2011-2012 Columbia Application Thread

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When I sent my photo in, I just included my AMCAS ID in the text of the email and a jpeg of the photo. They sent me an email in less than 10 hours that it was accepted and matched to my app.
 
just curious, do secondaries include spaces when they say "X characters max"?
 
do they send an email linking to the secondary or do i just go and create an account myself. i havent gotten any emails from them yet.
 
MilkIsGood said:
do they send an email linking to the secondary or do i just go and create an account myself. i havent gotten any emails from them yet.
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The email they sent had this link https://app.applyyourself.com/?id=COL-MED. It looks like you can just create an account on your own since there wasn't any sort of temporary password or pertinent identifying information in the email they sent out. Hope it helps! :luck:
 
Sorry if this question has been addressed before; I used the search option and I didn't find what I was looking for.

I have yet to take my MCAT so I am far from applying, but I currently am a research assistant at the Mailman School at Columbia University. If I were to apply to P&S in two years, would they look at my research experience favorably because I got it at the university? Or does it not matter to the admissions committee where an applicant works?

Thanks! 😀
 
Received the "You can now access our secondary application at.." email today for a second time although I am already complete?
 
"If you have already submitted your secondary application, you do not have to submit another one. The previous e-mail was for applicants that have not started to fill out our secondary application. I apologize for the confusion this may have caused."

their followup email isn't that informative either. so if we got the earlier email today, does that mean columbia doesn't have on record that we have already filled out our secondary? lol.
 
Seems like the New York City schools like Columbia and Mt. Sinai are having trouble with their email service.
 
Yup...just got that "you can now access your secondary" email as well.

Followed by the "whoops" email.

Followed by "Your application is complete" email.


? 🙂
 
Chinchillin89 said:
Yup...just got that "you can now access your secondary" email as well.

Followed by the "whoops" email.

Followed by "Your application is complete" email.


? 🙂
Click to expand...

+1

...at least I'm finally marked complete though!
 
I'm a little concerned with the instructions for question one still. Is this what they want, with the proper punctuation:

Worked with X program. While working with X program, I did A B and C. This was a valuable experience because of D. Shadowed Dr. Y. Blah blah blah. Did research on Z. This research was interesting because I was interest in blah blah blah.

So in my example, my 3 activities were working the X program, shadowing Dr. Y, and doing research on Z. Is this what they want? I didn't use return or enter... But how can we use a list format and still be able to give a brief description too?

Totally unrelated, but what's the character count for the why P&S question? 750?

Thanks for the help. :luck:
 
When I preview my completed secondary in the pdf format, my first essay doesn't show up. My second one does, but not the first. Anyone else have this problem?
 
I still haven't received a "complete" email here. I emailed my photo last week, which should have completed my application.
 
I submitted my application 7/5, and was sent the complete e-mail yesterday, it takes some time.
 
rdrolet said:
I still haven't received a "complete" email here. I emailed my photo last week, which should have completed my application.
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It took them the better part of a month to complete me and I sent mine in June... Patience my friend. 🙂
 
yumbug said:
When I preview my completed secondary in the pdf format, my first essay doesn't show up. My second one does, but not the first. Anyone else have this problem?
Click to expand...

i have the same problem, but i've been holding onto this for over a month so feel like i'll go ahead and submit anyway..?
 
sam500 said:
For those interested, I emailed "Applyyourself" the tech support handling the application with the following question:

On the Columbia Medical School Application there are three short answer questions. As I am NOT applying to the columbia-basset program, I only filled out the first two. However, when I am preparing to submit my application and go to view the PDF of the complete application my second essay (2.Which aspects of P&S are most interesting to you?) is missing form the PDF.
What should I do to ensure that my complete application is submitted?

And received the following reply:

Thank you for your message. Please remember that the PDF preview is an unofficial document and usually not used by the institution. They will pull all of your answers directly from the application, into their databases. You can feel confident that your information will reach them correctly as long as the answers in the online form have been completed. We have contacted the institution regarding updating the PDF mapping and the changes should be made shortly. If your online form is due shortly, you may want to check the pages of your form carefully before you submit it to ensure that your answers were saved properly.

We apologize for any inconvenience this is causing you. Let us know if we can help further.
Click to expand...

There you go.
 
rxnfiend said:
It took them the better part of a month to complete me and I sent mine in June... Patience my friend. 🙂
Click to expand...

I know. I need to calm down. This process is only going to be another seven months or longer. To waiting! (And hoping, and praying, and laughing, and crying, and just trying to remain calm.) :luck:
 
WTF is the consensus for question 1? lol. Do you guys use periods? And do you write a paragraph where you talk about why each exp was meaningful? What do they mean by list format? Cuz you cannot give a list, using only commas, and descibe 3 activities while following the normal rules of English writing... I would really appreciate any info on how you guys answered this question.

I know there is a lot of discussion about this question throughout the thread, but I can't figure out what people actually ended up doing. I'm confused about the restraints given in the prompt, and how to follow the rules. Thanks!
 
AZFutureDoc said:
WTF is the consensus for question 1? lol. Do you guys use periods? And do you write a paragraph where you talk about why each exp was meaningful? What do they mean by list format? Cuz you cannot give a list, using only commas, and descibe 3 activities while following the normal rules of English writing... I would really appreciate any info on how you guys answered this question.

I know there is a lot of discussion about this question throughout the thread, but I can't figure out what people actually ended up doing. I'm confused about the restraints given in the prompt, and how to follow the rules. Thanks!
Click to expand...

I laid out question one as follows:

Activity X (Describe X), Activity Y (Describe Y), Activity Z (Describe Z).

Considering how vague and confusing the instructions were, I'm sure others used different formats. It's probably not a big deal at all!
 
Is anyone missing question 2. on the secondary app?

This is what I see:

1. What aspects of P and S are most interesting to you?

3. What aspect of the Columbia-Bassett Program has the most appeal for you? Enter your response in essay format. LIMIT WRITING TO 750 CHARACTERS. Do not use return or enter.

I'm planning on applying to the MD program only...

I just wrote out my 760 char. list of activities, so I'm kind of disappointed that I don't have a question on that!
 
i also see only those 2 but i saw it before when i opened the application. i think it's just a website glitch or something like, there are definitely 3 essays.
 
kpcrew2oo2 said:
i also see only those 2 but i saw it before when i opened the application. i think it's just a website glitch or something like, there are definitely 3 essays.
Click to expand...

Thanks! There seems to be a lot of glitches with this secondary :/
 
kpcrew2oo2 said:
i also see only those 2 but i saw it before when i opened the application. i think it's just a website glitch or something like, there are definitely 3 essays.
Click to expand...

nah i called admissions. they deleted the question about the extracirriculars since that info is already on AMCAS.
 
on the recommendation page, if my premed committee sent a letter through amcas, do i need to fill out the name of the advisor? the instructions confuse me
 
accidentally emailed columbia a passport picture big enough to use as wallpaper.

not on their computer, on an actual wall.

oops! 😀
 
mdterp7 said:
nah i called admissions. they deleted the question about the extracirriculars since that info is already on AMCAS.
Click to expand...

oh really? thanks for the update dude, i appreciate it
makes sense to delete it i suppose but i only picked one most meaningful on my primary...
it's weird though, last year they asked for a lot more.
 
This question was asked earlier, and I would like to know the answer.

it says "Have you requested your College Premedical Committee, Advisor or Letter Service to send us a recommendation?"
I checked yes, but then it says "If your letters are being sent by any of these services DO NOT LIST THE NAMES BELOW. Only if you are having individual letters sent, or are an MD/PhD applicant, should you list the names below.
Name of your advisor (ONLY IF THEY ARE SENDING A LETTER ON YOUR BEHALF)"

So it first says not to list the names below, but then it wants my advisors name... is that AMCAS, in my case the Dean who submitted the committee letter and other letters for me, or do I just leave it blank...
 
On the "checklist" page, it asks for you to verify if your recommendation letters have been sent .. Can i just go ahead and click yes and submit it or do I have to actually wait till I assign my letters to them from AMCAS? My pre-med advisor haven't turned in the packet yet. As far as I know, from all the schools I applied, only Boston doesn't let you submit their application without turning in the letters first. Thanks 👍
 
duckymd said:
Is anyone missing question 2. on the secondary app?

This is what I see:

1. What aspects of P and S are most interesting to you?

3. What aspect of the Columbia-Bassett Program has the most appeal for you? Enter your response in essay format. LIMIT WRITING TO 750 CHARACTERS. Do not use return or enter.

I'm planning on applying to the MD program only...

I just wrote out my 760 char. list of activities, so I'm kind of disappointed that I don't have a question on that!
Click to expand...

Thanks a ton. Looked like they dropped it at least!!!
 
komikos said:
On the "checklist" page, it asks for you to verify if your recommendation letters have been sent .. Can i just go ahead and click yes and submit it or do I have to actually wait till I assign my letters to them from AMCAS? My pre-med advisor haven't turned in the packet yet. As far as I know, from all the schools I applied, only Boston doesn't let you submit their application without turning in the letters first. Thanks 👍
Click to expand...

Anyone know?
 
For MD/PhDs:

For the academic honors box, how are you formatting to fit all of them into the small amount of characters they give?
 
For the additional info, would it be alright to include an essay I wrote about playing football and how it makes me a better doctor? or is that not what they are looking for
 
raltima07 said:
For the additional info, would it be alright to include an essay I wrote about playing football and how it makes me a better doctor? or is that not what they are looking for
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if we are talkign about the same thing i believe it says under it something about including "other majors" in that space

i dont think they are looking for another essay but hey that's just my .02
 
im scared to press submit in case there is a glitch and i need to have that ec essay
 
MilkIsGood said:
im scared to press submit in case there is a glitch and i need to have that ec essay
Click to expand...

well they changed the numbering from 1. why columbia 3. why bassett
to 1. why columbia 2. why bassett
also before i submitted, i sent them an inquiry about the missing ec question. after i submitted i received a reply that said my application was fine with just the why columbia answered. i think you should be good to go.
 
kpcrew2oo2 said:
well they changed the numbering from 1. why columbia 3. why bassett
to 1. why columbia 2. why bassett
also before i submitted, i sent them an inquiry about the missing ec question. after i submitted i received a reply that said my application was fine with just the why columbia answered. i think you should be good to go.
Click to expand...

ok sounds good. thanks. the ec ques still showed up on the pdf so i wasnt sure.

also, it looks like we cannot email photos anymore? all it says is mail it to the address
 
Last edited:
joy14 said:
if we are talkign about the same thing i believe it says under it something about including "other majors" in that space

i dont think they are looking for another essay but hey that's just my .02
Click to expand...


Yes, makes sense.

If I was to write about majors and awards in that space i guess that would be alright?

Should I just list it or write it out?
 
raltima07 said:
Yes, makes sense.

If I was to write about majors and awards in that space i guess that would be alright?

Should I just list it or write it out?
Click to expand...

I only put my majors/minors and i used complete sentences ...i didn't put awards because you could have done that on the amcas (i did)

...it is pretty tricky because i was scared that they would think oh they tried to squeeze in extra info and then be like pfftt and throw out the application..so i just stuck to what they briefly mentioned in the description...im sure you could do otherwise but i just didn't want to risk anything with an already weak application lol
 
joy14 said:
I only put my majors/minors and i used complete sentences ...i didn't put awards because you could have done that on the amcas (i did)

...it is pretty tricky because i was scared that they would think oh they tried to squeeze in extra info and then be like pfftt and throw out the application..so i just stuck to what they briefly mentioned in the description...im sure you could do otherwise but i just didn't want to risk anything with an already weak application lol
Click to expand...


Haha, thats true, although i think my awards section is what could sway me over into interview territory.

I guess i will write a sentence about the idea then....well...I actually dont know yet :meanie:
 
MilkIsGood said:
ok sounds good. thanks. the ec ques still showed up on the pdf so i wasnt sure.

also, it looks like we cannot email photos anymore? all it says is mail it to the address
Click to expand...

Hey all!
Looks like you figured out that they finally deleted that repeat question. I hope that helps!
Also, photos are no longer required for the secondary application. If you are granted an interview a photo will be requested at that time.
Hope that makes sense!
 
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