מענה ל־Columbia

[epony]

#20668

To: wdavidw

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wdavidw,

Submitting an application for the Early Decision round (ED) definitely has an advantage in terms of getting into Columbia – some people even say that the chances of getting in from ED are 3 times as high as those of getting in afterwards..!
Just remember that this is a relative measure not an absolute one, i.e. you still need to present a strong application to be considered ;-)

Columbia's Regular Decision round (RD) is based on rolling admission, i.e. applications are reviewed on a first come, first served basis.
As such, the earlier you apply in RD, the better your chances of getting admitted (again, this is relative to applying later, not in absolute terms).

It's also worth noting that part of the large advantage that ED has over RD stems from the fact that RD is essentially equivalent to the 3 application rounds most other schools employ, so the admission rate in RD naturally diminishes over time, making it less likely to get admitted on average when compared with ED…

The bottom line is that the main factor to consider when contemplating applying in ED is whether or not Columbia is your first choice.
When you apply in ED, you sign an honor pledge that ethically binds you to both withdraw all your other MBA applications and pay a non-refundable $6,000 deposit if you're admitted.

Therefore, it is my humble opinion that you should only apply to Columbia in ED if Columbia is indeed your number 1 school choice for an MBA degree. Otherwise, just apply as early as possible in RD – it puts you in less of a risk to either default on your ethical standards, on $6,000 or on both…

All the best,

Or