Any tips on Columbia?

[bond007md]

Hey guys, I just wanted some application advice from past Columbia applicants and of course current students. I love NY and wanted to apply this coming cycle. It was interesting to see that they are not AMCAS related.

But my question is that did you apply electronically through EMBARK.COM- according to the website this is their system- or did you ask for the paper application?

Also any other neat things you noticed about the school would be great- I have always liked the school for I have some friends attending the undergraduate and the atmosphere was really relaxed.

Thanks

ps- oh I almost forgot, are they grade based, PBL, etc?

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[SMW]

Definitely use Embark to apply. The students there are VERY happy, despite a rather traditional curriculum and long class hours. Students told me that they still had time for extracurricular interests. One neat thing is that for clinical rotations you are rotated through all the specialties. Grades are honors, pass, fail.

 

[Scooby Doo]

Close SMW

It's actually Pass Fail grading now

 

[SMW]

Scooby, you mean to tell me the MSAR is not accurate? And I should have hung on to all those notes I took at interviews? :wink:

 

[dr. momo]

on the tour i think they said that starting next year the first year would be p/f, but the second year would be h/p/f.

 

[bond007md]

Hey SMW, are you not going there? But you also defered- interesting and really cool (wonder what activity you are planning- maybe a backpacking trip through Europe :wink: ). Thanks for the advice, Columbia is one of my dream schools.

ps- I just saw the number of posts you have, AMAZING!! <img border="0" title="" alt="[Eek!]" src="eek.gif" />

 

[shekspere]

I got accepted @ Columbia but promptly deferred my enrollment. The grading is pass/fail as mentioned earlier. The atmosphere was relaxed and laid-back. Definitely apply there and hope to see in the fall of '03.

 

[trout]

Columbia puts an enormous amount of emphasis on your interview....not that you can blow off your paper application, but you can be a rocket scientist on paper but you better still be able to express yourself well during an interview. They interview a very high percentage of their applicants, and some are tough interviews and others are pretty relaxed....one shot deal though. I really liked the class they seemed very diverse and very into including other aspects of life into their education particularly things outside of medicine....I guess I would definitely try to include anything that you have done to empahsis this. Although I did not, some people uploaded their resume or cv into the extra space....

And scoob, since I can see you are checking SDN thanks for answering my pm!!!!

 

[Jalby]

Take up a sport.

 

[whoanelly]

Don't just take up "a" sport--take up rugby...and excel at it! Or show that you have the potential to excel at it. And/Or be good-looking. I have nothing to substantiate this advice--except a whole lot of rumors... Try to be interviewed by Frantz himself. I don't know how you can do this, but maybe someone else has advice on whether you can request an interview by him.

 

[tater tot]

what's with the good-looking rumor? Is Columbia softer on the hotties? should we send in glamour shots instead of passport/ID photos with the app.? <img border="0" alt="[Laughy]" title="" src="graemlins/laughy.gif" />

 

[Scooby Doo]

•••quote:•••Originally posted by tater tot:
•what's with the good-looking rumor? •••••It's not a rumor baby :wink: :wink: :wink: :wink: :wink: