Few business schools can match the size and scale of Columbia Business School. The school has two intakes in August and January with 750 students graduating each year. Over 450 business leaders speak on the campus annually and Columbia has 40,000 alumni around the world. Students can choose from over 17 concentrations, 100 student clubs and 200 electives. And all of this takes place in New York City, a global business hub with over 3,000 MNCs.

This week I had an in-depth chat about the Columbia MBA with 5 members of the Admissions Team. We discussed what makes Columbia different from other top-ranked schools, admissions tips, living in New York, and the extensive career support available at the school. One thing is for sure: Columbia has a wealth of resources to deliver a first-class business education.

Enjoy!

About Our Guests (5 senior members of Columbia Business School's Admissions Team)

• Amanda Carlson, Assistant Dean, Admissions - Amanda got her EMBA from Columbia in 2013 and worked in campus recruitment for McKinsey before coming to Columbia.
• Christina Shelby, Director, Admissions - Christina has been doing Admissions for Columbia for over 7 years and got her Masters in Education from Columbia.
• Michael Robinson, Senior Associate Director Admissions - Michael got his MBA from Columbia in 2001 and has been with the admissions team for 12 years.
• Matthew Moll, Associate Director, Admissions - Matthew got his Masters in Journalism from Columbia and has been working in Columbia admissions for 7 years. He is currently pursuing his EMBA at Columbia.
• Anne Carnahan, Associate Director, Admissions

Dr. Dana Brown, MBA Programme Director at Said Business School, joined the show this week to discuss what makes the Oxford MBA unique and its admissions process.

Being one of the most prestigious universities in the world, Said is looking for students with strong academic abilities. Although they evaluate applicants holistically, Said recommends having a minimum 3.5 GPA and Dana made it very clear that the school thinks the GMAT is important. They are also looking for critical thinkers with open minds who show ambition and purpose.  Over 95% of the class international coming from over 40 countries.

Said recently revamped their curriculum to focus on global threats and opportunities, entrepreneurship and more interdisciplinary studies within the wider Oxford community. They also have one-on-one executive coaching throughout the 12-month program. Said plans to grow the class from 240 to 320 by next year.

Listen on for the insider's scoop as I talk to Dana about Said's culture, admissions, scholarships, careers and more!

About our Guest

Dr. Dana Brown is the MBA Programme Director of the MBA Programme at Said Business School, Oxford University. She got her Masters in Philosophy from Oxford and PhD at MIT before returning to Oxford to teach international business and corporate social responsibility. She also spent 3 years at Emlyon before returning to Oxford.

What's the best MBA program for supply chain management? Or entrepreneurship? Or marketing?

Many applicants who come to Touch MBA for help picking schools have this exact question. One of the biggest frustrations candidates have is figuring out the key advantages of schools. As one listener wrote, "It's difficult to know which one is the best in a certain area."

In this episode, Darren gives a 3-step framework for quickly and effectively researching a school's academic strengths - "The MBA Physical."

1. Heart - the people
2. Skeleton - the course structure
3. Muscle - the jobs 

Listen on for what key things to look for in each of these areas.

You can also download the template to carry out your school research!

See you next week!