Vol. 24, No. 17	March 10, 1999

'Post-Bac' Business Program Sends Students on to Earn MBAs, or to Work in the Business World

BY LAUREN MARSHALL

"I'm here to add value," Michael Garrett said with a grin. Although business lingo rolls off his tongue like that of a seasoned MBA student, Garrett only recently embarked on business school, with some strategic preparation from Columbia University.

Just a few weeks into Columbia Business School, Garrett is no stranger to business study. Prior to his admission to the prestigious graduate program, he learned business basics at the Business Careers Initiative (BCI), a pioneering program at Columbia's Continuing Education and Special Programs (CE/SP).

After 10 years in government relations, Garrett considered a career change, but was unsure of how to proceed. With experience in the public sector and a bachelor's degree in political science, he knew he would not be a traditional candidate guaranteed to have a slot in the top business schools. "I found out about BCI on the Web," said Garrett, "and I decided to apply to slowly get back into school life and to discover a bit more about business before taking the plunge."

After two years in the business-prep program-juggling evening classes and a full-time job-he emerged with excellent grades in four undergraduate business courses, the benefit of a professional development seminar series and a BCI certificate. Ultimately, he was accepted to Columbia's Business School, considered among the best in the world.

Modeled after General Studies' "post-bac/pre-med" program, which prepares degreed students from diverse academic backgrounds for medical school, BCI offers a stepping stone to graduate business study by training students in economics, statistics, mathematics, finance and marketing management. Now in its third year, the year-round program has rapidly distinguished itself as the leading post-baccalaureate pre-business program at an American university. Currently, there are 50 students enrolled, and this past fall CE/SP issued eight BCI certificates to students who completed the program.

"Through BCI," said Garrett, "I was trained to be conversant in the foundations of business, which signaled to business schools that I was serious. I doubt I would have been accepted to business school without it."

BCI students often have only one thing in common, the desire to learn business basics. Garrett remembered his BCI colleagues as running the gamut: They included a CUNY English as a Second Language instructor, a doctor from China and an appraiser of antique furniture for a well-known Manhattan auction house.

"While there are no guarantees in this world," says Frank Wolf, dean of Continuing Education and Special Programs, "we can say that those who have excelled as BCI students have gone on either to business school or to jobs in the business world."