The ‘Snark cannot help but be flattered…. Someone actually reads this blahg?? It seems that maybe they do.
After our rake-’em-through-the-coals diss-on-Columbia week — an intrepid Brave Supplicant informs us today that COLUMBIA CHANGED ITS POLICY!
No longer do you international BSers need to jump through hoops of stress to figure out what the GPA equivalent of your undergrad record is.
From their App Instructions page:
GPA
Please note the change in policy. Applicants should report their grade point average as it appears on their transcript. Applications already submitted for the 2012-13 application cycle using GPA’s converted to the 4.0 scale are also acceptable.
Perhaps it’s just a coincidence and had nothing to do with our rants…. but changing a policy mid-cycle like this is unheard of.
Bravo Columbia.
This is definitely a step in the right direction!
All you BSers now have one less thing to stress over: No more grade conversion nonsense!
Of course, you still have so many other things to stress over… like, how’re those essays coming? 🙂
No, we don’t think Columbia will be doing away with those anytime soon!
TY says
If Columbia *did* do away with essays then I think it would be very safe to say that application volume would increase to an unmanageable level. How many of us do you bet would be willing to submit an almost stress-free application just to see what happens?
Alison (peacockdiaries) says
This is AMAZING, congrats! It really is impressive to see you use your platform in this way, and I am sure that this change will benefit many, many great b-school candidates.
With all of this talk of NYU/Columbia, I thought I’d jump in with my 2 cents about why I’m not applying to either. I have lived in NYC most of my adult life (will be 9 years this month!). I love this city like no other. This is home, this is the place where I feel happiest and truly myself. But I dismissed NYU and Columbia for one major reason: I can’t afford it. The thought of taking out loans to cover living expenses while going to school in NYC makes me panicky. This city has gotten SO expensive in the past few years, and the real estate market is brutal. There is no inventory, and the approval process is rough. I know other cities are pricey as well, but NYC really seems to be especially renter-hostile these days. I make $70K/year in a job I have held for 4 years and a real estate agent tried to show me an apartment that had a SHARED HALLWAY BATHROOM because it was one of the few things “in my price range”.
I should also mention that I am in (and plan on staying in) the nonprofit sector, so my post-bschool earnings are not at the level of the i-bankers and consultants. And maybe I’m crazy for thinking this way, but it seems that I can get a great education in cities like Philly, Chicago, New Haven, or DC, have some cash to go on treks and enjoy my time in school. and know that I’ll be dealing with less of a financial burden after graduation.
essaysnark says
@peacockdiaries – we were a little surprised too!! And agree that this should make it easier for BSers to try for Columbia.
On your comments re: why you’re planning on going elsewhere for the MBA – we knew it was $$$ in NYC but had no clue it was that bad! Wow! Makes a lot of sense that you might consider leaving. Also, if you’ve been there so long, maybe it’s time for a change? Bschool is a great opportunity to go explore some other part of the world. If you’re staying in nonprofit then why not Berkeley? Now *that* would be different!!! Though Bay Area real estate probably isn’t much different from what you’re dealing with. More tenant-friendly perhaps, but not any cheaper.
A school like Duke can be a real value – North Carolina is beautiful and the Raleigh/Chapel Hill area is quite affordable (relatively speaking). They’ve got some strong social venture stuff going on there. Anyone who’s flexible or interested in a range of options might want to consider them. Very very friendly people there too, the school cares a lot about community. And did we mention that we love their essay questions this year? 😉
No we don’t work for Duke – or any other school! Just tossing out ideas as they come!
Alison (peacockdiaries) says
Yes, I definitely agree that a change of scenery is very appealing — great time to be testing boundaries, exploring, etc. Thanks for the recs! Both Berkeley and Duke are on my short list and I’m sure I would love living in SF or Chapel Hill for a bit. I really love Duke’s essay questions as well! I’m going to write the 25 Random Things one even if I don’t end up applying. Just feels like a fun way to get the creative juices flowing and get a little introspective.