Background
After graduating from a private university in Japan with a degree in the humanities, I joined a private-sector bank as a new graduate and later changed jobs to a government-affiliated institution. At the time of application, I had about 11 years of full-time work experience. From my student years up to the present, I have not had any study abroad or overseas posting experience, aside from travel and business trips. I was also a self-sponsored applicant.
You have a longer career and changed your job once. Why did you think that you needed an MBA?
As I changed jobs and advanced in my career, the scope of my work expanded and I became involved in more international work. Through that process, the career path I wanted to pursue became much clearer, and I came to recognize that I needed an MBA in order to achieve it. Before that, I may simply not have had many opportunities to feel that need as strongly.
Another reason was that most of the people active in the field I aspire to enter held MBAs rather than other master’s degrees, so I felt that I would also need an MBA in order to succeed in the same way.
Another reason was that most of the people active in the field I aspire to enter held MBAs rather than other master’s degrees, so I felt that I would also need an MBA in order to succeed in the same way.
Why were you focused on CBS and what are you looking forward to the most about the CBS MBA?
I felt that CBS was the right fit for me because, in addition to offering a strong range of courses in the fields I am interested in, its location in New York, the center of global business, would allow me to connect with many guest speakers and EMBA students and remain constantly aware of major business trends even while studying.
As someone in the financial industry, I also believed that living in New York would be extremely valuable from a networking perspective going forward.
To give specific examples of what CBS offers, programs such as the Value Investing Program, Leo Impact Fund, and Climate Finance would allow me to build important capabilities as an institutional investor, while programs such as Pangea Advisors and Global Immersion would broaden my perspective on developing countries. I felt that CBS offered the full range of learning opportunities I was looking for.
Among these, although I understand that it is highly competitive and selective, I most want to challenge myself to join the Value Investing Program, build lasting relationships with global investment professionals, and deepen my knowledge of finance.
As someone in the financial industry, I also believed that living in New York would be extremely valuable from a networking perspective going forward.
To give specific examples of what CBS offers, programs such as the Value Investing Program, Leo Impact Fund, and Climate Finance would allow me to build important capabilities as an institutional investor, while programs such as Pangea Advisors and Global Immersion would broaden my perspective on developing countries. I felt that CBS offered the full range of learning opportunities I was looking for.
Among these, although I understand that it is highly competitive and selective, I most want to challenge myself to join the Value Investing Program, build lasting relationships with global investment professionals, and deepen my knowledge of finance.
What was the most difficult part of the application process?
To begin with, time management was difficult. Ed might get mad at me for saying this, but I wanted to prioritize time with my family and children above all else. Even so, the hardest part was the essays. Ed gave me a lot of advice, especially on the essays, and I believe it would have been very difficult for me to gain admission without that guidance.
How did Edogijuku help you prepare a successful application?
I received advice on application strategy, essays, and the interview. I do not think I could have been admitted if any one of those had been missing. Given how disadvantaged my profile was, I am truly grateful to Ed for helping me achieve this result.
Application Strategy
I believe I received advice that properly reflected factors such as my age, self-sponsored status, and relatively low test score.
More specifically, Ed spoke candidly about how applying to CBS Fall Term would be quite challenging, including from a timing perspective. At the same time, he helped me think through a strategy for J-term that made sense in terms of both time and cost, while also differentiating me through the clarity of my career direction, which did not require an internship, and my commitment to CBS.
In particular, after I was denied from the Fall Term waitlist in April 2025, and before applying to J-term in May 2025, it was extremely effective to develop and execute a concrete action plan as a reapplicant in order to clarify how I had grown since my previous application. This included what I should do to offset my test score and what kinds of current students and alumni I should connect with. I truly felt that Ed designed a custom-made strategy specifically for me.
The essays were especially difficult. In my work, I mainly write internal approval documents, where the priority is to communicate facts accurately and without misunderstanding. Because of that habit, my essays often became simple lists of facts.
In addition, the structure was not effective from the perspective of a native English speaker, and as a native Japanese speaker, it was extremely difficult for me to close that intuitive gap on my own.
To address this, Ed continuously advised me, based on his many years of experience and expertise, on what an essay really is and what an effective structure looks like. In particular, I felt that the advice on how the admissions committee would perceive it and what a specific school was looking for was something only Ed could provide, given his extensive track record of admits and his ability to understand an applicant’s relative positioning.
In the end, the final essays reached a level that I honestly could never have come up with on my own. I was both surprised and deeply impressed by how clearly the quality of an essay counselor’s guidance can affect the final result.
Interview
In the interview as well, Ed repeatedly pointed out the kinds of awkwardness that arise when Japanese is your native language. He would explain things such as how a certain phrase might sound to a native speaker, which wording would be better, where typical Japanese-language habits tend to appear, and how English differs in those areas.
His feedback was consistently very logical, clear, and easy to understand. At the same time, one of his strengths is that he also respects the emotional side and has a good sense of balance. Very often, he would say something like, “Isn’t this what you really want to convey? If so, why not say it this way?” and almost every time I felt he was exactly right.
After I received the interview invitation, I was able to practice with Ed twice in a limited amount of time. As a result, although CBS was my first MBA interview ever, I was able to pass it without any issue.
Application Strategy
I believe I received advice that properly reflected factors such as my age, self-sponsored status, and relatively low test score.
More specifically, Ed spoke candidly about how applying to CBS Fall Term would be quite challenging, including from a timing perspective. At the same time, he helped me think through a strategy for J-term that made sense in terms of both time and cost, while also differentiating me through the clarity of my career direction, which did not require an internship, and my commitment to CBS.
In particular, after I was denied from the Fall Term waitlist in April 2025, and before applying to J-term in May 2025, it was extremely effective to develop and execute a concrete action plan as a reapplicant in order to clarify how I had grown since my previous application. This included what I should do to offset my test score and what kinds of current students and alumni I should connect with. I truly felt that Ed designed a custom-made strategy specifically for me.
The essays were especially difficult. In my work, I mainly write internal approval documents, where the priority is to communicate facts accurately and without misunderstanding. Because of that habit, my essays often became simple lists of facts.
In addition, the structure was not effective from the perspective of a native English speaker, and as a native Japanese speaker, it was extremely difficult for me to close that intuitive gap on my own.
To address this, Ed continuously advised me, based on his many years of experience and expertise, on what an essay really is and what an effective structure looks like. In particular, I felt that the advice on how the admissions committee would perceive it and what a specific school was looking for was something only Ed could provide, given his extensive track record of admits and his ability to understand an applicant’s relative positioning.
In the end, the final essays reached a level that I honestly could never have come up with on my own. I was both surprised and deeply impressed by how clearly the quality of an essay counselor’s guidance can affect the final result.
Interview
In the interview as well, Ed repeatedly pointed out the kinds of awkwardness that arise when Japanese is your native language. He would explain things such as how a certain phrase might sound to a native speaker, which wording would be better, where typical Japanese-language habits tend to appear, and how English differs in those areas.
His feedback was consistently very logical, clear, and easy to understand. At the same time, one of his strengths is that he also respects the emotional side and has a good sense of balance. Very often, he would say something like, “Isn’t this what you really want to convey? If so, why not say it this way?” and almost every time I felt he was exactly right.
After I received the interview invitation, I was able to practice with Ed twice in a limited amount of time. As a result, although CBS was my first MBA interview ever, I was able to pass it without any issue.
Do you have advice for future applicants?
I truly believe that choosing the right counselor is extremely important. Especially for applicants who are on the borderline, like I was, due to factors such as career background, test score, age, or sponsorship status, it is no exaggeration to say that a counselor’s advice can determine the outcome. I would strongly recommend consulting Ed.
What advice would you give to the 20-year-old starting their career?
Also, making time is a very difficult challenge. In my case, I had no choice but to turn down drinking parties and similar social occasions. I do not think it is realistic to prepare for applications while maintaining exactly the same lifestyle as before, so some kind of adjustment is necessary.