columbia business school mba essay

A Guide to the Columbia Business School Essays (2024-2025)

Coach Melanie E. walks you through each Columbia Business School essay prompt for the 2023-2024 cycle, breaking down what adcoms are looking for and offering expert advice on how to nail your responses.

By  Melanie E.

Posted June 27, 2024

Featuring Rifat M.

Thinking about an MBA?

Starting tuesday, november 19.

12:30 AM UTC · 60 minutes

Table of Contents

As a CBS alumnus, Alumni Admissions Ambassador, and professional Coach, I am excited to share my insights into Columbia’s current essays for their MBA application.

The Importance of the Columbia MBA Essays

Business school essays are an unbelievably critical component of the application process. Columbia Business School's MBA essays provide applicants with ample opportunity to showcase their goals, experiences, and fit with the program. On a deeper level, they also allow you to communicate directly with the admissions committee and provide context for your resume and academic records.

Each essay also serves as an opportunity to present different angles of your profile. For example, while the short answer question requires a short and succinct explanation of your post-MBA plans, the longer essays allow you to expand on your career ambitions, leadership experiences, and the unique qualities you would bring to the CBS community. By using this model of essay questions, the admissions committee aims to get a comprehensive view of your strengths and aspirations.

At the end of the day, your essays are one of your biggest opportunities to get your foot in the door with Columbia, so it’s necessary that your essay is flawless upon submission. Here's a step-by-step guide to approaching each of Columbia’s essay prompts.

Short Answer Question

What is your immediate post-MBA professional goal? (50 characters maximum)

It is critical to be straightforward with this question, and be consistent with your Columbia Business School essays. It is acceptable to write in phrases versus full sentences given the limited word count. In fact, the word count is limited as a way of forcing applicants to be extremely clear about their goals.

Examples of possible responses (provided by Columbia):

• Work in business development for a media company. (49 characters)
• Join a strategy consulting firm. (32 characters)
• Launch a data-management start-up. (34 characters)

A great example is specific and most likely includes both the function/title and industry or type of company you’re pursuing. For example:

• Poor execution: Work in CPG. (13 characters)
• Good execution: Work in marketing for a CPG company. (36 characters)
• Great execution: Marketing for a healthy-foods focused CPG firm. (47 characters)

Free trial!

From 142 top coaches

Access a library of videos, templates, and examples curated by Leland’s top coaches.

Example essays.

Example Resumes

Application Prep

Video Courses

Through your resume and recommendation, we have a clear sense of your professional path to date. What are your career goals over the next three to five years and what is your long-term dream job? (500 words)

• Understand the Question: Begin by carefully reading the prompt and understanding what it asks for. This is a common mistake where applicants do not directly answer the question(s) being asked in the essay prompt.
• Be Specific: Clearly outline your short-term career goals, focusing on what you aim to achieve within the next three to five years. Discuss the industry, function, and potential companies or roles you aspire to work in. It is helpful to provide specific role titles and an example company (such as “a media company like Disney”). If you are sponsored and planning to return to your current employer (such as a Consultant at McKinsey), share this information as well as the mid-term goal, which would be your first role after leaving your current employer.
• Explain Your Long-term Dream Job: Describe your ultimate long-term dream job. Discuss the impact you hope to make in that role and your mission. Showcasing impact while balancing your vision with realistic possibility is key. For example, sharing that you want to solve world hunger may be a bit outrageous, but saying that you want to build a new business model for achieving large impacts within world hunger is more reasonable.
• Link to Your Background: Connect your career goals with your past experiences (personal and professional), skills, networks, and/or achievements. Demonstrate how your path to date aligns with your future aspirations. If applicable, share your “light bulb” moment where you realized your long-term career vision.
• Share Your “Why”: An extension of the previous bullet, share your “why” or your motivations for your career aspirations. Bring this level of authenticity and personality to the Columbia MBA essay in order to make it more engaging, believable, and unique from the crowd. This is a critical element that is often missed by applicants.
• Stay Within the Word Limit: With only 500 words, be concise and focus on the most critical points. I suggest not worrying about the word count for your first few drafts, and then edit down once you have all the relevant content ready to go.

The Phillips Pathway for Inclusive Leadership (PPIL) is a co-curricular program designed to provide students with the skills and strategies needed to develop as inclusive leaders. Through various resources and programming, the goal is for students to explore and reflect during their educational journey on the following five inclusive leadership skills: Mitigating Bias and Prejudice; Managing Intercultural Dialogue; Addressing Systemic Inequity; Understanding Identity and Perspective Taking; and Creating an Inclusive Environment.

Describe a time or situation when you had the need to utilize one or more of these five skills, and tell us the actions you took and the outcome. (250 words)

• Consider PPIL: First, take some time to review the PPIL curriculum on the Columbia website.
• Choose a Relevant Situation: Select a specific situation from your professional or personal life that aligns with one or more of the inclusive leadership skills mentioned (Mitigating Bias and Prejudice, Managing Intercultural Dialogue, Addressing Systemic Inequity, Understanding Identity and Perspective Taking, and Creating an Inclusive Environment). The situation should be somewhat recent, and if possible, within the last ~2 years.
• Set the Scene: Provide context for the situation. Describe the environment, the people involved, and the challenges you faced. Based upon the limited word count, you may need to leave out some details of the story.
• Describe Your Actions: Detailing the steps you took to address the situation should take up the majority of your essay. Clearly identify which inclusive leadership skills were utilized via each action. I recommend choosing only one or two skills to focus upon due to the limited word count. It is better to go into more specifics and detail on fewer skills. Lastly, highlight any innovative or creative approaches you used, and share both soft and/or hard skills as is relevant to your story.
• Share the Outcome: Explain the results of your actions. Emphasize any positive impact on individuals, teams, or the overall situation. Small impact is acceptable as long as it is clear, and the applicant was the one who created it.
• Reflect on Your Experience: Discuss briefly what you learned from this experience, and perhaps how it has shaped your perspective on inclusivity or leadership.

We believe Columbia Business School is a special place with a collaborative learning environment in which students feel a sense of belonging, agency, and partnership – academically, culturally, and professionally.

How would you co-create your optimal MBA experience at CBS? Please be specific. (250 words)

• Overall: This prompt wants you to illustrate how you will actively contribute to and shape your experience at CBS. Highlighting your proactive approach to making the most of the MBA program will be key. If they are your #1 choice, don’t hesitate to share why in this essay.
• Conduct Detailed Research: Before writing, thoroughly research the Columbia MBA program. Understand the curriculum, professors, clubs, conferences, events, and unique aspects of the school. You may also utilize virtual and in-person events specifically catering to applicants to gain knowledge. Lastly, you may decide to contact current students for further information, and are welcome to mention them (with their permission) in your essays. You can locate the names of current students through your network, LinkedIn, and/or school club websites.
• Structure: The simplest and most effective way to structure your essay is to separately address how you plan to engage academically, culturally, and professionally. This will show that you are a fit for the entirety of what Columbia has to offerinstead of just a single program or facet of the university.
• Unique Aspects: Identify and focus on specific aspects of CBS that relate to your profile and career aspirations, and describe how you plan to engage with and enhance these areas. For example, Columbia is highly aware that they are the only M7 MBA program to be located in fabulous New York City, and thus this is a unique point that can be addressed and utilized in this essay.
• Academic Fit: Explain how the specific courses, concentrations, programs, and/or professors will support your academic interests and career trajectory. Then, describe how you will contribute to classroom discussions, group projects, and other academic initiatives.
• Cultural Fit: Describe how you will contribute to the CBS community and culture. Highlight your interest in participating in or leading clubs, events, and initiatives that resonate with you. Discuss how you plan to engage with the broader New York City environment, such as through cultural activities or community service. Also mention any personal connections or interests that will help you integrate and be involved with the CBS community.
• Professional Fit: Showcase how CBS's strong network, career services, employment data, and/or Executives-in-Residence program will aid in achieving your career goals. Discuss your plans for networking with alumni, attending career events, and possibly taking advantage of in-semester internships. Don’t forget to highlight how you will contribute to CBS’s professional community through mentorship, leadership in clubs, or collaboration on professional projects.
• Be Genuine: Be authentic in your response and avoid generic statements. Don’t be afraid to show your personality, interests, and excitement!

Optional Essay

If you wish to provide further information or additional context around your application to the Admissions Committee, please upload a brief explanation of any areas of concern in your academic record or personal history. This does not need to be a formal essay. You may submit bullet points. (Maximum 500 Words)

• Don’t Write It: Consider if you need to write anything for this essay. In general, admissions committees do not want to receive superfluous materials that are not directly addressing new information that is of significance to the application. Therefore, this essay should only be used to explain any specific situations that are not otherwise addressed in the application. For example, this could be utilized to explain a poor GPA in your undergraduate career due to acute illness.
• Keep It Short: As the guidance from CBS notes, you are welcome to write in bullet form. This means that the essay or bullets should be as short and direct as possible.

General Tips for All Essays

• Know Your Reader: In 2022, the admissions committee at Columbia Business School received 5,895 applications. It’s highly likely, then, that the admissions committee member who reads your application will have read several hundred before yours. With that in mind, they are looking for applicants who demonstrate leadership, clarity of purpose, and a strong fit with Columbia, all while being succinct and to-the-point in their writing. Make sure you’re that student.
• Showcase Your Unique Story: Use the essays to showcase what makes you unique and differentiates you from other applicants. This is your one opportunity to stand out in your application. Admissions committees value genuine stories.
• Edit and Revise: Plan on having multiple rounds of essay drafts, and take your time to iterate over many weeks. Proofread your essays multiple times to avoid grammatical errors and ensure clarity.
• Seek Feedback: Share your essays with trusted friends, family, or mentors for feedback and suggestions who understand the MBA process. It is best to utilize someone who has attended business school or who is a professional coach.
• Stay on Topic: Focus on answering all the specific questions asked in each essay without straying off-topic.
• Adhere to Word Limits: Respect the word limits for each essay, as exceeding them may reflect a lack of attention to detail.

Final Words

By following this guide and putting effort into crafting engaging, personal, and well-structured essays, you increase your chances of impressing the admissions committee at Columbia Business School and standing out from the crowd.

Good luck with your application!

About the Author

Melanie is an Executive Coach & Admissions Coach with 16 years of experience across strategy, operations, and coaching. A former McKinsey consultant, she is a member of the Forbes Council and has been featured on NBC, ABC, CBS, Business Insider, TEDx, and more. Melanie has worked with prominent corporate clients including Google, KKR, IBM, and Morgan Stanley; as well as individuals such as business leaders, influencers, and Olympic athletes.

Melanie holds an MBA from Columbia University and a BS from Cornell University. She currently lives in Los Angeles (while remaining a New Yorker at heart), and enjoys creative pursuits in her free time.

Sign up for a FREE intro call with coach Melanie E. today, and jumpstart your path to your dream MBA program!

Browse hundreds of expert coaches

Leland coaches have helped thousands of people achieve their goals. A dedicated mentor can make all the difference.

Browse Related Articles

November 7, 2024

How to Write a Powerful MBA Essay—With Examples

The MBA essay is critical to your business school application. Read our guide to writing the perfect MBA essay, with successful admit examples.

March 1, 2024

UNC Kenan-Flagler MBA Essays Guide: Overview, Tips & Examples

Get ready to ace your UNC Kenan-Flagler MBA application with this comprehensive essay guide.

March 2, 2024

Georgetown McDonough MBA Essays Guide: Overview, Tips & Examples

Looking to ace your Georgetown McDonough MBA essays? Our comprehensive guide provides an overview, valuable tips, and real examples to help you craft compelling and impactful essays that will set you apart from the competition.

UW Foster MBA Essays Guide: Overview, Tips & Examples

Learn everything you need to know about writing impactful UW Foster MBA essays with our comprehensive guide.

August 6, 2024

The Ultimate M7 MBA Essay Guide

Everything you need to know to write a killer essay for your M7 MBA application, including prompts, deadlines, expert advice, coach recommendations, additional free resources, and more.

August 14, 2024

Wharton MBA Application Essays: Prompts & Expert Tips

Tips and tricks to writing a stand-out essay for your Wharton MBA application, including an overview of the questions, expert advice, and how to get started.

January 4, 2024

HBS 2+2 Deferred MBA Essay Prompts & Tips (2024)

As of 2024, HBS has changed its deferred MBA essay prompts away from the traditional, "What else should we know about you?" to three smaller essays. Read more and nail your HBS 2+2 application here.

August 12, 2024

Chicago Booth MBA Essays: 5 Expert Tips

Tips and tricks to help you write the best essays possible for the Booth MBA Application, including essay and application deadlines as well as Booth coach recommendations.

Berkeley Haas MBA Essays Guide: Overview, Tips & Examples

Looking to ace your Berkeley Haas MBA application essays? Our comprehensive guide provides an overview of the essay prompts, valuable tips, and real examples to help you craft compelling and impactful responses.

UVA Darden MBA Essays Guide: Overview, Tips & Examples

Crafting compelling UVA Darden MBA essays can be a game-changer for your application.

Duke Fuqua MBA Essays Guide: Overview, Tips & Examples

Discover everything you need to know about crafting standout MBA essays for Duke Fuqua.

January 10, 2024

Columbia Business School MBA Letters of Recommendation Guide - Questions, Tips, & Examples

Learn how to navigate the Columbia Business School MBA letters of recommendation process with our comprehensive guide.

Which program are you applying to?

Accepted Admissions Blog

Everything you need to know to get Accepted

June 25, 2024

Columbia Business School MBA Essay Tips and Deadlines [2024-2025], Class Profile

Columbia Business School (CBS) essay prompts are out for 2024-2025 January and August entry applicants! Here is what is new this year: 

• August entry – Short Answer Question #2: Asks for your post-first-year summer plans
• Essay #2 : Slightly narrower wording that will help you better select an example to share
• Essay #3 : A change to the prompt that emphasizes collaboration as part of your Columbia experience

Ready to get to work on your CBS application? Read on.

Columbia Business School application essay tips

Columbia business school application deadlines, columbia business school class profile.

Applicants must complete two short-answer questions and three essays. (Source: CBS website )

Short Answer Question 1: What is your immediate post-MBA professional goal? (50 characters maximum) Examples of possible responses:

• Work in business development for a media company
• Join a strategy consulting firm
• Launch a data-management start-up

Note that this has a character (rather than word) limit. Your response must be significantly shorter than a tweet. What do you want to do professionally and in which industry immediately after earning your MBA? 

Warning: This question is not asking about your intended area of study while in business school or about a nonprofessional goal or even a long-term goal.

Succinctly define your goal in terms of function (what you want to do) and the industry (or type of company) in which you want to do it.

January Term Short Answer Question: Why do you prefer the January-entry term? (50 characters maximum)

Why should you apply for January entry? It’s an accelerated 16-month program that’s ideal for people who don’t need a summer internship. Consider J-Term if you plan to return to the same industry, head into your family business, or focus on entrepreneurship. January applications are still reviewed on a rolling basis, meaning that they are evaluated as they come in, rather than as a big pool after a deadline. This means that the earlier you submit your application, the more spaces will still be available. 

Examples of possible responses:

• Sponsored and plan to return to company
• Plan to take over management of family business
• Tapping into investor network to launch start-up

August Term Short Answer Question: How do you plan to spend the summer after the first year of the MBA? If in an internship, please include target industry(ies) and/or function(s). If you plan to work on your own venture, please indicate a focus of business. (50 characters maximum)

With this question, CBS wants to know that you understand your target industry and that you’re familiar with summer options that can be a bridge to your first post-graduation job/venture.

Research possible summer internship placements using the most recent CBS employment report . As the question clearly requests, spell out your target industry and function. You might not want to name a specific company, given that hiring trends can change between when you submit your application and recruiting season. Show, however, in the way that you phrase your goal that you have a strong grasp on what companies hire summer interns in your intended industry, and for what functions. 

If you intend to pursue an entrepreneurial venture, consider the CBS resources that can support you over the summer, such as Summer Startup Track and the Summer Fellowship Program .

Columbia Business School Essay #1

Through your resume and recommendation, we have a clear sense of your professional path to date. What are your career goals over the next three to five years and what is your long-term dream job? (500 words)

Columbia’s adcom must really like the answers applicants have been providing to this question, because the prompt is back this year and has been a part of CBS’s application for the past several admissions seasons. CBS wants you to focus on your career goals for the medium and long term. That means don’t repeat “your professional path to date.” Instead, describe what you want to do three to five years after you graduate, which should build on what you have stated for your first post-MBA job. Make sure to answer the long-term question, and feel free to dream and aspire, but at the same time, reveal a feasible professional goal.

This essay offers you the opportunity to show that you know your intended industry’s opportunities and challenges. If you’re making a two- or three-way career pivot, indicate that you’re aware that those pivots could come a few years after your first post-MBA job. Also, show flexibility. Given the economic, political, and environmental issues the world faces right now, the adcom wants to know that you are open to a Plan A, B, and C.

Note that this question does not ask you how CBS will help you achieve your goals. You’ll have an opportunity in Essay #3 to discuss how you’ll make the most of CBS’s offerings. The adcom already has a strong grasp on the school’s curriculum and resources. You can briefly mention how CBS can help you reach your goals, but don’t include a laundry list of classes or professors. Use this essay’s real estate to talk about yourself and your future. 

Guide the CBS adcom to see that you have a purposeful and exciting direction in mind for your future – a future that will transform you into a graduate they will be proud of.

Columbia Business School Essay #2

The Phillips Pathway for Inclusive Leadership (PPIL) is a co-curricular program designed to provide students with the skills and strategies needed to develop as inclusive leaders. Through various resources and programming, students explore and reflect on the following five inclusive leadership skills: Mitigating Bias and Prejudice; Managing Intercultural Dialogue; Addressing Systemic Inequity; Understanding Identity and Perspective Taking; and Creating an Inclusive Environment.

Describe a time or situation when you had the need to utilize one of these five skills, and tell us the actions you took and the outcome. (250 words)

So, what changed in the prompt from last year? Two key phrases: 

OLD: “… the goal is for students to explore and reflect … on the following five inclusive leadership skills” 

NEW : “…students explore and reflect on the following five inclusive leadership skills.”  

Great editing! PPIL is no longer a goal. It’s what you will do. 

OLD : “Describe a time or situation when you had the need to utilize one or more of these five skills…”

NEW : “Describe a time or situation when you had the need to utilize one of these five skills.”

You can now focus your essay on just one of the five skills, rather than on a combination of one or more. 

First, get to know the PPIL initiative . CBS describes the PPIL as “a one-of-a kind diversity, equity, and inclusion requirement.” You’ll need to attend four PPIL events over the course of the two-year program and submit four reflection forms on what you learned. Columbia has provided a handy guide that defines what the school means by each of the five PPIL leadership skills. Familiarize yourself with these definitions before you write your essay.

Second, reflect on your personal experiences. You can write about a situation at work, during a volunteer stint, or in any other social situation where you acted with inclusive leadership that relates to one of the five skills defined in Columbia’s prompt. 

The best examples will demonstrate how you were inquisitive, reflective, and – if necessary – willing to create change within institutions or hierarchies for a more inclusive environment. 

Third, organize your thoughts into a narrative. It’s useful to use the SOAR, or SOAR + L, framework to tell your story:

S = Situation. What was the situation you were presented with, and who were the people involved?

O = Obstacle. What was the obstacle or problem you faced?

A = Action. What considerations did you make, and how did you ultimately decide to act?

R = Result. What were the results of your actions?

L = Learning. If you have space, you can summarize what you learned about the importance of acting as a leader. 

Remember, don’t worry that the best essays will come from people who have started or joined formal diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives in their workplace. Individual, one-on-one experiences outside of an institutional framework can be just as powerful, or even more so. 

Columbia Business School Essay #3

We believe Columbia Business School is a special place with a collaborative learning environment in which students feel a sense of belonging, agency, and partnership — academically, culturally, and professionally.

How would you co-create your optimal MBA experience at CBS? Please be specific. (250 words)

What’s new? CBS appears to want to do away with navel-gazing. Rather than ask why CBS equals you , this year, the adcom wants to know how you will collaborate to make CBS your optimal MBA experience. 

That means CBS should be a good fit. But the adcom asks you to dig deeper. What talents, skills, or ideas will you bring to campus to make the most of your time there, and how will your peers be a part of that story?  

To write this essay, think about three to four things that you want out of CBS academically, professionally, and socially. Consider the challenges you foresee in your career. What don’t you know, and who can help you start iterating solutions? What do you like to do socially, and how do you best make friends? Then, research resources that Columbia offers where you can encounter people and create experiences that will help you reach those goals. 

Here are some ideas: You could talk about your cluster. What would you do to find opportunities to collaborate? Look through the clubs that are available at CBS, and come up with events you could organize. Mention the skill sets you could offer and what other people (and skill sets) you would seek out to cocreate this experience. Can you collaborate on a PPIL event? Can you help organize an international experience ? Do you want to be involved in student government ? Entrepreneurial labs ? The CBS/well initiative? How can you have  with your peers?

Now that you’ve done your research, give yourself loosely 75 words for each focus area. This means you can’t cram in everything you’ve discovered, so be selective. Choose aspects of the CBS program where you can have the most impact and where you will grow the most from interacting with people different from you. 

Columbia Business School optional essay

If you wish to provide further information or additional context around your application to the Admissions Committee, please upload a brief explanation of any areas of concern in your academic record or personal history. This does not need to be a formal essay. You may submit bullet points. (Maximum 500 Words)

The CBS optional essay is for you to add additional context or address areas of concern. That means you don’t have to write this essay . Believe me, unless you have a good reason, it will just annoy the adcom. 

However, if you had a dip in grades, a period of unemployment, or some other issue that you want to address, this is your opportunity to do so. You don’t want the adcom guessing as to why something is the way it is and coming to the wrong conclusion. And remember, be brief. 

Don’t even think about using this essay as a grand finale or wrap-up. And definitely don’t use it to rehash your reasons for wanting to attend CBS. Your required essays should make those reasons perfectly clear.

January 2025 Entry Application Deadline

The August 2025 application is expected to be available in late June. Updated deadlines will be published in the coming weeks.

Source: CBS website

***Disclaimer: Information is subject to change. Please check with CBS directly to verify its essay questions, instructions, and deadlines.***

Here’s a look at the CBS MBA class entering 2023 (January and August). Data taken from the Columbia Business School website:

Applications received: 5,895

Enrolled: 900, divided into 12 clusters

• January entry class size: 219, divided into 3 clusters
• August entry class size: 681, divided into 9 clusters

GMAT score (average): 730

GMAT scores (range): 610-790

GMAT scores (middle 80%): 700-760

Undergraduate GPA (average): 3.5

Undergraduate GPA (middle 80%): 3.2-3.9

Work experience (average): 5 years

Work experience (middle 80%): 3-8 years

At least one year of work experience: 100%

Average age: 28

Age range: 22-40

Age range (middle 80%): 26-31

Minority of U.S. origin: 43%

International citizens: 47%

Undergraduate major:

• Business: 35%
• Economics: 20%
• Engineering: 17%
• Social sciences: 11%
• Sciences: 8%
• Humanities: 6%
• Technology: 2%

Previous industries:

• Financial services: 29%
• Consulting: 21%
• Marketing/Media: 12%
• Technology: 11%
• Healthcare: 5%
• Military/Government: 5%
• Real estate: 5%
• Nonprofit 3%
• Energy: 2%  

Michelle Stockman has more than 17 years of admissions consulting experience and has had clients admitted to M7 and top-20 MBA programs. She taps into her background as a former admissions staff member at Columbia Business School and as a video journalist to coach MBA candidates to acceptance. Want Michelle to help you get Accepted? Click here to get in touch!

Related Resources:

• Admissions Straight Talk Podcast for MBA Applicants
• The MBA Admissions Calculator
• Can Artificial Intelligence Help with Your MBA Applications?

About Us Press Room Contact Us Podcast Accepted Blog Privacy Policy Website Terms of Use Disclaimer Client Terms of Service

Accepted 1171 S. Robertson Blvd. #140 Los Angeles CA 90035 +1 (310) 815-9553 © 2022 Accepted