-
CycleTrack and SDN are teaming up to make medical school admissions more transparent and accessible! Read the announcement to learn how we’re supporting the future of CycleTrack’s free application-tracking tools .
2013-2014 Columbia University Application Thread
Started by JJMrK
Get help with your application
Use all the free resources available to you from SDN: articles, guides, expert advising, forums discussions, and school research.
I also sent an update in and only received a short confirmation from the admissions office..... hoping that this doesn't mean anything
mmmcdowe
Duke of minimal vowels
Staff member
Administrator
Volunteer Staff
Lifetime Donor
15+ Year Member
Early May.
Advertisement - Members don't see this ad
My buddy just got off the waitlist today. Movement has started.
Me too.
WOW maybe that means Columbia likes me better than all of you!!!!!!!!!!!!
pretty sure that for the past few years wl movement didnt ever start before may...so i gotta say im having a hard time believing you...
He's not the kind of guy to troll.
Last edited:
But are you, SDN member who was so overjoyed by your friends acceptance that you made an account and dedicated your first post to your friend?
mmmcdowe
Duke of minimal vowels
Staff member
Administrator
Volunteer Staff
Lifetime Donor
15+ Year Member
fwiw waitlist movement does trickle in before may, I know at least one student that got off the list a couple weeks ago, but the major movements start in may when people start withdrawing.
Disclaimer. This is an N = A few response. People are withdrawing in mass right now. Some were waiting for merit aid etc. and since that ship has sailed, most have moved on. People that got merit aid from others schools are gone too.
I withdrew from everywhere yesterday.
Oh, Idk then. I just didn't feel like waiting anymore regardless lol. I know some aid has went out.
Advertisement - Members don't see this ad
Was your friend an MSTP applicant?
my package really was less than i was hoping for. 🙁 and i guess merit aid is not happening for me. its gonna be hard to justify living in NYC again. everything is so damn expensive here. I think im gonna go back to the proud state of Texas and live like a boss. but, always will be a lion at heart <3
i got mine. maybe you will soon. GL with your decision.
MD vanilla.
Yeah, merit scholarships have indeed gone out already (well, at least some of them). I was informed of mine a few weeks ago.
But, chin up guys. Its likely that some people with merit offers will still withdraw. Thus, that money could still find its way to any one of you.
But, chin up guys. Its likely that some people with merit offers will still withdraw. Thus, that money could still find its way to any one of you.
I will pay full price to get off the waitlist here. Hell I'll pay double
from what ive been told, they are predominantly for URMs. not sure about the amount though
mmmcdowe
Duke of minimal vowels
Staff member
Administrator
Volunteer Staff
Lifetime Donor
15+ Year Member
Partial and full.
To add to the anecdotes, I'm at P&S on a partial merit aid scholarship, I'm not a URM, and I received my scholarship at the very end of April. I know you all have waited far too long in this process already, but my sense is that patience remains the name of the game!
Anyone who was waitlisted not get their WL letter? I have yet to receive anything at either my home or current address.
Advertisement - Members don't see this ad
I never got one either... should I be concerns?
However, I do live in Canada... and Canada Post frequently loses my mail
I'm pretty sure they send letters to everyone, so since you guys still haven't received them by this point, I would probably call them.
I dont think that would be reason for concern though.
What's the big deal? As long as you accepted the waitlist position online through the portal who cares about the letter
We're still not certain if this has happened this year, but in previous years, Dean Nicholas personalized the letters of applicants who were ranked higher.
I still don't really believe it is something he has ever done. It just doesn't make any logical sense. It would mean he's either:
a) Trying to secretly communicate to the top ranked candidates that they are more likely to get in than others
b) Truly believes that these messages will increase the yield of top ranked waitlisters once offered spots
Neither of these seem possible or true.
My theory is that when he's in the office and sees letters going out, he chooses a few from the stack to sign.
Last edited:
mmmcdowe
Duke of minimal vowels
Staff member
Administrator
Volunteer Staff
Lifetime Donor
15+ Year Member
His personalization is an indication of rank, but again many people without personalization get in. An unranked wait list just means they focus more on getting a balanced class (ie if 20 women withdraw today theyre going to favor women on the list versus men). Personalization means youre near the top of some desired category, but if no men withdraw then personalization is going to mean less if youre a guy.
Last edited:
I think the previous poster was questioning if the personalization even happened this year.
mmmcdowe
Duke of minimal vowels
Staff member
Administrator
Volunteer Staff
Lifetime Donor
15+ Year Member
As far as I know it did, though the extent i cannot comment on. It is never but a small fraction of the spots offerred.
That's disheartening for me to hear....
mmmcdowe
Duke of minimal vowels
Staff member
Administrator
Volunteer Staff
Lifetime Donor
15+ Year Member
It shouldnt, the one person that i know who got off the waitlist thus far didnt have personalization. The list is mobile.
Has Dean Nicholas actually acknowledged that he personalizes the messages for those with higher rank? It just doesn't make sense to me. What is the point of him going out of his way to do that? I see zero advantage for the school.
.
Last edited:
Advertisement - Members don't see this ad
mmmcdowe
Duke of minimal vowels
Staff member
Administrator
Volunteer Staff
Lifetime Donor
15+ Year Member
Yes he has personally said this to me.
What....no
So does that mean waitlist is ranked?
I don't think there is an actual list of applicants in order of who they will accept next. I think it's more that they have "groups" of applicants on the waiting list based on their stats and such. Therefore if one applicant withdraws with say a 4.0, 43 ORM, then they would look in the pool of applicants with similar stats to replace that person based on how similar and how much interest the applicants have expressed.
The personalized note may signify that you are "ranked" highly within your group but if no accepted student who would have been in your group withdraws, then you won't be accepted off the waitlist even if they liked your application a lot. Therefore, it's not truly ranked in the order of acceptance, but they do know who they would like to accept off the waitlist if a corresponding spot opens up. I'm not a student here or anything, I'm just trying to rationalize this process.
The personalized note may signify that you are "ranked" highly within your group but if no accepted student who would have been in your group withdraws, then you won't be accepted off the waitlist even if they liked your application a lot. Therefore, it's not truly ranked in the order of acceptance, but they do know who they would like to accept off the waitlist if a corresponding spot opens up. I'm not a student here or anything, I'm just trying to rationalize this process.
mmmcdowe
Duke of minimal vowels
Staff member
Administrator
Volunteer Staff
Lifetime Donor
15+ Year Member
