I attended Columbia to strengthen my network of U.S. business contacts, improve my hard business skills, and for the reputation and cachet attached to the degree. The caliber of the students, the quality of the teaching, and the overall educational experience was tremendous and one that I would recommend to anyone willing to commit themselves to a tremendous program with tremendous students and faculty.--Operations
Columbia has a strong foundation in finance and economics. The students were diverse and bright, drawn by the New York City location and the school's reputation. Electives could be taken at any of the other graduate facilites such as SIPA or Teachers College, giving you some really eclectic offerings that round out a very firm base of finance requirements.--Strategy
Columbia provided an exceptional combination of top-notch professors and a pool of potential professional contacts that I do not believe could be rivaled outside of New York City.--Consultant
Why go to business school if you can't go to one of the best?--Interactive
Columbia gave me the complete experience -- top professors, great resources, and a great facility, awesome courses, top guest speakers, networking opportunities, and most of all, great classmates from a diverse cross-section of industries and backgrounds. I commuted from Boston to NYC, so you could say that I made a pretty big commitment to be at this particular program. It was tops!--General Management
Columbia has the most diverse group of people and companies represented. The expertise of the staff and the administration make it an enriching atmosphere. The cultural element of attending a program in New York should not be underestimated either. There were many opportunities to experience new things and gain exposure to business models adapted from outside of the U.S.--Marketing
I had very high expectations going into the program, and it exceeded my highest expectations by a multiple. The caliber, passion, and committment of the professors and instructors is extraordinary. Columbia was my first exposure to an Ivy League education. Now I understand why such a degree is so well regarded.--Finance
The quality of teaching and the skill level of my fellow students created an academic environment that far surpassed my expectations. The sacrifices one must make to not only complete, but thrive within in an EMBA program, are modest compared to the knowledge and friendships I have gained at Columbia.--Underwriter
Incredible experience! Columbia goes "all out" for EMBAs, from getting the best profs for EMBA electives to free food to fantastic lunchtime speakers!--Strategy
The program was extremely challenging and gratifying. The professors were dynamic, knowlegable, and extremely high profile. The overall level of education was more than I ever expected. I was actually excited about school and they drove us to achieve the highest standards of excellence. The projects were always based on real companies and real experiences.--Finance
Almost without exception, the EMBA instructors were leaders in their fields and were able to relay cases from their own experiences. Often, they were still actively working in the field being studied and would discuss current events as they unfolded; during the 2001-2003 period, there was quite a bit of material to foster interesting discussion and debate!--Doctor
The best instructors understood the work, family, and school needs of working professionals. They also employed methods to draw out the experiences of the members of the class to keep instruction lively. The weaker instructors used cookie-cutter teaching methods and did not understand the value that experienced working professionals brought to the classroom. There were few of those, however.--Research & Communications
[Faculty strengths/weaknesses?] Strengths: Columbia does an outstanding job of using academics for those classes that should be taught by academics (i.e. statistics, economics, etc) and using adjunct professors who are leaders in their fields to teach more practicle subjects (i.e. M&A, Emerging Markets). Some professors were excellent at drawing upon the students work experiences to illustrate points and drive discussions and others were average.--Strategy
The high proportion of adjunct professors who are recognized businessmen in their field was one of the biggest strengths of the EMBA program at Columbia. Professionals from Wall Street and successful entrepreneurs teaching top level Finance and Management courses, how can it get better than that for someone looking for an exceptional education?--Finance
While we had many "distinguished professors," most were better known and respected for their real-world experience and contributions. The published book list for our active professors is pretty impressive and demonstrates that they are well sought after in the business world. Also, I think the EMBA attracted many of the best professors of the business school since the class discussion was higher level (rich with real experience) compared to the 4-day-per-week day program with less experienced students.--General Management
[Faculty strengths/weaknesses?] Those that were the strongest really drew upon the experience of individuals in the class. In our finance classes, there were always folks who worked at the big banks downtown. In our accounting classes, there were always a handful of CPAs. When professors could tap into that knowledge and bring it to the fore of the in-class discussion, class time was really enjoyable...and valuable.--Other
[Faculty strengths/weaknesses?] The strongest professors were those that had both academic and real-world knowledge. Weak professors tended to be overly theoretical with no working knowledge of business. These professors had difficulty establishing credibility with the students.--Strategy
Many of my professors had unbelievable work experience. Since so many of them do consulting, they have a great grasp of how to teach theory in a way that makes sense to a practicioner. I feel very fortunate to be able to learn from Nobel Laureates, former politicians, and faculty that are at the top of their field. On the other hand...in some of my elective courses, I had some young professors that were not able to take control of the class. Being an older crowd with significant experience, I think it takes a more tenured professor to adequately engage the class and lead discussions.--Strategy
[Faculty strengths/weaknesses?] World-class researchers who could lay out difficult concepts in the easiest to understand ways. Very well connected with private industry, which just adds to their value. Also, excellent at soliciting expertise from talented and richly experienced classmates. Very accessible too -- no weaknesses to note.--Finance
[Changes to program?] Some classes are too large. Smaller than 25 to 30 students in a class tends to create a better environment to afford student's learning and sharing of experiences. The best classes I attended were the ones with less than 20 students.--Manufacturing
[Changes to program?] The long days (9 hours) made it difficult to sit through too many lectures. Luckily, we had very few professors that had a desire to lecture for 4 hours, so much of the classroom time was spent in discussion, which helped liven things up greatly.--Strategy
[Changes to program?] Even more opportunities for outside lecturers and guest speakers to validate the class discussion and give real-world examples of problems and how to face them.--Business Development
[Changes to program?] In some classes Internet access was permitted during class and in others it was blocked. It should be blocked in all classes and turned on only during breaks.--Strategy
We consistently poked fun among ourselves about how pampered we in the EMBA program were. The administration seemed to be looking for ways to help and added a few things while I was there, like shipping books to your home rather than having us carry them home. Hauling 50 lbs. of books on the subway is not desirable!--Information Technology
[Improvements?] Not much...paid taxi service? Columbia was really good. They had after-class happy-hours regularly. We had a formal student government system, which the administration responded to. Books were fed-exed to our houses. Lunches and breakfasts were catered. All in all, it was a pretty good life...--Consultant
[Improvements?] Too much good food!! I gained 30 pounds over the course of the program. I attribute this to the aforementioned readily available good food, as well as a lot of drinking nights with classmates, and homework, taking any extra time that would have been used for exercise.--Marketing
[Improvements?] Juggling school, work, and family commitments was a tough task. In speaking to EMBA students from other schools, it seems like this is a common weakness that really should be addressed. More alternative teaching methods would help alleviate some of this. For example, the school abandoned Web classes too quickly without considering that for many of us the flexibility of location was key.--Marketing
[Improvements?] Columbia did a great job of providing us with social events to meet professors, to meet and interact with other students, to network. I felt like I was back in college. By the middle of the year, there was an implict understanding that Friday night, after class, was for us. We made it a point to hang out with each other and have a great time.--Finance
[Corporate support?] In terms of advancement, I am already the No. 2 person in my company. I make significantly more now than I did at the beginning of the program, mostly in the form of equity participation in new ventures. At Columbia, I refined what I needed to know to more effectively "create value." The EMBA process has been very rewarding in that regard for both myself and others in my company.--General Manager
[Corporate support?] I think the company missed a chance to give me "assignments" that I could have applied in Independent Study portions of EMBA. I did this anyway, but it would have been great if the company "used" me while I was in the program as something of a free consultant.--Marketing
[Corporate support?] It might just be the bad economy, but the lack of promotion in my company was the most serious downside to attending the EMBA. There was no pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. There wasn't even a cup of gold. I feel like I'm contributing much more to my company, and while my immediate supervisor agrees, it seems promotion within a company is tougher than hiring an outside person to an executive position.--Marketing
[Corporate support?] The EMBA puts employees in high-stress situations. It would have been worthwhile for me to have a definite career path outlined so that I understood my future within the company. Instead, I spent the time in a job that I would have left had I not begun the EMBA. While this gave me time to focus on my studies, I was trapped in the career doldrums and therefore lost touch with the "day to day" business of my company.--Licensing
I thought that the EMBA program at Columbia was exceptionally well organized, and that the student relations were terrific. They have worked very hard over the past couple of years to ensure that the students are treated like royalty. The result is that I always felt that they were making the program as conducive to learning as possible.--Consultant
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