There’s something for everyone at Columbia Business School.

Today’s AST podcast is a first: an in-person interview! Our guest is Emily French Thomas, Director of Admissions at Columbia Business School, and we’ll be talking about the menu of programs available at CBS. Welcome, Emily!

What is the common thread that unites the many programs at CBS? [1:18]

When people think of getting an MBA, they’re often thinking about shifting careers, or building their network. And we definitely provide those strengths. But the more intangible benefit of a Columbia MBA is learning to see the world in a more holistic way – gaining a framework for all the decisions you’ll make in your future career.

Our goal is to cultivate an entrepreneurial mindset. That doesn’t just mean starting your own company – it’s about identifying opportunity. We’re training business leaders who think entrepreneurially.

Our core curriculum (accounting, marketing, big data, etc) teaches students how to look at a problem from multiple perspectives. It’s really a transformative experience.

We bring theories into the real world. And students have access to so many industries and business leaders in NY, to learn how the knowledge applies in the real world. And the networking opportunities from that are also invaluable. (For example, our students have regular coffee chats with alumni.) There’s just an incredible amount of access that comes from being at the center of business.

Can you give an overview of the fulltime MBA program? [6:05]

There are two streams. One is a 20-month traditional program with August entry: there’s a semester of core, a semester of electives, a summer internship, then the second year. We take about 550 students a year for the August entry. They’re broken into clusters of 60-70 students and further divided into learning teams. So you have a home base of people you get to know really well.

We do have exemption exams, so you can test out of specific core courses if you have expertise in the area, and replace them with an elective. But generally students are happier if they have at least some core courses, in order to build relationships with their learning team.

What about the January program? [9:00]

This is an accelerated 16-month program. The difference between this and the August entry is the summer internship. January students start one semester later and take classes in the summer, and are in the same place as the traditional students when they start the second year. It’s a great way to minimize the opportunity cost.

It’s a wonderful option for students who are sponsored by companies or who are coming from family business.

If you’re changing your career in a major way (industry-function-geography) – you can probably change one area but not two through the January program. For more radical changes, in general, you need the summer internship. However, there are also school year internships, and JTerm students can do those.

You’re in a stronger position to succeed if you have a very clear sense of your goals and are proactive – that’s one of the things we’re looking for in applicants (people who have direction).

What else are you looking for in an applicant? [16:20]

We’re looking at the whole application. Any one part of the application is just a data point.