Case IV

Post date: Apr 20, 2009 9:16:09 AM

Q. 我想請問mark或是了解Columbia MBA的人

因為我個人不打算走財務方面的工作

感覺起來Columbia is very finance focused,

是不是 Columbia curriculum 相對放很多的課程在財務 /數字/會計

career center/recruiting companies也大部分是關於IB/ 銀行/finance的工作資訊

校友能給的幫助也是finance industry

對於不打算走財務的學生來說 是不是相對吃虧

或是說 學校career office 可以給學生關於其他Industry 的幫助也不多

A. I think you are correct in your assessment that Columbia is very finance focused. In fact, I enrolled briefly at Columbia before dropping out. During the first week, the Dean took a show of hands, and 85% of the students expressed a career in finance (investment banking, hedge funds, private equity, etc.)

This doesn't mean that Columbia is not good at teaching marketing, but it just shows that most people who go to Columbia graviate towards Finance in some capacity. If you go to a school like Columbia or NYU, chances are that even the marketing opportunities you seek will be in the Finance industry.

Re: Career Service Offices

My advice is as an international student, you should have realistic expectations about what a career service office (at any school) can do for you. After all the career service people do not have incentives to do extra work for you and you are not going to pay them extra for finding you that $150,000 job.

If you want to do Finance/Consulting, you will think that the Career Offices at Wharton/Columbia/Chicago are great. If you want to work for a start-up in California, then you are on your own. The same line of reasoning goes for the other schools.

My advice is to cut through the BS that the MBA brochures feed you. Talk to current students & recent graduates and find out where students go for internships and for full-time offers. (The reason why I urge you to talk to students & current grads is that I find too many people talking to alums in Taiwan who graduated 10-15 years ago. Most of these people have no clue what's going on in business schools now and some of them probably haven't stepped foot in the US in 10 years.)

Hope this helps.