2014-2015 Columbia University College of P&S Application Thread

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.
I received an email from Dean Nicholas that sounded like a likely letter (used words like "keeping you very strongly in mind", and "think you would enjoy your time here at P&S"). It was in response to a thank you email to my interviewer (but the Dean responded?). Has anyone else received something similar?

Has it been established whether or not this is an auto-message sent to everyone that sends in thank-you notes to their interviewers? I got the same thing today and now I'm super curious and wondering whether it's even something worth raising my hopes up for haha
 
I loaded it onto the portal actually. They are really responsive to the portal because I sent thank you notes there and got replies the next day.
Thanks ConsultantMD ! You're the best!
 
Has it been established whether or not this is an auto-message sent to everyone that sends in thank-you notes to their interviewers? I got the same thing today and now I'm super curious and wondering whether it's even something worth raising my hopes up for haha
I felt special for a second but then I looked back on previous threads and it sounded just like a pretty standard message. It is prefaced with not knowing how decisions will go. Mine said to send an update. Did other people's?
 
I felt special for a second but then I looked back on previous threads and it sounded just like a pretty standard message. It is prefaced with not knowing how decisions will go. Mine said to send an update. Did other people's?

Figured as much. Mine didn't say anything about an update.
 
I felt special for a second but then I looked back on previous threads and it sounded just like a pretty standard message. It is prefaced with not knowing how decisions will go. Mine said to send an update. Did other people's?
Mine mentioned an update and the neuroticism in me thinks it's suggestive of waitlist
 
Mine mentioned an update and the neuroticism in me thinks it's suggestive of waitlist
Lol me too. Didn't want to say anything as I'm scouring previous posts for this variation. Sounds like there are variants of the letter. Oh well can't do anything about it!
 
Maybe there is a little customization then. Who knows? From previous threads there wasn't a strong trend.

There probably is - I mentioned things I liked about Columbia in my note, and the letter I got from Dean Nicholas said that he "appreciated my enthusiasm for P&S" or something of that sort. So, probably a little customization going on. And I'm sure that the mention of the update isn't indicative of anything!!
 
There probably is - I mentioned things I liked about Columbia in my note, and the letter I got from Dean Nicholas said that he "appreciated my enthusiasm for P&S" or something of that sort. So, probably a little customization going on. And I'm sure that the mention of the update isn't indicative of anything!!
Haha mine said that too! Lol we are all so crazy. There are years of threads on this even before Dr. Nicholas' time so it must be a tradition to send these replies back. A nice touch!
 
Interviewing here this week--is the interview closed or open file?

Also, do they consider anyone given an interview academically capable and therefore no longer care about scores when granting acceptances? I've heard schools vary with this.
I believe everything is still on the table for decisions
 
Hmm, can anyone objectively comment on the average stats of URMs accepted to top tier schools particularly this one)? It is an interesting discussion to have; however, I think the AAMC data on matriculating URMs may be misleading-It reflects an average for schools of every merit, not just those of top rigor.
 
Hmm, can anyone objectively comment on the average stats of URMs accepted to top tier schools particularly this one)? It is an interesting discussion to have; however, I think the AAMC data on matriculating URMs may be misleading-It reflects an average for schools of every merit, not just those of top rigor.
I can't comment on Columbia, but I do remember running into some numbers from Weill Cornell, and for their med school, at least post interview, the acceptance rate for URMs was around 36% (compared to around 33% for all interviewed applicants). I didn't see it making much of a difference (however, I don't know if that 'minority' label included Asians as well).
 
I can't comment on Columbia, but I do remember running into some numbers from Weill Cornell, and for their med school, at least post interview, the acceptance rate for URMs was around 36% (compared to around 33% for all interviewed applicants). I didn't see it making much of a difference (however, I don't know if that 'minority' label included Asians as well).

Asians are not considered URMs.
 
Asians are not considered URMs.
Sorry. I meant to say that they have statistics for 'minorities'. As far as I know, URM is an SDN term. When schools talk about 'minorities' (e.g. in stats, class profile, etc.), are they excluding Asians?
 
URM is not just an SDN term. I've seen it in a number of presentations from schools when talking about their stats and diversity. When schools talk about minorities and they don't specify URM they are probably including Asians in the statistic.
 
The idea is that you give preferential advantage to "Under-Represented Minorities," and the percentage of medical professionals who are Asian is similar to the percentage of Americans who are Asian. Therefore, they're not "underrepresented."

That being said, there's a social forum if you want to debate the merits of giving racially-based preferential advantage. Too many threads are thrown off topic by those debates, and it drives me bonkers.
 
Anywho, is Columbia receptive to updates? Any recent IIs after sending updates?
 
Anywho, is Columbia receptive to updates? Any recent IIs after sending updates?

Yes to the former question. Upload a PDF via the appropriate tab on their application website.
 
I thought the same thing at first but I have a US News subscription so I ran the numbers and the ratio stays about the same when you do accepted/applied. 5.7% of ISers get accepted while 3.9% of OOSers get accepted, which is roughly 1.5 times more.
Would you be able to share the raw interviewed/accepted data from US News? Also, during my interview day, I got a really big NY applicant vibe. I was the only person from the midwest, and there was one girl from Cali and that's it.
 
Would you be able to share the raw interviewed/accepted data from US News? Also, during my interview day, I got a really big NY applicant vibe. I was the only person from the midwest, and there was one girl from Cali and that's it.
7864 applied, 1075 interviewed, 325 accepted, 170 matriculated.
 
Does anyone know if Columbia favors its own undergrads for II's (for like courtesy interviews) or acceptances?
 
So I'm just going to go ahead and assume all of the interview invites have been given out for Bassett....
 
So I'm just going to go ahead and assume all of the interview invites have been given out for Bassett....
You are probably right, but it makes me so sad! 🙁 I wish I could send an update or something but I'm really just doing exactly what I said I'd be doing in my AMCAS.
 
You are probably right, but it makes me so sad! 🙁 I wish I could send an update or something but I'm really just doing exactly what I said I'd be doing in my AMCAS.

I'm in the exact same situation. I have no real "updates". I explained it all in the secondary.
 
What about regular MD? What dates are they up to? There hasn't been an II on this thread in over a month. >.<
 
Has anyone who interviewed for the Columbia Bassett Program heard back yet?
 
has anyone gotten a II lately? i feel like none will be sent out after this week until the new year because of the holidays and then we're into the last month of interviewing.....fingers crossed and trying to remain hopeful
 
has anyone gotten a II lately? i feel like none will be sent out after this week until the new year because of the holidays and then we're into the last month of interviewing.....fingers crossed and trying to remain hopeful
I hope you get one. Best of luck
 
Does anyone know or have an idea of how important the interview is within the whole process?

I just interviewed a few days ago. It was only 1 short 30 minute laid-back interview and I felt like I didn't get to talk about all that much. Everyone else said that theirs were pretty conversational as well and some people had their interviewer talk for like half the time too. Columbia needs to cut down from like 1075 interviewees to like ~300 acceptances so I really have no idea how they manage to choose their class...
 
Just to comment on the response-to-the-thank-you-letter topic, I also got a semi personal (keeping you strongly in mind) kind of email. There was a personal touch though that was definitely a response to the theme of my thank you note.

I'm thinking the admissions office has about 7-8 versions of the thank you letter that Dr. Nicholas might add a personal sentence to, here or there.

What say ye?
 
Sorry to bump as us Bassett interviewees are waiting on word of the first decisions.

Just wanted to mention a tiny little thing I noticed on the portal: I had uploaded an update letter back in September, and now it's gone from the "Application Update" page. I think I looked recently, within the past two weeks, and it was still there.

Looking at the little things since there's no big news...😉

Edited to add for Bassett: Just dug through last year's thread and found only one reported acceptance, which was on Christmas Eve (!).
 
Last edited:
Sorry to bump as us Bassett interviewees are waiting on word of the first decisions.

Just wanted to mention a tiny little thing I noticed on the portal: I had uploaded an update letter back in September, and now it's gone from the "Application Update" page. I think I looked recently, within the past two weeks, and it was still there.

Looking at the little things since there's no big news...😉

Edited to add for Bassett: Just dug through last year's thread and found only one reported acceptance, which was on Christmas Eve (!).

Thanks for doing the detective work! I'm on the edge of my seat. They definitely said they were planning on offering 5 acceptances during December. I wouldn't be surprised if they do it on December 24th haha.
 
Anyone having trouble uploading an update to the portal? Tried to upload an ITA as a pdf, but it's claiming that the file is the wrong type

Edit: Used chrome instead of Firefox and it worked fine!
 
Last edited:
Do the December acceptances only apply to the Bassett program?
 
I got one of those letters too after I sent in my thank you note. It asked for an updated. Please don't be a waitlist :/ Columbia is my dream school and I just got waitlisted at a school that I was confident I did well in for the interview (and that my stats were pretty high for), so I'm definitely discouraged.
 
Can someone help me with the thank you note submission thing? How do we use the portal to submit a note?
 
Can someone help me with the thank you note submission thing? How do we use the portal to submit a note?
Log in, click the "status" tab, select "application update" from the left panel, upload your letter in pdf file. 🙂
 
Getting super ancy after interviewing here... It seems like it will be ages till we find out 🙁
 
Still earlier than many other top schools. 😉
Haha, I guess you're right!
I just haven't been getting much love this cycle. I'm from a small liberal arts school in the middle of nowhere. Stats are very slightly above the average that columbia has put up online and I am not as super talented as most of the people there.. i really loved it, but everyone was from an ivy league school, the interviewees and the students , and even my interviewer! Premed neuroticism!
 
Top