Catherine Wei, Columbia Business School MBA Class of 2026
Age: 27
Hometown: Boston, MA
Undergraduate Institution and Major: Cornell University, Applied Economics and Management
Pre-MBA Work Experience: Ad Measurement at Roku for 5 years
Why did you make the decision to attend business school? Why now?
Becoming a better leader and expanding my network were my main impetus for pursuing my MBA. I was inspired by my great team leaders at work, and I wanted to be able to strengthen my own leadership qualities to help create meaningful impact. Having focused on marketing throughout my career, I’m excited to broaden my business acumen through classes and forge connections with my peers given CBS’ diverse student body.
Why did you choose CBS? What factors figured most prominently into your decision of where to attend?
The breadth of resources, community, and location attracted me to Columbia Business School. The Media and Technology program resonated with my career interests, and I’m looking forward to taking classes taught by adjunct professors with seasoned industry experience and meeting distinguished guest speakers/alumni. With such a large class size, Columbia Business School has so much diversity ingrained in its community, and being in NYC presents endless opportunities, both professionally and personally, to take advantage of that’s only a subway ride away!
What do you think is your most valuable or differentiating contribution to the Class of 2026?
Growing up in a small family business, I think I can bring my entrepreneurial spirit to the community; I’m a big proponent of encouraging creativity of new ideas and fostering collaboration within teams I’m a part of. I’m also a big fan of team spirit and documenting memories, so hopefully can help capture some of the great times we’ll have to look back on!
Tell us a fun fact about yourself that didn’t get included on your application:
My first music concert was Daughtry. Nowadays, you can usually find me listening to pop, country, and reggaeton.
Post-MBA career interests:
I’m interested in exploring product marketing, strategy, and partnerships within the media, entertainment, and tech sector.
Advice for Current Prospective Applicants:
–What is one thing you would absolutely do again as part of your application process?
Talk to current students and alumni – This was incredibly valuable and allowed me to get to know each program and community even better. Hearing how everyone was enthusiastic about their program really illustrated how the people make the place, and these conversations were able to paint a more vivid picture of the academic, professional, and social experience of each program.
–What is one thing you would change or do differently?
Looking back, I would have taken the time to celebrate little wins throughout the application process. Applying to the business school can be stressful whilst balancing studying for standardized testing, writing essays, and working full-time. Acknowledging the many milestones you are achieving along the way, whether it be finishing a practice exam, first essay draft, or finally hitting that submit button, is worth highlighting!
–What is one part you would have skipped if you could—and what helped you get through it?
Taking the GMAT – Doing a ton of practice eventually helped me prepare, along with meditation to ease the standardized test-taking stress and encouragement from family and friends.
What is your initial impression of the CBS students/culture/community?
The Columbia Business School community has been incredibly welcoming, especially in these first few weeks. This past summer, I found myself filled with many emotions from excitement to nervousness of starting a new school and making friends. Since orientation, I’ve been able to meet so many kind and brilliant peers. Everyone is genuinely interested in getting to know one another, and it’s so comforting to be surrounded by an inclusive community that embraces everyone to be authentically themselves.
What is one thing you have learned about CBS that has surprised you?
Now being on campus, just seeing the vast opportunities truly available to Columbia Business School students has been eye-opening. While guest lecturing our statistics class, Dean Maglaras encouraged us to explore as much as possible during our two years. I love that there’s this innate culture to always learn and be a sponge.
What is one thing you are most anxious about in your first year?
The core curriculum – Since I’ve largely focused on marketing, taking more finance and accounting classes will be a good challenge for me. That said, what I love about the first year is the cluster and learning team community Columbia Business School fosters (go Cluster G!); since we all come from different professional and personal backgrounds, it’s great to be able to learn from one another and collaborate through the core.
What is one thing you are most excited about in your first year?
I’m excited to meet everyone, get involved with clubs, and hear from the many phenomenal guest speakers coming to campus. I’m looking forward to embracing all that Columbia Business School has to offer and pushing myself outside my comfort zone to learn and grow.
