2013-2014 Columbia University Application Thread

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RogueUnicorn said:
If you want the person you know to be an advantage you should contact that person directly and see what they think

As for rolling admissions, decisions are not rolling but interview invites are made as they move along. This is true at all schools, I'd advise you to write your secondaries for all your schools ASAP.

Regarding the EC question on the secondaries that seems to perplex much of you (as it did me when I was in your shoes), it's meant to be a simple, shorthand list people can refer to for quick info in a single place. Just list your AMCAS stuff again
Click to expand...

This is the most important thing to take away. When you interview doesn't matter, all decisions are made quite near the decision release date.
 
I was looking over last years thread and there seemed to be some confusion / changes for some of the prompts about words vs. characters.

Just to be sure..

In what collegiate extracurriculars did you engage? and
Please describe your parents' occupations:
are characters and the rest are words right?
Thanks!
 
Meredith92 said:
I was looking over last years thread and there seemed to be some confusion / changes for some of the prompts about words vs. characters.

Just to be sure..

In what collegiate extracurriculars did you engage? and
Please describe your parents' occupations:
are characters and the rest are words right?
Thanks!
Click to expand...

The application changed. Don't use last years' as a reference! Use the most recent prompts/limits that have been posted from THIS YEAR. :luck:
 
Entadus said:
The application changed. Don't use last years' as a reference! Use the most recent prompts/limits that have been posted from THIS YEAR. :luck:
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I know 🙂 Thanks for the advice lol I just copied and pasted directly from my application. I just wanted to be sure that our application wasnt having the same glitches as they had last year. I think last year some of the word limits were accidentally written on the secondary as character limits. But youre right.. i should just trust the application! Im just overthinking it because i'm nervous...
 
Do those PIs have to have come from your university? If I worked with them at a hospital and they are faculty at a different university than the one I go to, is that okay?
 
jeghaber said:
I gave a short paragraph-form explanation about my ECs, much as I would in a short verbal explanation to someone who had asked what kinds of activities I was involved in at college. I used a "Much of my time was used doing X, while I also did Y. Further, I enjoyed the opportunity to Z" type format. I think it's up to you though. No wrong way to do it.
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Do they expect redundancy as far as EC's go?

I want to submit this tomorrow.
 
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mononoke said:
Do those PIs have to have come from your university? If I worked with them at a hospital and they are faculty at a different university than the one I go to, is that okay?
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Totally fine

TotalDomination said:
Do they expect redundancy as far as EC's go?

I want to submit this tomorrow.
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Redundancy is fine and expected
 
I PM'ed you RogueUnicorn. Yes, it is too late in the absolute sense of the phrase.
 
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Um..is anyone else having trouble when you click "Proceed to Payment"

For me, it says the website doesn't exist lol
 
Any thoughts on how to go about answering the "In what collegiate extracurriculars did you engage?" question without simply repeating the activities listed in the primary? This question seems very redundant...
 
TRSTme said:
Any thoughts on how to go about answering the "In what collegiate extracurriculars did you engage?" question without simply repeating the activities listed in the primary? This question seems very redundant...
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There was quite a bit of discussion regarding this prompt earlier in the thread. I would look through that first and see if that answers your question.
 
I had tried searching through google but nothing came up. Thanks though, I'll check it out!
 
TRSTme said:
I had tried searching through google but nothing came up. Thanks though, I'll check it out!
Click to expand...
Dude (or dudette), the thread is only 5 pages long, why don't you at least skim it?
 
I googled all of SDN and didn't see an answer to my question, which is why I didn't skim the tread. Just did and got my answer now, thanks.
 
anyone NOT uploading the CV?

I dont have an extensive CV to begin with or even one created. Just a one page regular resume.
 
Not sure if I will submit mine since it basically has everything that's on AMCAS already there.
 
GandalfTheWhite said:
anyone NOT uploading the CV?

I dont have an extensive CV to begin with or even one created. Just a one page regular resume.
Click to expand...

I decided not to submit mine because everything was on my AMCAS. If I'd had additional pubs or academic information I hadn't been able to include in full on AMCAS I would have submitted it.
 
SN12357 said:
I decided not to submit mine because everything was on my AMCAS. If I'd had additional pubs or academic information I hadn't been able to include in full on AMCAS I would have submitted it.
Click to expand...

Good, I didnt want to jump the gun and make a stupid decision since this is one of my top OOS reaches.
 
Yeah, I agree that the only reason to submit a CV is if you have something significant that was not included in your application, like publications, presentations, talks etc. I was happy to submit my CV because there was no way I could squeeze those anywhere else in my application 🙂
 
How on earth am I supposed to describe my parents jobs in 100 characters... I have an ex military father.

Edit: Also, the work experiences I have on my primary so should I really describe each of them again?
 
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This is a somewhat ridiculous question, but I'd appreciate insights regardless. I already submitted my secondary with a photo, as requested. However, as I was uploading the same photo for another school, I noticed that it may be bigger than the 2"x3" restriction required by Columbia (I had resized the photo, but somehow got confused about pixels). Would the online site have rejected the picture if it was too big? Should I contact them about this? Should I wait for them to contact me if they need a different photo?
 
fhg said:
this is a somewhat ridiculous question, but i'd appreciate insights regardless. I already submitted my secondary with a photo, as requested. However, as i was uploading the same photo for another school, i noticed that it may be bigger than the 2"x3" restriction required by columbia (i had resized the photo, but somehow got confused about pixels). Would the online site have rejected the picture if it was too big? Should i contact them about this? Should i wait for them to contact me if they need a different photo?
Click to expand...

+1
 
fhg said:
This is a somewhat ridiculous question, but I'd appreciate insights regardless. I already submitted my secondary with a photo, as requested. However, as I was uploading the same photo for another school, I noticed that it may be bigger than the 2"x3" restriction required by Columbia (I had resized the photo, but somehow got confused about pixels). Would the online site have rejected the picture if it was too big? Should I contact them about this? Should I wait for them to contact me if they need a different photo?
Click to expand...

no one's going to care if it's a little bigger or a little smaller, as long as it's a decent picture that shows your face.
 
zippyziggy said:
no one's going to care if it's a little bigger or a little smaller, as long as it's a decent picture that shows your face.
Click to expand...

Thanks! It would be like 9x12" (significantly larger), still okay?
 
jaksmith said:
Lol, you submitted a picture 4x the recommended size?
Click to expand...

I didn't intend to (I resized it before submitting), but then I looked back at the pixel conversions and that's what the conversion claims the size will be. Not entirely sure what happened, just trying to figure out what to do about it now since this is such a stupid thing. The picture appears fine on the secondary, but I am worried that it will print huge.
 
eh, i'd call them. just play it off like you're a little absent-minded, not like you're a neurotic premed.
 
Member011 said:
I called to clarify 2 of the MD/PhD questions:
1. I was told the proficiency question refers to language
2. For academic and/or relevant work experience, I asked what "academic" includes...teaching assistant? Was told "writing a paper or anything along those lines" 😕
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actually, it refers to research...i just called today to confirm.
 
For current students, how comfortable/problematic is housing? If you were from a more suburban area, how did you adjust to it?
 
Jaime Lannister said:
For current students, how comfortable/problematic is housing? If you were from a more suburban area, how did you adjust to it?
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Hey there, not sure exactly what you're asking, but just generally-
The most common option is to live in the dorm for 1st year and then we get to apply for student apartments 2nd year. That way you can avoid the whole new York house hunting and commuting thing (plenty of people do decide to do that though!)
 
When do you guys think the first wave of II will come out?
 
Bauman1535 said:
Last year was September 4. So we probably have a while to wait 😎
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I got spoiled with 3 early II from 3 great schools. I'm pretty addicted to IIs now to the point where I check my email hourly. Not getting one in 10 days has been....tough. Sad part is, I'm not even joking. 🙁
 
hopefulMD12 said:
I got spoiled with 3 early II from 3 great schools. I'm pretty addicted to IIs now to the point where I check my email hourly. Not getting one in 10 days has been....tough. Sad part is, I'm not even joking. 🙁
Click to expand...

I know that feel bro. Haven't heard a thing since my II to Pritzker over a month ago, outside of a pseudo-invite to CCLCM. It's been a rough month.
 
First world problems 😀
Just think how many people haven't gotten interviews yet and... be patient. With your credentials everything will be just fine.
And have pity on us mere mortals, like an immigrant with a ton of clinical volunteering and published research etc. etc. and a mere 38 MCAT 😀 who didn't get her undergrad degree from a top US school (which screws up her chances... a lot).
 
volcomx said:
what's this "pseudo-invite?"
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PM'ed (easier to explain)

Amygdarya said:
First world problems 😀
Think of how many people haven't gotten interviews yet and... be patient. With your credentials everything will be just fine.
And have pity for us mere mortals, like an immigrant with a ton of clinical volunteering and published research etc. etc. and a mere 38 MCAT 😀 who didn't get her undergrad degree from a top US school (which screws up her chances... a lot).
Click to expand...

True dat. I'm very grateful for what I do have. At the same time, it doesn't make the wait any easier, unfortunately.

And with your stats and experience, you're going to end up somewhere great, regardless of your undergrad 🙂
 
Thank you 🙂 Well, I'm still hoping for something...
(Btw, getting a false II does suck 🙁)
 
hopefulMD12 said:
I got spoiled with 3 early II from 3 great schools. I'm pretty addicted to IIs now to the point where I check my email hourly. Not getting one in 10 days has been....tough. Sad part is, I'm not even joking. 🙁
Click to expand...

Bauman1535 said:
I know that feel bro. Haven't heard a thing since my II to Pritzker over a month ago, outside of a pseudo-invite to CCLCM. It's been a rough month.
Click to expand...

I can relate. If it helps, think about all the work you put in writing your personal statement. Now imagine an unknown number of eyes reading every line, all over the country. :meanie:
 
Hey, I was wondering if we really need to upload a CV. Isn't that for PhD/MD program? If so, are they looking for things that are not included in AMCAS, or just an overview of everything?
Thanks in advance 🙂
 
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