| BUSINESS WEEK ONLINE:
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Columbia University Columbia Business School |
OVERALL 1998 RANK: 6 BW corporate rank: 4 BW graduate rank: 21 BW 1996 rank: 6 |
|
1999 Profile Update School Profile School Statistics Graduates' Comments: Columbia has come a long way over the past couple of years. It has managed to maintain leadership status in finance, general management, and international business while greatly improving offerings in real-estate management, media and communications management, and entrepreneurship. Having graduated as a marketing major and interacted with a large portion of the marketing faculty, I also feel that Columbia has a strong, though somewhat underrated marketing department. Overall I would rate my Columbia experience as an excellent one. I would heartily recommend the program to anyone looking for an intense urban experience and whose academic interest lay in finance, marketing, and the other majors I listed above. --Unknown The one area where Columbia needs to improve is in information technology management and technology-based product management. Though there are a number of students who have technology backgrounds and who are interested in technology-related careers, the number of course offerings are small and the level of faculty expertise is fairly low. Were Columbia to beef up its technology offerings, it could easily qualify as the top school in the country. --Marketing The school is strongly oriented toward Investment Banking and Management Consulting. Other areas of focus tend to fall between the cracks with career resources. The Administration is often lacking in responsiveness and policies toward students. --Finance Columbia is a great school if you want to do finance or consulting. However, these two career tracks dominate the Columbia environment. There needs to be a greater emphasis on other disciplines (marketing, media) if Columbia truly wants to be a well-rounded school. It must do this not just by offering more interesting courses in other areas (because it has), but by improving the quality of professors in areas other than finance, where most of the star faculty still reside. Also, the majority of the high-powered guest speakers are CEOs of Wall Street firms. The speaker selection also needs to be diversified. --Marketing I can't say enough about Columbia. As a College alumnus I was skeptical that Columbia could deliver on the nonacademic aspects of the MBA world, recruiting and student affairs. I was way wrong on both counts. The on-campus recruiting is excellent. There are somtimes more recruiters than there are interview rooms, and there's about 18 of those. The companies are the usual big consulting and finance firms, and career services is helpful both with managing contacts and running prep seminars (resume, interview, etc.) and counseling. --Unknown The student affairs department is good at helping students manage academic life in sometimes adverse conditions. Academics are awesome, although too skewed toward finance. The big issue keeping Columbia from academic supremacy is the lack of solid ops, econ, and general management classes. Not too many line managers come from Columbia. The New York advantage is no BS either. There is a constant stream of CEOs on campus and you can visit just about any company in just about any industry. Just get on the subway. There are also tons of great part-time work available in Manhattan for second years foolish enough to try to get a head start on post-grad work. --Finance Columbia has an exceptional MBA program. I learned a tremendous amount, met many exceptional and inspiring people, and increased my salary fourteenfold. The administration was extremely responsive to student requests -- their desire to place the student as a customer was evident on all levels (from copy services to registration to career services). Columbia's recruiting department went out of its way to bring a variety of strong recruiters to campus, and its counselers were always available for guidance and support. The school's entrepreneurial program enabled me to start two businesses while in school, and the professors gave me valuable feedback and encouragement on my ventures. I still engage in weekly phone conferences with one of my entrepreneurial professors regarding my latest business project. --Consulting Somewhat to my surprise, the teaching quality was outstanding. It did require some work since not all sections of all classes had the best teachers, but with careful planning and sheer persistence I had many great professors, several very good ones, and only a couple of mediocer teachers. Columbia is especially rich in "retire" practitioners who brought a wonderful combination of real world experience and enthusiasm for teaching. --Unknown Job hunting at Columbia is a breeze in this job market if you're interested in Wall Street or consulting -- the job offers come with very little effort. I know some people who racked up more than 10 offers. Large marketing companies also come to Columbia. In any other area, the students must put in much more effort because Corporate America often skips Columbia because the students are perceived to be too expensive. Overall, if the new building lives up to its promise, proactive future students will have little to complain about. The shy retiring types may want to choose a different school. --Consulting The Columbia MBA program has an unparalleled Finance curriculum. The outstanding faculty would be enough to compare favorably with most programs. But, what is more impressive is the frequent and high-quality interaction with respected finance professionals who lecture and often serve as adjunct professors. In my two years at Columbia, I have been taught or have taken a seminar with: Warren Buffett, Michael Price, Mario Gabelli, Jimmy Rogers, Seth Klarmen, and Julian Robertson. Columbia is just a short cab or train ride away for most of these professionals, and the school is very aggressive in harnessing their resources. --Unknown No other top business school can claim to have the access that Columbia has to the top professionals in Finance -- the New York City advantage. Moreover, when it comes to career researching and networking -- the New York advantage works again. With Columbia's vast (and approachable) alumni network in New York, all one has to do is pick up a phone, ask to sit on a desk with someone for a few hours, and then grab a $1.50 for the subway to Wall Street. NO other school has that kind of immediate access. --Finance I still cannot believe how much I learned at Columbia. The leading financial institutions are just a subway ride away and the opportunity to speak with leading practicioners is incredible. If anyone is considering a career on Wall Street, they have to be idiotic to choose another school over Colubmia. These informational interviews added infinite color to class discussions. That we were able to speak with various hedge fund managers the day after the Asian crisis in October allowed us to see how the economic theory we covered was used in practice. --Finance The school is extremely responsive to students' needs and concerns and has been doing it best within the constraints of the school. Due to our New York city advantage and reputation, the school has been able to bring in CEOs of major corporations to school to give talks every week, including people like Andy Grove, Warren Buffett, etc. Even I can have a breakfast meeting with the CEO of a listed medical devices company for my group project. Under the leadership of Dean Feldberg, the school has been building momentum and has been on a steady rise of ranking in major business school surveys over the past seven years. The school has also broadened its focus -- besides a top notch finance education, it also promotes technology, entreneurships, etc. --Consulting The school has the best security analysis program in the country. I went to Columbia specifically to improve my skills as an equity investor and my education far surpassed expectations. Besides the standard security analysis and financial modeling classes, the school offers classes taught by some of the leading practitioners in the country: Jimmy Rogers (co-founder of Quantum Fund), two former presidents of Tiger Management (second largest hedge fund in the country), guest lectures by Michael Price, and the returning support of such alumni as Mario Gabelli and Warren Buffett. As I compare my experience with that of friends who went to other business schools, I find that I am consistently better prepared and more incisive in the analysis and ideas that I need as part of my job. --Finance The breadth and quality of the finance curriculum is second-to-none. The two perennial weaknesses of Columbia -- the physical plant of the school and the quality of core-course teaching -- are currently being addressed and improved. Evidence of the school's efforts can also be seen in the curriculum integration, improvement in information technology, and the overall attitude of treating students as "consumers." Already, Columbia students have their pick of jobs, particularly in the New York City job market where so many Columbia alumni have found success. With the increasing quality of students and the continuing progress in the changes stated before, CBS has solidified its position among the highest-echelon of business schools for years to come. --Finance The school's principal problems are lack of facilities and faculty that can teach well. The administration has recognized these issues and is working to address them. The nature of these problems is such that quick resolution is impossible. Having to deal with the bureacracy of Columbia makes the transformation process even more difficult. The school's location has benefits and disadvantages. Students interested in a career in finance are ecstatic, while those interested in media/high-tech are understandably disappointed (career services is quite aggresive in helping them out though). --Finance My business school experience has been excellent. I think this is in large part due to the range and years of working experience I had before coming to CBS. This experience enabled me to be a better contributor in classes, team projects, and the recruiting process. I highly recommend that people wishing to go to business school have at least five years working experience -- they'll get so much more out of the program. --Consulting The administration shows a great deal of commitment to continually strengthen the program and is not content to rest on its previous accomplishments. This is evidenced by the vast improvement in student life (from better happy hours, to the new building, to a willingness to hear you and your issues and do the best to resolve them.) The Admissions Office is terrific and has been very successful in admitting talent. I can say honestly that the smartest peers I have met in my lifetime were at CBS. Career Services is also terrific. When students get left behind in the recuriting cycle, Tom Fernandez and Gina Resnick are quick to get to know them and keep an eye out for them on opportunities. --Unknown Despite all this, there are very significant shortcomings, mostly having to do with resource constraints. For example, the overcrowding of the program has not been resolved entirely. Also, security is lacking, and we are continually concerned about someone stealing our computers. We need our laptops almost daily, and it is quite disturbing when you have to carry it around constantly (even when getting up to go the bathroom or get a coffee), as if this machine were your child. --Unknown Another problem is keeping talent for the most popular classes, like Advanced Corporate Finance. Almost everybody at CBS wants to take this course, but for a school known for Finance, there is really only one professor -- Laurie Hodrick, who lives up to expectations. We then have to pull people off of the street who teach the class in their own way. Thus, Advanced Corporate Finance taught by one professor is an entirely different class (often only a look at the prof's particular job) than the same course taught by another professor. Either these courses should be named differently, or some effort should be made to give students what they are expecting. --Unknown Moreover, there is the very real problem of time and work load. We work a lot over here. In my fourth semester, I had not one single weekend to myself. One of the reasons why this is the case is because our semester is about two weeks shorter than most schools, while our summer vacation is about one month longer in total. Why? Because CBS needs Uris Hall for the summer-entering classes. In other words, because we admit students year round there is no slack time. One week elapses between the end of our semester and the beginning of the new class. (At Christmas, it's really more like two or three). Again, this is related to resources. To pay for our expenses, i.e. the profs, we need to have a certain student body population. It's already crowded enough during the regular semester, so we need to get people in here during summer as well. This means that semseters are shorter, the workload heavier and quicker. The net result is that our learning process is impeded. --Unknown This is what I see as the single most significant challenge for CBS in the coming years -- will it have the resources to continuously improve or has it reached its peak? --Unknown Lastly, program is so fast-paced that students are never queried about the bigger picture in life. We here are so focused on getting that job with Goldman or McKinsey that we cannot think in diverse ways about creating, building and sustaining enterprises. The Entrepreneurship and Media Management programs are weak and have little substance. They are in fact the joke of the school, especially by those who are taking Finance. The curriculums in these programs really have to be improved and more effort brought to bring people into the school who are not so wowed by a 100K salary that they forget their original goals. --Unknown The community is quite safe, and Riverside Park is a terrific place to relax and exercise. The Dean is making all the right strategic moves, including: a new business/law building; dedicated Business School housing in the Upper West Side; a dedicated Business School modem pool; and upgrading the Business School infrastructure to better support the internal computer network. I just can't say enough great things about the career placement office. For example, early in the full-time interviewing process, I ran into a few roadblocks. I sat down and talked with Tom Fernandez (head of the placement office), who gave me excellent advice which resulted in multiple job offers. Columbia is a very "busy" school. Between studying, seeing guest lecturers, participating in club activities, and recruiting, there is more happening in a given day than you can physically attend. --Finance In my mind, being in New York City makes Columbia an unquestionable first choice for an MBA degree. Although the small space availability in the city may constrain the facilities available to students (campus, sports fields, etc.), the city opens a world of opportunities. In terms of entertainment, New York has no match. In terms of business environment, New York is clearly the capital of the world. For anyone considering a career in finance, in particular (the only field on which I am qualified to comment), CBS is a must. I was impressed at how much access CBS students had to Wall Street firms (even those with limited finance experience), how well received we were, and how highly they consider our school. --Unknown This pont was even recognized by students from other top schools during my summer internship at Merrill Lynch. At the same time, a large portion of the faculty are actually practitioners who take time off to teach. As a result, their knowledge of their subjects, the practical applicability of their teachings, and even the recruiting advice and contacts they provide are difficult to match at any other school. Finally, I would like to highlight the tremendous effort that CBS management has made and continues to make to improve the program in all of its aspects. They are trying very hard to listen to students and applicants and respond to our needs and suggestions to the best of their ability. This is shown in the course curriculum, electives, choice of teaching staff, and even improvements to student lounges. --Finance On the whole, CBS is a fantastic institution. It is implementing changes as fast as possible to address issues that arise. That said, I only wish it was possible to benefit from the changes current feedback have begun to cause. New York is simply the best place to learn so many things: finance, real estate, media, new media, and even entrepreneurship. Our contact with companies is superb, and the speakers and conferences we get at CBS are outstanding due to our proximity to so many great companies. New Yorkers tend to be outspoken complainers and CBS students are no exception. I have found however, that my concerns are comparable to those of friends at other schools in the top ten, and I wouldn't go anywhere else. --Entrepreneurship I truly believe that there is a school for everyone and that prospective applicants need to look past rankings to find the school for them. For me personally, Columbia was a perfect fit. I wanted to make a career switch and still have the option to participate in the international business arena. Columbia allowed me to do so thanks to its strong reputation across the globe, its international student body, and the excellent career services that the school has to offer. The career services' strength was magnified by the school's presence in New York and the ease for students to meet recruiters and make company contacts in the area. I am fortunate to have now a great job in finance with a very international company. I wouldn't have been able to get this job without the opportunity to study finance and the school's reputation among recruiters. Moreover, I treasure having friends to contact across the globe when on business overseas. --Finance One of the greatest positives of the business program at Columbia is the relatively high percentage of women enrolled (30%+). I believe it is extremely important that business school students (both male and female) learn and grow accustomed to working with women. As more women attain senior management positions, more people will find themselves with a female boss. Group projects and class lectures for example offer a good opportunity for those who may not be comfortable with the idea of working for a woman to see and learn that women can lead, teach, and share with teammates and subordinates valuable professional experience and knowledge. My classmates and I have certainly benefited from an environment that is free of gender biases. --Finance My major concern is that the school seems to lack an ethical direction or focus on any sort of integrity. I think the school should include an ethics question as one of its application essays, and should teach ethics more formally in the curriculum. --Finance I am extremely impressed by the caliber and diversity of experience of my classmates at Columbia. Class discussions were always enhanced by participation by my classmates who had worked in Japan, India, South Africa, and several other countries and had backgrounds across a broad spectrum of industries. Lastly, I was also truly impressed by Dean Feldberg's openness in taking suggestions to improve the school. Both the Career Services and the administration very actively supported student initiatives. In January of this year, when we organized a highly successful trip to Silicon Valley on behalf of the High Tech Club, we received overwhelming support. --Marketing Back to Top 1999 Profile Update School Profile School Statistics |
||
