John Harbour III, Columbia Business School MBA Class of 2026
Age: 24
Hometown: Los Angeles, California
Undergraduate Institution and Major: New York University, Tandon School of Engineering | Mechanical Engineering
Pre-MBA Work Experience: Portfolio & Decision Analysis Associate, Pfizer, Inc., 2.5 yrs
Why did you make the decision to attend business school? Why now?
Despite my training as an engineer, I have always wanted to explore business. Initially I wanted to double major in engineering and business at NYU but due to the logistics of my social impact scholarship program, I was unable to. However, this did allow me to immerse myself in my degree and program and explore how STEM and social impact are related, especially in the healthcare space. This led me to recruit into a leadership pipeline at Pfizer and enter the world of healthcare finance as a Portfolio & Decision Analysis Associate.
This role was the perfect blend of problem solving, global health-related impact, and business strategy. Despite this, I knew that I lacked the business acumen and investment management education that my mentors and the colleagues I admired possessed; business school and an MBA was the clear next step.
As for timing, I viewed my attending business school in 2024 as the optimal window for skill development. I intend to spend these next 2 years strengthening my competencies in investment management, healthcare strategy, and socially conscious and value-based leadership. Though continuing in my previous role would have allowed for this development, I knew that an MBA and Columbia Business School would not only accelerate my development but transform it.
Why did you choose CBS? What factors figured most prominently into your decision of where to attend?
My choice behind attending Columbia Business School is twofold. First and most fundamentally, Columbia Business School possesses programming and opportunities for me to explore each one of my professional and personal interests. As an applicant it was clear to me that I was not only permitted to do so but encouraged. I remember at an event for applicants being challenged by current students to find an interest or topic that CBS did not already have programming for and community members with experience in it.
The second reason is the clarity I had in visualizing myself at Columbia Business School. All of the admissions process’s programming, both virtual and in-person, provided me with an explicit picture of the Columbia Business School experience and a palpable feeling of the community’s unmatched and supportive culture. Even now as a student, I can honestly say that my image of Columbia Business School as an applicant was accurate. I at times even felt like a current student when I was still in the process of submitting my application.
With that, the factors that played most into my decision were the opportunities that a school offered and the people I would be embarking on this journey with.
What do you think is your most valuable or differentiating contribution to the Class of 2026?
I believe that one of my strengths is my ability to connect seemingly different concepts and people together. Professionally, personally, and socially speaking, I think my own diverse background has taught me how to do this authentically such that there is a clear benefit and positive result in each instance. From coordinating joint club events for the Healthcare and Investment clubs to potentially creating a CBS Boxing club, I think my most valuable contribution will be my role as a connector.
Tell us a fun fact about yourself that didn’t get included on your application:
When I was a kid I played the violin but because I couldn’t sit still I decided to teach myself classical piano and jazz drums against my parents’ wishes as if I did not already have enough disparate interests.
Post-MBA career interests:
Long-term, I want to work at the intersection of social impact and capital allocation strategy. Whether a fundraising or investment management function, I know that I want to continue to collaborate and connect with individuals with a finance-oriented skillset. I am still exploring potential spaces that I can optimally create impact in but given my personal family experience with healthcare, I believe that this is a great space for scaling impact worldwide.
Advice for Current Prospective Applicants:
–What is one thing you would absolutely do again as part of your application process?
I would definitely still apply to and join Management Leadership for Tomorrow’s MBA Prep program and the Consortium for Graduate Study in Management. These programs and their resources helped turn such a challenging process into one that was not solely focused on the end goal of getting into a school, but one focused on personal growth and developing a strong community and authentic network. Though these programs may not be available for everyone to partake in, any community of people, whether family, friends, affinity-based, or even paid consultants, can help provide the needed perspective that this process is about you and your development. Also, definitely go out of your way to connect with other applicants as you meet them at events and form your own applicant support community.
–What is one thing you would change or do differently?
I would try to segment the process and not focus so heavily on external factors and arbitrary fears. I was initially slated to apply Round 1 for my schools, Columbia Business School included, but I did not end up having my applications completed and I felt that I had put myself at a disadvantage for failing to do so. In hindsight this fear was clearly unnecessary, and I realize now that it was because I let external influences cause me to rush the process instead of breaking it up into realistic stages centered around me.
–What is one part you would have skipped if you could—and what helped you get through it?
I know many people will likely say the standardized testing but honestly the GMAT exam helped improve my grammar and teach me how to persevere through emotions and an inexplicably difficult experience that I had never encountered before. I will say that if I could, I would have liked to skip the part of the process where I felt inhibitions around connecting with other applicants at events. I remember at events early in the process I would show up in-person to an information session at Columbia, ask a question to an Admissions Officer, and then leave. I wish I felt more comfortable at the beginning talking to my potential peers and expanding my network. Even though it’s simple, joining professional networks and practicing “small talk” definitely helped me get through this.
What is your initial impression of the CBS students/culture/community?
My first impression of the Columbia Business School community and culture was that it felt like everyone was friends with each other, and not just friends from the same ethnic background or industry experience. Business school inherently brings people from every walk of life together but at Columbia Business School it felt like everyone wanted to get to know each other authentically and be a part of one multifaceted community.
What is one thing you have learned about CBS that has surprised you?
The sheer size and diversity of Columbia Business School’s student body has surprised me. In a single class and learning team you could meet someone with what seems like no similar life experiences to you and from a completely different part of the world as well as someone who went to your high-school or worked at your last job.
What is one thing you are most anxious about in your first year?
I am probably most anxious about missing out on or not leveraging opportunities that I would have loved to had I known about them. There really is an overwhelming number of ways to spend your time here at Columbia Business School and optimizing your time management is definitely a continuous learning experience.
What is one thing you are most excited about in your first year?
I am most excited at the prospect of challenging my current perspective and understanding of the world. Having lived in New York and Los Angeles, I have always tried to explore different spaces and meet different people. However, I believe that over time, progressing in life can inadvertently reduce the scope in which you experience the world. I hope to utilize my Columbia Business School experience to continue progressing in my development while also expanding my scope.
