heart of New York City offers unparalleled access to global business opportunities, particularly in the non-profit sector. The school's strong ties with industry leaders, alumni network, and career resources would provide me with invaluable connections and internships, enabling me to translate my academic knowledge into practical experiences.

Culturally, CBS is an ideal fit for me as an individual passionate about collaborating with people from different backgrounds and perspectives. The school's diverse student body would provide an enriching environment for cross-cultural learning and networking. Additionally, the plethora of student organizations and initiatives, such as the Social Enterprise Club, would enable me to contribute to causes I care about while building lasting relationships with like-minded individuals.

Columbia’s MBA program is considered one of the best in the world, with an admissions rate just over 16%. Getting accepted to Columbia’ MBA program is quite competitive, considering the amount of applicants the business school receives every year and its fairly rigorous academic standards.

There are 3 required MBA essays at Columbia, plus an optional essay. Columbia also requires deferred program applicants to answer two different MBA essay questions.

Columbia’s MBA program is considered one of the best in the world and at the top of the business school rankings. As of this year, Financial Times' Global MBA rankings puts Columbia at the very top of the best business schools worldwide.

Your Columbia MBA essays will have a word limit of 500 words for the first required essay, and a limit of 250 words for the second and third required essays. The optional essay has a word limit of 500.

Yes, the Columbia MBA essays are a significant part of your overall application and can be a big asset to your candidacy. It’s important to take your time and write well-structured and stand-out essays that will add to your application and help you get accepted.

At this time, no, Columbia does not use video essays for its MBA program.

To write a good MBA essay for Columbia, read the prompts very carefully and brainstorm ideas that relate to the prompts directly. Any experiences you highlight should be meaningful and impactful to you, personally or professionally. You should also choose experiences which highlight the values of Columbia Business School, such as diversity, intellectual curiosity, leadership and innovation.

If you’re not sure what to say in your MBA essay, do a bit of brainstorming on the provided prompts or essay questions. Write down a few key experiences that relate to the prompts or answer the questions. You can also talk to an MBA essay consultant or MBA admissions consulting service for help with your essays.

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2023-2024 Columbia Business School Essay Tips and Example Essays

Jun 11, 2023

• Who is Columbia looking for?
• How should I answer the CBS essay questions?
• Get Into Columbia Business School
• CBS Deadlines

UPDATE : This article was originally posted on August 22, 2018. It has been updated with new information and tips below. 

Located in the heart of New York City, Columbia Business School offers its students access not only to top-notch academics but also to myriad networking opportunities outside of the classroom. Famous for having big names like Warren Buffett drop into classes to discuss past deals, Columbia truly offers unparalleled access to some of the biggest names in business. 

Given its tight-knit network, reputation as a finance powerhouse, and privileged location, landing a spot at Columbia Business School is no small feat. 

That’s why we’ve prepared this guide to help you use your Columbia admissions essays to stand out. We’ve rounded up not only our best tips but have also included example Columbia MBA essays to ensure you give your Columbia application your best shot. 

1. Who is Columbia looking for?

(Photo courtesy of @columbia_biz on Instagram)

“Only Columbia Business School gives you the opportunity to shape your career in the very center of business. There’s something about being positioned in New York City, where access to leaders across industry is truly advantageous. Here you will learn to take on challenges and respond dynamically. You’ll gain skills to succeed in fast-moving, competitive environments anywhere. Hone your strengths. Find your best career path. Realize success.” Columbia Business School Admissions  

Every year, Columbia’s admissions team enrolls around 850 students for their prestigious MBA program out of around 6,100 applications. Though CBS does work hard to admit a diverse class (44% of the Class of 2024 were women, 51% were international citizens, and 42% were of minority origins (in the US), they do tend to admit applicants with 5 years of work experience. Applicants also tend to have average GMATs of 729 (GRE scores were not reported ).

Nonetheless, that does not mean that Columbia looks simply for good test-takers. Instead, they want a talented, principled, well-networked group of business leaders.

According to Columba’s Admissions team:

In addition, Columbia tends to respond favorably to applicants who can demonstrate that studying in New York City is a differential for them, so make sure to reflect on how you will use the city of New York to complement your learning and accelerate your career. 

If this sounds like the perfect B-school for you, you’ll first have to prove you’ve got what it takes by successfully answering Columbia’s admissions essay questions.

2. How should I answer the CBS essay questions?

Columbia has multiple different essays on a relatively wide range of topics. Our tips below break each down in detail. 

2.1. Short Answer Tips

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.”

-“Join a strategy consulting firm.”

-“Launch a data-management start-up.

In their instructions, Columbia asks you to be extremely straightforward in telling them what you want to do professionally (and in which industry) immediately after graduating. 

Since you’ve only got 50 characters, get straight to the point and make sure you answer the question they are asking (job + industry). Being creative at the expense of giving them the information they want will be a mistake. Finally, no need to add “I want to…” here. Just jump right in.

2.2. Essay 1 Tips

Through your resume and recommendation, 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)

Like last year, CBS wants you to focus more on your longer-term plans (logical, since they have asked for your immediate post-MBA goal in the first question). This type of question reveals that CBS is interested in understanding your plans for the future in terms of how you see your career advancing over the long haul.

To answer this question, like any goals essay , it’s important to keep in mind that this is not a restatement or dramatic retelling of your CV. You will, however, want to provide a few lines of context, as this helps the reader later understand that you have the skills and motivations necessary to succeed in your goals. 

Next, launch into your 3-5 year goal. This should be related to your post-MBA goal and should state how you intend to continue growing. Stagnant goals here will not work well. 

Finally, make sure you state your long-term plans. Columbia asks you for your dream job, so really dream! Envision the impact you want to achieve in the world with your career and discuss why this “dream job” is so important for you. At the same time, make sure your dream job is feasible. 

They do not ask you how CBS will help you reach your goals, like many other goals essays do. As such, keep any mentions of CBS brief and ensure the star of the show here is your future and your motivations for pursuing the path you desire. 

TOP TIP : If you’re still not sure about your MBA goals, we’ve written a post designed to help you think through what your objectives are and how you might present them in your MBA application. You can check that post out here !

Need more guidance?

Our MBA Resource Center has dozens of past successful Columbia Business School essays that worked to get our clients admitted and a detailed brainstorm to help you plan out a winning CBS essay.

Our center also includes guides for all top global MBA programs, detailed essay brainstorms, interview tips and mocks, CV templates, and recommendation letter guides. Click to join !

2.3. Essay 2 Tips

Essay 2: The Phillips Pathway for Inclusive Leadership (PPIL) is a co-curricular program designed to ensure that every CBS student develops the skills to become an ethical and inclusive leader. Through PPIL, students attend programming focused on five essential diversity, equity, and inclusion skills: Creating an Inclusive Environment, Mitigating Bias and Prejudice, Managing Intercultural Dialogue, Addressing Systemic Inequity, and Understanding Identity and Perspective Taking.

Tell us about a time when you were challenged around one of these five skills. Describe the situation, the actions you took, and the outcome. (250 words) 

The topic of diversity and inclusion has become increasingly center stage both in the business world and in MBA admissions. Columbia’s return to an essay question focused on their PPIL program is a reflection of Columbia’s continued effort to train leaders who truly value and promote inclusivity. 

Of course, success in business school and in your future career highly depends on your ability to work well with people who are different from you. But as the question also touches upon “mitigating bias” and “addressing systemic inequity,” it seems to me that Columbia is making a statement that the successful leaders of the future are those who actively promote ethical, inclusive work environments and company cultures. 

This essay prompt gives you the chance to prove that you have already had the opportunity to either work in an environment with others who are different from you or have championed the cause of diversity, ethics, bias, inclusion, or inequality in some meaningful way. 

The wording of the question makes it clear to me that this is not the place to write an essay that gives a superficial nod to diversity. For example, perhaps you held a 1-hour training session for the only woman on your team. Though this technically does fall under the category of promoting diversity, it just doesn’t convey the image that DEI is a topic that you resonate with and have actively promoted.

Before deciding if this is one of the three essays you should write, I think it’s important to first examine exactly what types of scenarios the question is asking about. Let’s break them down one by one.

Creating an Inclusive Environment : Inclusivity often gets thrown together with the concept of diversity, and is often used interchangeably with this term. However, inclusivity is more than just bringing diverse perspectives to the table. It’s fostering those perspectives and ensuring that they are fully able to meaningfully contribute. 

Mitigating Bias and Prejudice : Bias, especially unconscious bias and how it shapes our decisions, is a critical issue to tackle when promoting greater diversity, equity, and inclusion. 

For example, several years back we worked with a client from Latin America who had built a career in the public sector. Though English was not used in any way in the work his department did, a rigorous English test was administered as part of the hiring process in order to keep traditionally privileged people in government jobs. Recognizing how this bias was greatly damaging the fairness of the public service exam – and access to equal opportunities for stable jobs – our client took action and campaigned for a year to remove the English test as part of the hiring process. The results were tremendous, and the practice has been rolled out to other local and state governments. 

This is the perfect type of example to use for this question. If you do choose to write on this topic, make sure the bias – and how you actively challenged it – is clear. 

Managing Intercultural Dialogue : If you decide to go in this direction, make sure the example clearly demonstrates how you communicated or helped facilitate communication across different cultures. It might be helpful to keep the Council of Europe ’s definition of Intercultural Dialogue in mind as you brainstorm: “In a general sense, the objective of intercultural dialogue is to learn to live together peacefully and constructively in a multicultural world and to develop a sense of community and belonging.” 

When choosing an example, make sure you clearly show how the identities you communicated across were different, what techniques you used to overcome the challenges associated with this type of communication, and what the final outcome was. 

I wouldn’t frame this as a single conversation, but would contextualize it in the form of a STAR-format story where communicating across identities is core to the example. 

Addressing Systemic Inequity : I feel like this is the most difficult but one of the most potentially powerful options for this essay. Addressing systemic, entrenched inequity is no easy task. With the numerous candidates we’ve worked with over the past years, I can think of very few who had a story that would fit this answer. 

First, it’s important to define the difference between inequality and inequity. Many people use them interchangeably, but they mean very different things. We love this simple yet effective illustration by Sollis that demonstrates the two terms:

Source: achievebrowncounty.org 

As such, if you choose this option, you need to make sure you show a story where you challenged a long-standing lack of fairness . Of course, showing exactly how you did that – and why you decided to take this issue on – is of paramount importance. 

Understanding Identity and Perspective Taking : New compared to the list presented the last time this question was asked, this question is broad enough to include many different experiences with diversity, including your own personal experiences. 

Since the question asks you to discuss perspective taking, I don’t recommend choosing an experience solely focused on exploring your own identity (more on this later). However, you can focus on your own identity in relation to others. You could also focus on an experience that allowed you to understand another person or group’s identity. 

It’s important to note that this skill is presented as Understanding Identity and Perspective Taking, not either/or. As such, a complete answer here also needs to address the perspective taking part of your experience. 

As you brainstorm, it might be helpful to keep this definition from LinkedIn in mind, “Perspective taking is defined as trying on the perspective of another without fully agreeing or understanding the complexity of their perspective. Then, you can search to uncover and learn why they may have that perspective.”

So, great examples here are going to focus on understanding an identity in some way and then trying on the perspective of another to learn why they have that perspective. 

Remember, though – you should share a clear story on this theme. A broad personal narrative or intellectual discussion of identity or perspective taking won’t work well for this assignment. 

Overall, we suggest you start by considering the brand you are presenting to CBS and examine which examples might fit one of the five areas above. Though your example might actually tick multiple boxes, it’s imperative that you choose an example that fully links to one of the five concepts above. 

Though examples where you experienced one of the above work well, examples where you took action to overcome one of the challenges presented is, in my view, even better. If you were the one who faced discrimination in the example you choose, that also works well for this essay. 

Then, make sure you narrow this list down to your single best story . In a 250-word essay , you won’t have time to fully explore multiple examples, so limit yourself to one excellent story. 

Finally, write from the heart. Share the context, show why you took action, and tell us both the outcome of the story and how it changed you. Equally as important, avoid shaming or blaming others involved in the situation. If you have an example that fits this question, you’re well on your way to a “small but mighty” admissions essay. 

2.4. Essay 3 Tips

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 , an extremely active co-curricular and student life environment, 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? (250 words)

I think the best way to break down this essay is to think about your answers for each of the three aspects CBS notes in the question: academics, culture, professional development. 

Let’s start with tackling the academics part of this question .  

To begin, we suggest you do deep research into Columbia’s MBA and make a list of the opportunities you hope to pursue.

An MBA is not a catch-all degree that serves a purpose for all career paths. As such, you need to demonstrate that the goals you have set for yourself require the additional training that the CBS MBA can provide. 

Be thoughtful about this particular section. If you show fluffy or unsupported ways in which you plan to take advantage of the CBS curriculum, you’ll also likely see your application tossed aside in favor of an applicant who was able to clearly demonstrate how they plan to leverage their time at business school. 

Instead, show that you deeply understand Columbia’s curriculum and have done significant, thoughtful research into how their academic opportunities will help you reach the goals you laid out in Essay 1. 

Then, tie each of these to a specific development goal you have during your MBA or a specific reason each. You won’t have space for a lot of reasons here since the question asks you to cover three different pillars, so we suggest focusing on 2-3 ways you can benefit from CBS academically. 

Considering the professional aspect , the benefits of an MBA extend far beyond the classroom, and nowhere is that more true than at Columbia. 

Since the city of New York plays such an important role in your CBS education, you want to demonstrate here that you’ve fully considered how you will take advantage of the city’s varied offerings and how this will lead to your development. 

Furthermore, Columbia is very proud of its many unique advantages (like renowned business leaders “dropping into” CBS classes), so you may also choose to discuss elements of the CBS MBA program like these that attract you. 

For example, a few years ago, our client Helena wanted to use her CBS MBA to transition from investment banking to private equity. When reflecting on the advantages CBS and New York City offered her to support this move, she knew access to one of the world’s PE hotspots was a huge asset, and opened her essay like this:

“When I decided to pursue an MBA to transition into Private Equity, I knew there was only one place to make this career change: New York City. The industry originally began there, and the city is still a hub for PE activity. I plan to capitalize on this geographical advantage and intern at one of these top firms. Putting theory into practice in New York, where the biggest, most important global deals are done, will give me an unmatched opportunity to build experience in deal execution with the very best.” 

Beyond CBS’ privileged location, you’ll also want to consider other aspects of the program specifically geared towards professional advancement and development, like the Executives-in-Residence program the prompt mentions. No matter what you choose, make sure you clearly connect how these opportunities will specifically help you reach your professional development goals. 

It is also important that you address the part of the question people often overlook – how does CBS align with you culturally? Addressing this topic means really finding one of the core values of the school and finding a way to discuss how it aligns with your career plans in a meaningful way. To do this, we suggest bringing in some mention of how you have exhibited one of Columbia’s values, such as promoting DEI or being a good collaborator, and connect it to how you will continue to pursue this value at CBS in specific ways. 

While you should do your own research to find the most relevant courses, opportunities, values, and people at Columbia for your goals and experience, we do suggest addressing one of the opportunities mentioned directly in the question ( clusters and learning teams , the Phillips Pathway for Inclusive Leadership , and the Executives-in-Residence program ). Particularly, we suggest that you address the topic of diversity and inclusion, which is foundational to CBS’s increased efforts to train leaders who truly value and promote inclusivity.  

Finally, make sure to include meaningful mentions of any students or alumni you’ve interacted with and how they have shaped your view that CBS is the best school for you. A laundry list of names won’t work here, but a quote from a mentor or citation of a class recommendation from a friend that helped reinforce your interest in Columbia would be appropriate. 

TOP TIP : When writing your essay, strive for the same level of specificity and connection to your specific professional and personal goals.

2.5. Optional Essay Tips

If you wish to provide further information or additional context around your application to the Admissions Committee, please upload a brief 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)

This optional essay is unlike other schools’ essays, in that it is open enough to speak about more than just “issues” in your application. If you do have a low GMAT score, poor academic record, or other pressing weakness, please use this space to address the issue(s). 

However, if you would like, you can also use this space to discuss a personal challenge you have overcome or some unique factor in your profile you were not able to address in the essays. 

Do not use the essay to discuss “Why Columbia. ” You have ample space to address this in other parts of the essay.

2.6. Reapplicant Essay Tips

How have you enhanced your candidacy since your previous application? Please detail your progress since you last applied and reiterate how you plan to achieve your immediate and long term post-MBA professional goals. (Maximum 500 words).

We have written extensively on the topic of reapplicant essays here .

Looking for Columbia Business School MBA essay examples? Check out our real sample essays that got our clients admitted here .

3. Get Into Columbia Business School 

One of the most common mistakes we see in MBA essays is that candidates fail to tell compelling stories . This is important because if your stories are not compelling, they will not be persuasive. At the same time, they must be backed by strong examples that establish a track record of success and prove to the admissions committees why you belong at their school. 

Striking this balance between content and creativity can be tough, however, as succeeding means not only choosing the right stories but ensuring they are told in an optimal manner. 

This is why our iterative developmental feedback process here at Ellin Lolis Consulting helps you mold your message through the application of our storytelling expertise until it reflects exactly what makes your profile stand out and show fit with your target program. 

That’s the approach we took with Elisa, who was admitted to Columbia. In her words. “Ellin Lolis MBA Consulting helped me clarify my goals for the future and communicate those ideas effectively in my various essays. I’m confident that their editing suggestions helped me present myself as the best candidate I could be, which led me to get into CBS. 

I would highly recommend Ellin Lolis as they were fantastic at helping me flesh out ideas I had in my head in a way that would make the most impact with an admissions committee.”

Not only can you take advantage of our editing expertise through multiple edits – you can also benefit from it after a single review! If your budget is tight, our editors will be happy to help polish your text as much as possible and leave “bonus comments” so you can keep working on it on your own!

No matter how long we work with you, we will always ensure your essays shine . Sign up to work with our team of storytelling experts and get accepted.

4. CBS Deadlines

Find below the deadlines for the 2023-2024 application cycle. You can start an online application by clicking here . 

Columbia is no longer using rolling admissions (except for the January intake) and has moved to a traditional rounds system (as detailed below).

Real MBA Essays That Got People In

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How to Write a Powerful MBA Essay—With Examples

The MBA essay is critical to your business school application. Read our guide to writing the perfect MBA essay, with successful admit examples.

Posted April 4, 2024

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Table of Contents

What is the mba essay.

The MBA admissions essay.

Those words alone are enough to make most MBA candidates run screaming. Writing in general is hard enough. Writing about why you want an MBA? Your short-term goals and career aspirations? What matters to you most, and why? Forget it.

Of course, you still have to write these essays.

The MBA essay is perhaps  the most important part of the business school application. (It's also getting more and more important by the day, with some business schools moving away from traditional, quantitative measuring sticks, like the GMAT and the GRE.) Every other part of the application — your GPA, your test scores, your letters of recommendation — are quantified, cut and dried, or out of your control. The essay is your chance to show up as a fully realized MBA candidate, with hopes, dreams, and vulnerabilities. Admissions committees are not simply assessing your candidacy as a future leader — they're looking to admit human beings. That's where the MBA applicant essays come in.

That being the case, rather than being intimidated by it, treat the essay like the opportunity that it is — the chance for you to highlight your unique, iridescent self; the only moment in the MBA admissions process (prior to the interview) when you can speak directly to the admissions officers; the time when you'll show them who you really are. It's not easy to write something that will do that, of course, but with the tips and tricks in this guide, and some help from one of Leland's vetted, world-class admissions coaches, we know you can do it. Give the essay the time, attention, and respect it deserves, and you'll be on your way to an offer of admission at your dream school.

Without further ado, let's dive in!

Ultimate MBA Essay Guide

See the MBA essay prompts, top tips from experts, and real examples from admits with this comprehensive guide.

How Long Will My MBA Essay Take?

First thing's first: let's talk about timing.

The MBA application is a behemoth; between exams, resumes, gathering your official transcripts, letters of recommendation, and the applications themselves, there's a lot to juggle. That being the case, we suggest you give yourself ample time to draft, write, and revise your essays. The last thing you want is to be rushed to the finish line.

So, give yourself  at least three months to write your MBA essays. That should allow you ample time to draft, write, and edit. For more information on timing your entire b-school application, click here for  A Comprehensive MBA Application Timeline--With Chart .

Now, on to the critical question:

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What Makes a Great MBA Essay?

At the highest level, the answer is the one that is truest to you. The whole point of these essays is to shine through as an authentic, vibrant human being, so the best essays are the ones that cut through the clutter, and allow you do to that.

Which begs the question — how  do you cut through the clutter and shine through as a vibrant human being? Here are four critical tips to follow as you begin thinking about your essays.

1. Answer the Question

This one sounds obvious, but you'd be surprised how many applicants launch into their story, get carried away, and forget to answer the question. Follow the prompt, and answer the question the admissions committee has asked you. Those prompts can actually be very useful when writing your essays — it's a great deal harder to write when you have no guidance or guardrails. With the MBA essays, you have a very specific question you need to answer. So answer it!

2. Be Specific

Another mistake some MBA applicants make is to stay at a high level in their essays, keeping their writing abstract and therefore inaccessible to the admissions committee. If at any point, an admissions officer could replace your name with the name of another applicant, then your essay isn't getting deep enough. It's not enough, for instance, to say that you suffered adversity in high school, or that you really, really want a Wharton MBA. You need to explain, in detail, the adversity you faced, and give concrete and unique reasons why you think Wharton is the right program for you. The best essays offer hyper-specific examples and anecdotes, with details and anecdotes that no other candidate could bring to the table. To get those anecdotes, we recommend using the STAR template, as explained below:

• Situation : What was the situation you were facing? Where were you? How old were you? If you were in a professional role during this anecdote, what was the role, and how long had you been in it? If you were volunteering, at what organization? How long had you been volunteering there? Why did you start? Offer all the relevant information that the admissions readers will need to understand your story.
• Task : What was the task at hand? What went wrong? In your professional role, what was the challenge you faced? In that volunteering experience, what were the hurdles you had to overcome? You can't have a good story without conflict or tension, so after you set up the anecdote, explain what that conflict or tension was (and remember, be specific!).
• Action : What was the action you took to resolve the problem? What did you have to do to fix that issue at work? How did you clear that hurdle in your volunteer experience? Again, be specific about how you came through on the other side of that conflict/tension — and while you're doing it, highlight your leadership capabilities as much as possible! Remember that top MBA programs are looking for future leaders who can assess a situation and decisively take action. (We'll say a bit more about this below, in the Personal Statement section.
• Result : What was the result of your action? If you were facing a growth problem at work, were you able to increase sales? If so, by what percentage? If you were advocating for diversity and inclusion at your local charity, what new programs did you implement to help with that effort, and what was the enrollment like in those new programs? Detail what happened in your anecdote with as much specificity as possible — and quantify, quantify, quantify!

3. Get Vulnerable

Most MBA admissions essay prompts are written with the goal of getting to know as much about you as possible in the shortest number of words. To do that, you're going to have to share real things from your life — to get personal, intimate, and vulnerable. Do not shy away from this. If you're starting to get emotional during the reflection, drafting, and writing process, good — that means you're on the right track. Keep going. Pro tip: If it’s making you cry, it will make them cry. Another good rule of thumb is to put something real and true on the table. Admissions officers have to read literally thousands of applications from thoroughly qualified individuals, some of whom might come from similar roles to yours, with letters of recommendation from equally impressive supervisors. In order to cut through that noise, you'll have to share something honest. If you're doing it right, this can feel risky. At some point, you’ll likely think to yourself: “Can I say that?” The answer is: “Yes.” Of course, there is a line, you don’t want to be crass or offensive but err on the side of being open and authentic. The very worst thing you can do is be overly cautious, and write something you think will please the admissions committee. These poor people have to read thousands of essays. If yours is just like everyone else’s, they’ll fall asleep. Don’t let that happen. Wake them up by putting yourself —your true, bright, vibrant, quirky self—on the page.

4. Don't Exaggerate

Finally, do not exaggerate, over-inflate, or lie. This goes without saying, but admissions committees are looking for honest candidates. The surest way to get rejected is to lie about something. (Business schools do a background check on you before you're properly admitted, so they will find out.) Don't be the person who over-inflates on their essays, then has their offer letter rescinded.

The Types of MBA Essays

All right — since we've covered high-level approaches to the MBA essays, it's time to dig into the various types.

There are three general categories of MBA essays you'll see across the board.

1. Personal Statement

These questions ask you to offer up something sincere about yourself. They'll often touch on such things as your values and your character. In these, you'll want to be as authentic as possible, while also highlighting attributes like leadership, intellectual vitality, and teamwork, that business schools are looking for. Here are a few examples of personal statement essays:

• As we review your application, what more would you like us to know as we consider your candidacy for the Harvard Business School MBA program? (HBS)
• What matters most to you, and why? (Stanford GSB)

2. Why an MBA/Why This School

The next category of essays is the "Why an MBA" / "Why This School" set.

In these, schools first want to hear about how an MBA will fit into your career, both short and long term. Top MBA programs are looking for candidates who will: first of all, be gainfully employed upon graduating, second of all, have an illustrious career that will make their institution look good and encourage future generations of applicants to apply, and third, be consistent and generous donors. That being the case, they want to know about your career trajectory, and how an MBA will fit into it.

Pro tip: Here, you want to be ambitious and inspiring in laying out your future career, but not naïve. Walk the line between shooting for the stars and sounding dreamlike and uninformed.

In this set of questions, you'll also encounter questions geared at figuring out why you would want to attend a specific school. MBA programs want to know that you're serious about attending their school — yield, or the percentage of admitted candidates who accept their offers of admission, is an important metric for them — but they also want to envision how you'll contribute to their admitted class. What will you uniquely bring to the table, the things that you'll do that the other candidates wouldn’t be able to offer?

We've heard former deans of business schools say that, in choosing a class, they're curating a world-class dinner party, and that each person invited to the dinner party has to bring something different. What will you bring to the dinner party?

Pro tip: To demonstrate that you've done your research, and to help the admissions committee envision you in their program, indicate which classes you might take when earning your MBA and why, which professors you might hope to study with, and in which clubs you might participate.

Here are a few examples of "why MBA / why this school" essays:

• How is a Columbia MBA going to help you? (Columbia)
• What do you hope to gain professionally from the Wharton MBA? (Wharton)
• Why Stanford? Describe your aspirations and how your Stanford GSB experience will help you realize them. (Stanford GSB)

3. Behavioral/Other

Finally, most other essays will either be behavioral, asking you about experiences, traits, strengths, weaknesses, and achievements. There's a wide variety of topics here, but all the guidelines from above apply, with the final note to always prioritize authenticity (as mentioned in the Personal Statement section) and leadership ability (remember, business schools are choosing future leaders). Here are a few examples of behavioral/other essays:

• Describe the biggest commitment you have ever made. (Yale SOM)
• Tell us about your favorite book, movie, or song and why it resonates with you. (Columbia)
• Think about times you’ve created a positive impact, whether in professional, extracurricular, academic, or other settings. What was your impact? What made it significant to you or to others? (Stanford GSB)

Top MBA Program Essay Prompts (Updated 2022)

To help you get started, we've compiled the required prompts from a few top MBA programs below:

1. Harvard Business School (HBS)

As we review your application, what more would you like us to know as we consider your candidacy for the Harvard Business School MBA program? (900 words)

For more information, visit A Guide to the HBS Essay .

2. Stanford Graduate School of Business

What matters to you most, and why? (650 words)

Why Stanford? (400 words)

Read What Matters Most When Writing the GSB Essays.

How do you plan to use the Wharton MBA program to help you achieve your future professional goals? You might consider your past experience, short and long-term goals, and resources available at Wharton. (500 words)

Taking into consideration your background – personal, professional, and/or academic – how do you plan to make specific, meaningful contributions to the Wharton community? (400 words)

For Wharton-specific advice, visit A Guide to the Wharton Essays .

4. Columbia Business School

Essay 1: Through your resume and recommendation, 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, in your imagination, would be your long-term dream job? (500 words)

Essay 2: The Phillips Pathway for Inclusive Leadership (PPIL) is a new co-curricular program designed to ensure that every CBS student develops the skills to become an ethical and inclusive leader. Through PPIL, students attend programming focused on five essential diversity, equity, and inclusion skills: Creating an Inclusive Environment, Mitigating Bias, Communicating Across Identities, Addressing Systemic Inequity, and Managing Difficult Conversations. Tell us about a time you were challenged around one of these five skills. Describe the situation, the actions you took, and the outcome. (250 words)

Essay 3: 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 , an extremely active co-curricular and student life environment, 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? Please be specific. (250 words)

5. Chicago Booth

How will the Booth MBA help you achieve your immediate and long-term post-MBA career goals? (250-word minimum)

An MBA is as much about personal growth as it is about professional development. In addition to sharing your experience and goals in terms of your career, we’d like to learn more about you outside of the office. Use this opportunity to tell us something about who you are… (250-word minimum)

Read more at A Guide to the Booth Essays .

6. Kellogg Northwestern

Kellogg’s purpose is to educate, equip and inspire brave leaders who create lasting value. Provide a recent example where you have demonstrated leadership and created value. What challenges did you face and what did you learn? (450 words)

Values are what guide you in your life and work. What values are important to you and how have they influenced you? (450 words)

Read How to Nail Your Kellogg MBA Application Essays

7. MIT Sloan

MIT Sloan seeks students whose personal characteristics demonstrate that they will make the most of the incredible opportunities at MIT, both academic and non-academic. We are on a quest to find those whose presence will enhance the experience of other students. We seek thoughtful leaders with exceptional intellectual abilities and the drive and determination to put their stamp on the world. We welcome people who are independent, authentic, and fearlessly creative — true doers. We want people who can redefine solutions to conventional problems, and strive to preempt unconventional dilemmas with cutting-edge ideas. We demand integrity, respect, and passion.

Taking the above into consideration, please submit a cover letter seeking a place in the MIT Sloan MBA program. Your letter should conform to standard business correspondence, include one or more professional examples that illustrate why you meet the desired criteria above, and be addressed to the Admissions Committee (300 words or fewer, excluding address and salutation)

Applicants are required to upload a 1 minute (60 seconds) video as part of their application. In your video, you should introduce yourself to your future classmates, tell us about your past experiences, and touch on why MIT Sloan is the best place for you to pursue your degree.

How to Start Your MBA Essay

So you've read about the types of essays, and seen some of the prompts from top MBA programs. Now it's time to actually start diving into the essay.

The very first thing to do, before putting pen to paper, is to look inward.

Why do  you want an MBA? What role will this degree play in your professional growth? How do you imagine it will shape your life? What do you want out of your career? What is the most important thing in the world to you?

Yes, these are life’s deep-end questions, but you’ll need to tackle them in these essays, so before you start writing, take the time to think through them. Go for a run, swim some laps, bake a cake—however you get into the flow — and start a dialogue with yourself. Put down your work, turn your phone off, and give your mind permission to go to the places it usually avoids. That’s a good place to start. That’s where the answers are.

Pro tip: The first sentence is the hardest one to write. When you're starting out if it can intimidating and anxiety-producing. The trick is to simply put  anything  down — and don't look back. Keep putting one sentence after the other. You can edit later: let whatever comes to you out onto the page. If you’re struggling with self-critique, dim your computer screen until you can’t even see the words you’re typing. Then keep going.

Additional Tips & Tricks

Once you've started your essay, it's a matter of persistence: keep writing, then keep drafting and editing until you have something you're really proud of.

To help you with that process, here are a few more tips and tricks:

• Take Breaks

When you hit the wall — you will hit the wall — stop. This is your brain telling you it needs to do something else. Walk your dog. Take a lap around your room. Eat some cheese. Your body needs sleep every night to function; your mind is the same way. That next leap of inspiration will come exactly at the moment when you’re least expecting it.

• Read it Out Loud

When you finally have a draft, print it and read it out loud to yourself. Your ear will catch things your eyes miss. Reading out loud is the best way to pick up on spelling errors, clunky transitions, and paragraphs that still need ironing out. It’s also a good way to envision how the admissions committee will experience your essay.

Don’t be precious with your essay. Send it to anyone willing to read it. Solicit as much feedback as you can. If you don’t like what people have to say, you don’t have to incorporate it, but you need an impartial third party to give notes on what they’re seeing, thinking, and feeling. (You’re too close to things to do it for yourself.) This is where a Leland coach comes very much in handy!

• Complete Everything Early

This is more of a timing consideration, but you do not want to trip at the finish line because your internet went down the night before the deadline, or your credit card was denied when paying your application fee (it's happened before). Don't let that be you!

Here is another article to get you started, written by an expert essays coach: 7 MBA Essay Tips to Make You Stand Out in 2022 .

Example MBA Essays

Finally, here are two essays to help inspire you. The first, a personal statement essay, was submitted by an admit to Berkeley Haas' Executive MBA program; the second, a career goals / why MBA essay, was submitted by an admit to Chicago Booth's deferred MBA program.

Haas Admit:

A person’s identity is shaped by many different aspects, including family, culture, personal interests, and surrounding environments. Please share a facet of your identity or story that is essential to who you are. (300 words) My upbringing in India, filled with countless myths and legends, had a profound influence on me. The most formative tale was about a sage who prays for years to the goddess of knowledge, but in vain. In the end, the goddess didn’t appear for the sage because he was turning his prayer beads the wrong way! As a child, this story upset me: the sage worked so hard and had the right intentions. As an adult, though, I’ve come to realize that the goddess of knowledge was right: you can’t succeed unless you do things the right way. Seven years ago, two friends and I started a company, XXXX: a digital health platform that would allow patients to store medical records online and consult doctors remotely. We had early success—we brought on 2,000 patients at XXXX, a gynecology clinic in XXXX—but ultimately we didn’t have the resources to properly scale, and had to shut the company down. Among the many lessons I learned, the most valuable was that ideas and hard work are common; businesses succeed or fail based on execution—on doing things the right way. Two years ago, I relearned this lesson in the most painful way possible: when my marriage ended. My wife and I loved each other, but we weren’t there for each other when it mattered most. Our feelings weren’t enough—we had to back them up with the right actions. It’s disheartening when you have good intentions but still fall short. When this happens, though, you have to keep trying—because eventually you will do things the right way. I carry the story of the sage with me always, not as a harsh lesson, but as a motivating goal: one that keeps me striving towards doing things the right way.

Booth Admit:

How will the Booth MBA help you achieve your immediate and long-term post-MBA career goals? (250 word minimum)

I want to start a geothermal company that will help lead the energy transition away from fossil fuels and toward renewable energy—by targeting existing oil wells as sites for geothermal plants. Oil fields are close to electric grids and have high nearby subsurface temperatures, making them ideal sites for geothermal plants. By building geothermal infrastructure nearby, my company will produce cleaner, cheaper energy, making it more profitable for operators to switch from oil to geothermal. As oil companies decommission their wells, I’ll negotiate for their land rights, so I can use their existing wells for new geothermal vents. I want my company to prove the case for economically viable, carbon neutral energy production. After getting an MBA I want to start a geothermal company which will help me lead the energy transition away from fossil fuels to renewable energy. I plan to target developed oil fields in Texas, where, in many places, producing wells are flowing enough hot fluid to generate clean energy. Using this geothermal heat, the carbon footprint of oil and gas extraction will decrease as fewer fossil fuels are utilized to power surrounding infrastructure. As the wells approach their economic life, I will negotiate the lease from various operators, saving them millions in plug and abandonment costs, and retrofit the wells for direct geothermal energy production via closed loop binary fluid systems, bringing emissions to zero. To accomplish this goal, I need to shore up my knowledge of energy economics and entrepreneurial finance, develop a strong sense of leadership, and build a network of like minded individuals that will help me lead the transition and I believe I can get those things at Chicago Booth. My immediate career goal is to develop my first co-production site in Shelby County, Texas at the Blanton well site, which produces abnormally heated fluid from the flanks of an active salt dome. Before investing in capital expenditures, developing a strong sense of energy economics and broader markets is necessary to verify financial feasibility. University of Chicago, through the Graduate-Student-At-Large: Business program, is already allowing me to accomplish this goal with my enrollment in “Microeconomics” with Professor Andrew McClellan. His instruction helped me understand the impact taxes and subsidies have on market equilibrium, an important aspect of renewable energy as green energy tax incentives continue to change on a yearly basis. As my company continues to grow, having a strong finance and accounting foundation is imperative to building and sustaining a healthy company. Electives such as “Accounting for Entrepreneurship: From Start-Up through IPO” will provide the skills I need to be successful by following the life-cycle of a business that originates as a start-up, and covers topics such as building an initial accounting infrastructure. I understand that execution of the business is as important as developing the idea and proof of concept, and Booth is the best place for me to develop financial fluency. Leading the energy transition will require a strong sense of leadership. Not only will I need to lead those I get to work with over my career, but to lead the energy transition, and reverse the impact fossil fuels have had thus far, I must have the emotional intelligence to inspire others to join me in my journey. The “Interpersonal Dynamics” course at Booth will allow me to develop my communication skills and better understand the emotions and perceptions of my colleagues. These skills, synthesized with leadership development acquired in “Leadership Practicum” will prepare me to act as a relational leader, who understands the needs of others. As a relational leader I hope to foster an environment which promotes happiness, and maximizes efficiency, not only to make our efforts in changing the world more successful, but to excite other people to join our cause.

To find the greatest chance of success in leading the energy transition, I will need a network of like-minded individuals who can provide a diversity of thought. Chicago Booth provides the opportunity to develop that network through different community experiences. The Energy Club’s “Energy Forward” conference, which designates time to topics in oil and gas and renewable energy will allow me to hear from industry leaders, build meaningful relationships with peers and contribute my sector experience to the public forum as I learn from those around me. Opportunities through the Entrepreneurship and Venture Capital Group such as “SeedCon” will help me connect with successful entrepreneurs and early-stage investors whose ideas and funding might change the course of my venture’s trajectory. Even in the GSALB program I have had the opportunity to connect with other students in various sectors, including the energy industry. I hope to continue to strengthen those connections and continue building new ones with matriculation into the full time program.

Here are several other articles that you may find helpful as you put together your MBA application:

• The Most Frequently Asked Questions on MBA Applications
• How to Answer the "Why an MBA?" Essay Question
• My Top Piece of Advice for MBA Applicants
• How I Nailed My MBA Interview and Gained Admission to Top 10 Business Schools
• 4 Expert Tips on Paying for Business School

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Columbia Business School (CBS) requires all its applicants to submit a short-answer goal statement of just 50 characters, and its January applicants must respond to an additional 50-character short-answer question, explaining why they have selected the alternative program start date. In addition, candidates must write three somewhat concise essays. Like the goal statement, CBS’s first essay prompt is about candidates’ career aspirations but focuses on the long term, and the additional length (500 words versus 50 characters) demands much more depth. For their second essay, applicants must discuss their active role in an inclusive experience, and for the third, they are asked to describe their vision for their time in the CBS MBA program and the role they anticipate playing in creating this experience. Together, by balancing professional aspirations with more personal, values- and character-based topics, the school’s essays should provide candidates with sufficient opportunity to provide a well-rounded impression of themselves as aspiring CBS MBAs. Read on for our detailed analysis of the program’s 2024–2025 questions.

Columbia Business School Essay Analysis, 2024–2025

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.”
• “Join a strategy consulting firm.”
• “Launch a data-management start-up.”

CBS applicants accustomed to X’s (formerly Twitter’s) standard 280-character allowance might find the school’s 50-character limit here more than a little challenging—especially considering that it includes spaces! To get a sense of how brief your opportunity really is, note that the question is itself exactly 50 characters. With such limited space, this can hardly be considered a true essay, but you will need to approach it with the same level of thought and focus you give all your other written responses for CBS. 

So, this prompt is a no-nonsense request for information that is all about getting to the point and telling the admissions committee what it needs to know—that you have a clear and achievable goal. The school’s sample responses illustrate not only that conveying the requested information in such a tight space is definitely doable but also that you do not need to worry too much about grammatical issues or crafting a complete sentence (in other words, you do not need to start your response with “I want to” or something similar). We like to offer the statement “Reveal true goals, not what you think CBS wants” as both our example of keeping things concise and our advice on how to approach and fulfill this request. 

So think about what you truly want to do with your career in the short term, and state this aspiration directly. Keep in mind that the rest of your application needs to provide evidence that your stated goal aligns with your existing skills and profound interests, especially once they have been augmented by an MBA education. This will show that your professed goal is achievable and lend credibility to your statement. If you can do this in 50 characters (not words !), you will have done what you need to do to answer the school’s question quite well.

January Short Answer Question: Why do you prefer the January-entry term? (50 characters maximum)

With this straightforward query, the CBS admissions committee wants to understand why you are pursuing the shorter form of its MBA program, which omits the traditional summer internship. Candidates have a myriad of reasons they might prefer this option, and CBS is interested in yours specifically. Perhaps you already have a job lined up or will be returning to your current firm (or maybe a family business), in which case, you would not need an internship to gain hands-on experience or build a relationship with a company in hopes of landing a post-MBA position there. Maybe you are certain you will start your own business, which would make completing an internship less crucial. Whatever your reason, simply state it directly for the admissions committee. The school is not looking for a predetermined “right” answer here; above all, they want to see that you have thoroughly considered your options and have landed on a reason—and can articulate it succinctly—that this route is the right one for you. But if not needing an internship is your reason for selecting the 16-month program, make sure you do not simply say, “I do not need a summer internship”; explain why that interim position is not needed. 

Essay 1: Through your resume and recommendation, 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)

CBS starts this essay question by more or less telling you not to recap your career thus far, so we strongly recommend that you do so (and briefly, at that) only if context is absolutely needed for your stated goals to be understood and/or believable—perhaps if you are making a fairly remarkable career change. Pay particular attention to the phrase “dream job” with respect to the long-term portion of the question. The school is prompting you to be creative and perhaps even to challenge or push yourself to think big. CBS wants individuals who do not just follow prescribed paths according to someone else’s blueprint but who are aspirational and more inclined to forge their own way. This is not to suggest that if you have a more traditional plan in mind that you are in trouble or at risk of losing the admissions committee’s attention, but you might need to take a little extra time to consider your ambitions from the perspective of “what if?” and to delve more deeply into what you hope to achieve to find the more personal and inspiring elements of your goals. Showing creativity and individualism here can only be helpful.

Although this is not a request for a textbook personal statement essay, your response will certainly involve some elements of the topics covered in such a submission, such as short- and long-term goals. The mbaMission Personal Statement Guide offers advice on brainstorming and crafting such essays, along with multiple illustrative examples, and could therefore be helpful in preparing your response to this CBS prompt. You can download your free copy here .

Essay 2: The Phillips Pathway for Inclusive Leadership (PPIL) is a co-curricular program designed to provide students with the skills and strategies needed to develop as inclusive leaders. Through various resources and programming, students explore and reflect on the following five inclusive leadership skills: Mitigating Bias and Prejudice; Managing Intercultural Dialogue; Addressing Systemic Inequity; Understanding Identity and Perspective Taking; and Creating an Inclusive Environment.

Describe a time or situation when you had the need to utilize one of these five skills, and tell us the actions you took and the outcome. (250 words) 

In the CBS MBA program, you will be surrounded every day by individuals who are unlike you in a multitude of ways, and you will need to work in tandem with and alongside these individuals when analyzing case studies, completing group projects, and participating in other activities both inside and outside the classroom. CBS has created the PPIL program to help students more easily and appropriately navigate topics and situations related to diversity and inclusivity, but first, the admissions committee wants some evidence that you are capable of learning such lessons and acting on them when appropriate. It also wants to gauge your current level of understanding of the concepts and your ability to apply them by having you relate an illustrative story from your past. To start, you must understand that true inclusion goes beyond simply providing a seat at the table, so to speak, for everyone on a team and demands that each person be invited or at least allowed to contribute in a meaningful way and that those contributions be valued on par with those of other team members.

We strongly recommend getting to know the PPIL program in some depth before you begin writing this essay. On the CBS site, this essay prompt includes a hyperlink to the program’s site (we have replicated the link here in our post), so be sure to take some time to click through and read about the program’s initiatives and founders; you can even watch a recorded PPIL event. To be able to write effectively on one of the five skills the admissions committee has highlighted in the essay question and asked you to focus on, you will need to start by understanding how CBS defines and talks about the skill.

Again, CBS wants you to provide evidence of how you act on your values and ideals, so you cannot simply discuss why you believe that being an inclusive leader is important—you need to clearly describe a relevant situation and your associated mind-set, motivations, and actions. Fully illustrating and exemplifying the “how” element is crucial for this essay to be its most effective, so be as thorough as possible (within the rather restrictive 250-word limit) in explaining your thought process and the steps you took to make a difference. 

Because the school places no restrictions on the environment in which your experience occurred, be sure to consider all the areas of your life (personal, community, professional) to uncover your strongest example. Similarly, the admissions committee does not stipulate that you must have been acting in a leadership capacity in the story you share, but if you have a strong example in which you were directing a team, group, or initiative, it would likely make for an even more compelling essay.

Essay 3: We believe Columbia Business School is a special place with a collaborative learning environment in which students feel a sense of belonging, agency, and partnership – academically, culturally, and professionally.

How would you co-create your optimal MBA experience at CBS? Please be specific. (250 words)

In different words (clearly), the admissions committee is essentially asking you two core questions here: How are you a good fit with the CBS program? And what would you contribute to it and the CBS community? To position yourself to provide a strong and convincing answer to the school’s question(s), you will need to conduct some significant research on all aspects of CBS, its community, and the MBA experience it offers, from its resources and faculty to its extracurriculars and location. In your essay, you must present a clear plan of action, showing direct connections between CBS’s offerings and your interests, personality, and needs. Note that the prompt does not present an “and/or” choice in its request, so you should strive to address all three angles of the experience it mentions—”academically, culturally, and professionally”—in your essay, if at all possible. This will demonstrate to the admissions committee that you are truly a good fit for, and enthusiastic about, the entire CBS MBA experience, rather than being narrowly focused on just a few key resources or aspects.

One important key to this essay is the element of “co-creating.” You need to paint yourself as an active participant and contributor, not just benefitting from what CBS has to offer but also making your personal mark on the experience in some way. In researching the CBS program, have you noticed something “missing” that you could add? Alternatively, is there just a key area of interest where you could engage and contribute? Ideally, whatever you discuss in your essay should be advantageous for others in the community, as well. Although you are focusing on your personal experience, of course, CBS is looking for applicants who will be additive and can elevate the program more broadly.

Although the word “optimal” implies a bit of “blue sky thinking,” you need to make sure that whatever you propose is indeed possible at the school. If not, the admissions committee will conclude that you have not done sufficient research on the school to understand it appropriately, and—perhaps worse—your proposed offering(s) would have no chance of ever coming to fruition, which essentially means that your contribution might end up being nothing. Obviously, this is not the message you want to send.

Note that generic claims and empty pandering have no place at all in this rather compact essay. Any elements of CBS that you reference must be specific to your interests, character, and needs, and the connections between them must be made very clear. Be authentic about what draws you to CBS in particular, and clearly explain how you will engage with and grow through your experience there while adding to the school in some way. 

The “why our school?” topic is a common element of a typical personal statement, so we (again) encourage you to download a free copy of the mbaMission Personal Statement Guide , which helps applicants write this style of essay for any school. It explains ways of approaching this subject effectively and offers several sample essays as guides. 

And for a thorough exploration of CBS’s academic program, unique offerings, social life, and other key characteristics, the mbaMission Insider’s Guide to Columbia Business School is also available for free.

Optional Essay: If you wish to provide further information or additional context around your application to the Admissions Committee, please upload a brief explanation of any areas of concern in your academic record or personal history. This does not need to be a formal essay. You may submit bullet points.   (Maximum 500 Words)

CBS’s optional essay question starts out sounding like an open invitation to discuss almost anything you feel like sharing with the admissions committee but then puts the spotlight on addressing problem areas specifically (“areas of concern”). The additional directive about bullet points seems to be a not-too-veiled indicator that the school wants you to just impart any key information rather than offering a detailed and long-winded explanation of the issue in question. Without a doubt, this is not an opportunity to share another cool story or otherwise try to impress or pander to the admissions committee. If you do not truly need to explain an issue or potentially confusing element of your candidacy (e.g., a poor grade or overall GPA, a low GMAT score, a gap in your work experience), we do not recommend that you submit an optional essay; if you do have issues to clarify, keep things concise. In our mbaMission Optional Essays Guide , we offer detailed advice on when and how to take advantage of the optional essay, with multiple examples, to help you mitigate any problem areas in your profile.

CBS reapplicants are required to provide only one essay, in response to the following prompt.

Reapplicant Essay: How have you enhanced your candidacy since your previous application? Please detail your progress since you last applied and reiterate how you plan to achieve your immediate and long term post-MBA professional goals. (Maximum 500 words).

CBS wants to know—and see evidence—that you have been actively striving to improve yourself and your profile since you last applied, because earning your MBA from CBS is so important to you. Whether you have enhanced your academic record, achieved a higher GMAT/GRE score, received a promotion, begun a new and exciting project, increased your community involvement, or taken on some sort of personal challenge, the key to success with this essay is conveying a very deliberate path of achievement. The responses to this essay question will vary greatly from one candidate to the next, because each person’s needs and experiences differ. We are more than happy to provide one-on-one assistance with this highly personal essay to ensure that your efforts are presented in the best light possible.

The Next Step—Mastering Your CBS Interview: Many MBA candidates find admissions interviews stressful and intimidating, but mastering this important element of the application process is definitely possible—the key is informed preparation. And, on your way to this high level of preparation, we offer our free Interview Primers to spur you along! Download your free copy of the Columbia Business School Interview Guide today.

2024-2025 Business School Columbia University (Columbia Business School) Essays MBA Essay Tips

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2024–2025 MBA Essay Tips

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MBA Program Updates

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The Columbia Business School Essays: Examples + Analysis

While having the perfect MBA resume and getting a high score on the GMAT or GRE exam are important factors, they are not all that matters when it comes to your MBA application. Business schools also care about who you are as a person and what you have to offer outside of your academics. 

Top universities like Columbia Business School give applicants the opportunity to present themselves in more detail through a series of short essay questions. This article will help you to better understand the ins and outs of writing the Columbia Business School essay. 

If you follow our tips, your Columbia Business School essay will convince the admissions committee that you should be a member of the Columbia community. 

Purpose of the Columbia Business School Essays 

Essays are an important part of Columbia Business School’s admissions process. As US News writes, essays help the business school admissions committees “gauge the compatibility of a prospective student with the culture and values of the institution.” 

Though there are a series of essays that you must write, you must recognize that they ultimately work together to serve a single purpose: to paint a complete picture of who you are and what you want to accomplish. At the end of the day, the admissions committee wants to admit candidates who are well-versed in each aspect of their lives.

What are the Columbia Business School Essays? 

Though the questions are subject to change with every passing year, each Columbia Business School essay typically follows a similar format and theme. First-time applicants must submit responses to one short answer question and three essay questions. Let’s take a closer look at the themes and format for each of these questions:

Short Answer Question

Your response to the short answer question must be short, direct, and to the point, given the question’s short response allowance. Applicants must respond in 50 characters or less, which includes letters, punctuation, and spaces. 

All in all, your response should be approximately eight words long. This question typically asks about your short-term career goals. Given the stringent restrictions, don’t worry about being grammatically perfect; there’s no need to write in full sentences or waste characters by saying things like “I want to…” or “I plan to.” 

Statements like these communicate nothing of substance and are not expected based on the short answer response examples . What is most important is that you get your message across as efficiently as you can. 

While the short answer question isn’t long enough to be considered a traditional essay, it should still be approached with the same level of care, thought, and focus as your other Columbia Business School essay responses. 

Think long and hard about what you want to say before writing. Columbia Business School has designed this question to see if you understand your aspirations and ambitions well. The goals you allude to in this question should connect to what you discuss for the first essay question.

Columbia Business School Essay 1

The first of the three Columbia Business School essays typically requires applicants to focus on their long-term career goals. Feel free to use your response to the short answer question for the foundation of your answer. Consider discussing your goals over the next three to five years and exploring exactly how you intend to progress from your short-term to long-term career goals. 

While we encourage you to be as ambitious as you can when discussing your aspirations, don’t get too lost in your dreams for the future. Make sure to base your aspirations on reality and be as grounded as you possibly can. 

Show the admissions committee that your goals are not only ambitious but are also attainable. It is also worth considering how achieving your goals will impact those around you. Showing this level of consideration will indicate that you have put thought into the betterment of yourself and your career and your community as well. 

While this question may not explicitly require you to link your answer back to Columbia Business School, it is always a good idea. How will attending Columbia Business School help you to make your goals come to life? This is perhaps best added briefly at the end of your response, in no more than a sentence or two.

Columbia Business School Essay 2

The second essay asks you to show how well you can recognize and handle situations that demand inclusive leadership skills. The program administrators want to see how you apply what you've learned to real-life scenarios. 

By reflecting on a specific experience, you demonstrate your understanding of inclusive leadership principles and your ability to tackle diversity, equity, and inclusion challenges effectively. 

This question also gives insight into your problem-solving skills and how you navigate social dynamics in different situations. Overall, it's about making sure you're ready to be an inclusive leader who can create diverse and fair environments in your community or workplace.

Columbia Business School Essay 3

The third and final required essay for your application asks you to explain why you think Columbia Business School is a good fit for you academically, culturally, and professionally. 

You'll want to provide specific reasons why you believe CBS is the right choice for you in these areas while keeping your response clear and to the point. 

They want to know why you see yourself thriving in CBS's academic environment, how you resonate with its culture, and why you believe it offers the professional opportunities you're seeking. Remember to keep it concise and focused while sharing your genuine thoughts and experiences.

Optional Essay 

In addition to the three essays, Columbia Business School also provides applicants an opportunity to provide the admissions committee with any relevant information that could not be conveyed within the other parts of their application. Do not feel as though you have to write a response if you don’t have any areas of concern. 

This essay is primarily for those applicants who need to explain situations such as any anomalies in their academic record (including transcripts and GMAT/GRE scores), inability to acquire recommendation letters, significant gaps in academic or professional experience, etc. 

Though this is a chance for you to provide any necessary explanations, do not make excuses. 

Your answer should be short, to the point, and focused solely on the facts surrounding your circumstances. After providing context, be sure to then explain the things you have done to address your concerns, also reiterating that despite your situation, you will be more than able to handle the academic intensity of their MBA program if admitted.

Top Tips for Crafting the Columbia Business School Essays

Crafting strong Columbia Business School essays begins with understanding your personal brand. By authentically showcasing your values, experiences, and aspirations, you can stand out from other applicants. 

Use real-life examples and be clear and concise to effectively convey your story and make a lasting impression on the admissions committee. Let’s take a closer look at each of these tips. 

1. Understand Your Own Personal Brand 

A key component of pursuing a career in business that is both intentional and fulfilling is having a good understanding of your own personal brand. While this term can appear to be pretentious and overcomplicated at first glance, it is quite simple. 

Understanding your personal brand means spending some time thinking about the things you value, the situations you have evolved from, and the places you are trying to go in the future. Though business schools will rarely ask you about this explicitly, they will definitely do so indirectly. 

Questions about your own personal brand are sprinkled throughout the Columbia Business School essay section. It is important to show as much of yourself as you can in your responses. Don’t give answers that you think they would want to hear or edit too much of yourself to fit a guide that you found on the internet. 

The admissions committee wants to learn about who you are. There are thousands of people who submit applications to Columbia Business School every year, the great majority of whom are highly educated, have stellar professional experience and have recommendation letters. 

The only thing that will really set you apart from the next applicant is who you are as a person, your goals, and your aspirations. These essays are the best way for you to present the full picture of who you are professionally, academically, and personally. This is why it is important to be genuine and authentic in your responses. 

A good way to make sure your Columbia Business School essay represents you is to ask a close friend, family member, or anyone else who knows you really well to take a look at your essay. Ask them if it sounds like you before submitting your application. If you need help incorporating your own personal brand into your Columbia Business School essay, check out How To Assess If Your Essay ‘Truly Reflects’ Who You Are .

2. Tell Your Story

The ability to tell the story of who you are in your Columbia Business School essay is often the difference between those who move forward in the application process and those who do not. An easy way to do this is to make sure that you include real-life examples to drive your answers to the questions. This is also an effective approach for your interview . 

Using these examples will enrich your essay with vivid details, which will impact the reader more than just making broad claims or general summaries. Though telling stories in your responses is good, refrain from embellishing the truth or being unnecessarily dramatic. Focus instead on using these real-life details as proof of your resilience, initiative, leadership, and ability to work as a team.

 3. Be Concise and Be Specific

Less is more when it comes to your Columbia Business School essays. The short word limit underscores the importance of being specific and to the point in your responses. Though there’s a lot you might want to communicate in these essays, remember that they are just one part of your application. 

Don’t just regurgitate experiences or skills that can be found in your resume, letters of recommendation, or other parts of your application. Instead, focus on building on and highlighting a few key accomplishments, details, and aspirations. 

Be intentional with the examples that you share and the language that you use. While you are trying to tell the story of who you are, you want to make sure that it is done in a way that is clear and easy to follow. Being concise and specific will also ensure that you stay focused and answer the questions being asked.

Common Mistakes

Common mistakes in Columbia Business School essays often occur when applicants fail to provide specific examples or details to support their points, leading to vague statements that lack impact. Sometimes, applicants might not fully answer the essay question or rely on too much business jargon, making their essay seem less genuine. 

It's also common for applicants to go over the word limit or forget to check for mistakes like typos and grammar errors. Additionally, focusing only on achievements without sharing personal stories can make the essay less interesting. 

Lastly, not researching the school enough or using generic essays that could apply to any school can show a lack of interest or fit. To avoid these mistakes, applicants should aim for clear, specific, and sincere essays that demonstrate their genuine interest in and suitability for Columbia Business School.

Columbia Business School Essay Examples 

Now that we have discussed what to expect when writing your Columbia Business School essay, let’s take a look at a few questions that you can be asked and ideal responses.

Sample Question and Answer for Essay 1

Through your resume and recommendation, 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).

“Over the next three to five years, I'm focused on moving up the ladder in marketing, aiming to land a leadership role in a big global tech company. My plan is to get really good at digital marketing and data analytics while also getting better at leading teams and managing projects.

I want to be the person who leads teams made up of people from different departments to come up with and carry out exciting marketing plans. These plans should boost how well people know our brand, get customers more involved, and bring in more money.

In the short term, I'm looking to improve myself professionally. This might mean getting certificates in digital marketing or joining courses that help me become a better leader. I also want to find jobs that give me more responsibility and freedom, letting me have a bigger impact on the company's marketing goals.

Now, looking further ahead, my ultimate goal is to become the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) of a top tech company known for its groundbreaking ideas and worldwide influence. As the CMO, I'd decide how we market our products, what messages we send out about our brand, and how we run marketing campaigns across different places and platforms.

As a leader, I believe in fostering a workplace where creativity, teamwork, and learning are valued. I want to inspire my team members to bring out their best and achieve great results. Working closely with other top executives, I'll ensure our marketing plans align with what the company wants to achieve overall, helping the business grow smart and sustainably.

I'm also interested in using technology and data to understand what customers want and how they behave. This knowledge will help us create marketing that feels personal and connects with the people we're trying to reach. By keeping an eye on what's happening in our industry and predicting changes in the market, I think I can help our company stay ahead and stay on top.

To sum it up, my plan for the next few years is to climb the ranks in digital marketing within a big tech company. Eventually, I see myself as the Chief Marketing Officer, leading strategic marketing efforts that take our company to new levels of success and innovation.

In my journey towards achieving these goals, I understand the importance of continuous learning and adaptation. I'm committed to staying updated with the latest trends and tools in digital marketing and leadership through attending workshops, reading industry publications, and networking with professionals in the field. Additionally, I recognize the value of feedback and collaboration, and I'm eager to learn from my peers and mentors to refine my skills and approach.

In conclusion, my career path is guided by a desire to grow, learn, and lead in the dynamic and ever-evolving field of digital marketing. With a focus on continuous improvement, collaboration, and inclusivity, I'm committed to achieving my goals and driving positive change in my organization and beyond.”

This essay paints a clear picture of the applicant's career goals, making it a good fit for a Columbia Business School application. It explains the candidate's desire to move up in the tech industry and highlights their commitment to learning and growth. 

The focus on using technology and data in marketing aligns with Columbia's innovative values. In summary, the essay effectively demonstrates why the candidate is a strong match for Columbia Business School.

Sample Question and Answer for Essay 2

Why do you feel columbia business school is a good fit for you (250 words).

“Columbia’s community is everything that I aspire to be a part of – diverse, inspired, and accomplished. Through classroom discussions with peers from across the globe, I wish to learn about how the interaction between governmental agencies and the private sector shapes economies around the world. In turn, I look forward to sharing my perspectives on the topic through my years of public sector management consulting at [Firm].

I am eager to capitalize on the unparalleled networking opportunities CBS offers by being in the heart of NYC. I can’t wait to interact with global private equity managers and policymakers to understand what [Country] needs to do to stay competitive and relevant as capitalism evolves. CBS’ rigorous academic curriculum creates exactly the kind of intense educational experience I seek. Electives such as Negotiations will help me strategize win-win situations as I seek to develop and execute privatization and capital-allocation strategies for governmental agencies.

As I think about the skills, networks, and thought-leadership that I wish to develop in order to realize my short- and long-term career goals, I see no better next step than an MBA at CBS.”

This sample proves to be an effective response to the question for a number of reasons. Along with showing the applicant’s sincere interest in the opportunities at Columbia Business School, specific mention of opportunities and electives offered by the university shows that they have done their research. 

They have done well to highlight the importance of the school’s location, as it shows that they are aligned with the culture and values of Columbia Business School, which views New York City as the center of business and an extension of its campus. 

This response is also effective because it demonstrates that the applicant doesn’t just have something to gain by attending Columbia Business School, but their experience as a public sector management consultant also gives them something to offer. The sample also shows that the applicant has drive, ambition, and a clear path to achieve their goals.

Sample Question and Answer for Essay 3

Tell us about your favorite book, movie, or song and why it resonates with you. (250 words).

“I have always been an avid reader of autobiographies, especially of statesmen and women who played pivotal roles in transforming their countries. However, a book that has left a lasting impression on me is The Singapore Story, a memoir of Lee Kuan Yew, the first Prime Minister of Singapore and a leader that I greatly admire.

The resolve, conviction, and tenacity that Yew embodied are truly inspirational. Painful recollections of him crying publicly after Malaysia chose to separate itself from Singapore are a powerful reminder of his struggles. Nonetheless, he never gave up. Singapore had no natural resources, and its people didn’t speak English. 

He talks about how, through persuasive communication, he encouraged Singaporeans to believe in themselves, marketed the country’s human resources, and took Singapore from being a colonial backwater to a global economic powerhouse in just three decades. I wish to embody similar grit and communication abilities in the coming decades as I work towards uplifting [Country’s] citizens and transforming its economy. 

It is clear from his book that Lee Kuan Yew was extremely straightforward and had incredibly disciplined clarity of thought and expression. His unvarnished views give fresh and unique perspectives, which are a valuable insight into how a small country like Singapore became so relevant in the global arena. One day, I hope to develop a similarly coherent vision, inspire my peers, and create a better planet for generations to come.”

This sample for an essay three type question is successful because of the applicant’s choice of book. Though it is a bit obscure, choosing the memoir of Singapore’s first Prime Minister helps them to stand apart from other applicants. It shows that they are well-versed and have global awareness. They do a good job of explaining the significance of their book of choice and how it inspires who they want to be and what they want to accomplish.

Sample Question and Answer for Optional Essay

If you wish to provide further information or additional context around your application to the admissions committee, please upload a brief explanation of any areas of concern in your academic record or personal history. this does not need to be a formal essay. you may submit bullet points. (maximum 500 words).

“In reflecting on my academic record and personal history, I recognize areas that may warrant further explanation to provide context for the Admissions Committee. During my sophomore year of college, a significant family crisis disrupted my academic focus, resulting in a temporary decline in my GPA. Despite this challenge, I sought support from my professors and utilized campus resources to overcome the obstacle. As a result, I was able to rebound and maintain a strong academic performance for the remainder of my undergraduate studies.

Additionally, in my junior year, I made the decision to take a semester off to pursue a personal passion project in social entrepreneurship. While this endeavor led to a gap in my academic record, I want to assure the committee that it was a deliberate choice aimed at furthering my long-term goals. During this time, I engaged in entrepreneurship workshops, volunteered with local community organizations, and conducted independent research on social impact initiatives. This experience not only enhanced my skills but also provided valuable insights that have shaped my career aspirations.

Furthermore, as a first-generation college student, I encountered unique challenges navigating the higher education system. With parents who immigrated to the United States and were unable to provide guidance or financial support for tuition, I relied on my own determination and resourcefulness to pursue my educational goals. Though my journey may not have followed a conventional path, it has instilled in me a strong work ethic, resilience, and determination to succeed despite adversity.

I hope to convey a more comprehensive understanding of my academic and personal journey. I am committed to leveraging these experiences to contribute meaningfully to the Columbia Business School community and to pursue my goals with passion and perseverance.”

This essay is effective because it openly addresses any potential concerns about the applicant's academic record and personal background. It shows how the applicant faced challenges like a family crisis and a gap in studies with resilience and determination. 

By explaining these situations honestly, the applicant demonstrates self-awareness and the ability to overcome obstacles. This approach helps the admissions committee understand the applicant's strengths and commitment to growth, especially as a first-generation college student. Overall, the essay gives a clear picture of the applicant's suitability for the program.

Let's take a closer look at the frequently asked questions regarding the Columbia Business School essays.

1. When should I start writing my essay? 

Columbia Business School operates on rolling admissions, and applications submitted for both early and regular decisions are reviewed in the order in which they are received. This means that the earlier you start your essay and the earlier you submit your application, the better. 

Start researching and planning your essays when Columbia Business School makes the questions available. The earlier you start, the more time you will have to write and edit your paper without the unnecessary stress of trying to meet the deadline.

2. How much should I be writing for my essays? 

The word limit for each of the three essays is subject to change with each passing year. Though it has been getting shorter in recent years, you can expect the word limit for each essay to remain in the range of 250 to 500 words.

3. Can I write over the word limit?

It is important to keep the word count into consideration when writing your essays, and we don’t recommend that you exceed the limit. Doing so can communicate that you don’t know how to follow instructions or that you are unable to properly organize your thoughts and ideas. 

If you are not sure about how much over the word limit is too much, a good rule of thumb is that 10%, either above or below the prescribed number of words, is typically acceptable. So, for example, if your word limit is 250 words, try not to write no more than 275 words and no less than 225 words.

4. What characteristics is the admissions committee looking for in my essay?

Columbia Business School is looking for applicants who are well-balanced in their academic, professional, and personal lives. They look for people who demonstrate that they have grit, ambition, and integrity. 

Applicants should strive to show that they care about their community, are able to work in both team and leadership roles, and possess emotional and analytical intelligence.

5. What can I do to make my paper better?

Before writing, do as much research as you can. You want to be able to show that you understand how you are going to take advantage of the resources and opportunities available at Columbia Business School. Find out what is important to the university and then show how what you have to offer matches those things. 

Once you have done your research, take the time to plan out your essay. Doing so will help to keep you on track and take full advantage of the word limit. After writing your essay, make sure that it is free of grammatical errors and typos. 

Though it may sound trivial, editing and proofreading your essay is another way that you can improve the strength of your writing. Reading your essay out loud is a great way to evaluate the quality of your writing. 

The places that sound awkward are the areas that you should revise. Having someone you trust to look over your essay is also a good idea before you submit it. A second pair of eyes will provide you with a fresh perspective and can help you determine whether or not your points are coming across the way you want them to in your essay.

6. How can I make sure my essay stands out?

When writing your essay, don’t be afraid to be yourself. Showing passion, personality, or vulnerability is one of the ways that you can stand apart from other applicants. Be very selective with the real-life examples you are choosing to include in your essay.

Make sure that these examples allow you to demonstrate that you have some of the qualities that Columbia Business School is looking for in an applicant.

Conclusion 

While it can be a challenging aspect of your MBA application, your Columbia Business School essay is a great way to tell the admissions committee who you are and what you have to offer. It is the aspect of your application that allows you to demonstrate the ways that you are aligned with the values and culture of the institution. 

When writing your Columbia Business School essay, remember to do your research, plan out your response and revise what you have written. If you use this as an opportunity to show your personality and vulnerability, you’ll be that much closer to submitting a strong application to Columbia Business School.

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Columbia MBA Essays Prompts: Tips for 2023-2024

This year’s MBA application prompts are out, which means it’s time to start brainstorming what your topics will be. Wondering where to start, what to write? No worries, we have all the tips you need to get a nice start on writing a quality essay for Columbia Business School.

At Menlo Coaching, we noticed that most MBA essays will fall into one of a number of categories: personal essays, career goals essays, behavioral essays, etc. Read ahead for our expert guide on approaching these essays for Columbia Business School.

Career Goals Essay

• What is your immediate post-MBA professional goal? (50 characters)
• Through your resume and recommendation, we have a clear sense of your professional path to date. What are your career goals over the next 3 to 5 years and what is your long-term dream job? (500 words)

Why This School?

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 , an extremely active co-curricular and student life environment, and career mentorship opportunities like our  Executives-in-Residence program .

• Why do you feel Columbia is a good fit for you academically, culturally, and professionally? (300 words)

The Columbia MBA Leadership Essay

The Phillips Pathway for Inclusive Leadership (PPIL) is a co-curricular program designed to provide students with the skills and strategies needed to develop as inclusive leaders.  Through various resources and programming, the goal is for students to explore and reflect during their educational journey on the following five inclusive leadership skills:  Mitigating Bias and Prejudice; Managing Intercultural Dialogue; Addressing Systemic Inequity; Understanding Identity and Perspective Taking; and Creating an Inclusive Environment. 

• Describe a time or situation when you had the need to utilize one or more of these five skills, and tell us the actions you took and the outcome.   (250 words)

The Optional Essay

• If you wish to provide further information or additional context around your application to the Admissions Committee, please upload a brief explanation of any areas of concern in your academic record or personal history. This does not need to be a formal essay. You may submit bullet points. (Maximum 500 Words)

If you are a reapplicant to Columbia Business School, you can also find a section on the reapplicant essay .

Applying to Columbia Business School

Conveniently located in New York City, CBS is committed to creating a learning sphere influenced by the current global business environment, which helps develop the students’ skill to create an opportunity in any situation. Through the story you relate in your essay, the admissions council is looking to see if you reflect the same values that the school does. CBS is looking for students who are inspiring leaders, entrepreneurial, and dedicated to creating an intellectual community. The best way to represent that you possess those qualities is through the type of essay you choose to write. 

The Career Goals Essay

You’re not the only one hoping you’ll have a job after you’ve graduated with your MBA. Admissions committees are looking for students who are motivated and clear in their intentions so that when they get a job post-grad, they’ll be more willing to speak positively of their experience in the program. And, of course, in the hopes that their alumni will earn enough money to become a donor to the school one day.  

There are three aspects to the career goals essay: 

• What you want your future profession to look like.
• Why an MBA is necessary to advance your career.
• Particularly, why a degree from CBS will be most beneficial to you and your job plan. 

Your aspirations need to be convincing, ambitious, and realistic. Columbia Business School is looking for applicants who have meaningful goals grounded in their past experiences, and it’s important that you relate that notion in your essay, however it applies to your experience in life. 

Now, here’s where all that practice stuffing extra-curriculars into your resume comes in handy. CBS is looking for applicants who are going to get involved on campus. Being an active participant in campus culture is essential to the experience of Columbia’s business program, and this university is looking for students who will not only enrich their own lives, but that of the school as well. Many of the programs on campus rely on students to run them, which is your golden ticket in.

When writing this kind of essay, it’s important to keep in mind what your specific interests are—which clubs do you want to join, which conferences do you wish to attend? Figuring out where you most want to be involved and writing how you will thus benefit the school in that position is the key to writing a strong participation essay. Spend some time researching and thinking through your options before diving into the writing process. 

Introduced in the 2023-2024 application cycle, Columbia’s Phillips Pathway for Inclusive Leadership (PPIL) essay aims to evaluate candidate’s based on their track record surrounding inclusive leadership.

In this essay, CBS wants to understand your values as a leader and get to know how your leadership style and background will add to the Columbia Business School MBA class.

It’s important, in this essay, to clearly describe a specific situation, the actions you took, and the results of these actions—as well as what you learned from the experience. Were there setbacks or challenges? Were your team all willing and able to facilitate your vision? How did management feel about your actions?

You can also use this essay to highlight aspects of your profile that you haven’t gotten to mention before—if you’re a passionate and talented rower, for example, maybe you could speak about a time when you steered your team to victory by making sure everyone felt included.

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Optional Essay

In addition to these essay types, Columbia Business School also offers applicants the opportunity to write an optional essay to expand on gaps in your resume or other potential weaknesses in your record. Keep in mind that this essay is meant as an addition, so try to keep it short and concise.

The Reapplicant Essay

For reapplicants, Columbia Business School requires a specific essay in which you can address how your application has improved since your last application. In this essay, you can address any improvements to your test scores, promotions at work, additional volunteer or community work, or any significant professional development that you have undertaken since you last applied to the program.

Timing is key for reapplicants, and when you’re applying for an MBA program a second time around, you want to be sure that you are a more qualified and desirable client than you were a year ago—even if your application was stellar the first time.

Writing strong, coherent, genuine stories is an essential part of your MBA application. These essays are meant to help you stand out among many other applicants, so it is worth your time to do the work and write about situations unique to your life and that you truly learned from. Working with an MBA consultant can help you improve your MBA essays for Columbia Business School.

Related Articles

• Columbia MBA Program Overview
• How to Get Into Columbia Business School – Best Tips
• MBA Essay Tips From 3 Top Admissions Consultants
• How to Get Into MBA Programs at Top Business Schools

Stay on top of the latest insights.

Advice, tips and insights from the admissions dream team., table of contents, how to tackle the columbia mba essay questions.

• By Karen Hamou

Columbia Business School requires three essays in its MBA application. For the 2023–2024 admissions cycle, they have changed one essay — or, rather, reverted back to one in use a few years ago.

CBS is once again asking applicants to describe a time when they were challenged around one of five skills essential to becoming an inclusive and ethical leader. That’s a question that should be confronted with courage and careful self-reflection. I have some advice on how to respond below, but first, let’s take the application questions from the top.

Short Answer Question:

What is your immediate post-MBA professional goal? (50 characters)

The Admissions team wants you to be direct, succinct, and demonstrate direction (ambition is good, but be realistic). This is an opportunity to provide a clear, overarching headline that lays the groundwork for subsequent essays that cover your career goals and reasons for pursuing the Columbia MBA.

Note that the question asks about your goal; it’s subtly asking what you envision doing, rather than the position you hope to secure in a specific company. A strong answer will indicate what you hope to achieve in a sector, such as ‘consultant focusing on clean technology’ or ‘structure investment deals in real estate.’

There is no right answer here, but whatever you choose should be coherent and credible based on your past experience, bolstered by the Columbia MBA. Columbia is looking to see that you know what you want to do, have a general understanding of that role, and that you understand the paths that would be available to you coming out of Columbia.

Essay 1 Tips

Essay 1 remains the same:

Through your resume and recommendation, 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)

My advice: be sure to focus on the future and how CBS will get you there. A common mistake here is to write about where you have been rather than where you are going. CBS specifically asks what your future career goals are, and so a substantial portion of the word count should specifically address short- and long-term goals (at least 250 words, if not more).

It often helps to start with a brief hook to show what inspires you to take the path that you will then lay out. It can be a brief anecdote, a quote, a reflection on something that happened in your past, and so on. Then, it helps to offer a (very brief) paragraph explaining what you have done on that career path to date, just to put a bit more context around the goals you will then introduce.

Short-term goals can be more specific than long-term goals. You certainly need to have a general idea of what you would like to do in the long term, but the admissions committee is not expecting the same level of detail about where you will be decades from now as they are for the immediate post-MBA goals. Again, CBS is looking to see that you have a clear understanding of where a CBS MBA can take you (and then essay 3 will show how the MBA will help you get there).

The New Essay 2

A question about your favorite book, movie, or song and why it resonates with you has been replaced with this question used a few years ago:

The Phillips Pathway for Inclusive Leadership (PPIL) is a co-curricular program designed to ensure that every CBS student develops the skills to become an ethical and inclusive leader. Through PPIL, students attend programming focused on five essential diversity, equity, and inclusion skills: Creating an Inclusive Environment, Mitigating Bias and Prejudice, Managing Intercultural Dialogue, Addressing Systemic Inequity, and Understanding Identity and Perspective Taking.

Tell us about a time when you were challenged around one of these five skills. Describe the situation, the actions you took, and the outcome. (250 words)

The switch seems to reflect the importance CBS places on its values of diversity, inclusion, and equity and the importance of explicitly cultivating the specific skills that ethical, inclusive leaders need.

Here, you have wide flexibility and latitude in your response.  After all, there are five specific skills to choose from, and you can, of course, address several. That offers many ways to highlight ways you’ve engaged in one of five themes and how it impacted you and others. Your response should identify one meaningful example from your career or experiences, and then extract lessons learned that showcase the kind of person you are and leader you hope to be.

Implicit in this prompt is a question about your knowledge of and your commitment to CBS. Your answer should also communicate how you will develop and practice these skills at CBS. It’s important to show how you will engage with the very diverse and global community at CBS and how you will add value.

Channel your authenticity and courage to show how you have already engaged this capacity — and then make clear where you hope to let it shine at CBS.

I repeat: Show, don’t tell.  Give us the scene, then tie the story to what the implications are for your future. Self-reflection is essential here: Remember that diversity and inclusion can be about race and ethnicity, but also gender, sexual orientation, religion, disability, age, or different viewpoints, ideas, or experiences. Show how are you questioning the status quo, inviting diverse perspectives, and cultivating awareness of the less visible forces that shape decision-making and group dynamics?

Essay 3 Tips

This prompt is the classic “why our MBA?” essay question, with a new, shorter word limit this year:

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, cocurricular 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? (250 words)

Here, you need to explain why CBS is uniquely positioned to help you achieve your goals. It is a great opportunity to demonstrate that you have done your homework, assessed your fit with the school, and are eager to attend Columbia. You should showcase your deep knowledge of the school and the engagement that you’ve had with members of the Columbia community.

The framing of the question once again encourages you to demonstrate your readiness to be an inclusive leader. Again, this will require some self-reflection and honesty, to authentically show how your experiences and strengths prepare you to connect to Columbia’s values related to collaboration, mentorship, and DEI. Be sure to explain how and where you will contribute to the CBS community.

Even though it isn’t directly in the essay prompt (as it has been in previous years), you should still explain not only why Columbia’s campus life and leadership culture is right for you, but also why want to pursue the MBA in New York City, because the city, as a global center of business, is such an integral part of the Columbia experience.

Additional Essay Advice

A few final details are worth noting.

• CBS offers an optional essay as an opportunity to share any other information you wish with the Admissions Committee (maximum 500 words). This space could be used 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.
• Essay word limits are not absolute; since you upload essays as a .pdf file, the word count is not a hard cap. However, we advise you to stay within the recommendation.
• Deferred admissions applicants answer two different essays: Why are you interested in obtaining a Columbia MBA in the future? (300 words maximum); and Who is a leader you admire, and why? (300 words maximum).
• Reapplicants submit just one essay response to this question:

How have you enhanced your candidacy since your previous application? Please detail your progress since you last applied and reiterate how you plan to achieve your immediate and long-term post-MBA professional goals (maximum 500 words).

Want more advice? 

For everything you need to know about how to get into the Columbia MBA program, from program basics and admissions requirements to our team’s insider tips for admission success, read my related blog: How to Get Into Columbia Business School: MBA Application Requirements . You can also view Fortuna’s  Columbia MBA B-School Profile.

You can also view Fortuna’s M7 Admissions Masterclass below, which offers a deep dive on the Columbia MBA and how to position a standout application.

Let’s Get You In.

Fortuna Admissions is a dream team of former MBA Admissions Directors and Officers from the world’s most elite business schools, including the Columbia MBA program. With our unparalleled collective expertise, we are able to coach you to develop a clear vision of your goals for business school and beyond. We work closely with you throughout the application process and provide expert guidance at every stage to maximize your chances of admission to a top school.

Our free consultations are consistently rated as the best in the industry. To learn more about Fortuna and assess your chances of admission to CBS and other top programs, request a  free consultation .

Updated May 30, 2022

Fortuna Admissions Expert Coach Karen Hamou is a Columbia MBA alum and former Deloitte Consulting recruiting lead, as well  as well as #2 ranked consultant globally in Poets & Quants list of the Top 20 MBA Admissions Consultants of 2021. For more free advice and a personal, candid assessment of your chances, you can sign up now for a  free consultation .

• Posted on June 3, 2023

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Columbia MBA Essays for 2023-2024

The Columbia MBA essays for the 2023-2024 admissions season are now available. Applicants to Columbia Business School must complete one short answer question and three essays.

Short Answer Question

What is your immediate post-MBA professional goal? ( maximum 50 characters )

Examples of possible responses:

• “Work in business development for a media company.”
• “Join a strategy consulting firm.”
• “Launch a data management start-up.”

Through your resume and recommendation, 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)

The Phillips Pathway for Inclusive Leadership (PPIL) is a co-curricular program designed to ensure that every CBS student develops the skills to become an ethical and inclusive leader. Through PPIL, students attend programming focused on five essential diversity, equity, and inclusion skills:  Creating an Inclusive Environment, Mitigating Bias and Prejudice, Managing Intercultural Dialogue, Addressing Systemic Inequity, and Understanding Identity and Perspective Taking .

Tell us about a time when you were challenged around one of these five skills. Describe the situation, the actions you took, and the outcome. (250 words)

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 , an extremely active co-curricular and student life environment, 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? Please be specific. (250 words)

Optional Essay

If you wish to provide further information or additional context around your application to the Admissions Committee, please upload a brief explanation of any areas of concern in your academic record or personal history. This does not need to be a formal essay. You may submit bullet points. (Maximum 500 Words)

Deferred Enrollment Program

Deferred Enrollment candidates will answer two short essay questions instead of the essays listed above.

Why are you interested in obtaining a Columbia MBA in the future? ( 300 words maximum )

Who is a leader you admire, and why? ( 300 words maximum )

CBS will post the 2024 application deadlines in June. For more information on applying, please visit the Columbia Business School admissions website. If you need guidance on your Columbia MBA essays or wish to discuss your MBA plans, reach out for a complimentary analysis  of your candidacy. We’re here to help!

Meanwhile, here’s a snapshot of the Columbia Business School expertise on the SBC consulting team:

SBC’s star-studded consultant team is unparalleled. Our clients benefit from current intelligence that we receive from the former MBA Admissions Officers from LBS, Columbia CBS and every elite business program in the US and Europe.  These MBA Admissions Officers have chosen to work exclusively with SBC.

Meet Susan , just one of the many superstars on the SBC team. Susan was the Director of Recruitment and Admissions at London Business School LBS and also the Director of the Executive MBA program at Columbia Business School CBS.

Tap into this inside knowledge for your MBA applications by requesting a consultation .

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Columbia MBA essays

As we near round one MBA deadlines for 2022-23, top B-schools have released essay questions. Today we will discuss the essay questions released by Columbia MBA Business School for this year’s admissions cycle among the top B-school list. But before that, let us take a look at the deadlines for each round.

January 2024 Entry:

QUICK INSIGHT INTO THE BEST INTAKE TO APPLY IN-

Great! Now that you know the respective deadlines, you can choose whether to apply at early or regular rounds. Early rounds generally have better prospects of getting in and bagging scholarships . It’s especially advantageous for over-represented applicants. 

Suggested Readings –

• Learn more about Early round MBA enrollment and programs .
• How to stand out if you belong to an over-represented background?
• Join alums and students of top-notch B-Schools in our upcoming coffee session, where we will extensively discuss how to crack the Early rounds for the 2022 cycle.

This article is dedicated completely to how to crack MBA School essays . It is part of our exclusive “MBA B-School Essays.” Here, we help you understand how adcoms think. Additionally, we guide you on how to craft admit-winning essays!

Now, let us look at the required application essay questions released by CBS!

SHORT ANSWER QUESTION:

Q) What is your immediate post-MBA professional goal? (50 characters maximum)

Almost all the schools do ask this question, and almost all the aspirants seem to know the answer. But still, a very slim percentage of them manage to get the glance of the adcoms. Why?

Because one needs to follow a structured framework before getting on these questions that help them introspect on their goals thoroughly. 

Suggested Readings-

• Our unique framework that helps applicants craft killer post-MBA goals
• How to write a kickass post MBA goals essay?
• Sample of a successful post MBA goals essay

To introspect on your short-term goals, start with long-term career aspirations. Weird, huh?

This will help you understand your immediate goals and your ‘Why MBA.’ Once you have some understanding, narrow it down to the desired industry, function, and geography you want to pursue post MBA. And finally, align the dots with your current work experience to bring practicality and collinearity. 

Furthermore, for someone belonging to an overrepresented pool of candidates, a pinch of uniqueness and some bits of personality could cut! 

So, whenever answering such questions, the trick is to remember what separates you from the crowd?     

Q) What are your career goals over the next three to five years, and what is your long-term dream job? (500 words)

Want to pursue an MBA but not sure if your profile fits?

Talk to our Profile Experts to know your chances for a top MBA Program.

“The hefty one, the most common one, the crucial one, or you may call it whatever you want. This question is the most basic one and is shared among all top B-schools, albeit using different sets of words. Perfect it once; get rid of it forever! That’s our advice. 

Once a candidate has spent enough time to draft a structure best to his knowledge. It’s perfectly hemmed together with the other elements of your profile . Then, it’s just a matter of incorporating smaller stuff. This includes school values and your aspirations regarding specific schools and their culture!

In order to dive deep into the process, we would recommend that you once go through our article on How to frame practical post-MBA goals essays? You will get valuable insights into how you could incorporate the distinction & specificity of your professional & academic background into a generic industry like finance, consulting, product management, etc. Finally, the only thing left to do is make them “Collinear.” No matter how good & strong your background is, being a doctor, you can’t go all the way to start working in an IT role. The aim should be to be as far as possible from being unrealistic and hypothetical in your post-MBA goals. 

ESSAY 2: 

Q) Why do you feel Columbia Business School is a good fit for you academically, culturally, and professionally? (300 words)

Let’s try a different approach! Think of this as a precap of every resource you need, everything you will try to achieve, your aspirations regarding an MBA, your career projectile, and finally, a culture you can thrive upon. Take all these and, in 300 words, summarize how you think an MBA from CBS could cater to all of your needs. Remember, don’t be shy! The adcom likes demanding people; after all, you are giving your precious years and a hefty investment, and the school must help you achieve everything you desire!      

Suggested Reading- How to ace your ‘Why MBA’ and ‘Why a specific school’ essays?

ESSAY 3:  

Q) Tell us about your favorite book, movie, or song and why it resonates with you. (250 words)

Once again, it’s a good one! Describing anything you feel attached to helps the adcom know you apart from your professional and academic background. Moreover, we always say that GPA and GMAT do not decide admissions; it’s the built-in character, the aura, the values, and the collaborative leader with the potential to bring a huge impact to the CBS community that will cut.

Quick Insight-

While bringing a good personality, try to align your values with the schools. Very impactful!! 

There you go! These are the essay questions released by CBS for MBA applicants applying in this year’s admission cycle. Furthermore, as you can see, it’s a clear mix of post-MBA goals. Additionally, it explores how an MBA from CBS would enhance your skill-set. Moreover, there’s a personal question to gauge your character apart from your professionalism.

Strategy-wise, to get started, we would advise you to spend about two weeks doing adequate research on CBS itself. Additionally, familiarizing yourself with the curriculum, culture, clubs, and campus activities is essential. Next, it’s crucial to understand how to interlink your experiences, ECAs, and professional accolades in a well-structured manner. Moreover, with an approach that would provide a clear sense of your professionalism and define a strong character that matches the school values.

It seems a bit confusing, isn’t it? But, fear not; MBA and Beyond are determined to help you develop a unique structure for each essay question providing step-by-step procedures to build a specific answer that would help you stand out among the crowd! We are a team of expert consultants who follow a unique process to achieve maximum efficiency, quality, and interaction, ensuring a 100% unique and authentic application! 

Feel free to hop on a 1:1 profile evaluation call with our experts , where we’ll dip deep into your profile and help you understand your chances to top B-schools with absolutely honest feedback. “at certain points in life, we require guidance and assistance from others to grow.”

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20 Great MBA Application Essay Samples (With Links)

Want to ace your MBA application? A stellar essay can be your golden ticket.

With elite business schools like Harvard and Stanford boasting acceptance rates as low as 10% and 6% respectively, every aspect of your application counts. While GPA and GMAT scores matter, your essay can be a game-changer. Recognizing its weight, we’ve gathered top-notch MBA essay samples, endorsed by admission committees from premier institutions. Dive in and let’s craft that standout application!

What is an MBA Application Essay?

An MBA application essay is a detailed write-up about your personal and professional goals and aspirations. It also explains how the MBA program will help you attain your objectives for the future. Your essay is your one shot to convince the admission committee to consider you for the initial interview.

What Admission Committee Look for in an MBA Essay?

• Academic ability
• Impressive work experience
• Career Course
• Authenticity of goals
• Competencies, leadership , dedication, challenges, and growth
• The right reason for pursuing an MBA
• Your compatibility with the culture in which the program is being offered

If you want to learn more, here is the complete guide on how admission committees process MBA applications.

20 Great MBA Applications Essays Samples

Now you have known that what makes a great MBA admission essay, the next step is to write one for yourself. Before writing, check out this list of expert-vetted MBA application essays that secured admissions to top-rated business schools in the world. Admission consultants have shared these samples and they can be helpful if you read and analyze them carefully. If you’re completely unsure about how to get started, there are also custom essay writing services that can help you structure your essay with the help of professional editors.

Sample 1: Leadership-focused MBA application essay

This sample is particularly focused on leadership traits. If your essay is about explaining your leadership quality experience, this sample is right up your alley. The best thing about the essay is that it is written in a simple, engaging, and humorous style. It defines a great experience in a very conversational style.

Sample 2: Self-focused MBA application essay 

If you are asked to write about your strengths, weaknesses, aims, and goals in your application essay, this sample will help you. The applicant who wrote this got accepted to the INSEAD business school. It doesn’t merely describe her strengths and weaknesses, but it presents a complete picture of herself as a person. It highlighted the events and incidents that shaped her personality.

Sample 3: Life-hardships-focused MBA application essay

If you want to explain your life’s hardships and the events that turned you into an ambitious person, this sample is for you. In this application essay, the candidate has defined three phases of his life and how he survived through each adversity. He beautifully explained why the MBA program is important to his future.

Sample 4: Continuous growth and learning-focused MBA application essay

This essay was submitted to Harvard Business School. The best thing about this piece is that the writer has explained her learning and professional development journey in a very sequential and engaging manner, which is truly admirable. A useful thing to remember about the MBA essays included in this list is that you can merge them into a single printable and perfectly formatted file with Sodapdf or another PDF editor. Having all of them stored in a single PDF is going to be quite helpful when it’s time to write your piece. But guess what? There are more examples to explore below, so let’s keep going…

Sample 5: Best MBA application essay for low scorers

Have a low GPA? What would you write about academics in an MBA essay to convince the admission committee? Do not overthink! MBA essay is not all about high achievements and sterling background. It is also an opportunity to atone for your past mistakes. This MBA essay was written by a student who obtained very low academic grades, yet got admitted to her desired business school. Her turning point? A powerful application essay.

Sample 6: A guitarist’s application essay for the MBA program

Suppose you are ambitious in a skill or profession that has nothing to do with the MBA program, yet you need the degree for certain reasons. How would you showcase that irrelevant skill in your MBA application essay? This sample essay will show how you how. A guitarist who got selected for the MBA program wrote this one. The applicant has intelligently defined his passion for guitar as a way of developing discipline, determination, leadership, and success. He explained how his passion affected his academics and how the guitar helped him cope with the challenges.

Sample 7: An engineer’s essay for MBA application

If you come from a technical or engineering background and have the ambition to pursue an MBA degree to boost your engineering career, this sample essay will help pave the way for you. This essay was submitted by a mechanical engineer to Harvard Business School. The writer explained how his engineering experience motivated him to pursue an MBA and how the program is important to his long-term goals.

Sample 8: Harvard Business School MBA essay

This essay was written by a candidate who got accepted to Harvard Business School. Check it out to know what the prestigious academic institution looks for in your essay.

Sample 9: Wharton Business School MBA essay

This essay has been honored as one of the best MBA essays ever received by the Wharton Business School in Pennsylvania. Check out the structure, organization, and flow, and adapt the same to your essay.

Sample 10: Columbia Business School MBA essay

The Columbia Business School’s admission committee shared this MBA essay. They explained why the applicant who wrote this was instantly accepted to the program and why they appreciated its content.

Sample 11: Stanford Graduate School of Business MBA essay

This essay was written by a candidate who got accepted to Stanford Business School for an MBA. If you are aiming to get your MBA at Stanford, this sample will give you a deep understanding of what convinces the esteemed school’s admission committee to accept applicants into their fold.

Sample 12: University of California Business School MBA essay

This sample was taken from a pool of successful MBA application essays submitted to the University of California business school. Read it carefully and analyze its structure, words, and substance before you compose your own fantastic MBA essay.

Sample 13: University of OXFORD business school MBA essay

If Oxford Business School is your target destiny for earning your MBA, then check out this outstanding application essay. The person who wrote it managed to grab the admission committee member’s attention.

Sample 14: London Business School MBA essay

This essay was written by a candidate who got accepted to the London Business School. The school’s admission consultant shared this sample as a reference to other MBA aspirants. This piece will specifically help you understand the tone, writing style, formatting, and overall flow of the MBA application essay that meets the school’s standards.

Sample 15: A goal-oriented MBA application essay

Sometimes the MBA admission portal may demand an essay specifically focused on your future goals. In such a case, you must be very sure about yourself and must convey your goals and future directions based on your experiences and planning. Check out this sample to get an idea of how a successful candidate writes about personal goals.

Sample 16: Executive MBA essay

This successful MBA application essay was submitted to the MIT Sloan Executive MBA Program. EMBA essay requires you to show strong potential, impact, leadership, and the ultimate need for the program. Read this essay if EMBA is on your horizon.

Sample 17: MBA video essay

Many business schools are turning to video-based essays for MBA applications. A video-based essay is a better option to express yourself directly to the admission committee. A successful candidate for the Kellogg School of Management submitted this sample. Listen to the video and appreciate how beautifully the applicant has explained his journey from beginning to end. Want to learn more about video MBA essays? Here is a complete guide.

Sample 18: Short-answer-based MBA application essay

Some business schools require candidates to respond to short questions to get insights into their personalities and suitability for the MBA program. More or less, most of the questions revolve around the same theme. The key to success is to grasp the intention of the admission committee behind the questions and to stick to your identity . These successful answers submitted to the Tepper School of Business will help you in formulating your answers.

Sample 19: MIT Sloan School of Management

This essay was submitted by a successful candidate for the MIT Sloan School of Management MBA program. See how this applicant smartly answered the essay questions.

Sample 20:  Michigan Ross School of Business MBA program

The Michigan Ross Business School asks a diverse range of questions from candidates to analyze their competencies from multiple perspectives. If Michigan Ross is where you intend to get your MBA, this essay submitted by a candidate who got admitted to the school’s MBA program will help keep you on track.

What Should be Included in the MBA Application Essay?

• Your background: What shaped you into what you are now? Including ethnicity, obstacles, and struggles.
• Self-reflection: Your values, characteristics, strengths, and weaknesses.
• Your goals : How do you envision your future?
• Aspirations: Why MBA is important to you and how this program will help you in shaping your future?
• Justification: If you have low academic grades, explain the reasons you did not do well and what you learned from it.
• Experience and achievements: What have you achieved so far?

These are the significant components of an MBA essay. Just adjust the sequence, play with words, and come up with a persuasive yet realistic picture of yourself.

What Makes a Great MBA Application Essay?

• Be school-specific. Explain why you are passionate about the MBA program of the school to which you’re applying.
• Avoid edition. Write simply and engagingly. Let the reader read a meaningful story about you.
• Make it 100% typo-free. Grammatical errors and typos will ruin your essay. Apply standard essay format and structure guidelines , scan your piece several times for errors, get it reviewed by an expert, and present a very professional piece to the admission committee.
• Be original. Do not copy-paste from any source. Strictly follow plagiarism guidelines.
• Write an overwhelming introduction to urge the reader to keep reading and conclude your essay with a strong declaration.
• Be authentic. Write what you are, not what the committee wants to read.
• Be concise, as many schools impose a limit on the essay word count .

Do you want more tips? Here is a complete guide to writing a compelling MBA application essay.

The application essay is a core part of the admission process in the increasingly competitive MBA program. If you do not want to miss the chance of getting selected, you need to know what will make your essay stand out . The expert-vetted list of MBA application essay samples we cited here worked for the top business schools. Learn them by heart, and who knows, it may work for you too. Put your other activities aside, read and analyze the list carefully, and start writing your MBA essay to land in your dream business school.

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June 8, 2023

Columbia Business School MBA Essay Tips and Deadlines [2023-2024], Class Profile

Columbia Business School (CBS) has made some big changes for the 2023-2024 admissions cycle! CBS will now consider applications in three rounds, rather than on a rolling basis. In another move, CBS has ended its Early Decision program. Finally, CBS has changed two of its essay prompts to focus on inclusive leadership and how you will contribute to the CBS experience. 

What do these changes mean for you? By moving to the rounds system, Columbia will no longer favor early birds in its historic “first come, first serve” rolling admissions process. Rounds will give the adcom a better chance to compare applicants in a big pool against one another. That’s why you’ll need to work even harder to justify why you deserve a place at CBS and explain what you will contribute to the MBA experience there.  

Ready to get to work on your CBS application? Read on.

Columbia Business School application essay tips

Columbia business school application deadlines, columbia business school class profile.

Applicants must complete one short answer question and three essays (source: CBS website ).

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
• Join a strategy consulting firm
• Launch a data-management start-up

Note that this has a CHARACTER (rather than word) limit. Your response must be significantly shorter than a tweet. What do you want to do professionally and in which industry immediately after earning your MBA? 

Warning: This question is not asking about your intended area of study while in business school or about a nonprofessional goal or even about a long-term goal. And the subject in your response is assumed to be you, so you  by including or starting with “I” or “I plan to….”

Succinctly define your goal in terms of function (what you want to do) and the industry (or type of company) in which you want to do it.

Columbia Business School Essay #1

Through your resume and recommendation, 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)

Columbia adcom readers must really like the answers they get to this question, because it’s back this year and has been a part of CBS’ application for the last several years. CBS wants you to focus on your career goals not immediately after graduation, as in the short-answer question, but in the medium and long term. The adcom wants to see how you believe your career will develop after your first post-MBA job. Note that this question DOES NOT ask you how CBS will help you achieve your goals.

To respond to this essay question, realize that the . Don’t repeat “your professional path to date.” That would be a waste of valuable essay real estate and would mean you’d neither be telling the adcom anything new nor answering their question. Instead, describe what you want to do three to five years in the future, which should build on what you have stated for your first post-MBA job. Make sure to answer the long-term question and feel free to dream and aspire, but at the same time, reveal a feasible professional goal.

Let CBS see that you have a purposeful and exciting direction in mind for your future – a future that will transform you into a graduate they will be proud of.

Columbia Business School Essay #2

The Phillips Pathway for Inclusive Leadership (PPIL) is a co-curricular program designed to provide students with the skills and strategies needed to develop as inclusive leaders. Through various resources and programming, the goal is for students to explore and reflect during their educational journey on the following five inclusive leadership skills: Mitigating Bias and Prejudice; Managing Intercultural Dialogue; Addressing Systemic Inequity; Understanding Identity and Perspective Taking; and Creating an Inclusive Environment. 

Describe a time or situation when you had the need to utilize one of more of these five skills, and tell us the actions you took and the outcome. (250 words)

For this essay, you’ll have just a few words with which to describe some big ideas. A superior result will come after you do your research and some deep thinking.

First, get to know the PPIL initiative . CBS describes the PPIL as “a one-of-a kind diversity, equity, and inclusion requirement.” It’s become a mandated part of the CBS experience. 

Second, reflect on your personal experiences. You can write about a situation at work, during a volunteer stint, or in any other social situation where you acted with inclusive leadership. 

The best examples will demonstrate how you were inquisitive, reflective, and if necessary, willing to create change within institutions or hierarchies for a more inclusive environment. 

Columbia has offered five topics from which you can choose and must expand on in your essay. Because of the word limit, selecting just one or two is better than trying to address all five. 

Third, organize your thoughts into a narrative. It’s useful to use the SOAR or SOAR + L framework to tell your story:

S = Situation. What was the situation you were presented with, and who were the people involved?

O = Obstacle. What was the obstacle or problem you faced?

A = Action. What considerations did you make, and how did you ultimately decide to act?

R = Result. What were the results of your actions?

+L = Learning. If you have space, you can summarize what you learned about the importance of acting as a leader on this issue. 

Remember, don’t worry that the best essays will come from people who have started or joined formal diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives in their workplace. Individual, one-on-one experiences outside of an institutional framework can be just as powerful, or even more so. 

Columbia Business School Essay #3

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, an extremely active co-curricular and student life environment, 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? Please be specific. (250 words)

This essay is your opportunity to prove to the adcom that you have done your research, and you’re convinced that CBS is THE best MBA program for you.

To prepare for this essay, think about your career goals. What do you need to learn to achieve them? Think about your learning style. Do you thrive in a lecture hall or in small groups? Finally, what do you like to do socially, and how do you best make friends? 

Next, take time to review the curriculum – even go a step further and map out your ideal class schedule based on required core classes and possible electives . Consider also the Executives-in-Residence program, which offers one-of-a-kind access to C-suite mentors. What challenges do you anticipate you’ll encounter in the future that these classes and mentors will empower you to address? You could also consider how you would make the most of access to specialized centers focused on entrepreneurship , real estate , or investing at Columbia. 

Finally, decide how you will contribute to the CBS student experience. Look through the clubs that are available, and come up with ideas about how you could have an impact in one or more of them. Do you want to have an international experience ? Mention skill sets you’ve developed in your past, and discuss how you could apply them at Columbia to help organize and enrich the campus experience for everyone. 

Now that you’ve done your research, dive right in and get to the point. You only have 250 words! Give yourself loosely 75 words for each focus area: academic, social, and professional. This means you can’t cram in everything you’ve discovered, so be selective. Choose aspects of the CBS program that will have the most impact on your future and where you will have the most impact.

Columbia Business School optional essay

If you wish to provide further information or additional context around your application to the Admissions Committee, please upload a brief explanation of any areas of concern in your academic record or personal history. This does not need to be a formal essay. You may submit bullet points. (Maximum 500 Words)

The CBS optional essay is specifically for you to “address areas of concern.” If you don’t have areas of concern, don’t write an essay. However, if you had a dip in grades, a period of unemployment, or some other issue that you want to address, this is your opportunity to do so. You don’t want the admissions committee guessing as to why something is the way it is and coming to the wrong conclusion. 

Don’t even think of using this essay as a grand finale or wrap-up. And definitely don’t use it to rehash your reasons for wanting to attend you’re your required essays should make those reasons perfectly clear.

For expert guidance on your CBS application, check out Accepted’s MBA Application Packages that include advising, editing, interview coaching, and a resume edit for the CBS application. Looking to score some scholarship money while you’re at it? Explore our services for more information on how Accepted can help you get into Columbia.

Source: CBS website

***Disclaimer: Information is subject to change. Please check with CBS directly to verify its essay questions, instructions, and deadlines.***

Here’s a look at the CBS MBA class entering 2022 from the  Columbia Business School website:

Applications received:  6,177

Admissions:  1,363

Enrolled:  844, divided into 12 clusters

• January entry class size: 215, divided into 3 clusters
• August entry class size: 629, divided into 9 clusters

GMAT score (average): 729

GMAT scores (range): 550-780

GMAT scores (middle 80%): 700-760

Undergraduate GPA (average): 3.6

Undergraduate GPA (middle 80%): 3.1-3.9 Work experience (average): 5 years

Work experience (middle 80%): 3-8 years

At least one year of work experience: 99%

Average age: 28

Age range: 21-44

Age range (middle 80%): 25-31

Minority of U.S. origin: 42%

International citizens: 51%

Undergraduate major:

• Business: 33%
• Economics: 20%
• Engineering: 16%
• Social Sciences: 12%
• Sciences: 8%
• Humanities: 6%
• Technology: 2%

Previous industries:

• Financial Services: 29%
• Consulting: 22%
• Marketing/Media: 11%
• Technology: 9%
• Real Estate: 5%
• Healthcare: 5%
• Military/Government: 5%
• Nonprofit 4%

Is CBS the right school for you? These resources can help you decide:

• An MBA’s Perspective on Columbia Business School – podcast Episode 373
• Which MBA Program is Right for Me? The Ultimate Guide to Choosing an MBA Program
• M7 MBA Programs: Everything You Need to Know in 2022
• Deferred MBA Programs and Other Options for MBA Hopefuls With No Work Experience

Over 6,000 applications, and only 1,363 accepted at CBS last year. How can you ensure your application stands out from the crowd? Check out these resources for expert advice:

• Get Accepted to CBS Webinar
• AMA Session with Columbia Business School Director of Admissions Michael Robinson
• Applicants that Stand Out at Columbia Business School
• Columbia Executive MBA Application Essay Tips & Deadlines

Getting into Columbia Business School takes a special combination of an outstanding application, an extraordinary essay, and an incredible interview. Check out our MBA Services Packages to work one-on-one with our expert admissions consultants. We can help you GET ACCEPTED!

Michelle Stockman is a professional journalist, former Columbia Business School admissions insider, and experienced MBA admissions consultant.  Want Michelle to help you get Accepted? Click here to get in touch!

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Columbia Business School – MBA Essay Samples

Mba essay sample 1:  please tell us what you feel most passionate about in life.

Read More of this sample MBA essay on passion

Essay Sample 2:  Please discuss a time in your own life when you have identified and captured an opportunity

Read More of this sample MBA essay on opportunity

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50 MBA Essays That Got Applicants Admitted To Harvard & Stanford

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What Matters? and What More? is a collection of 50 application essays written by successful MBA candidates to Harvard Business School and Stanford Graduate School of Business

I sat alone one Saturday night in a boardroom in Eastern Oregon, miles from home, my laptop lighting the room. I was painstakingly reviewing a complex spreadsheet of household energy consumption data, cell by cell. ‘Why am I doing this to myself? For remote transmission lines?’…I felt dejected. I’d felt that way before, during my summer at JP Morgan, standing alone in the printing room at 3 a.m., binding decks for a paper mill merger that wouldn’t affect my life in the least.

That’s how an analyst at an MBB firm started his MBA application essay to Stanford Graduate School of Business. His point: In a well-crafted essay, he confronts the challenge of finding meaning in his work and a place where he can make a meaningful difference. That is what really matters most to him, and his answer to Stanford’s iconic MBA application essay helped get him defy the formidable odds of acceptance and gain an admit to the school.

Getting into the prestigious MBA programs at either Stanford Graduate School of Business or Harvard Business School are among the most difficult journeys any young professional can make.

NEARLY 17,000 CANDIDATES APPLIED TO HARVARD & STANFORD LAST YEAR. 1,500 GOT IN

This collection of 50 successful HBS and GSB essays, with smart commentary, can be downloaded for $60

They are two of the most selective schools, routinely rejecting nine or more out of every ten applicants. Last year alone, 16,628 candidates applied to both schools; just 1,520 gained an acceptance, a mere 9.1% admit rate.

Business school admissions are holistic, meaning that while standardized test scores and undergraduate transcripts are a critical part of the admissions process, they aren’t the whole story. In fact, the stories that applicants tell the schools in the form of essays can be a critical component of a successful application.

So what kinds of stories are successful applicants to Harvard and Stanford telling their admission officers? For the first time ever, a newly published collection of 50 of these essays from current MBA students at these two schools has been published. In ten cases, applicants share the essays they wrote in applying to both schools so you can see whether they merely did a cut-and-paste job or approached the task anew. The 188-page book, What Matters? and What More?, gains its title from the two iconic essay prompts at Harvard and Stanford.

THOUGHTFUL CRITIQUES OF THE ESSAYS

Stanford can easily boast having the most difficult question posed to MBA applicants in any given year: In 650 words or less, candidates must tell the school what matters most to them and why. Harvard gives applicants ample room to hang themselves, providing no word limit at all, “What more would you like us to know as we consider your candidacy?”

One makes this unusual collection of essays powerful are the thoughtful critiques by the founders of two MBA admissions consulting firms, Jeremy Shinewald of mbaMission and Liza Weale of Gatehouse Admissions. They write overviews of each essay in the book and then tear apart portions by paragraphs to either underline a point or address a weakness. The book became available to download for $60 a pop.

As I note in a foreword to the collection, published in partnership with Poets&Quants, the essay portion of an application is where a person can give voice to who they are, what they have achieved so far, and what they imagine their future to be. Yet crafting a powerful and introspective essay can be incredibly daunting as you stare at a blank computer screen.

APPLICANTS OPEN UP WITH INTIMATE STORIES THAT SHOW VULNERABILITY

One successful applicant to Harvard Business School begins his essay by conveying a deeply personal story: The time his father was told that he had three months to live, with his only hope being a double lung transplant. had to undergo a lung transplant. His opening line: “Despite all we had been through in recent years, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect when I asked my mother one summer evening in Singapore, ‘What role did I play during those tough times?’”

For this candidate to Stanford Graduate School of Business, the essay provided a chance to creatively engage admission readers about what matters most to him–equality-by cleverly using zip codes as a hook.

60605, 60606, 60607.

These zip codes are just one digit apart, but the difference that digit makes in someone’s life is unfathomable. I realized this on my first day as a high school senior. Leafing through my out-of- date, stained, calculus textbook, I kept picturing the new books that my friend from a neighboring (more affluent) district had. As college acceptances came in, I saw educational inequality’s more lasting effects—my friends from affluent districts that better funded education were headed to prestigious universities, while most of my classmates were only accepted by the local junior college. I was unsettled that this divergence wasn’t the students’ doing, but rather institutionalized by the state’s education system. Since this experience, I realized that the fight for education equality will be won through equal opportunity. Overcoming inequality, to ensure that everyone has a fair shake at success, is what matters most to me.

HOW AN APPLICANT TO BOTH SCHOOLS ALTERED HIS ESSAYS

Yet another candidate, who applied to both Harvard and Stanford, writes about being at but not fully present at his friend’s wedding.

The morning after serving as my friend’s best man, I was waiting for my Uber to the airport and—as usual—scrolling through my phone,” he wrote. “I had taken seemingly hundreds of photos of the event, posting in real time to social media, but had not really looked through them. With growing unease, I noticed people and things that had not registered with me the night before and realized I had been so preoccupied with capturing the occasion on my phone that I had essentially missed the whole thing. I never learned the name of the woman beside me at the reception. I could not recall the wedding cake flavor. I never introduced myself to my friend’s grandfather from Edmonton. I was so mortified that before checking into my flight, I turned my phone off and stuffed it into my carry-on.

The Stanford version of his essay is more compact. In truth, it’s more succinctly written and more satisfying because it is to the point. By stripping away all but the most critical pieces of his narrative, the candidate focuses his essay entirely on his central point: the battle of man versus technology.

Even if you’re not applying to business school, the essays are entertaining and fun to read. Sure, precious few are New Yorker worthy. In fact, many are fairly straightforward tales, simply told. What the successful essays clearly show is that there is no cookie-cutter formula or paint-by-the-numbers approach. Some start bluntly and straightforwardly, without a compelling or even interesting opening. Some meander through different themes. Some betray real personality and passion. Others are frankly boring. If a pattern of any kind could be discerned, it is how genuine the essays read.

The greatest benefit of reading them? For obsessive applicants to two of the very best business schools, they’ll take a lot of pressure off of you because they are quite imperfect.

GET YOUR COPY OF WHAT MATTERS? AND WHAT MORE? NOW

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8 Great Columbia Essay Examples

What’s covered:, essay example 1 – mechanical engineering, essay example 2 – trailblazing, essay example 3 – the core and community.

• Essay Example 4 – Cancer Research

Essay Example 5 – Joy in Birds

Essay example 6 – psychology.

• Essay Example 7  – Slavic Languages and Cultures

Essay Example 8 – Diversity

Where to get your columbia university essays edited.

Columbia is an Ivy League school in NYC with an incredibly low acceptance rate. Like most other competitive schools, Columbia has supplemental prompts where students can demonstrate parts of their life that aren’t present in other portions of their application. Many applicants to selective colleges like Columbia have stellar grades and test scores, so the essays can help you stand out from other candidates with the same stats.   

The school requires applicants to fill out a variety of prompts, ranging from quick short-answers about your favorite books and pieces of media to fleshed out essays. In this post, we will share three essays real students have submitted to Columbia and go over what each essay did well and where they can be improved. 

Please note: Looking at examples of real essays students have submitted to colleges can be very beneficial to get inspiration for your essays. You should never copy or plagiarize from these examples when writing your own essays. Colleges can tell when an essay isn’t genuine and will not view students favorably if they plagiarized. 

Read our Columbia University essay breakdown to get a comprehensive overview of this year’s supplemental prompts. 

As I continue my journey toward becoming a mechanical engineer, I am constantly searching for ways to positively impact and solve complex problems. Columbia University is the perfect place for me to do so. The university’s diverse and brilliant community, combined with its focus on hands-on learning, will provide me with the foundation I need to grow as a student and a person.

I am excited to take advantage of Columbia’s many opportunities, from its Core curriculum to its various labs and research centers. In particular, I am drawn to the F1 car club and the opportunity to work on real-world projects through Columbia World Projects. These experiences will help broaden my knowledge and skills and allow me to make a significant difference in the world.

In addition to the academic opportunities at Columbia, I am also drawn to the university’s rich traditions. From the tree lighting ceremony to the Holi celebration, these events foster a sense of belonging and connection that will be invaluable as I begin my studies. I believe my unique perspective and skills will be an asset to the community, for I am excited to contribute my voice to Columbia’s dynamic and diverse community.

What the Essay Did Well

In responding to this textbook “Why This College?” prompt, the author effectively selects a topic, mechanical engineering, to focus his essay on, and connects that topic to opportunities that can only be found at Columbia, such as the F1 car club and Columbia World Projects. These specific opportunities show admissions officers that the student has done their research, and has tangible reasons for wanting to attend Columbia that go beyond, for example, the generic “I want to go to school in New York.”

The author also expresses an interest in the traditions that form the backbone of Columbia’s community, such as the tree lighting ceremony and the Holi celebration. This variety demonstrates that the author has spent time thinking about what their life at Columbia would look like overall, not just in the context of their mechanical engineering studies.

What Could Be Improved 

While this essay effectively conveys which specific things about Columbia interest the author, it could be strengthened by providing more details about why each activity is important to them, as that will explicitly connect their past experiences to their potential future at Columbia.

For example, the author could connect the F1 car club to the summers they spent working in their parents’ car repair shop. Or when discussing Columbia World Projects, they could explain how the CWP’s “Transforming Wastewater Infrastructure in America” project would allow them to build on the skills they learned from an elective they took on urban planning.

Along the same lines, the author could expand on how they see Columbia’s traditions helping them grow as a person. They name-drop the tree lighting ceremony and Holi festival, but don’t say anything about why these events are important to them. The essay would be stronger if, for example, they discuss how lighting the Christmas tree was always a time for their family to reflect on the previous year, and they look forward to having a similar unifying moment in college.

Finally, while the author does a good job in general of using specific opportunities to show their interest in Columbia, there are places where they are too vague. For example, when they talk about Columbia’s “Core curriculum” and “various labs and research centers,” we don’t get any information about what in particular intrigues them about the Core, or which labs and research centers they hope to work at. 

The essay would be stronger if the writer highlighted their excitement about using the Core to explore topics, such as art history, that they otherwise might not make time for in their schedule, or about working at the Earth Engineering Center to learn about how to harness their knowledge of biomechanical engineering in service of a greener future.

“She is a natural leader and role model.”

This comment punctuates all my report cards. However, I never believed it, until an alumnus of my high school was murdered by a maintenance worker for rebuffing his advances. Feeling angered, I spearheaded a plan of action for my poetry club—it was a reflex. I led one group poem celebrating her warmth, which we performed for her parents, and one about the rape culture that killed her, which we performed at a sexual assault awareness event.

Columbia boasts an exceptional culture of students who feel emboldened to call out injustice, even when it’s perpetuated by their own community. From the student-driven Columbia Prison Divest campaign, which successfully led Columbia to divest from the private prison industry, to the recent protests about Columbia’s gentrification of Harlem, the tenacity of Columbia’s Lions reflects my own.

Moreover, as someone from a household of sexual and domestic violence, I feel drawn to activism in that field. As a Peer Advocate for Columbia Health, I would provide support and resources for survivors, protecting them from the environment I was in.

The core of Columbia’s ethos is building trailblazers— I can’t wait to be one of them.

The student’s discussion of the difficult topic of sexual assault is impressive, as many applicants wouldn’t be bold enough to include this topic in a college application, and many others wouldn’t have the reflective or writing skills necessary to make it work. This student, however, is able to highlight both a genuine desire to fight back against injustice on a large scale, through public poetry performances, and a grassroots compassion for the victims, by working for Columbia Health as a Peer Advocate.

On that note, the writer also does an excellent job of connecting their passion for justice and advocacy to their potential life at Columbia. Remember that a “Why This College?” essay should be as specific as possible to that particular school, and this author not only mentions a variety of activities they hope to get involved in at Columbia, but also makes it clear which of their values and past experiences are motivating their interest in those particular opportunities. That gives admissions officers a strong sense of who this student is and what they’ll bring to the table at Columbia.

Finally, the reader’s emphatic tone throughout the essay stirs up readers’ emotions, and makes us feel like getting up and marching towards justice alongside them, which is an incredibly effective way of making us experience their leadership abilities firsthand. Lines like “ it was a reflex” and “ Columbia boasts an exceptional culture of students who feel emboldened to call out injustice, even when it’s perpetuated by their own community” make us viscerally feel the writer’s passion, and that sensation adds even more weight to their points.

Currently, the beginning of the essay is disjointed, as the author’s shift from positive report card comments to a former classmate’s murder is extremely abrupt. That jarring transition may have been intentional, but you don’t want to shock readers just because. While the essay is about leadership, readers will understand that without the first line, and thus the writer could be better off starting “in medias res” (in the middle of things) to immediately immerse readers in the story.

For example, they could say: “November 20, 2022 was a dark day at our school, when news broke of our former classmate’s murder.” This alternate first line gets right into the details of how the author developed their leadership skills, rather than starting off talking about those skills in the abstract and then zooming in. Remember, space is limited in the college essay, so you want to be as efficient as possible with how you make your points.

A vibrant, intellectually curious culture cultivated by the Core Curriculum, rich student interconnectedness, and an alignment of core values attract me to Columbia.

Seminar-based courses comprehensively facilitate my learning style; learning from peers, sharing my perspective, and exploring unquenchable curiosities comprise my ideal environment. Columbia’s emphasis on such learning through the Core Curriculum provides balanced structure and an approach encouraging valuable interdisciplinary study. Although I plan to pursue current intellectual interests through Columbia’s electives, the Core offers an invigorating communal experience and exposure to potential newfound passions, such as philosophy or Western musical analysis.

In conversation with my tour guide, Ashley, and through discussions with current students, I was inspired by the emphatic sense of community pride that envelops Morningside Heights. Beginning with the shared experience of the Core, it is apparent that inclusive community is fostered through academic spaces. Through traditions such as Tree Lighting, “Surf, Turf, & Earth” – which sounds absolutely scrumptious – and cultural celebrations, the Columbian community radiates in social spaces.

I envision myself blanketed with Columbia blue, clutching a glimmering snowball on the day of First Snow. Exuberant with lion pride, I prepare for a sportive battle, and a euphoric moment, with fellow prideful lions.

In the first paragraph, the author clearly lists three characteristics of Columbia–“a vibrant, intellectually curious culture cultivated by the Core Curriculum…rich student interconnectedness…and an alignment of core values”–which provide structure for the rest of the essay. This organization makes the essay easy to follow, as each point connects back to that first paragraph.

The writer also shows that they have a true appreciation of the community at Columbia, and that they aren’t just paying lip service to one of the most frequently used words in college admissions, by mentioning their tour guide by name, and the discussions they have had with current students. Those details show that the student has spent real effort getting to know Columbia’s campus culture, which in turn shows that they will be committed to making contributions to that culture themself.

As noted above, one of the keys to this kind of “Why This College?” essay is not just showing genuine interest in the school, but also how that interest will manifest once you’re there. By referencing traditions like the Tree Lighting ceremony and “Surf, Turf, & Earth,” the author demonstrates that they have already spent time thinking about how they would fit into Columbia’s community.

Finally, the author’s vivid imagery of “[themself] blanketed with Columbia blue, clutching a glimmering snowball on the day of First Snow,” ends the essay on a high note. The author doesn’t just restate that they want to go to Columbia, but paints a tangible picture of their excitement and anticipation, which makes those feelings come across far more strongly than if they just said something generic like “I can’t wait to hopefully be arriving in Morningside Heights next fall.”

While the author does include some Columbia-specific traditions, as described above, too much of the essay, particularly the paragraph focused on academics, is phrased in general terms. For example, the line:

“Although I plan to pursue current intellectual interests through Columbia’s electives, the Core offers an invigorating communal experience and exposure to potential newfound passions, such as philosophy or Western musical analysis” 

doesn’t tell us anything about what the author’s “current intellectual interests” are, nor about which specific courses or professors at Columbia will help them pursue their “newfound passions.” The essay would be much stronger if, for example, the author talked about how Columbia’s “American Film: Cult and Exploitation” course would help them refine their interest in contemporary media culture, which they have already started exploring through a research project in their American history class.

Additionally, rather than listing general categories of courses like “philosophy or Western musical analysis,” the author should talk about the Core in more specific terms, which are also linked to their own personal interests. That line could look something like:

“While I’ve never considered myself a musician, I’ve always been fascinated by how songwriters can unify millions of people with just a clever turn of phrase, and the Core’s ‘Music Humanities” requirement will help me better understand why musicians can wield so much power in society.”

Finally, along similar lines, the author should ideally connect the Columbia-specific traditions they mention to their own interests. For example, rather than just saying that the “Surf Turf & Earth” event sounds “absolutely scrumptious,” they could talk about how their multicultural family has always encouraged adventurous eating, and so they are excited about attending a college that also values culinary exploration.

Essay Example 4 – Cancer Research and Community

I’ve always known about Columbia’s stellar core curriculum, first hearing it from my uncle. He would speak of the strengths of this method, allowing students to experience learning in all fields of study. And its rumors are nothing less than reality – being given this holistic foundation throughout college is one I wish to thrive on. It would allow me to explore other subjects and meet Columbia’s astute professors, specifically Dr. Adana Llanos. I want to journey through Cancer Epidemiology and possibly assist in her research towards breast cancer subtypes because of its prevalence in my family.

Looking past academics, I view Columbia as a family where I can learn about myself and those around me. After hearing about the South Asian club, Club Zamana, I want to use it as a mode of discovery for my own heritage, participating in flamboyant events like Tamasha. This club would create a door to indulge in the passionate cultures that make up Columbia. 

I believe Columbia to have academic resources, a community, and energy like no other. It is the home where I want to discover my passion and pursue it for my 4 years. I think my uncle would love that.

This essay succinctly captures the “why?” of the “Why This College?” essay in a straightforward, easy-to-follow response. This applicant is interested in applying to Columbia because of: 1) the core curriculum, 2) their personal interest in studying cancer epidemiology, and 3) the opportunity to explore their own heritage through the South Asian club. 

While having a simple structure may not initially seem like something to get excited about, one of the unfortunate realities of college essays is that, while you spend many hours writing and revising them, admissions officers have no choice but to read them extremely quickly, because they have so many to get through. So, you want to be sure that your readers understand what you’re saying the first time around, as if they’re confused about something, they don’t have time to  stop and figure it out.

Additionally, by mentioning a specific professor they hope to work with, the author shows they’ve done some research on how exactly Columbia will help them delve into their interest in Cancer Epidemiology. The key to successfully responding to this kind of prompt is joining your current background/interests with opportunities at the school that will help you explore them. The line “I want to journey through Cancer Epidemiology and possibly assist in her research towards breast cancer subtypes because of its prevalence in my family” accomplishes both things.

If, however, the last two sentences of the first paragraph were replaced with the vaguer “I want to journey through cancer epidemiology, and possibly learn about breast cancer subtypes because of its prevalence in my family,” the reader would still understand this student’s interest in the field, but not how that connects to their desire to attend Columbia, which would give the essay an incomplete feel.

Finally, college is more than just academics, and this student’s discussion of their non-academic interest, in a club that will help them better understand their own identity, shows they have thought comprehensively about what their life at Columbia would look like. That will in turn help admission officers create a complete picture in their minds of how this student would fit into Columbia as a whole, not just the classrooms.

As noted above, the author does a good job of tying the opportunities they hope to pursue at Columbia to their existing interests. That personal connection could be strengthened, however, by more details about why they are drawn to these opportunities over any others.

For example, regarding the student’s interest in cancer epidemiology, they do mention the prevalence of breast cancer in their family as their motivation for studying the topic, but that line is brief, and thus could be missed by someone who, as noted above, is reading quickly. It’s also lacking specificity, as plenty of people have familial connections to certain topics–say, Jewish history if you have an aunt who is a rabbi–and yet don’t have much interest in exploring them themselves.

The author could more concretely connect their background to their potential breast cancer research at Columbia by providing additional details about, say, a summer research program they completed, or their experience learning about genetics in their high school biology class, or a 5K race they run every year to raise money for breast cancer research. That will in turn show admissions officers what they would bring to Dr. Llanos’ lab, not just that they hope to work there in general.

This same general idea also applies to the student’s discussions of the Core and the South Asian club. The student generally references things that appeal to them about these features of Columbia, like a “holistic foundation” provided by the core, and “discover[ing]…[their] own heritage” through the club, but we don’t get any specific details explaining how their past experiences have led to them prioritizing these things in their college experience.

Specifically with regards to the Core, as you’ve probably noticed in our analysis of both this essay and the preceding two, just mentioning this feature of Columbia isn’t enough. When a school is particularly well known for one thing, like Columbia with the Core or Brown with their Open Curriculum, pretty much every applicant is going to mention it somewhere in their application. 

So, in order to set yourself apart–which is the whole point of the essay, after all–you want to make sure you’re being as detailed as possible about how your past experiences and goals for the future align with this aspect of the school. Otherwise, you’re wasting valuable words, as just saying you like the Core won’t move the needle on your application.

Finally, a general word of caution when writing applications: don’t lose sight of the fact that admissions officers want to understand a student’s motivations for applying to their school, not those of their family members, or anyone else for that matter. This student both starts and finishes their essay by talking about their uncle, which makes it seem like their motivation for applying to Columbia is to make their uncle proud, rather than a personal interest in the school. 

While it’s not automatically bad to mention how someone else helped you become interested in a school, the overall focus should stay on you. In the case of this essay, that means the student shouldn’t frame the second line around their uncle “speak[ing] of the strengths of this method,” but rather around how their uncle’s introduction to Columbia led them to start researching the school themself. And at the end, the last thought in their reader’s mind should be of them at Columbia, not their uncle. So, the line “I think my uncle would love that,” should be taken out.

A small bird nest rests outside my doorway. Everyday at 3:40 pm, the mother bird eagerly comes home to her ecstatic children. They remind me beauty is everywhere, even in the smallest of reunions.

The author makes great use of the limited word space in this essay with a charming account of what brings happiness in their daily routine. Thanks to the efficient writing and simple but vivid imagery, created through strong word choices like “ecstatic” and creative phrasings like “the smallest of reunions,” this short essay reads almost like poetry.

Furthermore, the author’s description also teaches us something about who they are, which is the key to any college essay, even the short ones. The reflection “They remind me beauty is everywhere, even in the smallest of reunions” shows that the author appreciates the beauty and significance of seemingly ordinary moments, which in turn shows that they would bring both thoughtfulness and positivity to Columbia’s campus.

This is an incredibly strong essay, without much room for improvement. If anything, the lesson to be learned here is that usually, you eventually get to a point where your essay doesn’t need any more changes. Calling your essay “finished” can be challenging for many students, due to the overall stress of the college process and the constant feeling that you should be doing something, anything, to improve your chances of acceptance. But at some point, it’s okay to take your hands off the keyboard, be proud of the work you’ve put into the essay, and take a five-minute break to unwind 🙂

Prompt:   For applicants to Columbia College, please tell us what from your current and past experiences (either academic or personal) attracts you specifically to the areas of study that you previously noted in the application. (200 words or fewer)

The flickering LED lights began to form into a face of a man when I focused my eyes. The man spoke a ruthless serial killer of the decade who had been arrested in 2004, and my parents shivered at his reaccounting of the case. I curiously tuned in, wondering who he was to speak of such crimes with concrete composure and knowledge. Later, he introduced himself as a profiler named Pyo Chang Won, and I watched the rest of the program by myself without realizing that my parents had left the couch.

After watching the program, I recited the foreign word until it was no longer unfamiliar — ”profiler”. I stayed up all-night searching the meaning; my eyes sparkled with the dim light of the monitor as I read the tales of Pyo Chang Won and his Sherlock-like stories. From predicting the future of criminals and knowing the precise vicinity of a killer on the loose, he had saved countless lives; living in communities riddled with crimes in my youth then and even now, I dreamed of working against crimes. However, the traditional path of a lawyer or a police officer only reinforced the three-step cycle of arrest, trial, and jail which continued with no fundamental changes for years; I wanted to work with the psyche of criminals beyond courts and wondered about the inner workings of the mind.

Such admiration and interest led me to invest my time in psychology. Combined with working with the likes of the Victim Witness Agency, I decided to pursue psychology as my major for my undergraduate education. Later on, I want to specialize my research and education on behavioral/forensic psychology and eventually branch out to my childhood dream of becoming a criminal profiler. 

A major positive of this essay is how it is focused on one moment in time. This student goes into depth about the night they first fell in love with criminal psychology which allows the reader to feel like they are there watching TV with the student and researching afterwards. Having the essay focus on a snapshot of the student’s life opens the door to include more imagery and delve into the internal monologue of the student, thus creating a more engaging and personable essay. 

The student’s genuine fascination for the topic is evident through what they show the reader. They explain that they stayed to finish the show after their parents left, they stayed up all night researching what they just learned, and their eyes sparkled the more they learned about criminal psychology. Providing all these details shows the student’s fascination and passion for this topic without them ever having to explicitly say they were excited about it. 

This essay also does a good job of expanding past the requirements of the prompt to explain what they hope to accomplish with their degree. Including their career aspirations reinforced their passion to pursue this field to admissions officers. It also demonstrated that they are a goal-oriented person who wants to make a difference in the world.

What Could Be Improved

One thing that could be improved in this essay is the grammar. There were a few sentences where there were either typos or just clunky sentences that could be tightened up. In order to catch grammatical errors, you should always give your essay to at least one other person to read. CollegeVine offers  essay reviews that allows students to receive feedback on the grammar, structure, and content of their essays. It’s always a good idea to have a fresh pair of eyes read your essay to catch mistakes that might go unnoticed by you. Having someone review this essay would have likely helped this student fix their grammatical errors.

Essay Example 7 – Slavic Languages and Cultures

Steaming fruit filled knedliky, singing Czech Christmas Carols, and falling asleep to fairy tales about princesses with golden stars on their foreheads compose my earliest memories. As I grew older, I found myself exploring the streets and museums of Prague on my own and requesting less fantastical fairy tales, consisting of true stories from my parents about life under Communism. These personal experiences with Czech Language and Culture have vastly influenced my academic interests. 

Exploring the manner in which Czechia developed and understanding its intrinsic components remained an innate goal of mine. Though Czech was my first language I developed my skills further as I matured by utilizing Czech news sources and literary works. Throughout my AP English and History courses, I continually sought out both works by Czech authors and their accounts of consequential historical events, attempting to discover the common ground between these readings and those assigned in class. Through these unique means, I began unearthing the intricate history and background of the country. 

Majoring in Slavic Languages and Cultures provides ideal opportunities to develop a cross-cultural understanding of pertinent political issues while defining my identity as a Czech-American, thus fostering my innate academic passions and personal ambitions. 

Although this student doesn’t reveal what their intended major is until the last line, the entire essay does a great job of building a vivid picture of Czech culture and this student’s fascination with it that we almost don’t need to be told the actual major. 

The author shows how their Czech heritage has fascinated them through different stages of their life, demonstrating their maturity through the information they seek out. To show the beauty of their childhood innocence, they describe “ Steaming fruit filled knedliky, singing Czech Christmas Carols, and falling asleep to fairy tales about princesses with golden stars on their foreheads. ” Then, they demonstrate their interest in history by asking their parents about Communism. This fascination for history continues when they discuss searching for Czech authors in their AP classes.

Not only do we see how Czech language and culture has been an integral part of their life, but we get to see their determination and drive to develop new skills through exploring their Czech heritage. This student could have been content with speaking Czech at home, but instead they demonstrated intellectual curiosity by “ utilizing Czech news sources and literary works” to go above and beyond in their studies. If this student acted on their niche passion in the confines of a high school classroom, imagine what they could do with Columbia’s resources!

While the prompt asks you to reflect on your past experiences, for this essay to really stand out, it should have touched on the future as well. You can strengthen any “ Why Major? ” essay by explaining what you hope to achieve with your major post graduation. Prompts won’t always ask for this, but it’s a nice way to demonstrate you are forward-looking.

Even if there was just a phrase in the final sentence that mentioned something about how this student wants to become a Czech historian or they want to move to Czechia after graduation to reconnect with their roots, this would be enough of an addition to show admissions officers that this student is confident in both their past and future.

Prompt: A hallmark of the Columbia experience is being able to live and learn in a community with a wide range of perspectives. How do you or would you learn from and contribute to diverse, collaborative communities? (200 words or fewer)

Uno. Jenga. Monopoly. These were the board games I grew up with in America. But I found that the seniors at St. Theresa’s Home in Singapore did not share my enthusiasm for these pastimes (nor did they understand my elation at finally capturing Boardwalk)!

Prioritizing flexibility as a facilitator, I flipped the tables.

Pai Gow. Xiangqi. Mahjong. Initially, my team and I struggled to keep track of the countless new gameplay rules. However, I embraced the initial discomfort of this “hands-off” approach, realizing how it allowed us to transfer control to a community whose voices we wanted to amplify.

The small but crucial details, like knowing Mandarin pronunciations of game and piece names, built trust and respect and soon, we found ourselves trading stories freely, like cards.

I was initially hesitant to talk about my upbringing in a Western society and my constant struggle to define my own identity. However, I found a true sounding board in the aunties and uncles. Both sides simply wanted to hear and be heard. 

This is the knowledge I will carry into Columbia, where I hope to foster cultural discourse through safe spaces and conversations, ensuring that no one feels like a missing piece.

This student very creatively displays the discomfort of cultural divides and the joys of overcoming them through playing games. The parallel of listing three US board games (“ Uno. Jenga. Monopoly. “) and then three Singapore games (“ Pai Gow. Xiangqi. Mahjong. “) shows the reader how this student had to step outside of their comfort zone to connect with the seniors.

By explaining how it was difficult to “ keep track of the countless new gameplay rules ” and know the “ Mandarin pronunciations of game and piece names ” we understand the challenges of relating to people from a different culture that this student had to overcome. However, by describing the seniors as “ aunties and uncles ” and a “ sounding board ” for this student, it shows the level of comfort they finally established and how this student benefitted from hearing diverse perspectives.

Additionally, this essay has a strong game motif running through it that contributes to the playfulness and cohesiveness of the essay. From cracking jokes about getting the most coveted property in Monopoly, to referring to their conversation as “ trading stories freely, like cards “, to concluding with the analogy of a “ missing piece “, the commitment to games is a nice way to reinforce the connections they fostered.

Something missing from this essay is an explanation of why this student was at the senior center and what they wanted to accomplish. Was this a volunteer activity they were originally hesitant to join but grew to love once they embraced the Singaporean games? They mention the seniors as “ community whose voices we wanted to amplify ,” so does that mean they were interviewing seniors for articles or research projects?

Although the essay still effectively answers the prompt without telling us more about why this student was at the senior center, the lack of answers can be distracting for the reader and diminishes the lasting impact of the story.

Do you want feedback on your Columbia University essays? After rereading your essays countless times, it can be difficult to evaluate your writing objectively. That’s why we created our free Peer Essay Review tool , where you can get a free review of your essay from another student. You can also improve your own writing skills by reviewing other students’ essays. 

If you want a college admissions expert to review your essay, advisors on CollegeVine have helped students refine their writing and submit successful applications to top schools. Find the right advisor for you to improve your chances of getting into your dream school!

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Columbia Business School Deferred MBA Program Essay Analysis

The Columbia Business School Deferred Enrollment MBA Program is open to those in their senior year of college or in their final year of a subsequent graduate program.

Through CBS’s Deferred MBA program, applicants will then defer admission for two to five years, allowing them to gain pre-MBA work experience.

Columbia’s latest Deferred Enrollment MBA Program class profile reports 232 admits with a GMAT range from 570 to 780 and a GPA range from 3.3 to 4.0. Overall, 28 countries are represented in the most recent cohort.

Are you interested in applying? Below, Personal MBA Coach shares eligibility information and our analysis of the Columbia Deferred Enrollment MBA Program essay questions. Do not miss these insider tips from Personal MBA Coach’s Nicole Shay – former Columbia Business School Admissions Director.

This year, the CBS Deferred MBA deadline is April 15. Looking for help with your deferred MBA applications? Find out more about Personal MBA Coach’s Deferred MBA Comprehensive Packages below or schedule a consultation here .

Columbia Business School Deferred MBA Admission Eligibility

The Columbia Deferred Enrollment MBA Program is available to students graduating during the current academic year from a bachelor’s degree program, as well as those completing a graduate degree program. Graduate degree applicants must have started their program directly after graduating from their undergraduate school to be eligible. Students who are enrolled in law school, medical school or Ph.D. programs are not eligible.

Columbia Deferred MBA Essay Questions

Essay 1:  applying to a deferred enrollment program suggests that your aspirations in the next 2-5 years will include an mba. why do you feel you need an mba to achieve your long-term career goals and why would you like to pursue your mba at columbia business school  (300 words maximum) .

This is your chance to tell CBS both WHAT you will do with an MBA and WHY Columbia is the right place for you. Briefly mention what you plan to do before beginning your MBA. Then, discuss both your short-term goals (what job you hope to have immediately after graduating from the MBA) and your long-term plans.

These goals should demonstrate what you are hoping to do professionally post-MBA and show knowledge of your future industry. It also would be appropriate, if there is space, to include a sentence on the skills you will gain in the short term to prepare you for the long term. For help on how to shape your career goals, watch this quick tips video with Scott Edinburgh, founder of Personal MBA Coach.

Then, discuss specifically what skills you will gain at CBS. For each item, be specific about what you will learn and how you will apply this knowledge.

Finally, include at least one sentence on fit and culture. This is the chance to get a bit more personal and explain why you are interested in the school from a personal standpoint.

Essay 2:  Contributing to the community is an important part of the CBS experience. Discuss one experience or situation in your undergraduate or graduate career where you feel you contributed to your community and what you learned from the experience. (250 words maximum)

This short essay is new this year. While community can be a broad term, given the language Personal MBA Coach recommends that most applicants discuss a community they have developed on campus.

Ideally you will select a community that you contributed to over time. However, with only 250 words at your disposal, focus this essay on a specific experience within this community. As you tell the story, spell out not only why this community is important to you but also what you did SPECIFICALLY to contribute.

Naturally, DEI is top of mind for many admissions directors this year. So, if your example speaks to this, great. But if not, do not worry! Your community could be your dorm, a particular class, students within the same major, a sports team, your theater buddies, etc.

Finally, tell CBS what you learned. You want not only to show CBS you are open to developing new skills, but also to highlight your strengths and allude to how you will contribute on campus. This is a great opportunity to show your leadership and collaboration skills.

Remember that, as with full-time MBA programs, deferred MBA applications also require a number of additional elements including  letters of recommendation , an  MBA resume , short answer questions , and possible video essays. Make sure that you set aside sufficient time for these application extras!

If you are ready to begin working on your Deferred MBA applications, Personal MBA Coach is here to guide you through our  Deferred MBA Packages !

The post Columbia Business School Deferred MBA Program Essay Analysis appeared first on Personal MBA Coach .

PersonalMBACoach

Published in Personal MBA Coach , Admission Consultants and Blog

Choose Your Test

Sat / act prep online guides and tips, how to write a stand-out "why columbia" essay.

College Essays

One of the essays you'll have to write when applying to Columbia University is the "Why Columbia" essay. In this essay, you'll need to convince the admissions committee that Columbia is your dream school and that you'd be a great fit on the campus.

The "Why Columbia" essay question can be intimidating for students. You might be wondering: what should I mention in it? What does the admissions committee want to hear from me?

In this article, we'll break down the "Why Columbia" essay, explaining what the prompt asks and what the committee wants to hear. We'll also show you a real, successful "Why Columbia" essay example and explain why it works. Finally, we'll suggest potential topics for your essay and offer tips on how to write your own college admissions essays.

The 411 on the "Why Columbia" Essay Prompt

Here's the current "Why Columbia" essay prompt for the 2023-2024 application cycle :

Why are you interested in attending Columbia University? We encourage you to consider the aspect(s) that you find unique and compelling about Columbia. (150 words or fewer)

As you can see, the "Why Columbia" essay prompt asks a specific question: why do you want to attend Columbia University over any other school?

The admissions committee wants to see that you are genuinely interested in attending Columbia specifically and that you value it more than all other colleges out there.

As an applicant, you might be thinking that everyone applies to Columbia for the same reason: it's an Ivy League school and one of the best universities in the world.

The admissions committee knows all these facts about Columbia and knows that all applicants will know these facts, too.

What the Columbia admissions committee wants to learn is why you specifically want to go to Columbia rather than another amazing university.

From their perspective, students who really want to go to Columbia are more likely to enroll when they're accepted. This increases the university's yield rate and ensures that the freshman class will be full. If you can show in your essay that you’ve carefully considered the unique things about Columbia that make it the perfect school for you, you’ve got a good shot at getting an acceptance letter!

What Is the Purpose of the "Why Columbia" Essay?

Why does Columbia require applicants to answer this essay question? And what is the admissions committee really looking for in your answer? Let's analyze the "Why Columbia" essay prompt.

No matter which schools you're applying to, "Why This College" essays are perhaps the most common essay prompts you'll find on college applications because colleges want to see that you really want to attend their school.

But why exactly do colleges care that you want to go to their school?

Students who are passionate about their college or university are more likely to feel that the school is a good fit for them. They'll be more likely to commit to their studies, participate in on-campus activities, and become an active alum after graduation.

Therefore, if you show in your essay that you really love Columbia, it will make admissions officers feel more confident that you're going to have a significant and positive impact on their school.

If your reasons for attending Columbia are vague or even plain wrong (for instance, say you claim you'd like to take a major that isn't actually offered at Columbia), the admissions committee will think that you don't care about the school and aren't really interested in it.

Basically, the purpose of the essay is to suss out whether your interest in Columbia is genuine and to see whether you're ready to take advantage of Columbia's many opportunities.

What Should You Write About in Your "Why Columbia" Essay?

There are a number of different topics you can pursue for your "Why Columbia" essay. Ideally, you'll want to explore specific topics that you can talk about in-depth.

Here are some suggested topics for your essay:

• Majors or classes you're interested in (look for class names in the online course catalog)
• Professors whose research you're interested in
• Extracurriculars that you'd be interested in joining (you can likely find these online, too)
• Current and past Columbia students you've met before and whom you admire
• Volunteer opportunities  you'd like to get involved in 
• Financial aid opportunities Columbia offers that make it possible for you to attend
• Professional development opportunities Columbia offers

When it comes down to it, make sure to choose something about Columbia that no other school offers.

For instance, Columbia is in New York City and therefore has relationships with lots of businesses and organizations in the area. You could use your essay to examine how these Columbia-specific opportunities in New York will positively affect your education.

What you don't want to do, however, is wax on about how you love city-living— you need to make sure to describe how Columbia's specific relationship with NYC will help you to further your goals.

Match opportunities at Columbia to specific goals you have. For example, you could talk about how a particular professor's course aligns with your career objectives.

You need to be very specific in your answer: every single thing you say should relate back to a certain feature of Columbia. The entire focus of your essay should be what Columbia offers and how you'll take advantage of the school's academics and activities to get the best college education possible.

4 Tips for a Great Response to the "Why Columbia" Essay

Regardless of how you decide to answer this prompt, there are four tips everyone should keep in mind to ensure that they are fully answering the question, giving the information Columbia wants to see, and standing apart from other applicants.

#1: Do Your Research

Before you begin writing your response to this essay prompt, you should know exactly why you want to attend Columbia University. There are multiple ways you can do this research:

• Visit the school website or browse the list of departments, programs, and courses
• Check out the school newspaper, schedule a campus visit (virtual or in-person!), or set up a meeting with an alum, current student, or professor to get a feel for the campus

Every college campus has its own vibe, and visiting is the best way to get a sense of how Columbia might work with your personality as a student.

#2: Be Specific

From your research, you should have come up with specific reasons why Columbia is a great school for you. The more specific you can be when answering this prompt, the better.

Don't say Columbia has great academics, caring professors, and an interesting student body. The vast majority of schools have that!

Instead, try to mention opportunities only Columbia can provide, such as specific professors, courses, extracurricular activities, or research opportunities.

The things you discuss should be things your other top schools don't offer—things that really make Columbia stand out.

#3: Show Your Passion

Columbia wants students who care a lot about their studies and their school, so be sure this comes across in your response.

A bland statement such as "I am impressed by Columbia's strong engineering program" doesn't tell the school anything about you or help you stand apart from other applicants. Show your passion by naming specific professors or features of the program.

You've done your research to mention certain qualities Columbia has that have enticed you, and now it's time to discuss specific qualities about yourself, too. Why does the engineering program make you so excited? What do you want to get out of it? Be detailed, specific, and honest.

#4: Proofread

Your Columbia essay should be the strongest possible example of your writing skills. Before you turn in your application, take time to edit and proofread your essays.

Your work should be free of spelling and grammar errors. Make sure to run your essays through a spelling and grammar check before you submit.

It's a good idea to have someone else read your "Why Columbia" essay, too. You can seek a second opinion on your work from a parent, teacher, or friend.

Ask them whether your work represents you as a student and person. Have them check and make sure that you haven't missed any small writing errors. Having a second opinion will help your work be the best it can be.

Here's a little taste of what a good "Why Columbia" essay looks like.

"Why Columbia" Essay Example

If you're stuck on what to write for your own essay, looking at "Why Columbia" essays that actually worked can be helpful. Below, we examine one "Why Columbia" essay that got a student accepted to Columbia and talk about what specifically made this piece of writing so strong.

The following essay comes to us from an accepted Columbia 2020 student via AP Study Notes :

At a college visit this year, I met a Columbia alumnus named Ayushi, whose stories helped me develop a thorough understanding of Columbia. Ayushi told me that Columbia funded both her summer trip to Syria to interview refugees and her seed money for a start-up she launched. As an aspiring entrepreneur, I'm impressed by a university that encourages students to pursue their own independent creations instead of simply offering the option to work on faculty projects. Columbia's four entrepreneurship organizations, among them the Columbia Organization of Rising Entrepreneurs, provide a dynamic start-up community for me to launch my own business.

In addition, when I explored Columbia online, the emphasis put on interdisciplinary studies particularly excited me. The Columbia Engineering website is rich with stories of engineering students who are also involved in Shakespeare troupes, service projects, and multicultural groups. In my opinion, diverse experiences are the foundation of creative thinking. At Columbia, I will continue to diversify my experience by not just joining the Parliamentary Debate Team, but also by making new friends on the intramural soccer field and starting a cultural club for Italian heritage students who wish to learn more about Italian history, language, food, and current events.

Columbia Engineering stands uniquely apart from other programs by incorporating several in-depth humanities and writing classes into the graduation requirements. I believe that looking at critical issues with an open mind and sophisticated grasp of the humanities is extremely important to being an engineer. For example, I could not imagine exploring the future of quantum cryptography without considering the political ripple effects of Edward Snowden, the moral ramifications of the quantum encryption revolution, and the relationship between technology and income inequality. I am confident that I will thrive in the Columbia culture of passionate engagement and vibrant, energetic conversation.

Why does this essay work?

It answers the prompt specifically.

This essay gives examples of personal experience with the school and proves that the applicant did their research: they present clear evidence as to how engineering students are involved on campus and talk about specific academic courses.

There are many impressive details in this essay, and the section that addresses extracurriculars is cleverly written to showcase the applicant's diverse interests. This student's mention of certain extracurriculars they want to do indicates that they looked at many facets of Columbia University, not just the engineering department.

It's clear from this essay just how the author views their fit at Columbia. They've talked about specific organizations they would like to be a part of, such as the Columbia Organization of Rising Entrepreneurs, while also showing why they want to join that organization.

Additionally, the applicant mentions a Columbia University student they spoke with, which means they took getting to know the student body seriously and really wanted to find out what Columbia students were like to see whether they, too, would fit in.

The conversation with the Columbia alum also emphasizes the applicant's initiative: they're willing to go above and beyond to learn about the school.

Conclusion: Writing a Great "Why Columbia" Essay

The purpose of the "Why Columbia" essay is for you to prove to the admissions committee that Columbia is the best school for you

In your essay, you could write about multiple topics that are specific to Columbia, such as academics, the student body, extracurriculars, and research opportunities.

When writing your "Why Columbia" essay, make sure to research the school extensively and be specific about activities and opportunities that really make you want to attend.

If you're stuck on how to proceed, analyzing a successful "Why Columbia" essay example might help you get inspiration for what to write.

What's Next?

How tough is it to get into Columbia? For answers, read our expert guide on how to get into Columbia and the Ivy League , written by a Harvard alum!

Should you apply early or regular decision to college? Find out the pros and cons of early decision .

Want to see some more college essay examples? We have links to 100+ great college essays that includes our expert analysis on how you can write a stand-out essay of your own.

Hayley Milliman is a former teacher turned writer who blogs about education, history, and technology. When she was a teacher, Hayley's students regularly scored in the 99th percentile thanks to her passion for making topics digestible and accessible. In addition to her work for PrepScholar, Hayley is the author of Museum Hack's Guide to History's Fiercest Females.

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