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First get the basic principles of mba essay writing right and then move on to the Columbia MBA 2011-2012 essay tips.

The Columbia essay package has seen a welcome expansion this year. Overall the three essays, and the minuscule short answer, offer wide latitude to express your candidature from both professional and personal perspectives. While the second question is clearer than earlier in its focus on the personal, the new choice questions, though overlong, offer greater flexibility.

Columbia Short Answer Question

What is your post-MBA professional goal? (200 characters maximum)

Columbia Short Answer Question Tips

This tiny essay (~35 words) is as clear (and short!) a goals essay as one can expect.

Give a concise, direct, credible response with focus on your short term post-CBS goal. Write this essay in tandem with Columbia's first essay, to avoid contradiction and ensure connectivity.

Examples from the Columbia site follow. “After my MBA I want to build my expertise in the energy sector and learn more about strategy and decision making by joining a consulting firm specializing in renewable energy and power companies.” “After my MBA I hope to work in business development for a media company that is expanding its market share in Asia.” “My short term goal is to work with an investment firm that utilizes public private partnerships to invest in community development projects.”

Go for it!

Columbia Essay 1

Considering your post-MBA and long term professional goals, why you are pursuing an MBA at this point in your career? Additionally, why is Columbia Business School a good fit for you? (Maximum 750 words)

Columbia Essay 1 Tips

This is a straightforward career goals and "why CBS" essay that invites you to paint a picture of how the YOU, your dreams and Columbia are intricately and fittingly enmeshed.

While this is a forward-looking goals question and your past is not asked for, briefly presenting your career progression and using your past to quickly illustrate that you have the vision, skill-set and commitment to achieve your goals might be useful. However, the bulk of the essay should be about your future. Be realistic, visionary and focused while detailing your Post-Columbia mid-term and long-term career goals. Exhibit passion for the industry and the functional role of your choice. Add specific (even unique) information to enhance the credibility and authenticity of your application and to help differentiate your candidature.

Why "an MBA at this point" seeks to know why NOW, rather than later (or earlier). Try to persuasively write how in terms of maturity, exposure, opportunity and learning this is the ideal time for pursuing your MBA. Apart from taking the obvious path of finding links with the MBA and your career, this is also a chance to demonstrate how maturely, differently and clearly you can see your career and/or the business landscape.

"Why  is Columbia Business School a good fit for you" has to dealt with application, research and intelligence. How will Columbia's program help you achieve your goals? Which of Columbia's strengths and programs are critical to your success? Please go beyond cutting/pasting info gleaned from the CBS website, and personalize your answer as much as possible. Be specific while linking your career goals with Columbia's MBA programme, alumni, students, faculty, special programs, clubs etc. Put to use all the research you have done on Columbia and state specifics about skills and knowledge that you hope to pick up at CBS. Researching the school, speaking with students and alumni and explaining your fit with Columbia effectively in this essay can make a huge difference to your candidacy.

Perhaps if you can convincingly accomplish all of the above, you may have got it made.

Go for it!

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Columbia Essay 2

Describe a life experience that has shaped you. The goal of this essay is to get a sense of who you are, rather than what you have achieved professionally. (Maximum 500 words)

Columbia Essay 3 Tips

Often in the hectic race to complete long, time-consuming MBA applications, we miss the best of what we can contribute to our candidature and our essays, and exactly the kind of stuff that the admissions committee awaits with bated breath - a true moment of insight into a lurking beauty within oneself. This, the most personal of the Columbia essays, is one such occasion.

Choose an instance that is personal and enduringly life changing, and explain how it effected you and made you the person you are today. Look back at your life to identify crucial milestones to uncover the basic theme for the essay. The choices you made at each stage of your life will be essential guides to supporting this theme and ensuring that the theme is credible. Look back on important personal and professional situations and try to analyze what decisions you made, why you succeeded or failed, how you thought and acted. This exercise, extremely difficult if done right, will pay rich dividends across your entire MBA application process, not just this one essay.

There are umpteen approaches to this essay - choose the one that suits you best. You can structure this essay as sections devoted to your key beliefs/passions or as an introduction plus life story essay or an anecdotes driven development and success story. Whichever route you take, the essay should be a personal, credible and passionate portrayal of YOU.

Unlike the other essays we could go farther back in time to explore occasions of epiphany.

Go for it!

Columbia Essay 3

Select and answer one of the below questions:

Columbia Essay 3a

The annual A. Lorne Weil Outrageous Business Plan Competition is a student initiative managed and run by the Columbia Entrepreneurs Organization (CEO). The competition encourages Columbia MBA students to explore creative entrepreneurial ideas that are sufficiently ambitious in scope and scale to be considered “outrageous.” Students explore these ideas while learning firsthand what goes into the development and presentation of a solid business proposal. Develop your own “outrageous” business idea. In essay form, compose your “elevator pitch.” (Maximum 250 words)

Columbia Essay 3a Tips

This is an exciting question - and deserves a thrilling, entrepreneurial response.

Columbia Business School considers the entrepreneurial mindset to be integral to its success. So start at the CBS site's essential introduction to A. Lorne Weil Outrageous Business Plan Competition. Please do not misinterpret "outrageous" as crazy, bizarre or outlandish; what is sought is "ambitious in scope and scale", visionary in impact and forward looking in conception.

The creative process of discovering opportunities and defining business solutions to come up with a winning business plan might be helped by research on new ideas or by tapping your entrepreneurial dreams. A look at past competition winners could act a a guideline to begin the thought process. It is imperative that the basic value proposition be visionary and "outrageous" in scope. The relative brevity of the essay makes it even more critical to get the fundamental idea right since other aspects of the business plan which could be winning factors in an actual business pitch (such as Financial Plan, Operational Model, Marketing Plan) might have less value here. Apart from a dazzling value proposition, further information on the product/service, the market, revenue model, and scalability of operations is welcome.

This is your opportunity to demonstrate your entrepreneurial spirit, your innovation and your ability to think big. The CBS entrepreneurship page says that entrepreneurship "is about identifying, valuing, and capturing opportunities." Capture this one!

The decision about choosing this essay should obviously be made after giving some thought to the other choices. If you are entrepreneurial and/or have a great idea this might be a good choice.

Go for it!

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Columbia Essay 3b

Columbia deeply values its vibrant student community, the building of which begins at orientation when admitted students are assigned to clusters of 65 to 70 fellow students who take most of the first-year core classes together. During the first weeks of school, each cluster selects a Cluster Chair. Further strengthening the student community are the nearly 100 active student organizations at Columbia Business School, ranging from cultural to professional to community service-oriented. Leadership positions within the cluster and/or clubs offer hands-on management and networking opportunities for students as they interact with fellow students, administrators, faculty members, alumni, and practitioners. You are running for either Cluster Chair or a club leadership position of your choosing. Compose your campaign speech. (Maximum 250 words)

Columbia Essay 3b Tips

Whichever CBS choice question you choose the place to start would be the basic research on the Columbia website. Learn about Columbia's cluster system, the Graduate Business Association and understand how it works. Check out the student organizations and the over 100 groups at Columbia.

Having learned enough about the group/cluster, choose one that fits your interests, passions and skill set. While your leadership approach and seriousness about Columbia (judged through how good your knowledge/research is) are why this essay is asked, the choice of the club/cluster is important since your interest in that sector might need to be demonstrated in the rest of the application and/or in the interview. Research well; several of the clubs have dedicated websites or web pages - use them. In the course of talks that you might have with alumni/students talk about the club/cluster as well.

Next, evolve a vision and devise a strategy that illustrates how effective and differentiated your leadership is. Lay out your manifesto and prepare a campaign speech that sells you as an effective, intelligent  leader and includes your vision, your eligibility, your skills, your past exposure and research/knowledge.

Try to display leadership, vision, learning/research skills and a clear understanding of CBS through this short essay. A willingness to identify specific areas and actions that will make a definable difference to the Columbia community will be hugely appreciated.

The decision about choosing this essay should obviously be made after giving some thought to the other choices. If you want to display your leadership vision and/or your deep knowledge about Columbia this might be a good choice.

Go for it!

Columbia Essay 3c

Founded nearly three decades ago, the Executives in Residence Program at Columbia Business School integrates senior executives into the life of the School. Current executives in residence include more than a dozen experts in areas ranging from media and investment banking to private equity and management. A hallmark of the program is one-on-one counseling sessions in which executives advise students about their prospective career choices. Select one of the current executives in residence with whom you would like to meet during your time at Columbia. Explain your selection and tell us how you would best utilize your half hour one-on-one session. (Maximum 250 words)

Columbia Essay 3c Tips

Yes, once again the first thing you do is research. Study Columbia's Executives in Residence Program and do a little background research on each of the Resident Executives.

Given the multitude of choices, the decision making process about who to choose would be crucial. And this choice would depend on the theme you choose for this essay.

The theme that obviously suggests itself for the half hour session and the essay would be your post-MBA goals. Talking to a business leader in an industry or function you want to succeed in might be extremely productive. You are accountable for how well you use the half hour in essay-world -  his (just the one lady that I could see in the executives in residence list) time, his experience, his knowledge, his network, his insights etc.

However, you can certainly go beyond the obvious - and look beyond the apparent goal theme. No limits! Whichever path you take, please remember that this essay is still about you: the essay has to reveal your personality, showcase your passion, your approach to seeking knowledge, your method of relationship building and/or any other skill/quality that you feel this essay should highlight. If you have the right theme feel free to showcase

The decision to choose this essay should obviously be made after giving some thought to the other choices. At first glance this seems the least attractive of the three essays - especially if there is a further focus on the goals (presumably having written enough about it earlier in the application). But if you can present a new perspective through this essay, go right ahead!

Go for it!

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Columbia Optional Essay

Is there any further information that you wish to provide to the Admissions Committee? (Please use this space to provide an explanation of any areas of concern in your academic record or your personal history.) (Maximum 500 words)

Columbia Optional Essay Tips

As usual an optional essay requires effort even if you don’t write it. The main question in any optional essay is to decide whether you need to write it at all.

Attempt the Columbia optional essay only if you feel that it will improve the factual and material strength of your application. Do not submit a Columbia optional essay as an addendum to any of your essays. Do not submit your optional essay because you feel that the quality of your earlier essays is improvable – in that case simply redouble your efforts in those essays and leave the optional essay alone.

Use the Columbia optional essay to explain shortfalls in your application which you feel are truly detrimental to your candidature. Areas of underperformance (academic or professional or GMAT) or events which stick out such as gaps in your resumes or a previous MBA or academic disciplinary actions are possible reasons why you attempt this optional essay. Comment on your shortcomings with intelligence, perspective and credibility: giving vague excuses or blaming xyz for failures will be completely counter-productive. Explain the issue clearly and maintain greater focus on the correction for the issue. For example, if you had a disciplinary issue in college, spend most of the space demonstrating what you learned from the experience and how you have been a better person/ student/ citizen ever since.

Feel free to use this this essay to highlight exceptional aspects of your candidature that could not be accommodated in the other Columbia essays. Since this essay does not have to be limited to a single theme or event, disparate yet impressive info points can be quoted.

If you are certain that this new essay is a robust constructive addition to your candidacy, start working on it!

Go for it!

Columbia Reapplicant Essay

(Applicants who are reapplying within 12 months of a previous application for admission are required to write only a single reapplicant essay.) How have you enhanced your candidacy since your previous application? Please detail your progress since you last applied and reiterate your short-term and long-term goals. Explain how the tools of the Columbia MBA will help you to meet your goals and how you plan to participate in the Columbia community. (Maximum 750 words)

Columbia Reapplicant Essay Tips

Writing the Columbia reapplicant essay is a two-step process.

First, discover and annihilate all weaknesses/errors in your earlier application.

Second, demonstrate that you are a far better candidate than you were 12 months back.

Step 1 is difficult to comment on. Paraphrasing Tolstoy "Successful mba essays are all alike, every dinged essay package is screwed up in it's own way". Not quite true but you could have gone wrong in a million ways and without a look at the essays I wouldn't have a clue. Still, some common errors are: A weak goal, inconsistencies within/across the essays/recos, a strong goal unsubstantiated by anything anywhere else in the application, essays that are good individually but do not make a strong case as they lack an underlying theme, very few or canned "Why Columbia" points, little or no non-work activities across the essays.

It is also possible that your essays are pretty good but you got the timing/profile/scores/recos wrong. Try to take stock.

Step 2 is to convince the CBS admissions committee that this new Version 2.00 of you is better, brighter, worthier, sexier.

> Think: Jot down EVERY improvement you have made in EVERY aspect of your life. This will help you build an initial image of the Version 2.00 applicant. The one year period for the Columbia reapplication leaves little time for massive profile upgrades – but give this your best shot.

> Work: Through your experiences and achievements since you last applied to Columbia illustrate how you can contribute better to CBS, gain more from it and are in a better position to achieve your short/long term goals. Been promoted? Got awards? Won new assignments? Mention 'em all.

> Goals: Make a stronger case for your goals by specifying why/how you have greater skills, experience, perspective etc. to make your dreams come true - long term and short term. Preferably stick with the goal/s given last year; in case you wanna change them you better have good reasons 'cos you will definitely have to put it down in the essay.

> Columbia: How will CBS - SPECIFICALLY CBS - help you reach your goals? What are the aspects of learning, faculty, program, location, alumni, students etc. that you will find only at Columbia and that will aid the achievement of your goals? If you did a GREAT job of this part of the essay last year, add to it with mentions of how your enhanced knowledge/experience make the program EVEN MORE fitting for you.

> Columbia Community: "how (do) you plan to participate in the Columbia community" is not explicitly a part of the main essay pack. But a good essay response would have answered it directly (in Essays 1 and 3) and indirectly (in essay 2 and probably the optional essay). Try to include your outside-of-work passions/activities/hobbies and specify how you will participate in the varied student activities at Columbia - some research might be called for here. Try to focus on areas where your inputs have been high in the last 12 months. And yes, keep it short!

> Word Limits: One challenge in the Columbia reapplication is that you get to submit only this one 750 words essay. Perhaps for that reason many Columbia reapplicants seem to write mammoth essays far beyond the 750 words limit. Bad idea. Stick to 750 words.

and FINALLY

> APPLY EARLY: Just in case I wasn't shouting loud enough - unless you can achieve something magical in those extra 4-5 months APPLY EARLY for the EARLY DECISION.

Go for it!

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