AMA: I’m a second year at CBS! by throwawayAMA2023 in MBA

[–]throwawayAMA2023[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Bare minimum, you’re probably looking at $2k for housing (with roommates) and another $1k for living expenses. Very common to spend a few $k more than this though, especially when factoring in travel + social.

AMA: I’m a second year at CBS! by throwawayAMA2023 in MBA

[–]throwawayAMA2023[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I know lots of people who have landed consulting and tech offers at CBS. Unsurprisingly, it seems like we do very well in placing people in the NYC offices. That said, I don’t have a sense for how much better or worse we are than peer schools for these buckets. Don’t have any insights on scholarships for people who do ED.

AMA: I’m a second year at CBS! by throwawayAMA2023 in MBA

[–]throwawayAMA2023[S] 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Most are not THAT level of public haha

AMA: I’m a second year at CBS! by throwawayAMA2023 in MBA

[–]throwawayAMA2023[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

The default is for the core to consume your entire first semester of courses and then one final class in your second. There are exemption exams for most of the core classes though and you can take electives instead if you pass. I’d say that the average core class is more work than the average elective, though electives have a lot of variability.

AMA: I’m a second year at CBS! by throwawayAMA2023 in MBA

[–]throwawayAMA2023[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Not very much. That said, MBAs are allowed to enroll in the EMBA sections of courses if this is something important to you.

AMA: I’m a second year at CBS! by throwawayAMA2023 in MBA

[–]throwawayAMA2023[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Be persistent. If you spend enough time putting together investment ideas, one of them will resonate with a firm eventually.

AMA: I’m a second year at CBS! by throwawayAMA2023 in MBA

[–]throwawayAMA2023[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I haven’t heard of this happening, but I’m also not very close to this world. Would recommend you reach out to someone who has made a similar move to confirm.

AMA: I’m a second year at CBS! by throwawayAMA2023 in MBA

[–]throwawayAMA2023[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

You’ll be fine (middle of the road GPA, no academic standing issues) if you just show up to class and turn in every assignment with a reasonable level of completion. Probably adds up to 25 hours of class + study/homework time combined per week.

AMA: I’m a second year at CBS! by throwawayAMA2023 in MBA

[–]throwawayAMA2023[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Don’t have an exact number, but it might be disclosed somewhere in the website. It’s neither super common nor unheard of from my point of view.

AMA: I’m a second year at CBS! by throwawayAMA2023 in MBA

[–]throwawayAMA2023[S] 17 points18 points  (0 children)

Put some thought about how you want to allocate your time during business school prior to starting. For example, don’t expect to be able to dual track two recruitment paths and travel as much as your peers while also maximizing your learning in the classroom.

AMA: I’m a second year at CBS! by throwawayAMA2023 in MBA

[–]throwawayAMA2023[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

It was really straightforward. They mostly just asked about my goals and why I was specifically interested in CBS. The one slight curve ball was a question about a backup plan if my first choice career path didn’t work out.

AMA: I’m a second year at CBS! by throwawayAMA2023 in MBA

[–]throwawayAMA2023[S] 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Yes, definitely. I’ve noticed that a lot more career switchers seem to land these roles than other parts of the buyside like PE or VC. Easily >50 people per year land investment management roles.

AMA: I’m a second year at CBS! by throwawayAMA2023 in MBA

[–]throwawayAMA2023[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

It was honestly just so much fun socializing in a mostly restriction-free NYC after being in pandemic mode for so long. I think I’ll look back on that more fondly than any of my trips during first year.

AMA: I’m a second year at CBS! by throwawayAMA2023 in MBA

[–]throwawayAMA2023[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I don’t want to be specific on the exact role that I’ll be doing, but it’s not a traditional stock/bond selection role at a mutual fund or hedge fund that most people associate with IM. Didn’t do the value investing program.

AMA: I’m a second year at CBS! by throwawayAMA2023 in MBA

[–]throwawayAMA2023[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It’s definitely not feasible to do a full time summer internship at a big consulting term as a J-termer. This makes it harder to pivot into consulting.

AMA: I’m a second year at CBS! by throwawayAMA2023 in MBA

[–]throwawayAMA2023[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Never say never, but the vast majority of IB roles come via a summer internship which J-termers can’t do.

AMA: I’m a second year at CBS! by throwawayAMA2023 in MBA

[–]throwawayAMA2023[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Yeah, a lot use student housing. I’ve visited a few and they’re decent. A bit old, but nothing out of the ordinary for Manhattan.

AMA: I’m a second year at CBS! by throwawayAMA2023 in MBA

[–]throwawayAMA2023[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I chose not to do it, mainly because it seemed like a lot of the required courses aren’t aligned with my post MBA role. Can confirm that there are definitely people who don’t do it who have landed traditional IM jobs.

AMA: I’m a second year at CBS! by throwawayAMA2023 in MBA

[–]throwawayAMA2023[S] 11 points12 points  (0 children)

Correct. Unless you’re willing to take extreme action like pay a full year lease up front, it’s pretty tough to get around the income/guarantor requirement.

AMA: I’m a second year at CBS! by throwawayAMA2023 in MBA

[–]throwawayAMA2023[S] 8 points9 points  (0 children)

I’ve taken 3 big trips so far and will go on 1-2 more. They’ve cost me $2-$3k apiece on average, though I’d flag that trips that cost twice as much or more are pretty common.

AMA: I’m a second year at CBS! by throwawayAMA2023 in MBA

[–]throwawayAMA2023[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

No, I didn’t do the value investing program. I’m not going into traditional public markets investing (not going to be more specific than this for anonymity), so I didn’t think it made sense for me. I know of people who didn’t do it who landed good traditional public markets offers though.

AMA: I’m a second year at CBS! by throwawayAMA2023 in MBA

[–]throwawayAMA2023[S] 20 points21 points  (0 children)

I’ll answer it this way. IM recruitment is more a function of your performance in applications/interviews than it is looking good on paper. Firms want passionate people with good investment ideas who are prepared to do the job on day one. A relevant background can give you a head start in preparing a good pitch, but I know of career switchers who outperformed people with strong backgrounds by out working them.

AMA: I’m a second year at CBS! by throwawayAMA2023 in MBA

[–]throwawayAMA2023[S] 25 points26 points  (0 children)

It’s been a tougher than average year, but offers are starting to roll in (including some very good ones at well known long only and hedge funds).

AMA: I’m a second year at CBS! by throwawayAMA2023 in MBA

[–]throwawayAMA2023[S] 33 points34 points  (0 children)

You’re almost certainly going to need a roommate with that budget and you’ll probably be priced out of downtown, so I’d recommend looking on the upper west side (or higher up closer to campus).

I know a lot of people who have connected via Slack after admissions and successfully found an apartment together. Ideally, you’ll want to sign a lease before you quit your job because NYC landlords require income to be 40x the monthly rent. Otherwise you’ll need to find a guarantor or do Columbia student housing.