J-Term at Columbia - Reviews, Opportunities, Commentary, etc
Hi I was recently accepted to Columbia J-term and I am beyond excited as CBS was my first choice. My background is in IB, and while I dont know for certain what I plan to do afterwards IB, IM, startups are all options I'm considering. With this in mind I have a few question for J-termers.
What are career opportunities like for j-termers? I realize career switching will be substantially harder but does CBS help you with recruitment/placement, how so? I realize any IM/PE role will be difficult as an august starter, but are these still possible for j-termers? What about IB recruiting were I to stay in this?
Socially what's it like as a j-termer. Are you close with the august class? Can you travel and attend events with august class if you so choose so?
Are you happy you choose j-term over another august starting school - why/why not?
Anything else?
Hey, I know its my first post but Ive had this account for a bit so it's not meant to be a plug for either CBS or the j-term. I'm a fairly recent CBS alum and have many friends who entered through the j-term, so I'm basing this on both their experiences and my perspective as an August entry.
I'm using the term "entered through the j-term" instead of "did the j-term program" because they are viewed as the same class/program from the perspectives of students, recruiters, professors, etc. Virtually every resource, event, trip, club leadership, are open to both, including the value investing program. But there are some practical differences you should be aware of.
The career opportunities are entirely dependent on your background and what you are looking for. Obviously, industries and companies that do most if not all of their full-time hiring from their intern pool like i-banking will be extremely difficult if not impossible. Since you already have an i-banking background, it might be less difficult for you if you want to go back for whatever reason, but from my understanding most BB/EBs hire virtually all of their MBA Associates from their summer intern pool.
Basically for career switchers, there are 3 major components. Industry, function, geography(countries). For august entry, doing all 3 is possible/easier due to the summer internship. For jan-entry, I say any 2 out of 3 is possible. Switching industry AND function as a j-termer will be a tall order (excluding management consulting, they cast a very wide net). However, CBS's biggest advantage is the in-semester internships you can do with just about every industry. This will show that you have sincere interest in whatever industry for full-time hiring.
In general , the opportunities are exactly the same as the August entry. Full-time hiring schedule is exactly the same for Aug/Jan, and we all had the exact same access to every school facilitated events/on-campus hiring/resources. What job you get or don't get is up to you.
IM is very tough and competitive for everyone (the other CBS thread by the user dabears explains this in detail). Regardless of aug/jan entry, your background and stock pitches are far more important. You will need to do in-term internships at boutique shops and have killer pitches to even stand a chance if you're not coming from IM. I don't know much about PE recruiting so no comment on that.
Socially, they are fully integrated. Naturally, I made more j-term friends during my second year because that's when both entry points converge. But I met some through clubs and trips during my first spring semester.
It's worth noting that a good portion of j-termers are sponsored consultants(most commonly from MBB), entrepreneurs, and family business people(some from uber wealthy families). Also 50%-60% international. You will be less likely to meet people who are interested in making drastic career changes (like say a TFA teacher seeking to enter banking) than the Aug entry.
So all in all, there are far more similarities than differences. The biggest advantage of jan-entry is that you graduate an entire year early despite doing the full 4 semesters. Since I was sponsored by my company and was on the older side on entry, I actually would have preferred entering through the j-term had I known how integrated the programs were. Hence I felt compelled to write this long post.
Thanks for writing - this is incredibly useful and definitely brings ease to some of my concerns!
Hi,
To begin with, I haven't been to B School and am applying for B Schools next year. However, I personally know 4 J Termers (this is first person info) and all 4 of them have warned me not to do J Term UNLESS you are sponsored and have a guaranteed job after graduating.
Have heard horror stories of people really struggling to find jobs.
Thank you for taking the time to share your expeiences! I've been weighing the pros and cons of doing an accelerated program (Columbia or Kellogg 1-year) and this thread could not have come at a better time.
A little bit about myself, I am 28. 2+ years in PE at the Associate level. I've had some fantastic deal experience so far and was hoping to apply to b-school in the next couple of years, hopefully with my firm's sponsorship.
You mentioned you were on the older end of the age spectrum. I'd love to hear your views on applying to MBA programs as a 30+ year old applicant. Would I be putting myself at risk of being written off for being too old by adcoms?
Hey, no problem. I'm posting all of this because I completely ignored the j-term and Kellogg 1Y thinking they were "lesser" programs like how part-time/EMBA are often viewed at elite schools by both students and recruiters. Had I known the reality, I would have certainly applied to both because it would have been a much better fit for me.
All I can say is that if you are sponsored (especially PE) and definitely want to go back to your firm (or will try to upgrade to a bigger fund), doing the j-term or the Kellogg 1Y will be highly beneficial for you. Getting a full-time MBA business schools ">M7 MBA and experiencing all the awesome stuff that goes along with that while getting a whole year head-start in the beginning for your prime is huuuge, and is the primary reason why I would have preferred going through that route.
I'm obviously not as knowledgeable about the Kellogg 1Y, but they seem pretty much identical in terms of setup and student body. I can't imagine the career outcome being drastically different if you go to one over the other (i know Kellogg is higher ranked but doesn't matter in real life, but Im biased), so it all comes down to whether you want to spend a 16 month vacation in expensive hectic NYC or a 12 month cheaper relaxing vacation in Evanston/Chicago.
Ok I might actually go to Kellogg 1Y now because Im a sucker for fancy facilities and the new Kellogg campus looks incredible....CBS (Uris Hall) is a steaming shithole as you may already know, and the new campus won't be ready for like 10+ years at least no matter what they say.
Anyway I don't know your exact situation, but I would personally only go to HSW (got rejected by all 3....) over j-term or Kellogg 1Y as a sponsored PE candidate.
As for being older (30+, as I was), yes I believe it's an disadvantage in most cases. But but but, this applies a lot less to sponsored candidates. This is because the primary reason b-schools prefer younger candidates is that the big recruiters (consulting and banking) tend to prefer younger people. Schools are worried about placements for older candidates, but this is irrelevant to you the sponsored candidate.
And since like 90% of sponsored candidates are consultants (or at least it seemed that way), being a sponsored PE candidates makes you stand out. Schools also like to have as many people go into PE as possible because it's "prestigious", so you got that going for you as well.
Assuming your stats are in line, I'd be shocked if you don't get into Kellogg 1Y or j-term. So many sponsored consultants, I'm sure they want more diversity. No comment on rest of MBA business schools ">M7/top 10, admissions are a crapshoot but I can't imagine someone with PE experience not getting in somewhere. Just don't wait too long.
Hi All, this post has been very helpful. I am hoping to apply to the Columbia J Term this fall. If any of you were accepted into the program or know anyone who was accepted, I would really appreciate it if you could connect me. I would appreciate advice about the application process. My background is I spent several years in investment banking and a year in PE. Many thanks in advance!
Hi, I work in London (UK citizen) and plan to attend the CBS J term next January. I'm 27, have 5YOE at a $2B long-only fund here, but I wish to move to the US after MBA completion. How likely is it for me to be sponsored by some asset manager (e.g. T Rowe, Capital Group, etc.) or even smaller long-only/hedge funds? Would they hire me for the OPT period only?
Ullam natus aut dolor aut. Incidunt non ut fugiat molestiae temporibus. Cupiditate voluptatum voluptatem aut cumque assumenda saepe.
Delectus occaecati ut veniam. Libero corrupti asperiores esse corporis. Est sunt pariatur qui rerum. Rem impedit aliquam ut et.
Voluptatem tempora maxime quos dignissimos deserunt. At eos et tenetur eligendi aliquam omnis occaecati. Quos odit fugit odit reiciendis maiores. Error odio excepturi cupiditate quae. Necessitatibus libero amet quidem rem sunt minus. Animi voluptas fuga minima dolores sapiente similique.
Explicabo doloremque alias aut dolore maiores veritatis. Corrupti quod hic iusto ut nam fugit sed. Dolores nisi ipsa nostrum.
See All Comments - 100% Free
WSO depends on everyone being able to pitch in when they know something. Unlock with your email and get bonus: 6 financial modeling lessons free ($199 value)
or Unlock with your social account...