34 Comments
 

when i was helping with summer associate recruiting on the sell-side, we had had a number of resumes from both stern and columbia. i would say that the resumes from columbia were by and large stronger than the ones from stern. there were good candidates from stern too, but overall, i just personally thought the ones from columbia looked tangibly better on paper.

​* http://www.linkedin.com/in/numicareerconsulting
 
AltESVAlso, it helps more if your dad is an "active" alumni (i.e. he gives money to the school regularly).

How would B-schools treat it if you put that your father is an alumni, but they know he's been a deadweight and hasn't given anything back?

 

My friend worked in my college alumni office - even deadweights help because a lot of people become active in giving when their kid gets in.

 

Just a glib remark I guess. I find that all the Wharton people I meet are dreadfully boring to be around (just a stupid generalization of course). Columbia guys usually aren't boring, but they can be pretty arrogant. That said, their level of knowledge is excellent, and the school has great finance pedigree. Stern's good too (Damodharan advantage), but not good enough to turn down Columbia for.

Of course, very little of that has to do with which school is better for career prospects etc. Just a joke.

 

If you have 3 years of experience you need to compensate with a big name on your resume, career advancement and solid UG institution and GPA. Otherwise, let that high gmat score hold (good for 5 years) and get another 2 years of experience and you may be competitive at an M7. As it stands now.. with 2 years and a sub-3.7 GPA... I don't see it happening at Columbia.

For reference, I'm attending Columbia for MBA class of 2014

 
losttravelerIf you have 3 years of experience you need to compensate with a big name on your resume, career advancement and solid UG institution and GPA. Otherwise, let that high gmat score hold (good for 5 years) and get another 2 years of experience and you may be competitive at an M7. As it stands now.. with 2 years and a sub-3.7 GPA... I don't see it happening at Columbia.

For reference, I'm attending Columbia for MBA class of 2014

What are your stats?

 
Best Response

I would recommend:

  1. Try lateraling to a better consulting firm with a more established track record of sending kids to Stern or Columbia. Lateraling is difficult but possible with hard work and networking. Doesn't need to be MBB. All the top 10 or 15 consulting firms definitely send kids to Stern and Columbia. Deloitte, Big 4 consulting practices, Accenture, Huron, etc., should be targets.

  2. Take 2-3 classes at a nearby (but well-respected) university to improve grades or demonstrate you're serious about school. That, along with the outstanding GMAT score, can overcome the poor undergrad GPA.

  3. Do some extracurriculars. Doesn't need to be anything out of this world, but find some way to get involved in a leadereship position in the community. This can be a differentiator on apps.

All of this will take 2-3 years, which is good for you anyway. You only have 2 years of experience now, and the average at these schools is 4-6 years. So you'd be right in range 2-3 years from now.

Good luck!

 

Solid GMAT is a must. Also, you are going to need some interesting EC's since your background is pretty boring - adcomms buy into that shit big time.

Please don't quote Patrick Bateman.
 

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"Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt." --Abraham Lincoln
 

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