John Scalamandre Jr., CBS MBA Class of 2023
Age: 26
Hometown: Long Island, NY
Undergraduate Institution and Major: Stony Brook University – B.S. Business Management, M.S. Accounting
Pre-MBA Work Experience (years, industry): Three years of work experience in KPMG’s Risk Advisory Solutions practice
Why did you make the decision to attend business school? Why now?
Business school was sort of always in the cards. From a young age, my theologian / economist uncle always told me that I would go Ivy League one day (there’s no precedent for this in my family outside of his single semester at Harvard). That was a driving force in choosing my undergrad (in order to save $) and in the extracurriculars I picked up during college and at KPMG. While working at KPMG was an amazing learning experience and I was able to experience a variety of industries, in working on a limited due diligence project for an M&A transaction I realized that the bankers on the transaction provided much more value to both the target and acquirer compared to our limited controls view. This led me to apply to Columbia Business School for its second-to-none investment banking program. CBS was the only school I had originally wanted to apply to, and I was denied the first time I applied for the Class of 2022. After seeing an opportunity with COVID admissions and applying to other schools in late April / early May, I had received other M7 offers, but decided to hold off based on my desire to attend Columbia and to not have a virtual first-year experience. That patience paid off, and I’m truly enjoying my time here so far.
Why did you choose Columbia Business School? What factors figured most prominently into your decision of where to attend?
Coming from Long Island originally, I had always grown up in the shadow of the city, yet wanting to be a part of it. I moved to NYC when I first started at KPMG, and between the network I developed at Stony Brook and KPMG I was not yet ready to leave NYC. I knew a number of people who had gone to NYU from Stony Brook, but only 2-3 who had gone from Stony Brook to Columbia. I saw this as a challenge and an opportunity to demonstrate to CBS admissions that Stony Brook students can make it here (I have a whole tangent on this and how Stony Brook should be the premiere public business institution, but I’ll save that soapbox for another time). That framing, as well as the interactions I had with Columbia students made the Upper West a more attractive option in my personal view.
What do you think is your most valuable or differentiating contribution to the Class of 2023?
Prior to our class starting the MBA, two of my classmates and I started a pre-MBA networking committee, which held Zoom and in-person events during a five-month period before our first day on campus. I believe that this helped develop some early communities and bonds between our class that are only continuing to strengthen now that we see each other on a daily basis. I am trying to maintain that momentum as we progress through the program and have recently been elected AVP of Events for the Investment Banking Club and intend to run for Executive Board Co-President in the Spring.
Tell us a fun fact that didn’t get included on your application:
Oh man, I take credit for everything! I guess a fun fact that I don’t share often is that I tried out for both The Voice and American Idol in my younger days, and that one of my main hobbies at the moment is DJing (DJ D-Sol, watch out!).
Post-MBA career interests:
Post-MBA I intend to pivot into Investment Banking
Advice for Current Prospective Applicants:
–What is one thing you would absolutely do again as part of your application process?
Constant evaluation of where you stand with the GMAT. I had developed a multi-month plan in order to study and try and get the score necessary to attend CBS, but taking practice exams on a weekly basis helped me shorten that timeline greatly. One weekend I took a practice exam and scored a 780 – I booked my first exam the next day, for two weeks from that date. Although that first exam didn’t go as well as I’d hoped, I still knew that the capability was there, booked another exam two weeks after that first one and got a score that I was happy with (as COVID was closing testing centers, no less).
–What is one thing you would change or do differently?
I would’ve spoken to even more students ahead of time. Although I spoke to a number, I still felt like there were some things I missed heading that would’ve been great to know!
–What is one part you would have skipped if you could—and what helped you get through it?
I 100% would have skipped some of the GMAT studying – lots of nights staying in when all of my friends were going out in January 2020.
What is your initial impression of the Columbia Business School students/culture/community?
Everyone here is invested in the success of the people around them. The second years are extremely supportive of our goals from a career and club standpoint, and our class has been amazing in supporting each other through our recruiting process so far. The culture is definitely one of excellence, and outside of that our community also enjoys having a good time. There are so many who haven’t experienced New York yet, and getting to view some old haunches from their perspective has been a fun experience!
What is one thing you have learned about Columbia Business School that has surprised you?
The fine tuning that goes into the CORE curriculum really surprised me in a good way. Neither in my Bachelors or my first Masters did I have a professor from one class referencing a case we completed in another class, or a complete end-to-end tie in of concepts from Strategy Formulation to Managerial Economics and Corporate Finance. The caliber of professors is also a step above what I was used to before CBS.
Has the COVID-19 pandemic affected your personal application or admissions process in any way? If so, how?
It put some additional pressure on my second GMAT – I took it within the first two weeks of March 2020, and I believe testing centers shut down 2-3 days later. It also lead me to apply to some other schools for Class of 2022, which I had never anticipated doing. Even after being accepted to some of those schools, I decided to hold off and pursue Columbia again because I did not want my first year to be virtual. Needless to say, COVID-19 had a large impact on my process.
What is one thing you are most anxious about in your first year?
Investment Banking Recruiting – I have a good idea of what I would like in my next employer, and after seeing that all those who entered the top ranks at KPMG were 20+ year vets, I realized that I would like to be at my next company for a long time. That puts a good deal of pressure on the process, but the IBC and the current co-Presidents Rose and Mounika have been amazing in preparing us for the journey ahead.
What is one thing you are most excited about in your first year?
The sheer array of opportunities at our disposal. Outside of the Investment Banking Club, I’ve also joined a number of social and interest clubs including FinTech and Blockchain club, Wine Society, Microbrew, Microlumbia, Italian Club, Gourmet and everyone’s favorite – CBS Follies. I played rugby during my undergrad and first masters, and I hope to join the CBS club in the Spring after recruiting is over. All of these clubs provide an amazing way to network with all of the talented, driven people in our class.
