6 characteristics Columbia Business School looks for in applicants
Flickr/Mike Steele
Just like people, each MBA program has its own unique personality — and each has its own idea of a perfect match.
Knowing what a business school is looking for in potential students can help you frame your skills, experience, and personality around the qualities they most value.
It's not about presenting yourself as something you're not, but rather making sure you're talking about the things that matter most to the admissions committee.
Columbia Business School is known for its intellectually driven students who come from a wide array of educational, economic, social, cultural, and geographic backgrounds. While the student body is certainly diverse, students do have a number of qualities in common, including strong leadership skills, a record of achievement, and the ability to work in teams.
Here are the qualities Columbia admissions committee members seek out in potential students to ensure they're cultivating the learning community that's unique to their top-rated MBA program.
Flickr/Apps for Europe1. Entrepreneurial mindset
If you think "entrepreneurial" relates only to starting a business, think again. At Columbia, it's viewed more holistically as a way of thinking that's change-focused and strives to create something that didn't exist before.
2. Social intelligence
You could think of "social intelligence" as the softer side of leadership and management. Since the workplace is more decentralized than ever today, it's essential for business leaders to factor the goals and thoughts of others into decision-making.
Demonstrate you have social intelligence by sharing examples of situations where you did A, B, and C, but also relating how you arrived at those conclusions and how you grew as a result.
Flickr/Team Capinordic
3. Team leadership
It's almost impossible to talk about business school applications without mentioning leadership, but it's important to understand that each program views this value in a slightly unique way. Columbia values the ability to not only be a strong team player, but also to lead teams.
Think also about examples where you were able to influence others without having direct authority over them, and when you share leadership examples, be sure to include how you solicited and balanced the needs and competing agendas of others. These nuances of "team leadership" show you're the kind of team player Columbia is looking for.
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