How important are essays for Columbia MBA admission?

Question

Divakshi Arora · Accepted Answer

Essays carry significant weight in Columbia&rsquo;s admissions decisions &mdash; especially since the school has a rolling admissions process. The essays help them quickly see if an applicant is clear, prepared, and aligned with the CBS community.
The Adcom expects your essays to show:

Precise short-term goals (e.g., &ldquo;join a VC-backed edtech startup as a product lead in NYC&rdquo;)
Real knowledge of CBS &mdash; naming programs like the Value Investing Program or Heilbrunn Center for Graham & Dodd Investing
Why NYC matters to your journey

Applicants often get filtered early if their essays look copy-pasted or generic. Strong essays that connect real CBS resources to your future plans can balance out a lower GPA or GMAT. They&rsquo;re not just important &mdash; they can make or break the application. 
Discover why Columbia MBA essays are crucial and how they can impact your application. Read more here!

Anjali Rawat · Answer

Essays are a core part of the Columbia MBA application &mdash; not just a formality. The adcom uses them to judge goal clarity, school fit, and self-awareness. They want to know if you&rsquo;ve thought seriously about what you want and how Columbia can help you get there.
For example, in the 100-word goals essay, they expect you to mention a clear role, industry, and location &mdash; like &ldquo;strategy consultant at McKinsey&rsquo;s healthcare practice in NYC.&rdquo; In the Why Columbia essay, they want real links to the school: courses like The Entrepreneurial Greenhouse or clubs like the Columbia Women in Business group.
Essays can seriously move the needle. Candidates with a 720 GMAT and solid work experience have been waitlisted or rejected due to generic or misaligned essays. Meanwhile, applicants with slightly lower scores have been admitted because their essays showed strong fit and purpose.
For more details you can read this blog on  Columbia MBA  Essays  on their official website .

kritika K · Answer

Essays are a critical part of Columbia MBA admissions&mdash;they carry as much weight as your academics or work experience. The school looks closely at how well you articulate your short-term and long-term goals, especially in the first essay. For example, saying you want to become a private equity associate at a mid-market fund, then later transition into impact investing, shows clarity. They also expect you to explain why Columbia&mdash;mentioning programs like the Value Investing Program or the cluster system helps show fit. A focused essay can strengthen your profile even if your GMAT is slightly below average.

Mansih K · Answer

Very important, especially since Columbia asks multiple essays that each serve a purpose. The career goals essay shows how prepared you are&mdash;saying you want to work in tech consulting at Deloitte post-MBA, backed by previous project experience, proves direction. The &ldquo;Why CBS&rdquo; essay helps them judge if you&rsquo;ve researched the school&mdash;mentioning access to NYC-based internships or interest in the Columbia Entrepreneurs Organization adds credibility. Essays also give insight into your leadership style and values. Even a strong academic profile won&rsquo;t be enough if your essays are vague or off-topic.