This page contains details on the technical interview that is used by the department for graduate admissions.
All applicants who have a complete application for the CS MS program will be invited to have a brief technical interview (over Teams) with a CS faculty member. The interview is intended to take 15-30 minutes. We use the interview to inform our decision on admission and consideration for assistantship positions. The interview includes technical questions related to data structures and algorithms, and a portion of doing some basic coding on the computer.
Note that the CS Admissions Page mentions the standards we are looking for to admit a student, which we verify using the technical interview.
When you have a complete application, the department will write to you asking you to complete a series of online quizzes – MS Admissions Quiz Instructions – to demonstrate that you are competent in programming and data structures and algorithms. You can take some time to be able to complete the quizzes at the required mastery level, and reply to the department message when you have completed them at the required level. When you have done so, you should reply to the department message with the items listed on the quiz instructions, and also attach a current resume or c.v.
Note – if you are still working on your programming skills, you might take a look at the recommended resources in our Python Programming – Getting Started or C Programming – Getting Started.
Note – for studying data structures, TutorialsPoint has a nice tutorial that you should follow. You should study until you can explain the content and answer questions about the differences between different algorithms and data structures.
Note – if you are considering a university that will admit you to a CS MS degree without you needing to have some basic programming and data structures skills, you should be wary of the program. If the admissions standards are too low, the program itself will likely not live up to your expectations either.
We will ask you about your recent background (when was your degree finished, what major, what have you been doing since, etc.). We will ask you questions similar to the questions on the admissions quizzes. We will also ask you to share your screen and have you do some programming.
Video Interview for Columbia University’s application process #MS #USA
Interviews for Top Jobs at Columbia University
Graduate Student Interview
I applied online. I interviewed at Columbia University (New York, NY) in Jan 2021
Interview
I had to answer three questions in a one-sided video recording interview where you get 90 seconds to prepare and 3 minutes to answer. You only get one shot so perhaps practice answering succinctly ahead of time 🙂
- 1. Why Columbia Engineering? 2. What’s your greatest academic weakness? 3. What are your hobbies and interests?
Graduate Student Interview
I applied through college or university. The process took 5 weeks. I interviewed at Columbia University (New York, NY) in Nov 2019
Interview
For Columbia University i needed to submit gmat, interviews, and meeting with the administration. Along with essays on my research plan and reason for application. The overall process was very easy. The staff felt I had a strong background that aligned with the mission of the program.
- why do i want to attend the program.
Hi all! I thought this might be helpful for those applying to Columbias MS programs. Once youve completed you application, you are prompted to do a recorded online interview. I saw a lot of people (including myself) lurking around for pointers as to what these questions could be, thus the idea of compiling what Ive found for those who might still need them. Cheers and best of luck to everyone!
P.S. I know this list isnt going to be exhaustive, but hopefully itll chill some nerves off of some folks (it did for me) just to understand the nature of the questions.
Expect to be flustered.
The questions could be on ANYTHING. Which means the likelihood that you will prepare for exactly the right question are nil. Instead, make it your priority to practice the act of answering questions, rather than to memorize responses to specific questions.
Note – if you are still working on your programming skills, you might take a look at the recommended resources in our Python Programming – Getting Started or C Programming – Getting Started.
We will ask you about your recent background (when was your degree finished, what major, what have you been doing since, etc.). We will ask you questions similar to the questions on the admissions quizzes. We will also ask you to share your screen and have you do some programming.
Note – for studying data structures, TutorialsPoint has a nice tutorial that you should follow. You should study until you can explain the content and answer questions about the differences between different algorithms and data structures.
This page contains details on the technical interview that is used by the department for graduate admissions.
All applicants who have a complete application for the CS MS program will be invited to have a brief technical interview (over Teams) with a CS faculty member. The interview is intended to take 15-30 minutes. We use the interview to inform our decision on admission and consideration for assistantship positions. The interview includes technical questions related to data structures and algorithms, and a portion of doing some basic coding on the computer.
FAQ
What questions do they ask in Columbia interview?
- Tell me about yourself.
- Why did you decide to go to Columbia?
- Why did you major in _____________?
- Tell me about your job at ___________?
- Why did you leave your job/internship at ___________?
- What are your strengths? …
- What are your long-term and short-term goals?
What questions are asked in Columbia University video interview?
- Why did you apply to Columbia and this program specifically?
- Why do you want to pursue a master’s degree in chemical engineering from Columbia University?
- Why did you choose this course for masters?
- Why this course at Columbia?
- Why Columbia engineering?
How important is Columbia video interview?
Does Columbia consider interviews?
