The World Tour
The CBS Pre-MBA World Tour is an optional, self-funded trip organized by volunteers from the MBA Class of 2016.
The World Tour Story
The day after being accepted to Columbia, John Shoaf (class of 2010) charted out a 15-week backpacking trip through 18 countries around around the world. What started out as simply his own adventure of a lifetime, quickly evolved into what is now an annual tradition at Columbia Business School.
At the first Columbia Connect in February, John realized every MBA student wants to take some time off and travel before school starts. He invited some fellow classmates to join and the idea of a pre-MBA tour caught on like wildfire. That weekend, he recruited a group of interested peers to discuss how they could coordinate the summer travel plans for their entire class. That’s when realized they had stumbled onto a big opportunity!
Within a week, a leadership team had emerged with each person leading a small section of the trip. By the end of week two, alumni leaders and admitted students around the world had volunteered to host the groups of students visiting their home countries.
That summer, nearly 100 classmates met up in various locations around the world and met over 200 executives and alumni. The following year, nearly 140 students (over 25% of the September intake) participated in the CBS World Tour. It has evolved into a fast-paced and dynamic organization that exemplifies the modern way of doing business on a global scale.
The mission of the CBS World Tour is simple: Bring together students and alumni from around the world to share unique experiences that create strong personal bonds, which expand beyond the academic and professional realm... it is the official welcome into the CBS Lifetime Community.
The CBS Pre-MBA World Tour is an optional, self-funded trip organized by volunteers from the MBA Class of 2016.
- Where: Spans 6 continents and is divided into 9 regional tracks (see itinerary)
- When: Takes place between May and August 2014
- Incoming students from the Class of 2016 are welcome to join any part of the trip
- More than 150 students from the Class of 2015 participated in the World Tour
The World Tour Story
The day after being accepted to Columbia, John Shoaf (class of 2010) charted out a 15-week backpacking trip through 18 countries around around the world. What started out as simply his own adventure of a lifetime, quickly evolved into what is now an annual tradition at Columbia Business School.
At the first Columbia Connect in February, John realized every MBA student wants to take some time off and travel before school starts. He invited some fellow classmates to join and the idea of a pre-MBA tour caught on like wildfire. That weekend, he recruited a group of interested peers to discuss how they could coordinate the summer travel plans for their entire class. That’s when realized they had stumbled onto a big opportunity!
Within a week, a leadership team had emerged with each person leading a small section of the trip. By the end of week two, alumni leaders and admitted students around the world had volunteered to host the groups of students visiting their home countries.
That summer, nearly 100 classmates met up in various locations around the world and met over 200 executives and alumni. The following year, nearly 140 students (over 25% of the September intake) participated in the CBS World Tour. It has evolved into a fast-paced and dynamic organization that exemplifies the modern way of doing business on a global scale.
The mission of the CBS World Tour is simple: Bring together students and alumni from around the world to share unique experiences that create strong personal bonds, which expand beyond the academic and professional realm... it is the official welcome into the CBS Lifetime Community.