anybody get anything today?
2009-2010 Columbia University Application Thread
- Thread starter shemarty
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nothing here in MA either...but I have the chance to renew my Cosmo subscription! Definitely NOT the mail I wanted. I've accepted it though and also expect not so good news in the near future. Congrats again to all those awesome enough to get accepted, and hang in there everyone else!
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Oh, you had me worried when I opened MDapps and saw your profile being "waitlisted by Columbia" up on the front page. Are you just doing that preemptively right now?
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Whoops! Nothing today at the preferred address, but I am still alive! Seems I accidentally said that my preferred address was only good until LAST summer (not this summer. TYPO). So now waiting on mail in MN, not NY... By 5 today should know...
Now your profile gives me hope of getting off the waitlist, that is only if I don't get rejected next week..
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Yeah. I assume waitlist. I interviewed with Dr. Quest and he actually told me flat-out there was little chance I'd be rejected. We basically had a shorter, 15 minute interview...then he basically explained to me how the admissions process works, and that I'd be put in the pile of 800 or so applicants who are either waitlisted or accepted. As he put it, "you're not one of the duds". The rest of my interview was 30 minutes of lecture and opportunity for questions about why Columbia was awesome.
Sigh. I really wanted to go here. Waitlist #3 in the last 10 days or so.
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Would you even go to Columbia over UCSF? Isn't that your top choice?
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id imagine so. wouldnt columbia be a lot more $ ? not sure. oos cali tuition seemed a bit lower than most schools
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It'd be close. UCSF is certainly top choice of accepted places. I'm worried about UCSF financial aid, but with comparable offers, I'd probably go SF. But I really liked Columbia, and could certainly see myself there if financial aid stinks at SF.
Just my situation.
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OOS tuition is 40K+. However, you can get in-state after one year to get it to 30k. Problem is that tuition at the UCs is a very dangerous thing to predict right now, and I'm worried about how the CA budget problems will affect total cost (like they already are for current students). Schools not tied to CA seem more stable 🙄
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UCSF has comparably better financial aid than Columbia. I admit tuition might go up, but even if a large increase it would still be better than most private schools.
Columbia
Average Debt: 128,000
% on financial aid: 82%
% receiving grants: 54%
% receiving loans: 67%
UCSF
Average Debt: 98,000
% financial aid: 94%
% receiving grants: 94%
% receiving loans: 82%
(I may be unconsciously trying to persuade you to attend UCSF so there's one more spot to take someone from the waitlist 🙂 )
so it looks like last year the last person to get accepted (3/9) got their package four business days (including saturday) after the first person (3/4)...there is still hope!
though im surprised nobody even in the tri-state area has gotten a waitlist/reject letter...maybe they've sent those out later this year? did USPS stop saturday mail service already??
though im surprised nobody even in the tri-state area has gotten a waitlist/reject letter...maybe they've sent those out later this year? did USPS stop saturday mail service already??
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these data don't differentiate though, between IS and OOS. jerew is OOS and we don't know how UCSF treats its OOS finaid folks compared to the IS crowd. since the IS portion at UCSF is most of the class (isn't it?), this wouldn't tell us much about how the OOS people are treated at all...
i would be thinking this, too. didn't UG tuition at UC's go up like 40% for this year coming?
nothing in saturday's mail here in new england. bummin' 🙁
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Yes, tuition went up 33% in undergrad, and I'm not sure for professional, but it did go up.
Nothing in MN either. Blah
just checked my online secondary - realized preferred address is school address (and I've been home since Thursday).
i was convinced i was not accepted but now there is a chance. hope is a good thing, i guess.
how big was the packet? what did it come in.
i was convinced i was not accepted but now there is a chance. hope is a good thing, i guess.
how big was the packet? what did it come in.
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it's a big unfolded letter size paper manilla (medium beige) envelope with a lot of forms inside. I got it in FedEx package. Inside was the manila envelope and inside was the official acceptance letter, financial forms, and other random stuff.
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mine was postmarked on march 4th and I got it the next day via FedEx. It could take a little longer by regular mail.
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Seems like the Midwest is still woefully uninformed. Anyone around StL (or even remotely nearby like IL) hear anything at all?
Still nothing in mpls. Woohoo for no mail on Sunday! This is me trying to be positive even though I checked my mailbox like 5 times this afternoon.
I had a similar interview with another person, but still no news in the tri-state. we'll see what happens 🙂
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Housing first. The three basic options on campus you have are living in Bard Hall, the Bard Towers, and the Georgian apartments. Bard hall in a dormitory (single bedroom w/ sink 10x13. A few have their own bathrooms and other variations, and the price varies a little based on such considerations). There are two kitchens in Bard, but everyone who cooks uses the top one because it is nicer. It has quite a few appliances, so I personally haven't ever had to wait or anything when I cook up there. I do most of my cooking in my room with a hotplate and a George Foreman grill, which is technically illegal but overlooked as a matter of policy as long as no one sets off the fire alarm a bunch of times. About 80% of first years live there first semester with a smattering of students from other years and programs. Some first years choose to move off 2nd semester when they have found roommates. I'd like to point out that you are NOT required to live in Bard Hall if dorm life sounds atrocious to you. You can move off campus into the neighborhood or upper west side, or you can move into apartments. As a first year, unless you are married or find a group of students already living in Bard Towers, you will probably be assigned to the Georgian Apartments. The Towers are definitely the nicer of the two, and living in Bard Hall gives you priority to move into the towers your second year. There are a variety of floor plans in both ranging from studios to 4 bedrooms.
Living in Bard hall is nice, especially if you don't know anyone that you are comfortable moving in with before medical school. It is convenient and a lot of the P&S club revolves around Bard Hall. You are not isolated if you don't live in Bard Hall, which some interviewees have expressed concern about, you'll just have to walk further to meet for various activities (the usual meeting place is the lobby of Bard Hall). Heating is provided by radiators, air conditioning units can be purchased from the 2nd years for about 50 dollars, give or take. Maintenance installs them for free. No electric or water bills, basic cable included. Bard Hall has a gym that is open to all students. It has a full basketball court, a pretty decent pool, a sauna (I think, never verified), three squash courts, a yoga room with mirrors (no ballet barre sadly 🙁 ), 8-9 treadmills, a bunch of other cardio equipment, and a variety of excercise machines. There is also some basic free weight equipment as well and one of those little boxing bags you always see in the old movies that looks like an upside down balloon. Hours are pretty reasonable and its free. There is a 24 hour free weight club that costs about 80 a year with all of the heavy workout stuff that people who really like to lift need. There is also some cardio stuff too. I personally am not a big lifter, but I like to run at weird hours of the night, so I am considering joining. Other than not being able to run at 2AM, I have found the free gym to be adequate and not too crowded.
Bard Hall also has a dining hall. Meal plan is currently three nights a week and is OPTIONAL. It is open to all schools and classes so its a great way to meet other denizens of the CUMC as well as talk up the older students. I find the food to be pretty good. It is catered by the Columbia Catering service and they have been very receptive to people's complaints (weren't enough veggie options at first). Tomorrow is the first night of this semester's meal plan and I can tell you right now that I've been starving without it
As far as the curriculum goes, I've typed myself out for the moment but I admit that I was worried coming in that it would be too fast or too shallow an overview because of time constraints. I'm happy to say that neither appears to be the case. I've look at old exams all the way back to 1999, played around with some Step 1 problems to see if I could do them, and have talked to kids from other NYC schools. Things seem to still be on the up and up. What I do like about Columbia's curriculum is the fact that they don't try to shove a specific type of learning down your throat. Almost everything that doesn't involve a patient is non-mandatory. All lectures (except for psychiatry due to the fact that we watch patient videos every class) are recorded and easily accessed online. All labs except for microbiology have been non-mandatory (Mic is also technically skipable in the sense that they aren't going to be calling you up if you don't attend, but there are quizzes that kind of force you to go. Fortunately, it is like an infectious disease version of House so its actually the most fun small group I have had). So, the bottom line is if you don't like lecture, don't go. If small group doesn't work for you, don't go. It lets you study the way that works best for you rather than struggling to learn a new way of studying. I personally pick and choose what small groups I want to go to and always attend lecture. It is still systems based and another cool thing is that you get a free class per semester in any school or department and Columbia. So, if you want to take a public health class or something that interests you it is free.
mmmcdowe, regarding housing:
as a first year, is it a lottery type system for bard? you said that some rooms are a bit bigger/smaller, do you request which type of room you prefer? I noticed it varies from 700-1000 per month within bard alone on the housing website, so i was wondering if you got to request a certain type of room.
thanks,
EW
mmmcdowe
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It's random but you can request styles in the application and they will fulfill requests on a first come first serve basis. I will try to put up some pictures of the rooms and stuff on facebook at some point in the coming months.
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ah cool-i'm sure there is nothing a few phone call requests can't take care of...such is life
Accepted!!! I'm sooo excited! Got the letter today in Maine. I actually forgot to look at the postmark before I threw away the outer envelope, but it was one of those big USPS priority mail packages. Pretty thick.
Also thought you might like to know I had no communication with the admissions office since my interview in September. I did send a thank you note to my interviewer actually back in September, but nothing since then.
Also thought you might like to know I had no communication with the admissions office since my interview in September. I did send a thank you note to my interviewer actually back in September, but nothing since then.
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Congrats! Anyone get a waitlist offer yet?
there was nothing from columbia in the mail for me today...and i live in NJ about 1.5 hours from the city. surprised even a waitlist/rejection wouldn't have reached here already. i called friday to verify my address because they sent something to the wrong one in the fall and the woman i spoke with said that they were mailing the last of the decision letters that day. so not sure how it hasn't gotten to me yet, but i guess it will make it here tomorrow or wednesday...more waiting, yay!
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Called today, and the lady confirmed that the letters were going to the AMCAS preferred address, and that almost all had been sent out last week, but a few remaining ones were going out today.
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Hard to tell, wouldn't want to be quoted either way.
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Do accepted students need to accept or reject the offer of acceptance within a certain time period?
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I didn't see a specific time frame, but I mailed mine off this morning. For other schools it is often two weeks, I'd be surprised if it is shorter at Columbia.
OK, so this may be a really stupid question, but I'm not used to this (Columbia was my first acceptance):
When you mail back the enclosed paper that comes with the acceptance, is it basically just saying that you have received it and that you still want to have the possibility of going to Columbia, or when you send it back are you saying, "I definitely will go to your school?" It's not a binding thing, is it?
Again, forgive my ignorance.
No, it's not a binding thing. You have until May 15th to withdraw your acceptance.
Also, looking at your MD apps, you are ballsy man! You like only applied to top 20 schools!
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I'd say you're probably up for a waitlist/reject letter if you hadn't gotten anything yet. There's always post office mix ups, but they were sent priority mail last Wednesday, so they should have arrived already. I don't think anyone has received a waitlist/rejection letter yet, but I'll post here when I do.
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Actually I think the last acceptances went out on 3/5 (Friday), so there's a chance there are a few still in the mail, but it's probably pretty slim.
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This is probably most appropriately directed towards mmmcdowe, but anyone who has an idea is welcome to answer...With the new curriculum, how many weeks are they anticipating to give you guys to study for STEP 1? Obviously since its after clinicals, the flexibility of the curriculum makes it seem like you could take a good chunk of time if you wanted
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I'm curious about this too. Also, what's the general consensus on putting the step 1 after clinicals? It seems like it would give you more real experience to go by, but there's also the argument that you could forget some of the more obscure basic science in that year as well. Thoughts?
I appreciate you clearing that up for me. Your comment is cracking me up, especially since none of the less competitive schools that I applied to even invited me for an interview. If it weren't for the recent Columbia acceptance, I might be feeling less ballsy and more just stupid.
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