Columbia MBA Essay 1: Through your resume and recommendation, we have a clear sense of your professional path to date. What are your career goals over the next three to five years and what is your long-term dream job? (500 words) .” (Common for both January and August entering class)
Post-MBA Goal (Short-term): Enterprise to Consumer Marketing
Post-MBA Goal (Long-term): Marketing leadership role (CMO/VP) in the non-profit sector
Long-Term Goal (Value from Columbia): According to the latest employment report, only 46 students across all degree programs are building their venture with the support of Columbia’s Eugene Lang Entrepreneurship Center. The vision of the venture and the skill gap should be phrased after taking into consideration the center’s value proposition.
Problem (Short-term goal): The recruitment in Marketing has not been great for Columbia. None of the top employer lists have a leading consumer products company except for Amazon if we can categorize the Technology giant also as a company serving the consumer goods industry. But since the applicant is already a marketing major, the career switch is not drastic.
New York’s vibrant marketing, finance, and technology trifecta is one way to connect themes.
Problem (Narrative): For this Sample MBA Essay, I had to focus on the product, mention the Columbia MBA curriculum to gain cross-functional skills, and then connect it all to the short-term and long-term goals in Marketing with Columbia MBA.
Knowledge Gap: Consumer Product Branding, Entrepreneurial leadership
Pathways: Customer Insights, Innovation, Leadership
Electives: I have shortlisted electives according to the niche knowledge gap
• Social Innovation Using Data-Driven Design
• Data Science for Marketing Managers
• The Leader's Voice: Communication Skills for Leading Organizations
• Entrepreneurial Strategy (With the support of Eugene Lang Entrepreneurship Center)
Admission Consultant’s Note
You don’t have to list all the electives if you are planning a similar transition into Consumer Marketing and Entrepreneurship
Opener: I wanted to summarize the applicant’s greatest achievement in a single line as the opener of the goals Essay and contrast it with the unique constraints in the non-profit volunteering engagement.
Strategy: Instead of sharing the clichéd narrative arc of how he hit a roadblock with his current job, I have made the non-profit engagement as the core narrative since mentioning large deals in enterprise technology has limited relevance for the short-term and long-term career transition.
Columbia MBA Career Goals Essay Example: Enterprise Technology to Consumer Marketing (495 Words)
As someone who has worked for a Technology giant, selling Enterprise Servers for Small and Medium Businesses, I was comfortable with million-dollar billings. Last summer, as a consultant for an Edu-tech non-profit, I was thrust into a unique environment - working for a local non-profit with grand visions but limited resources.
The Founder had developed a prototype for an affordable Edu-tech service that would reach millions through smartphones. Despite a lofty vision, our on-ground research showed that in a..
