Columbia Business School

COLUMBIA BUSINESS SCHOOL
AnnualReport 2010 COLUMBIA BUSINESS SCHOOL
About Columbia Business School Thefollowingschoolscomprise

Columbia Business School is one of the world’s elite business schools, notable for its access ColumbiaUniversity:
to elite speakers and career resources as well as its long tradition of excellence in finance.
Columbia has become increasingly focused on global perspective in recent years, featur- • Architecture
ing a growing population of international students as well as impressive reach with regard
to foreign programs. Furthermore, Columbia Business School has undergone a sea change
• School of the Arts
of sorts in recent years, as a new dean has led efforts to overhaul the curriculum and make • Graduate School of
both the MBA experience and the Columbia community more diverse and dynamic. Arts & Sciences
To fully understand Columbia Business School, one must understand Columbia University, • Graduate School of Business
as the philosophy, history, and resources of the greater university often impact the MBA
experience in a way that exceeds many other elite business schools. • Columbia College
Columbia University Programs • Continuing Education
Columbia University is one of the oldest and most prestigious institutions of higher learn- • Dental Medicine
ing in the United States. Columbia College was founded by royal charter from George
II of England in 1754, when New York was still an English colony, and has hosted many • Fu Foundation/Engineering
generations of inquisitive minds who have in turn gone on to great prominence. Notable Applied Science
Columbia College alumni make up a diverse group, including Alexander Hamilton, James • General Studies
Cagney, Art Garfunkel, Lou Gehrig, Alicia Keys, George Stephanopoulos, and New York
Governor David Paterson. More prominent than any of them is President Barack Obama, • International & Public Affairs
who transferred from Occidental College, and graduated in 1983.
• Journalism
The university’s location at the north end of Manhattan has ensured an ongoing connec-
tion to American arts and letters, medicine, law, science, business and, for that matter, • Law
almost any field of endeavor worth listing. Columbia’s 25 libraries comprise more than 10
million printed volumes, 6.3 million microforms, 28 million manuscripts and more than • Nursing
600,000 rare books --- to say nothing of the school’s extensive electronic resources. • Physicians & Surgeons
Columbia’s annual budget of nearly $3 billion supports 3,573 faculty members and 24,923 • Public Health
students. Virtually anywhere else, Columbia University would be the driving force of the
local economy. The institution seems merely “large” because Manhattan and New York • Social Work
City are so vast.
Affiliates:
Columbia Business School • Barnard College
As a result of the university’s size, versatility, and history, when Columbia Business School • Teachers College
(CBS) takes an interdisciplinary approach, it does so with a breadth of complementary • Jewish Theological Seminary
educational assets that ranks among the world’s best. The Business School capitalizes on
• Union Theological Seminary.
this by emphasizing “big picture” frameworks that go beyond mere technical expertise.
The MBA Program is carefully designed to instill both the knowledge and skills necessary
to succeed in the fast-moving, competitive world of business. Columbia Business School’s
reputation as a “finance-heavy” school is not unearned, and would likely be justified by fo-
cusing on the 20th century history of the school. That said, for quite some time, the school
has spent considerable effort on broadening its base of recognized excellence, and these
efforts have only accelerated under current Dean Glenn Hubbard.
“Columbia Business School’s
Dean Hubbard, an economist of long-standing prominence, began his tenure in 2004, reputation as a ‘finance-heavy’ school
and he has managed to correct what earlier generations of students might have called
“under-management” of the school’s brand. Dean Hubbard is a low-key but extremely
is not unearned, and would likely
articulate and persuasive personality, who has put his stamp on the institution. His efforts be justified by focusing on the 20th
across a wide range of fronts have directly helped to refute the “finance-heavy” reputation. century history of the school.”
He has instituted changes to the curriculum, tended to the student experience, and has
worked hard to extend the reach of the school’s bond with its alumni. It’s not an exaggera-
tion to say that over the past five years the school has in fact overcome the rather limiting
legacy of an exclusive focus on finance.
01 A B O U T CO LU M B I A
The Dean’s formulation of the School’s positioning is eloquent in its simplicity. His aim is
to ensure that
“Columbia Business School surpasses every other in its ability to bridge

relevant academic research with real world business practice.”
The Columbia Business School Approach

Under Dean Hubbard’s leadership, Columbia Business School has clearly defined elements
that make up its current approach:
Building a Bridge. Columbia Business School’s aim in recent years is to create

“whole” business thinkers who “connect the dots” and understand the importance of big-
ger picture frameworks such as globalization and the complexity of social (i.e. non-finan-
cial) metrics for evaluating business’ impact on the world around them. Dean Hubbard has “Bridging theory and practice has
even mused in public about being surprised that a Columbia-trained mortgage trader at
the top of his game couldn’t “connect the dots” about too much systemic leverage. Bridg-
become the touchstone of the
ing theory and practice has become a touchstone of the educational process and has educational process and has been
been an explicit essay question for the past two years. an explicit essay question for the
past two years.”
Range of Expertise. Dean Hubbard’s efforts at diversifying the school’s thought
leadership have paid off. Columbia is now recognized as being in the very top tier for
leadership studies (along with Harvard), entrepreneurship (along with Stanford), real es-
tate, media, and social enterprise (CBS jumped out to an early lead in this new field), and
it has competitive offerings in other key areas such as operations, international business,
marketing, human capital management, and healthcare. The presence on the faculty of
media darlings such as Milstein Real Estate Professor (and now Vice Dean) Chris Mayer,
“A closer inspection of
Nobel Laureate Joseph Stiglitz, and International Development guru Jagdish Bagwati have
served to elevate the school’s profile in other areas beyond finance. Columbia’s efforts leaves even
the biggest skeptic impressed
Global Reach. “Global perspective” has become the mantra at countless business by the sheer scale of the school’s
schools – often deployed to help the program seem current and on the cutting edge of global undertakings.”
the latest trends in an MBA education. At Columbia, “global perspective” is not just cheap
rhetoric. In fact, the term is probably better termed “global reach” and is the deliberate re-
sults of decades’ worth of (often-expensive) investments. A closer inspection of Columbia’s
efforts leaves even the biggest skeptic impressed by the sheer scale of the school’s glob-
al undertakings. How many other schools have gala fundraisers in London? How many
schools organize a Pan-Asian reunion in Hong Kong only to have to turn away hundreds
of alumni because the 500 person cap has been reached? In any given week between
the Dean’s Office, Admissions, and the External Relations team, Columbia has staff trotting
“Since 2006, the volume
around the globe tending to the school’s relationships with alumni, business and govern- of international applications
ment leaders, and prospective students. has surpassed that of
domestic applications.”
The school’s global philosophy is also evident in the classroom: 22% of the overall univer-
sity’s student enrollment is from abroad. Columbia Business School is even more interna-
tional in its composition: 43% of students are from abroad, and since 2006, the volume of
international applications has surpassed that of domestic applications. Though it is not an
admissions requirement, applicants demonstrating either experience abroad or functional
ability in a language besides English hold a distinct advantage, and Uris Hall can at times
seem like a modern day Tower of Babel.
In addition to the philosophy and the statistics, there are the opportunities to engage in in-
ternational study. In 1991, Jerome Chazen (MBA’50) gave $10 million to found the Institute
of International Business at Columbia Business School that now bears his name. For more
on the Chazen Institute, see below.
02 A B O U T CO LU M B I A
Admissions at Columbia Deadlines

January Term Columbia takes a unique approach to the MBA
application process, eschewing the traditional
Notable among its peers, Columbia Business School also offers a January program “rounds” process in favor of rolling admissions,
that runs for 16 months. So-called “J-Termers” commence their studies in January of and instead putting in place several deadlines
the first year and forgo the summer internship to spend the summer “catching up” specific to certain audiences.
to the regular MBAs, whom they join for the second fall recruiting season and subse-
quent spring graduation. 2011 January Term:
For students seeking to polish their skill sets in the same industry, this compacted
• October 6, 2010
schedule lowers the opportunity cost of lost salary and is ideal for: September 2011 Early Decision
• Entrepreneurs • October 6, 2010
• Students who work (or will work) in the family business Merit fellowship consideration:
• Students returning to their current employer • January 5, 2011
• Company-sponsored MBA students Regular decision:
• Candidates who possess a strong professional network in the • April 13, 2011
industry of their choice
Early Decision
The Early Decision option is ideal for candidates who have completed their research
about MBA programs and have decided that Columbia is the school they wish to at-
tend. Early Decision applications are reviewed before Regular Decision applications,
and this process tends to serve as a nice win-win for both the school and the (well
qualified) applicant: It makes the yield management process easier for Columbia,
and gives the applicant the comfort of knowing that he or she will attend Columbia
early in the process.
Early Decision candidates must sign the following Statement of Commitment:
“As an Early Decision candidate to Columbia Business School, I am

committed to attending Columbia Business School and will withdraw
all applications and decline all offers from other schools upon admis-
sion to Columbia Business School.”
Early Decision candidates who are offered admission have up to two weeks to sub-
mit their nonrefundable $6,000 deposit. If such a level of commitment is problemat-
ic, the applicant is urged to pursue admission through the regular deadline. Though
the occasional opportunist does, in fact, renege on this offer – the admissions office’s
attitude is summed up by: “We’ll let some other institution handle someone who so
casually breaks their word and pledge.”
03 A D M I S S I O N S AT CO LU M B I A
Application Essay Topics Admissions Statistics

Columbia typically requires three standard essay questions and then allows each In keeping with its status as one of the world’s
candidate to offer up an optional fourth essay. biggest business schools, Columbia sees a
large number of applications come in the
For the Fall 2009 intake, Columbia dramatically shifted from past questions focusing door each year and, as noted in this report,
on entrepreneurial spirit and passions, instead focusing on the idea of building a has been seeing just as many – if not more
bridge from theory to practice. The questions for 2009-2010 are as follows: – international applications as those from do-
1
mestic students in recent years. Columbia’s
What are your short-term and long-term professional
sparkling 79% yield rate keeps the accep-
goals? How will Columbia Business School help you
tance rate suppressed to a microscopic 15%.
achieve these goals? (750 words)
Total Applicants ................................. 5,999
2 Please tell us about yourself and your personal
interests. The goal of this essay is to get a sense
of who you are, rather than what you have achieved
Percent Admitted ................................15%
Percent Yield ...........................................79%
professionally. (500 words)
Percent Interviewed ...........................42%
3 (Optional) 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
Average GMAT ........................................709
20th/80th Percentile GMAT
academic record or your personal history.) Range...................................................660-760
Average GPA ..............................................3.4
Veritas Prep clients working on their Columbia applications will receive expert guid-
ance on each of these essay questions. Head Consultants help clients understand
how to highlight strengths and weaknesses as well as unique elements within the
confines of the question, while also addressing each of the key business school ad-
missions themes. Furthermore, Columbia Specialists will help clients decide whether
to make use of the optional essay and will ensure that all essay responses are in keep-
ing with what Columbia is looking for in its applicants and that the program high-
lights included in this guide are used as appropriate reference points and examples.
Admissions Criteria
Columbia Business School looks for intellectually driven people from diverse educa-
tional, economic, social, cultural, and geographic backgrounds. Columbia students
share a record of achievement, demonstration of strong leadership skills, and the
ability to work in teams. Superior communication and documenting skills are as-
sumed and essential, and the environment and coursework favor those who are at
least proficient in a language beyond English.
Columbia relies upon alumni interviews for the overwhelming majority of its appli-
cants. Last year’s process included 2,300 interviews, with alumni clubs from around
the world coordinating the efforts. From the applicant’s perspective, this arrange-
ment is not without issue: Managing quality control and consistency of experience
can be challenging with this arrangement. Still, Admissions Dean Meehan insists that
Columbia alumni have a good ear and eye for the culture and “fit,” and it is hard to
argue with the school’s track record of success.
Visiting Columbia Contact Information.

One of the best ways for candidates to truly understand if Columbia is a proper fit Office of MBA Admissions
is to visit the campus and get a feel for the academic environment, student life, and and Financial Aid
overall campus culture. Additionally, visiting the school offers the opportunity for
face-to-face contact with current students, professors, and admission representa- Uris Hall – 3022 Broadway
tives. To these ends, the Admissions Office has set up an array of options to meet New York, NY 10027
applicants’ varying needs.
Phone: (212) 854-1961
Information Sessions. Information sessions provide prospective students
the opportunity to learn more about Columbia Business School’s competitive
strengths and the application process, as well as to ask questions of admissions of-
ficers and current students. No advance registration is required, and many applicants
often combine attending one of these sessions with meeting a student for a conver-
sation over a meal or coffee and/or a class visit.
Class Visit. Class visits are an excellent way to see Columbia’s curriculum in ac-
tion. Applicants can use an online registration system to attend a specific class in a
subject that interests them, and are encouraged to sign up early, as capacity for the
specific class option is fixed. The Admissions Office also operates a host program – for
those with the time to spend – that allows the applicant to trail a student for a good
portion of the day. This is an excellent opportunity to learn more about the culture
and to get a personalized perspective on the school.
External Sessions. Of course, the Admissions office recognizes that not all
applicants can visit campus easily. Each fall, admissions officers team up with CBS
alumni around the world to conduct external information sessions in which applica-
tion mechanics and – more importantly – the Columbia program and culture are
conveyed as convincingly as possible. Fall of 2008 saw the tour reaching 70 cities –
and the inclusion of both the Middle East and Africa helps to reinforce the school’s
global scale.
Financial Assistance at Columbia Federal and Private Loans.

As with most graduate programs, Columbia
Tuition makes available a series of loan programs that
make up the bulk of each student’s financial
The estimated budget for the first year of attendance is $75,589. For the second year, assistance: Follow this link to the loan section
it drops ever so slightly to $74,614. So it is with good reason that the Financial Aid of the website.
Office’s site says, with no doubt calculated understatement:
Federal Stafford Loan – Available to
“Attending Columbia Business School represents a major investment. U.S. citizens and permanent residents. The
Although an MBA is an investment in one’s future with a superb maximum dollar amount is $20,500 and the
subsidized amount can be up to $8,500,
cost-benefit ratio, it is an investment that must be planned for depending on financial need. Students should
carefully.” file the Free Application for Federal Student
Aid (FAFSA) and wait for further instructions at
Financial Assistance Options the admitted student website once they have
been admitted.
Established institutions such as Columbia tend to benefit from the generosity of
foundations and corporate and individual donors, who provide various funds that Federal Perkins Loan – An interest-free loan
help students with tuition. Requirements for a fellowship vary widely, including aca- while in school, it is a smaller loan program
demic excellence, geographic and ethnic diversity, work experience, and community available to qualified students who are U.S.
involvement. Scholarships, by contrast, are primarily need-based. Fortunately for ap- citizens and permanent residents.
plicants with well-documented need, Columbia is exceptionally well endowed in
this regard as well. Federal Graduate PLUS Loans – This loan
can cover cost of attendance after other
assistance has been calculated, provided
the student qualifies and is a U.S. citizen or
permanent resident.
International Loan Options – There are

several private loan programs available to
both US citizens and non-citizens. The rates
charged by these programs vary with the
student’s credit history. Please be advised that
International students are only eligible for
private loans with a US-based co-signer.
Outside Funding Options – Information on

third party funders is maintained at this link.
These various third-party funders have specific
mission-driven policies that you should
consider carefully before applying.
06 F I N A N C I A L A S S I S TA N C E AT CO LU M B I A
Columbia Students Student Stats

Columbia ranks as one of the largest business schools in the world, with a typical Class Size............................................................717
class size of 717 students. As noted throughout this report, the international popula-
tion is significant, as the percentage of students who come from abroad continues
Percent Male ................................................ 68%
to creep up toward half the class. Among the domestic population, Columbia boasts Percent Female . ......................................... 32%
modest diversity, with female and minority populations that are slightly smaller than Percent Minority.......................................... 26%
at many other elite business schools.
Percent International .............................. 43%
Student Organizations Average Age . ....................................................28
Columbia boasts over 100 student organizations, covering the gamut of personal and Average Work Experience . ... 54 months
professional interests, and the Office of MBA Student Life is dedicated to supporting
this array of options. Each of the major disciplines at the school has a club that is meant 20th/80th Percentile Age Range: .... 25-31
to help extend the educational experience beyond “mere” class time. Furthermore, 20th/80th Percentile
the Career Management Office has resources that the clubs can rely upon. Work Experience:..............................3-7 years
The result is a wide array of outlets (to say nothing of lots of “leadership” roles to put Geographic Representation
on a resume) that students can use to extend their knowledge and influence in areas
either of direct professional relevance or merely the personally interesting. North America.............................................. 61%
Asia...................................................................... 14%
The most organized of the clubs charge dues (some, in finance, north of $100 per Western Europe........................................... 11%
year) and organize industry networking dinners and multi-day conferences. And
the resume books that are assembled of members’ resumes are an effective career
Latin America...................................................6%
launch tool for many. Central Asia........................................................4%
Middle East........................................................2%
The school’s location in New York City ensures that lively and diverse speakers are Africa......................................................................1%
brought to campus – and the number of weekly events is said, on occasion, to top
100. Between club-alumni efforts and the school’s academic drawing power in
Oceania................................................................1%
general, recent prominent speakers include:
Some of the most prominent
• Ben Bernanke, Chairman of the Fed Columbia clubs are:
• Leonel Fernandez Reyna, President of the Dominican Republic • Investment Banking Club
• Jamie Dimon (JP Morgan Chase) • Columbia Finance Organization
• Columbia Investment Management
• Jeffrey Immelt, CEO of General Electric Association
• J. Christopher Flowers of J.C. Flowers & Co • Columbia Women in Business
• George Fisher of Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. • Energy Club
• Robert Pittman (formerly of AOL) currently Principal of Pilot Group • Equity Research Club
• Healthcare industry Association
• Vikram Pandit (PhD’86), CEO of Citigroup
• Hospitality & Travel Association
• Jerry Spayer of Tishman Spayer • International Development Club
• Joel Klein, Education Chancellor of New York City • Marketing Association of Columbia
• Richard Parsons, CEO of Time Warner • Management Consulting
Association
• Patrick Cescau, CEO of Unilever
• Media Management Association
• Seth Godin, branding guru and author of Tribes and Purple Cow • Private Equity &
Venture Capital Club
• Real Estate Association
• Social Enterprise Club
07 CO LU M B I A S T U D E N T S
Columbia Academics The Core Foundations

The core of the Columbia experience is the stellar academics – classroom experiences at Columbia are:
led by leading luminaries who also happen to be great teachers. The classroom experi-
ence ranges from two extremes, but also occupies the middle ground between them. On • Corporate Finance
the one end of the spectrum is the large auditorium packed to the rafters for a star like • Financial Accounting
Bruce Greenwald (value investing) or Nobel-winner Joseph Stiglitz (globalization). One
demonstrable effect is that the size of these classes (and their reputations) means that • Economics
most Columbia grads share them as a common point of reference. On the other end of
the scale is the small seminar with eight or 10 participants, all of whom are on a strictly • Marketing
first name basis with the professor. In these types of classes, the professor often brings in • Operations
experienced professionals to supplement the learning with real-world insights and unex-
pected twists. The wise student will be sure to sample both these modes of learning, and • Strategy
also the courses that occupy a middle-ground between the two.
• Leadership
The Columbia experience also balances a mixture of traditional lecture/self-reading/
homework with group (or entire class) projects, and also experiential learning (most
notably in the Master Class, which is covered in greater detail below).
The First Year: The Flexible Core

The Columbia teaching philosophy stipulates that all introspective managers (and hence
all Columbia MBAs) must be minimally fluent in the core foundations of business and
structured quantitative thought.
These functional domains are deemed so central that there is absolutely no flexibility in
one’s first term (except to the extent that a student can make a case that his/her profes-
sional experience allows for “placing out” of a core requirement). To begin to savor the
smorgasbord of academic offerings, the student must wait until the second semester,
where two electives may be scheduled.
Remember that Dean Hubbard wants Columbia MBAs to “be able to connect the dots”.
Furthermore, CBS prides itself on staying close to the market and in responding to
changing needs. As a result, in 2008 –pre-dating the financial crisis-- the new flexible
core was launched, and its primary innovation was to compress some of the core foun-
dation domains (listed above) into half-term courses for first-year students, and to then
offer students some limited choice in seeing how those foundational domains play out
in practice. The net effect is that those key business domains are presented in applied
settings with slightly different emphases.
For example, economics is touched upon in Managerial Economics, Global Economic

Environment and GEE II: Business Cycles and Financial Markets. Similarly, strategy as
a domain is central to Strategy Formulation, Game Theory & Business and Strategy,
Structure & Incentives. The foundations of leadership from Leadership Development
are expanded upon in Organizational Change, Power & Influence, Social Networks &
Social Capital and/or Performance Measurement. So today’s Columbia Business School
student is able to cover all the bases that the collective wisdom of Columbia’s history
has deemed too critical to miss, with a framework that offers students some choice, and
some pre-positioning for the two full-term electives that are permitted in the second
term of the first year.
The school’s page explaining the flexible core is at this link, and this page contains sche-
matic diagrams that convey quite clearly both the structure of the first two terms, and
how, where and when the student gets to choose.
Another Columbia innovation – one that the school likes to tout as being unique – is
the Individual, Business & Society Curriculum (IBS). IBS is managed by Columbia’s San-
ford C. Bernstein & Co. Center for Leadership & Ethics, and the curriculum, which is
integrated thoroughly into both the MBA and EMBA experience, proceeds from the
premise that businesses operate in social contexts. The IBS curriculum realizes that
08 CO LU M B I A A C A D E M I C S
earnings per share is not the sole metric for a business’ success, and furthermore, that The PSI includes an assessment center which
devising alternate metrics is both critical and yet beset by problems of standardiza- helps students and alumni gain insight into
tion in definitions. Still, the aspiring leader is made stronger by grappling with cases their leadership styles, ability to detect others’
and readings that address these issues head on, and the IBS curriculum ensures that emotions, and work-style preferences in team
Columbia graduates will have done so in virtually every course of the core, and in many contexts. Topics include:
of the electives as well.
• Leadership: Personality Patterns
The Program for Social Intelligence (PSI) is Columbia’s answer to Harvard’s long-held
ownership of the top slot in leadership studies. PSI is a collection of courses and extra- • Leadership Styles Inventory
curricular activities designed to enhance students’ abilities as leaders throughout their • Spot the Fake Smile
careers. Many a Columbia MBA has looked back, with the wisdom borne of real-world • Cognitive Style
experience, on the dreaded Human Behavior in Organizations core course and realized • Culture in the Workplace
how the insights in that course contributed to their overall career success.
• Empathy Assessment
PSI brings together multidisciplinary techniques and frameworks for managing • Perceived Decoding Ability
individuals, teams, organizations and networks in dynamic, global contexts. PSI
activities are grounded in a proven blend of empirical assessment, experiential learning
and executive coaching. The PSI is woven into both the MBA and the EMBA experience.
This combination helps students sharpen their self-awareness, judgment, and decision-
making, while expanding their abilities to solve problems. The program is explicitly
woven into both the flexible core (Leadership, Creating Effective Organizations) and
also into elective courses (Managerial Negotiations, High Performance Leadership, Top “In a Master Class, students are
Management Process).
given access to real-life managers’
The Second Year: Electives & The Master Class information and are asked to
develop their own responses to
The second year of the Columbia Business School experience is composed entirely the challenges faced – which are
of electives. Students take at least 11 electives in their Columbia career, and may also
then compared to what the firms
chose from over 200 elective courses at other schools within Columbia University.
Students are given an endowment of bidding points for bidding for the electives themselves developed in order to
they wish to secure entry to (when enrollment in said elective is capped). look for solutions, information gaps,
or other fresh interpretations.”
Master Class. Columbia’s new Master Class series reflects a belief that knowl-
edge is only the start and that educational value is created by “doing.”The Master Class
is one of Dean Hubbard’s signature projects, which certainly plays to the school’s
location in the midst of New York. For 12 weeks in a Master Class, small groups of
students partner with senior teams (and a requisite high-level sponsor) in participat-
ing firms such as Pequot Capital, Pepsi, Home Depot, Paul Weiss, Chanel, and Hermes.
The program also has a strong entrepreneurial tranche that helps small non-profit
and commercial organizations which, by definition, candidates are not likely to have Recent projects are testament to the
heard of – including a dedicated Entrepreneurship in Africa component. intellectual boldness of the Master
Class program:
In a Master Class, students are given access to real-life managers’ information and are
asked to develop their own responses to the challenges faced – which are then com-
• Advertising, Branding & Creativity
pared to what the firms themselves developed in order to look for solutions, informa-
tion gaps, or other fresh interpretations. The gap between theory and practice can • Creation of a Retail Enterprise
actually be quite large, and it’s a gap that the students learn to appreciate. Companies, • Education Leadership Consulting
too, benefit from a fresh set of extremely intelligent eyes looking at the problem. • New Product Development
• Retailing Strategy & Operations
• High Potential Entrepreneurship
• Real Estate Investment
& Entrepreneurship
• The Marketing of a Nation: Israel
Columbia Faculty Administratively, the

Columbia faculty members conduct research into virtually every business domain faculty is grouped into
and region one might be able to conceive of. Among the faculty (over 170 profes- five major divisions:
sors, sourced from every major region of the world), the Executives in Residence, and
the Master Class program, Columbia students are assured of being able to bridge the 1. Accounting
gap between world class theory and world class experience. 2. Decision, Risk & Operations
These divisions are best thought of a function of administrative ease rather than
3. Finance & Economics
being indicative of any overly parochial interpretative frameworks. By mixing and 4. Management
matching the various divisions, the school offers the following MBA Areas of Study: 5. Marketing
• Accounting For the academic year ending in 2009, the

following “tracks” or “themes” were in use as
• Decision, Risk & Operations
tags - helping to map course offerings and
• Entrepreneurship research areas.
• Finance & Economics
• Healthcare & Pharmaceutical Management • Banking
• Human Resources Management • Business Economics
• International Business • Business law
• Management/Leadership • Decision & Risk Analysis
• Marketing • Leadership
• Media • (General) Management
• Private Equity • Markets
• Real Estate • Operations Management
• Social Enterprise • Organizations
• Value Investing • Performance
• Retailing
Furthermore, individual courses are often “tagged” with “interest tracks” at an even
greater level of specificity.
• Taxes
Every top-tier business school has its list of star faculty whom the students adore. The
Columbia faculty is populated with many prominent business leaders, researchers,
and teachers. Among Columbia students, there are a handful of professors who are
considered a “must” to have for a class, due to their reputation both as educators and
as experts. This list isn’t merely a collection of famous names, but rather the instruc-
tors that Columbia students deem to be essential for the full experience. “In addition to being the leading
authority on value investing -- or,
Bruce Greenwald
Robert Heilbrunn Professor of Finance and Asset Management.
as the New York Times put it, ‘the
guru to the wall street gurus’ –
Among Columbia’s luminaries, few professors have reached the rock star or guru lev-
el of Finance Professor Bruce Greenwald. In addition to being the leading authority
Professor Greenwald is an expert
on value investing -- or, as the New York Times put it, “the guru to the wall street gu- on productivity and information
rus” – Professor Greenwald is an expert on productivity and information economics. economics. “
The titles of his classes suggest the range of his interests: Value Investing; Economics
of Strategic Behavior; and Globalization & Markets & the Changing Economic Land-
scape. Not only is he well versed on multiple subjects, but he’s also a great teacher in
the Socratic method –students who are unprepared for class should be on high alert.
Year in and year out, Professor Greenwald’s classes are significantly oversubscribed,
but about 650 students annually find a way into at least one of them. Professor Gre-
enwald is by far the one professor that alumni clubs beg to have sent to them, goos-
ing an event’s attendance significantly by his presence.
Michael Feiner
Professor
Professor Michael Feiner, whose area of expertise is leadership and organizational be-
havior, is someone who embodies Columbia’s emphasis on practice. Professor Feiner
was a Columbia MBA who rose to become the top HR executive of PepsiCo, before
being lured to Columbia to captivate students with his insightful blend of theory and
practice. Professor Feiner possesses a fearless ability to delve into disastrous, painful
situations precisely because such negative object lessons can teach so much about
how to manage people effectively. His book, The Feiner Points of Leadership, is a must-
read on campus, as well as among alumni of the program.
Laura Resnikoff
Senior Lecturer
Professor Resnikoff has a reputation for no-nonsense, focused courses that give stu-
dents incredible access to leading players in the private equity field. Professor Resnikoff
takes these relationships seriously and instills that ethic in her students: if a class mem-
ber is so much as a few seconds late to the appointed gathering time in the building
lobby of a private equity firm, that student is out of luck, and might as well head back
to campus. Those students who manage to make it on time are star-struck by the peo-
ple they meet, and the ease with which student ideas are evaluated by experienced “Professor Feiner possesses a fearless
players in the field – some of those ideas being nicely validated; others quite summar- ability to delve into disastrous, painful
ily shot down. Though not for the faint of heart, it is a situation many students clearly
value, for competition to get into her classes is tough. She led the inaugural Master situations precisely because such
Class in Private Equity and often teaches Turnaround Management. negative object lessons can teach so
much about how to manage people
Murray Low
effectively.”
Associate Professor of Management and
the Director of the Eugene Lang Entrepreneurship Center
Professor Low stands as one of the school’s most adored teachers. Having started sev-
eral successful companies himself, Professor Low now devotes himself to studying the
context in which entrepreneurship occurs – searching for causal links and debunking
supposedly common sense links. He has helped to increase the schools’ reputation for
turning out entrepreneurs who graduate both with viable business plans and funding,
and who in turn circle back to help stoke the cauldron of creativity and process man-
“Having started several successful
agement back on campus. companies himself, Professor Low
now devotes himself to studying the
Gita Johar context in which entrepreneurship
Meyer Feldberg Professor of Business
occurs.”
Professor Johar proves that not all beloved Columbia professors teach finance. She
teaches courses on consumer psychology and cognition, and how these can be fac-
tored into marketing, branding, and advertising activities. Her seminars can entail
highly specific “field trips,” such as a trek to the Calvin Klein store on Madison Avenue to
look for subtle design clues and consistencies than enable Calvin Klein to charge 10 to
20 times the price of a utilitarian garment. Recent course titles include Advertising and
Branding, Global Marketing Consulting for Social Enterprise, Research Methods, and
Consumer Behavior, and her youthful, low-key style is a large factor in her increasing
popularity on campus.
Laurie Simon Hodrick

A. Barton Hepburn Professor of Economics
Professor Simon Hodrick has a distinguished career bridging theory and practice. Se-
lected as “One of Forty Under Forty” by Crain’s Chicago (while she was a professor at
Kellogg), Columbia lured her to New York both for her many prestigious fellowships
and for her approachable, if demanding, teaching style. She has been awarded the Co-
lumbia University President’s Medal for outstanding teaching, and students rave that
what they learned about corporate finance and the market for corporate control from
her has proved valuable over the course of their careers.
Grading Academic Calendar

Columbia students are a talented lot, but graduate school grading can still come as a bit Fall 2009
of shock to people with fond memories of being praised throughout college. Instead August
of using the A-F scale, Columbia uses the pass system, although there are different
24 Orientation for
shades of passing, with the net result being similar to that of an A-F grading system:
newly enrolled students
H Honors (10 points) 31 First week of classes for
HP High Pass (7 points) newly enrolled students
September
P Pass (4 points)
8 Fall term add/drop
LP Low Pass (1 point)
period commences
F Fail (0 points) October
IN Incomplete 23–27 Exam period for
A non-binding curve has been adopted by the faculty, with a recommended out- Half Term classes
come of 20-25% H, 50-60%HP, 20-25% P, LP & F combined. Students in the second,
third and fourth terms will have Dean’s Honor List recorded on their transcripts if
28 Classes resume; first day of 2nd
their point average is greater than 8.5. Half Term Classes
November
The Cluster System 25–29 Thanksgiving Recess
Even for people as talented as Columbia students tend to be, the experience of be- December
ing dropped into the midst of a class of over 700 students in an overly stimulating 14–23 Exam period for
business school environment could prove potentially intimidating. Therefore, Co- Fall Term classes
lumbia uses a cluster system to make the introduction to that environment more
manageable. The class is divided into 11 clusters of about 65 students each. The Ad- 24 – Jan. 20 Intersession Break
missions Office composes the clusters to be a mix of backgrounds, interests, goals,
and nationalities. The clusters provide the student with a more manageable commu- Spring 2010 Term
nity, and relationships formed here often last a lifetime. Clusters are also assigned stu-
January
dent mentors from the class above to help navigate processes and protocols, fielding
questions about the reputation of certain programs or professors, and to generally 3 – 8 Orientation for “J-Termers”
offer insights into both the job search and balancing the program with one’s sense
20 First Day of Class
of self and life.
March
Course Enrollment 3 -5 Exam period for
Half Term classes
Students use the Business Online Selection System (BOSS) to bid for courses. During
bidding rounds, a student can bid, change the bid, or drop the bid – as many times 8 – 12 Spring Break
as needed. Once the round closes, the final set of bids is processes, and the student’s 15 Full Term classes resume; first
point endowment is modified accordingly. The process is similar to that of many top
day of 2nd Half Term classes
business schools that use some form of bidding or point allocation to determine
spots in the most popular courses. April
22 Last day of classes
26 – May 5 Exam period for
Full Term classes
Columbia Research Centers Dual degrees are offered

and Joint Degree Programs with the following schools:
Research Centers. One of the advantages of a business school as old as CBS • Architecture: MBA and MS
is the various endowed, interdisciplinary research institutes that receive generous in Urban Planning
funding over the years. Columbia is no exception in this regard, and has more than
its fair share. The past 80 years has been kind to Columbia Business School, and so • Dental and Oral Surgery: MBA
there’s an impressive array of such research institutes: and DDS
• Arthur J. Samberg Institute for Teaching Excellence • Engineering and Applied Science:
• Behavioral Research Lab MBA and MS
• The Center for Excellence in Accounting and Security Analysis • International and Public Affairs:
MBA and MIA
• The Center on Global Brand Leadership
• Journalism: MBA and MS
• The Center on Japanese Economy and Business
• Law: MBA and JD
• The Columbia Center for Excellence in E-Business
• Nursing: MBA and MS in Nursing
• The Columbia Institute for Tele-Information
• Physicians and Surgeons:
• The Eugene Lang Entrepreneurship Center MBA and MD
• The Financial Markets Lab • Public Health: MBA and MPH
• The Heilbrunn Center for Graham & Dodd Investing • Social Work: MBA and MS
• The Jerome A. Chazen Institute of International Business in Social Work
• The Paul Milstein Center for Real Estate In practice, the JD/MBA, MBA/MIA and MD/MBA
are the most commonly pursued joint degrees.
• The Sanford C. Bernstein & Co. Center for Leadership and Ethics
• The Deming Center for Quality, Productivity
and Competitiveness
Joint Degree Programs. Columbia offers 10 dual degree programs. Appli-
cants must apply to both schools and be accepted independently at each, though
the application to the second school need not be concurrent with the first. For ex-
ample, an applicant may apply in the Fall of 2009 for the Fall 2010 MBA & JD.
Columbia Business Plan Competitions

Columbia, like most prestigious business schools, offers several business plan com-
petitions. Among the most popular are:
The A. Lorne Weil Outrageous Business Plan Competition. 32

teams of students are required to perform a two-minute pitch before executives from
RRE Ventures, Call Street, Tango Media, and Millennium Technology Ventures, and
then the finalists are asked to expand upon their pitch if selected. The whole event
is “live,” and “outrageous” requires that the idea be sufficiently ambitions in scope and
scale. $14,000 in combined prize money is at stake for the top three finishers.
The Sheldon Seevak Real Estate Business Plan Competition.

Under the auspices of the Milstein Center on Real Estate, this competition honors the
founder of Goldman Sach’s real estate practice, and offers $10,000 in prizes.
International Programs International Business

Since its founding, over 2,500 MBAs have taken advantage of funding provided by “International Business” is a formal study area
the Chazen Institute in order to study foreign languages (Arabic, Business English, at Columbia, and this sample of Spring 2009
Chinese, French, German, Hindi, Japanese, Portuguese and Spanish) with a distinct course offerings hints both at the breadth of
emphasis on applied business contexts. The program offers two hours of intensive scholarship and practical focus:
immersion in classes no larger than nine students each. Similarly, the Chazen Insti-
tute offers Columbia students the chance to spend their third semester at a part- • International Banking: Value & Risk
ner school abroad, and to receive full credit for that study towards the Columbia
MBA. Partner schools are located in Argentina, Australia, Austria, Brazil, China, Finland,
• International Financial
France, Germany, India, Israel, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Philippines, Singapore, Management
South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the UK – and even Berkeley, California. • Emerging Media
Finally – and perhaps most memorably – are Chazen Institute study trips abroad. • Investing in China
During these 7-10 day trips, groups of 20-40 students and a sponsoring faculty mem-
ber meet with business leader, government officials and alumni while also visiting
• Global Real Estate Investment
businesses, factories and cultural offerings. Trips often have a specific theme as well. • Global Marketing
Destinations over the past two years include: Bulgaria/Romania, China, Dubai/Doha,
Japan, Mexico (Real Estate), South Korea, India (Social Enterprise), Italy, Southeast • The International Media Business
Asia, Egypt/Israel, Argentina (Social Enterprise), and South Africa (Real Estate). • Growth & Sustainability in Brazil
Second year students can take their interests and run further with them (to say noth-
ing of laying the groundwork for developing a formal reputation in regional special-
ization) by applying to become Chazen Society Fellows, who undertake research and
publish their findings in the Chazen Web Journal of International Business. Recent
student articles include:
• Cross-Cultural Perspectives on Ethics

• Lessons from the Japanese Bubble for the US
• Green Revolution/ Mobilizing Africa’s Agricultural Resources
• Navigating the Wind and Solar Markets: International Perspectives
on Industry Economics, Financing and Policy
• The Impact of the Financial Crisis on China
• Branding in China: The Challenge of Selling Starbucks
Coffee in a Tea-Drinking Nation and Other Lessons
Columbia Business School Campus

While students and alumni benefit from (and generally enjoy) living in New York
City, it is worth noting that New York can be a seductive and slightly distracting
force, a simultaneous pro and con that more secluded schools like Tuck rarely con-
tend with. There is one other drawback of a location in New York: the cost of real
estate and the lack of easy expansion. The school’s primary presence on campus,
Uris Hall, is a rather ugly testimony to this fact. Not even the most committed Co-
lumbia booster would try to put lipstick on the pig that is Uris Hall. Though the
building’s exterior was renovated in the mid 1990s, it still looks the uninspired box
from the 1950s that it is, even if the large auditoriums for lectures have been up-
dated to state-of-the art. The cluster of classrooms on the upper floors, however,
has proved more intractable, which is why in 2002 Warren Hall, with its more spa-
cious rooms, was transferred to the Business School in an attempt to provide some
extra room to the Business School community.
Fortunately, the University has a plan, and the business school is central to that
plan: the Manhattanville Campus, a 17 acre site between 129th and 133rd streets,
with 6.8 million square feet of space in the master project plan. Though the reces-
sion has lengthened the overall project timeline, the first phases are still on target
for a 2012 opening. The business school will be the anchor to the project, even if
the Neuroscience building will be the first to open.
15 CO LU M B I A C A M P U S
Professional Recruitment at Columbia Executives in Residence (EIR)

Like all top-tier business schools, Columbia puts muscle and resources behind do- Though formally distinct from the CMC, the Ex-
ing its utmost to ensure that students who graduate find rewarding jobs. The Career ecutives in Residence program is another key
Management Center (CMC) partners with students to assist them with every phase job-related resource available to Columbia stu-
of their career development, from internship and job searches to lifelong career dents. The EIR was founded almost 30 years ago,
progress. The center makes a concerted effort to teach students lifelong career and is designed to give students access to expe-
management skills. rienced leaders in key fields such as consulting,
investment banking, private equity, real estate,
Resume Books & Club Resume Books. The career services office makes broadcasting, and pharmaceuticals. EIR execu-
available to companies resumé books, which are compilations of the resumés of tives conduct brown-bag lunches with students
first and second year students. Furthermore, the more substantive of the student in groups of 10-to-12, and will also assist in set-
clubs compile their own resume books to circulate the talent to more industry- ting up interviews with target firms.
specific potential purchasers.
CMC Individual Offerings. At the individual level, from the first week of
orientation, CMC has a series of structured offerings that help students begin to
Alumni Career Services
tackle and to refine for themselves the career search. The CMC professionals and Of late, and partially in response to the challeng-
their knowledge of recruiters and the alumni base will help the student formulate ing economy of the past year, the school has
a strategy and tailor a plan that benefits from institutional wisdom. Such offerings beefed-up its offerings in supporting mid-career
include: alumni – and, not coincidentally, in the process,
• Four-session non-credit course for first-year students has earned some alumni gratitude and strength-
ened those bonds to the school in the process.
• Individual advising sessions, set up on request
Not least of these offerings include:
• Workshops and Clinics
• Mock interviews and presentation/public • A Career Assessment Tool
speaking management
• The Virtual Career resource Center
Career Management Library. The CMC maintains a physical library (9am- • Global Workplace, an online career
7pm) of over 900 volumes of job-search related books that students can use while
management platform for those
on campus. The library also maintains industry job binders with relevant job post-
ings, Wetfeet guides, and 40 periodicals. The Virtual Career resource Center is a por- seeking a job abroad
tal for online tools that assist both current students and mid-career professionals. • MBA-Direct, a portal for
The On-Campus Recruiting Process. On-campus interviews begin on mid-career MBAs
Wednesday October 21, 2009 for financial firms, and Friday October 23, 2009 for all • Videos of Presentations
other firms. Recruiting corporations submit applications to Columbia’s COIN system and CMC Workshops
after September 21, 2009, and CMC works with recruiting companies to ensure that
students’ schedules are not over-booked. CMC will also go to bat for students to
ensure that students do not miss academic commitments for an off-campus inter-
view, and maintains strict blackout periods that coincide with school holidays and
exam periods.
In the fall, offers may be extended after the close of business on October 27, 2009
and offers must remain open for four full weeks. Furthermore, the fundamental
terms of such an offer must remain unchanged until that expiration date. In the
spring, offers after February 1, 2010 must remain open for two full weeks, with the
same stipulation. Offers made to summer interns must remain open until Novem-
ber 6, 2009 or four weeks from the offer date – whichever is later.
16 P R O F E S S I O N A L R E C R U I T M E N T AT CO LU M B I A
Employment Statistics Major Employers

Columbia has certainly been in the midst of a revolution of sorts, as it expands its Major companies across the globe recruit Co-
curriculum and moves into new areas of emphasis. Not only that, but the school lumbia graduates and many of the most com-
will be the first to tell you that it is far more than “just a finance school.” That said, the mon employers are similar to those that recruit
recent graduating classes still find the bulk of their jobs in the finance sector. at other top business schools. The following
were among the most common employers for
Function graduates from the class of 2008:
Consulting 22%
Other 11%
McKinsey & Company ...........................49
Goldman Sachs Group .........................25
Lehman Bros. ..............................................21
Marketing & Sales 8%
Finance Citigroup Inc. ..............................................17
Management 2%
55% Operations 1% Deutsche Bank AG ..................................17
Human Resources 0.5% JPMorgan Chase & Co. ..........................17
Information Systems 0.5% Credit Suisse Group ................................16
Morgan Stanley .........................................15
Industry
Consulting 21%
American Express ....................................14
Boston Consulting Group ...................13
Entertainment/Media 4%
Merrill Lynch ...............................................12
Other 4% UBS . .....................................................................9
Financial Real Estate 4% Booz Allen Hamilton .................................8
Services Consumer Products 5%
56% Biotech/Pharm 4% Bain & Company ..........................................7
Technology 6%
Government 1%
Manufacturing 1%
General Electric ............................................6
Energy 1% Non-Profit 1%
Salaries
Location Base salary for
most recent graduates:
Western Europe 7% Mean...................................................$107,450
Median..............................................$100,000
Asia 7%
Signing bonus for
North America Latin America 2% most recent graduates:
82% Middle East 2%
Mean......................................................$30,582
Median.................................................$30,000
Other guaranteed compensation
Source of Job Offers for most recent graduates:
School-facilitated activities: ...........71% Mean......................................................$49,804

Graduate-facilitated activities: ....... 4% Median.................................................$30,000
No information provided *Based on the 2008 graduating class
by graduate: ............................................25%
17 P R O F E S S I O N A L R E C R U I T M E N T AT CO LU M B I A
Columbia and Veritas Prep

Veritas Prep has a distinguished track record helping our clients gain acceptance to
one of the world’s truly elite business schools. The secret to our success, as always,
is in first ensuring that Columbia is a proper fit for the client, and then assisting the
client in expressing that unique fit in the most articulate and impactful way possible.
Our Team
Our team of Columbia consultants includes former admission representatives, alum-
ni interviewers, members of influential student groups, and, of course, accomplished
professionals in a variety of fields. With multiple Columbia consultants on our admis-
sion consulting team, we are able to provide customized service to clients based on
background, timing, and logistics. Our Columbia consultants have career experience
in a variety of industries and functions.
Each client who works with Veritas Prep on a Columbia comprehensive package will
receive a customized team of consultants: a Head Consultant and a Columbia Specialist.
Head Consultant. All of our Head Consultants have experiences as admissions

representatives that afford each of them a unique perspective on the applicant pool
and how candidates must position themselves to express proper fit and to stand out
in an increasingly competitive process. The Head Consultant will guide the client
through every step of the process: from the initial Diagnostic Session to submission
of the application.
Columbia Specialist. Every comprehensive package client who chooses Co-

lumbia will also receive a Columbia Specialist who is either a current student or re-
cent graduate of the school. This individual will ensure that essay responses are both
“The secret to our success, as always,
topical and aligned thematically with the things that matter to Columbia. In addition is in first ensuring that Columbia is a
to helping clients find specific courses, programs, clubs, and professors that match proper fit for the client.”
their interests, the Columbia Specialist will also comb through each question and an-
swer to ensure that the response is properly aligned with the qualities that Columbia
seeks in a candidate.
For more on Veritas Prep’s incredible team and the individuals who serve as our Co-
lumbia consultants, please visit the Consultant Profiles page of our website.
Our Columbia Services

The Columbia Business School is always one of the most popular school selections
among our clients due to its reputation as a cutting-edge research school with the
largest and most prestigious footprint in New York City- to say nothing of its strong
ties to Wall Street. However, the Veritas Prep approach is built upon identifying the
right fit for each client, regardless of the generic qualities of the business school. Only
once we have verified a proper match do we begin to build the candidate’s personal
marketing platform and piece together the perfect Columbia application.
Diagnostic Session. Our Diagnostic Session – the first step in our comprehen-
sive packages as well as a stand-alone service – assures that each client’s goals and
prospects are properly aligned. Once we have helped ensure that the client is mak-
ing sound choices with regard to each business school application, we start building
a timeline and a strategy specifically tailored for a Columbia engagement.
18 CO LU M B I A A N D V E R I TA S P R E P
Personalized MBA Game Plan. Each client’s Head Consultant will create a
Personalized MBA Game Plan, a strategic approach based on the client’s professional,
academic, and personal history. Those elements will become the foundation of the
Columbia application story, allowing the client to demonstrate leadership, innovation,
maturity, teamwork skills, analytical ability, and potential for academic excellence. A
major component of the Game Plan is the identification of each candidate’s strengths
and weaknesses – as well as truly unique qualities – relative to the Columbia applicant
pool (this applies to nearly all of the elite business schools). This will create an application
platform from which to work and will help mold and shape the strategy of how to address
application components such as the resumé, essays, and letters of recommendations.
Merging Practice With Experience. The Fall 2008 Cycle surprised long-term
Columbia watchers with the introduction of the Master Class essay question.
Master Classes are the epitome of bridging the gap between theory
and practice at Columbia Business School. Please view the video. Please
provide an example from your own life in which practical experience
taught you more than theory alone. “Each client’s Head Consultant will
create a Personalized MBA Game Plan,
The video that applicants are instructed to watch convincingly portrays Columbia as a a strategic approach based on the
place that will teach students how to succeed in the real world, and will offer access to client’s professional, academic, and
executive at surprisingly high levels. Veritas will help an applicant to go back through their
personal history.”
experience to see which particular configuration of productive tensions between theory
and practice are most well-suited to the task at hand.
Social Intelligence & Self-Awareness. It goes without saying that all

top business schools place a great deal of focus on understanding leadership. However,
Columbia’s approach in the application takes the form of the negative object lesson:
discuss a failure of which you have been a part. This “in your face” approach forces the
applicant to not only to confront maturity levels, but also tests the applicant’s ability to “This ‘in your face’ approach forces
develop and articulate multi-casual analyses. Success in business tends to be neither the applicant to not only to confront
simplistic nor heroic; rather, it is the product of skills and abilities, undoubtedly, but maturity levels, but also tests the
also of timing, history and luck. Columbia expects its community-members to be able applicant’s ability to develop and
to recognize this truth, and to demonstrate it in framing a failure, one’s contributions
towards that failure, and an understanding of forces that were beyond the applicant’s
articulate multi-casual analyses.”
ability to control. This is what characterizes the Columbia leader who “connects the dots,”
and what your Veritas consultants will help you accentuate.
Involvement. One risk that Columbia MBA admissions is acutely aware of is the
downside of being in New York City – how easy it would be to enroll in Columbia and
yet be distracted by New York. So a successful Columbia application must display that
the applicant is an active, engaged community member – however that community may
have been defined in the past. This past success is, for this purpose, an accurate predictor
of future performance.
Balance and Perfection. Once the themes of merging theory & practice and
social intelligence/self-awareness have been installed as the backbone of the Columbia
application, the Veritas Prep Head Consultant and Columbia Specialist will team up to
ensure that all of the questions have been properly answered, that the resumé and essay
questions have been crafted with style and efficiency, and that all of the key business
school themes have been addressed in a balanced way throughout the application. It’s
not easy applying to one of the most popular schools in the country, but our consulting
team will ensure that Veritas Prep clients give themselves the best chance of admissions
success through the most accurate, engaging, and persuasive portrayal of their candidacy
that they can possibly create. This is true of our approach to all schools, but particularly
at Columbia, where three critical themes – practical experience, emotional quotient, and
involvement – must resonate so strongly and consistently throughout the application.
19 CO LU M B I A A N D V E R I TA S P R E P
About Veritas Prep

Founded in 2002, Veritas Prep has emerged as a global leader in GMAT® educa-
tion and MBA admissions consulting. The company’s business school team includes
more than 300 graduates of the world’s elite MBA programs, managed from its
headquarters in Malibu, California.
The Veritas Prep consulting model is built on adding value to a student’s applica-
tion process by providing both mentorship and expertise. The business school
admissions process has become increasingly competitive and applicants must do
everything possible to showcase their value. Our consultants assist applicants in
presenting their unique stories in the most professional and meaningful way pos-
sible. In a sense, our consultants are translators – helping an applicant discover raw
“Success Favors the Prepared“
materials and information and then helping that candidate articulate a unique story
in a language that admissions committees understand. More than anything, Veritas
Prep gives candidates a sense of ownership and control over the process. Quality
of work, attention to detail, care for the student, and integrity are the lynchpins of a
successful consultation.
In addition to elite MBA admissions consulting services, Veritas Prep also offers the
finest GMAT preparation available in the industry, as well as admissions consulting
for law school, medical school, and graduate school services.
For comprehensive information on all of Veritas Prep’s many services, please visit
our website.
20 A B O U T V E R I TA S P R E P

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COLUMBIA BUSINESS SCHOOL

AnnualReport 2010 COLUMBIA BUSINESS SCHOOL

About Columbia Business School Thefollowingschoolscomprise

“Columbia Business School surpasses every other in its ability to bridge

The Columbia Business School Approach

Building a Bridge. Columbia Business School’s aim in recent years is to create

Admissions at Columbia Deadlines

Early Decision candidates must sign the following Statement of Commitment:

“As an Early Decision candidate to Columbia Business School, I am

Application Essay Topics Admissions Statistics

3 (Optional) Is there any further information that you

Visiting Columbia Contact Information.

Financial Assistance at Columbia Federal and Private Loans.

International Loan Options – There are

Outside Funding Options – Information on

Columbia Students Student Stats

Columbia Academics The Core Foundations

The First Year: The Flexible Core

For example, economics is touched upon in Managerial Economics, Global Economic

Columbia Faculty Administratively, the

• Accounting For the academic year ending in 2009, the

Laurie Simon Hodrick

Grading Academic Calendar

Columbia Research Centers Dual degrees are offered

Columbia Business Plan Competitions

The A. Lorne Weil Outrageous Business Plan Competition. 32

The Sheldon Seevak Real Estate Business Plan Competition.

International Programs International Business

• Cross-Cultural Perspectives on Ethics

Columbia Business School Campus

Professional Recruitment at Columbia Executives in Residence (EIR)

Employment Statistics Major Employers

School-facilitated activities: ...........71% Mean......................................................$49,804

Columbia and Veritas Prep

Head Consultant. All of our Head Consultants have experiences as admissions

Columbia Specialist. Every comprehensive package client who chooses Co-

Our Columbia Services

Social Intelligence & Self-Awareness. It goes without saying that all

About Veritas Prep

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