Columbia - what you expect

Experience during the program

Columbia - what you expect.

CBS is a great program, with amazing faculty, career opportunities and speaker series. CBS is what you expect, it's THE school in Manhattan, which means you have a revolving door of world class speakers / leaders as well as job opportunities that are simply impossible to get if you're not in NYC.

What it's not. It's not a community school. Don't get me wrong, a great sense of community but when you compare it to other programs, as i've done with friends at other schools, it simply can't match the cohesiveness of community. Why? two major reason, 1) the facilities are simply too small, too dated, too spread out, too inadequate and 2) it's NYC, people have limitless options for things to do, so getting the class together is simply tough.

About professors, classes and curriculum

The professors are genuinely awesome. They care, they're working hard for you, they make time for you and they understand that business school is a hybrid product - class work, recruiting, social, networking, etc.

The curriculum is strong and getting stronger though the best classes are tough to get and the schedule for some reason leans heavy on MW class (perhaps due to student interest)

About job placement process

You have to understand a few things about CBS... it's a business... it's a business school. I get a feeling / vibe / inkling that the office of student affairs really doesn't give two craps about the students once we are here. They are in the business of placing you in jobs, getting you good course work, building a world class network. This is not the bschool program that is going to hold your hand or tell you you're special. Some people love this, some hate it, I think it's fair though I don't really appreciate it (esp. with a $200k sticker price). In short, this program will get you wherever you want to go career wise and the NYC benefit is true and tangible but it comes at a slight cost to community and facilities that are simply... how do i put this... simply unacceptable.

Overall BSchool experience (4.0)
Schools contribution (4.0)
Classmates rating (5.0)

Strengths of the program:

Career opportunities provided by school
Brand/Ranking

Best fit at this program:

Consulting
Finance
Investment Banking

Can be improved:

Facilities
Specialization in a particular area (e.g. Finance, Consulting, Healthcare, etc)
Fixing the mayhem of recruiting season