Is CBS MBA worth the money?
Hi,
Is Columbia MBA worth it, being a little more expensive than other top MBA programs since it's in NYC? (Totaling at ~250k)
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insufficient information. some CBS alums go on to bake cupcakes in their kitchens or join failed startups, some go on to run Berkshire Hathaway. can you give us a bit more info on what you hope to do, and what you were doing before?
Thanks for the reply. I have been doing m&a advisory at an elite local boutique for 3 years in my home country. My goal is ibd at a bb in london or nyc. (Or even better, private equity) Don't plan on returning to my country for at least 3 years.
It's one of the top schools in the country...Obviously there are a couple better programs, but CBS is great for the goals you mentioned (IB/PE). Little shocked by this question...
It's the worst M7, but I wouldn't choose any school (aside from Tuck) outside the M7 over it.
I'm not sure what "the worst M7" means. Yes, it may be the lowest ranked M7 business school according to US News rankings but OP if your end-goal is BB IB in NYC, like you stated, then Columbia is definitely one of the best schools to be at. Having worked at both a BB and now in PE, I've worked with a lot of Columbia MBAs and it is definitely a feeder school along with the usual suspects. I will say that you will probably find it tough to break into PE unless you have had prior experience...my firm hires 1-2 CBS grads/year and they always have held associate positions at PE firms prior to business school. Just my 2 cents.
Agree. Columbia's not going to be a hindrance by any means for PE or IB recruiting. Aside from the fact that it's a top school students have the advantage of being physically close to all of the action in NYC much like NYU. Maybe it would be tough to get into KKR and if you get into Harvard or Wharton go there by all means but Columbia is top notch.
But being hired post MBA into PE with previous PE experience is generally true for any bschool. Not 100% of the time but more often than not they have PE experience pre MBA.
OP: what is your home country? That should probably guide your thought process and career planning more than which Ivy League school you want to attend. If your ultimate goal is IB/PE there you should look at people who work in the business in your home country and check out their backgrounds and try to reach out to a few to ask their advice. Its just so dependent on the country that there's no one solution fits all situations. France or Germany are so different than India which is so different from China or Bulgaria or any list of countries that you can't look at it as a typical US/UK career progression.
You are slowly turning into Brady 2.0.
At least Brady is entertaining (see above)
This makes zero sense. Don't want to make this thread another ranking fight but most people I know would choose CBS over Kellogg because I work in IM/HF.
Sorry bro. I usually like your posts, but this one is deeply misguided. It cracks me up when Booth/Kellogg students insist that they are superior to Columbia and that their school is on par with Wharton. Yes, Columbia is the lowest ranked M7 according to rankings, but these same rankings also have Booth at #1. To quote Chris Carter, "Come on Man!"
You have HBS and Stanford at the top of Mount Olympus. Like Zeus, no one will dethrone them. Then you have Wharton. After that you have Booth/Columbia/Kellogg/Sloan in no particular order. Depending on factors such as career goals, location preference, scholarship money, personal fit, etc., people choose one over the other.
Did you get into Columbia? I would totally agree with OpsDude, based on your goals.
If it's Columbia vs not going at all, as others have said, it's definitely worth it as it's one of the core recruiting schools for virtually all banks.
not worth it in your case - you won't get PE and going from elite boutique banking -> mba -> bb banking is stupid imo, especially if you plan on going back to your home country. If you want to stay in the US then maybe CBS is something to consider....
This is a personal decision. How do you expect us to answer it for you? Further, you don't just apply to one school unless that's literally the only one you want to go to, and feel confident you can get in. So if you're looking at business schools you shouldn't even have to worry about if it's "worth it" vs. other schools until you receive an offer from them.
Thanks a lot guys. The dilemma I'm facing is whether to apply ED Columbia or not. If I get in, I'll always wonder if I would have got in Wharton.
Anyways, one last question. If I want a career in London, is CBS better or London Business School?
London... you'll be there for recruiting etc, which will be difficult from NY...
Seems like you answered your own question.
"Anyways, one last question. If I want a career in London, is CBS better or London Business School?"
london hands down. the 2 schools are on par in terms of reputation, but you'll have the benefit of being local which is really important for IB recruiting
Unless you really think you're not going to be competitive for other programs, I'd steer clear from applying to CBS early decision. That's just a good way to lock people in to a sub-optimal outcome. ED is really for people who otherwise would be going to top 12-20 ranked schools.
Don't apply ed if you think you're competitive elsewhere. CBS will be worth the extra money if you definitely want to go to business school and ya your best option
What is someone wanted to do plain/vanilla Investment Banking post-MBA in NYC and choices were:
What would make more sense?
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