It's all about the location

Experience during the program

Columbia still primarily feels like a finance school, in terms of where the best professors and speakers are from. The school is trying to move away from that image, but could do a better job. It has the reputation of being a very competitive school, but I have found that to be largely untrue in my experience. My expectations of a diverse student body have been largely met. While New York is probably the school's biggest strength, at times it can be a distraction as well, for you and your classmates. The facilities are also due an upgrade. I would suggest that future applicants visit the school, at least if they live in the USA, to get a better sense of the culture.

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

Strengths of the program:

Student body, diversity
Location
Specialization in a particular area (e.g. Finance, Consulting, Healthcare, etc)

Best fit at this program:

Finance
Investment Banking

Can be improved:

Brand/Ranking
Facilities