“What, in your imagination, would be your long-term dream job?”
The long-term post-MBA goal is phrased interestingly. See how the admission team has used the word ‘imagination’. They would like to see what you have anticipated for your future.
“What, in your imagination, would be your long-term dream job?”
The long-term post-MBA goal is phrased interestingly. See how the admission team has used the word ‘imagination’. They would like to see what you have anticipated for your future.
What role and responsibilities would fulfill your career and personal goals, 10 years after graduation, when you are probably closing in on or crossed 40?
How to frame Columbia long-term Post-MBA Goals
1) Choose your bigger picture
The bigger picture need not be related to non-profit or Entrepreneurship, but if your pre-MBA experience have evidence of strong connection with startups or demonstrated participation in community engagements, don’t hesitate to mention them.
The most commonly cited long-term goal is in Entrepreneurship for a very good reason. More than half of the alumni from top MBA programs including Columbia are associated with Entrepreneurship in some form (investing or founding). It makes logical sense to mention Entrepreneurship as a long-term goal.
2) Cite potential IMPACT
Ten years is a long time frame for guessing if you would follow the same career path that you have anticipated. When I started F1GMAT in 2009, I was a Software Engineer eager to join an MBA program focused on Entrepreneurship.
I found great pleasure in offering consulting for a friend who was starting her apparel Business. Soon I realized that it was not just start-ups. I genuinely enjoyed offering consulting solution in any industry. The whole process of defining problems, understanding the strengths & weakness of the business/applicant, and developing a feasible/marketable solution works for applicants too.
F1GMAT and my consulting career was an accident. I would be the first to admit.
But when you are applying for Columbia Full-time MBA program, you don’t have the luxury to casually mention potential career paths. There should be some connection to what you are offering right now in skills and the future career path. Maybe it is an amalgamation of your pre-MBA and post-MBA skills, but you have to define it. The truth is that many of you would fall into careers that you have never anticipated, but essays are tools to measure your thought process.
Clarity is valued more than creativity.
Clarity defines ambition.
If you want to see how investment decisions are made, watch any start-up investor meet. The clarity with which Founders and CEOs mention the roadmap brings in millions in funding. The probability of the market not reacting or changing in the near future is zero. Still, investors appreciate a Founder with a clear plan. They want to know that the money is invested in someone with a ‘vision’. The admission team too need that assurance that they are investing their brand on someone who has the potential to change an industry or achieve goals in the top 1%.
GM defined a 20-year plan for developing electric cars, when Uber and Lyft disrupted the market, and forced them to reconsider the production volume. Competitors and market condition defines Businesses.
Your application is also not in isolation. Competitors with similar profile are phrasing the long-term goal. Some are going into the nitty gritty of the future while others are staying away from predicting the future, but choosing to spin the narrative on their strengths.
3) Predict the Future and map your long-term goal
What most of your competitors won’t do is define the change in the industry, 5 years down the line. 10 years is too far away, but 5 years is a reasonable timeframe to predict. Once you define the likely change in job profile, it becomes easier to match your skills.
How will blockchain change the way transactions and information are managed?
Find out how to predict the future and map your long-term goal (Consulting & Finance) with F1GMAT's Columbia MBA Essay Guide
4) Start with your Strengths
Predicting the future is a risky Business, but I can guarantee that your essay will stand out. Most applicants use a bottom-up approach where they evaluate their strengths, by citing pre-MBA experience, hobbies, extra-curricular, and potential value from the MBA program to predict a long-term goal.
Pre-MBA Experience + Hobbies & Extracurricular + Value from MBA --> Long-term Goal
Value from MBA --> Short-term goal
....
....
If you are not comfortable predicting the trends in your industry, start with your strengths. We have also shown how to map your strengths to Columbia MBA in our Essay Guide.
Testimonial - Columbia MBA Essay Guide
"The author begins the essay guide by explaining how to write the 51-character post-MBA goal by turning to mission statements used by technology giants. Importantly, the author picks the best phrases and templates from the mission statements and shares the secret behind writing a feasible post-MBA goal.
The bulk of the initial chapter is about using evidence-based case that before randomly writing about the short-term and long-term goals, begin with the curriculum and employment trends. Skillfully weaving post-MBA placement data with narrative creativity, the author captures the techniques that successful MBA applicants use to leave a memorable first impression. " - Verified Purchase
"This is the best book I have read on "writing Columbia MBA Essay." The advice on using words that convey motion and emotion, and finding authentic voice is both practical and easy to learn. I can now edit my essay with more insight. It is refreshing to find an essay guide that doesn't talk just about style but shows how to write coherently by combining curriculum structure with post-MBA goals. The Sample essays on a, " given a free day, what would you do," and "passion" show how creative writing can capture the story of the applicant without exaggeration." - Verified Purchase
"I purchased the book, a week before the R1 deadline and finished reading the book in 2 days. The author is a master in crafting writing lessons in an interesting and clear way that it is hard to put down the book. If your admission depends on how you write the essays, this book should be studied. Avoiding cliches in writing requires practice and reading hundreds of books, but the author offers several shortcuts to bring originality to the writing. This book is filled with Sample essays and practical tips that you can easily apply for Columbia MBA Application." - Verified Purchase
"One of the best books to read on the truth of writing persuasive essays. Instead of gross exaggeration, applicants can learn just a few lessons from the book and immediately improve their storytelling technique. Brilliant book. This book also distills the qualities Columbia MBA admission team is searching. The Sample Essays and valuable information on Curriculum and employment trends complete the pieces of the puzzle required to write an appealing essay. " - Verified Purchase
" Columbia MBA Essay Guide is a practical book for MBA Application, comprising many of the tools required to capture the attention of the essay reviewer. It is noteworthy to know that this is a 'how-to' book starting with steps to write Columbia MBA Essays but the subsequent chapters provide a blueprint for writing interesting narratives, editing and reviewing essays. The book is a compelling read that shares the numerous obstacles that applicants might face while creating the first and second draft of their essay. The Chapters on Editing and review are examples of tough love that you should give to your creation. I found the book illuminating and have a greater understanding of approaching Columbia and MBA applications in General. - Verified Purchase
Download F1GMAT's Columbia MBA Essay Guide
