2013-2014 Columbia University Application Thread

BU Medical Sciences
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dcc23 said:
3.7 cGPA and a 32 MCAT with strong research (award for best senior thesis, 3+ years in same lab) -- worth a shot or nah? Basically standard, decent EC's otherwise. If no, suggestions on other big research schools that may be more receptive to low-ish MCAT?
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If you want to come here then yes. If you have a limited number of application spots open for big research schools then pick the ones you prefer.
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mmmcdowe said:
If you want to come here then yes. If you have a limited number of application spots open for big research schools then pick the ones you prefer.
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Would love to, just trying to decide what great schools like Columbia are a better chance than essentially zero. Thanks for the reponse!
 
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mmmcdowe said:
I'd say pretty much all of them are less than 0 except maybe WashU.
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Yeah it seems like WashU is really proud of their MCAT average being the highest and they like to keep it that way. They even send out letters encouraging you to apply if people have high MCAT scores (36+ or thereabouts?).
 
Dingo Mango said:
Yeah it seems like WashU is really proud of their MCAT average being the highest and they like to keep it that way. They even send out letters encouraging you to apply if people have high MCAT scores (36+ or thereabouts?).
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I'm royally screwed then. Applied to WashU with 30S.
 
mmmcdowe said:
I'd say pretty much all of them are less than 0 except maybe WashU.
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Didn't mean to diverge this thread from discussing Columbia, but thank you for that (assuming you meant all of them are better than 0% chance but WashU). Guess I should give Columbia a shot, low risk but tremendous reward right?!
 
dcc23 said:
Didn't mean to diverge this thread from discussing Columbia, but thank you for that (assuming you meant all of them are better than 0% chance but WashU). Guess I should give Columbia a shot, low risk but tremendous reward right?!
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I have found increasingly through my life that you really never know unless you try. The risks are low (~100 bucks per school) but the rewards are high. I have gotten LORs from people no one has gotten LORs from and I have worked for people who never take students, not because I was outstanding but because I was determined and I asked. If you have space to fit why not try? Better than wondering what would have happened in the future.
 
mmmcdowe said:
I have found increasingly through my life that you really never know unless you try. The risks are low (~100 bucks per school) but the rewards are high. I have gotten LORs from people no one has gotten LORs from and I have worked for people who never take students, not because I was outstanding but because I was determined and I asked. If you have space to fit why not try? Better than wondering what would have happened in the future.
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:thumbup:
 
dcc23 said:
3.7 cGPA and a 32 MCAT with strong research (award for best senior thesis, 3+ years in same lab) -- worth a shot or nah? Basically standard, decent EC's otherwise. If no, suggestions on other big research schools that may be more receptive to low-ish MCAT?
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there are at least two people in my class with similar stats
 
RogueUnicorn said:
Bro, I'm not going to dignify that with an answer =/
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It's sad, but it is probably a relevant question if you're going strictly off stats ... :(

It's not to say URMs get in with low stats BECAUSE they're URMs but there's a reason the 25th percentile for an Asian MCAT score equals the 75th percentile for a Latino MCAT score (or something, last I checked AAMC?)

Forget I said it.
 
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Any advantage given to columbia undergrad or none at all?
 
Xeones said:
Any advantage given to columbia undergrad or none at all?
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There seems to be a lot of Columbia grads in my incoming class! But who knows if that is because admissions especially like them, or because they especially like Columbia. :)
 
Dingo Mango said:
There seems to be a lot of Columbia grads in my incoming class! But who knows if that is because admissions especially like them, or because they especially like Columbia. :)
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Seems like the question you want to answer is the % of Columbia applicants who get in and/or matriculate, versus those percentages for other schools .. for example, most public medical schools have 20-30 people from that state's universities, but I'm guessing it's because almost all pre-meds at those schools apply ...

Hm. I'd like to get my hands on that dataset and do an across-the-board comparison for medical schools linked to universities with undergraduate education..
 
Soulstice said:
Seems like the question you want to answer is the % of Columbia applicants who get in and/or matriculate, versus those percentages for other schools .. for example, most public medical schools have 20-30 people from that state's universities, but I'm guessing it's because almost all pre-meds at those schools apply ...

Hm. I'd like to get my hands on that dataset and do an across-the-board comparison for medical schools linked to universities with undergraduate education..
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Like most medical schools affiliated with a university, Columbia grads are a sizable chunk of students (10-15 a year or so, they used to have it set up so you could search students by undergrad) at P&S, but they aren't the single largest chunk from a single institution last time I was able to check. To an extent, medical schools like students from schools that they are familiar with, because it helps them gauge the strength of a given applicant, their letters, their ECs, etc, but that doesn't mean that you can't get in from a non-feeder school. I did.
 
Dingo Mango said:
There seems to be a lot of Columbia grads in my incoming class! But who knows if that is because admissions especially like them, or because they especially like Columbia. :)
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Haha that's good news. Hopefully it helps a little
 
Can somebody who has received it post the essays?
 
1. Please describe your parents' occupations: Characters Remaining:100

2. If you took time off from your undergraduate studies, please briefly summarize your reasons for doing so. Words Remaining:250

3. In what collegiate extracurriculars did you engage? Characters Remaining:400

4. Did you work for compensation during college during the year or the summer?Yes No
If so, what did you do? How many hours a week did you work?Words Remaining:300

5. If you have graduated from college, please briefly summarize what you have done in the interim.Words Remaining:300

6. What challenges do you expect to arise from living and working in a complex urban environment? How will you meet them? * RequiredWords Remaining:300

7. Is there anything else you would like us to know? Words Remaining:300
 
What are your thoughts on the Urban Environment prompt?
 
I just wrote about having to be more independent than I am used to. Of course if you grew up in an urban environment too, I doubt you'll have much to write about, but I did not.
 
By the way did anybody else' letter of recommendation not get marked received by AMCAS yet, despite AMCAS already having them? I thought it was all electronic.
 
AxiomaticTruth said:
By the way did anybody else' letter of recommendation not get marked received by AMCAS yet, despite AMCAS already having them? I thought it was all electronic.
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Do you mean "marked received by Columbia"? When AMCAS has your letters, it just means that it's automatically available for schools to download them. Some schools download letters daily, others weekly.
 
Going to apply here as well.

mcdowe, what is your experience with students with low uGPA/high SMP GPA?

my stats are 3.4uGPA/3.87 SMP GPA/ 35
 
When it asks us for collegiate ECs does it mean everything on our AMCAS? Such as hospital volunteering, shadowing, research, etc.?

Also wth is this CV? Can i just upload my AMCAS app? lol
 
Only submit a CV if you actually have one - most applicants will not have one, but a CV is particularly useful for those who have a long academic and professional/occupational history.

Anyone know if "post-bacc" may include masters students with graduate degrees?
 
Secondary submitted! Best wishes to everyone - hopefully we will meet at some point in NYC.
 
Hey
I have questions about Columbia's question asking about my parents' occupation.

1. When answering this question, do I just state their jobs, or do I need to further elaborate on this?
2. Also, what is the purpose of asking this question? Does my parents' socioeconomic background affect my chance of getting an interview?
3. Lastly, if my mom has been taking some time on and off from her job, do I need to mention this (she currently doesn't work, but plans on returning sometime later this year)?
 
sugarmouse said:
Hey
I have questions about Columbia's question asking about my parents' occupation.

1. When answering this question, do I just state their jobs, or do I need to further elaborate on this?
2. Also, what is the purpose of asking this question? Does my parents' socioeconomic background affect my chance of getting an interview?
3. Lastly, if my mom has been taking some time on and off from her job, do I need to mention this (she currently doesn't work, but plans on returning sometime later this year)?
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They only give 100 characters - just write what their jobs are and if room allows follow up with (currently on leave)
 
YankeeBean said:
Only submit a CV if you actually have one - most applicants will not have one, but a CV is particularly useful for those who have a long academic and professional/occupational history.

Anyone know if "post-bacc" may include masters students with graduate degrees?
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Resume OK? Or no?
 
Soulstice said:
Resume OK? Or no?
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Not sure how much value a resume would give - I assume most of the resume stuff is already covered in the AMCAS app. CV is much more comprehensive; resume is about a page...my CV is 7 pages long...therein lies the difference
 
"If you took time off from your undergraduate studies, please briefly summarize your reasons for doing so."


Does this specifically refer to taking time off from undergrad somewhere between freshman and senior year? ....As opposed to time off between undergrad and medical school?
 
veronicad said:
"If you took time off from your undergraduate studies, please briefly summarize your reasons for doing so."


Does this specifically refer to taking time off from undergrad somewhere between freshman and senior year? ....As opposed to time off between undergrad and medical school?
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My interpretation was that this was not a gap year question - more like medical leave fall semester junior year, or Vietnam military draft.
 
Thank you!! I thought so as well, particularly because of the later question about what we've done since graduation, but I very much appreciate your reassurance :)
 
@mmmcdowe

I have a question about the basset program. I am interested in applying but have no experience with rural communities but have a lot with the underserved from urban communities. Would it be worth it to apply or do regular MD instead? I know that you can get reviewed by the regular md if not accepted into the basset program. But will it delay evaluation for regular md? Also, can anyone elaborate on benefits of both?

I know this is a lot, but I would appreciate it. I also looked at both online and did a summer program at Columbia so I am familiar with the school but want another perspective. Thanks.
 
For the CV, should we use our normal business resumes?

My business resume includes my test scores from high School (ACT) because it is expected int he industry I work in, but I am afraid I will look like a dick if I include it on my med school app.
 
ranson said:
When it asks us for collegiate ECs does it mean everything on our AMCAS? Such as hospital volunteering, shadowing, research, etc.?

Also wth is this CV? Can i just upload my AMCAS app? lol
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I have the same question.
 
It's telling me the "From which languages can you translate scholarly material into English?" is required. Are y'all just putting english?
 
Brownshorts said:
It's telling me the "From which languages can you translate scholarly material into English?" is required. Are y'all just putting english?
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:confused: Didn't you have to take a (non Eng) lang to get your degree? :p
 
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