Columbia waitlist?

[slipperyslope]

I know it is still really early, but has anyone gotten off the waitlist?

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[PropofolandPorsche]

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[slipperyslope]

anyone?

 

[slipperyslope]

come on....someone has to know a guy who heard that his friend's gardener's wife's mailman's son or someone equally ridiculous got off the waitlist.

last year's thread started in march and was several pages by now...is there really no word of movement??

 

[moomix906]

most people (except one random guy) got in off the waitlist mid to late april though based on last year's thread - everyone was just debating how likely it was to get off the waitlist - which it seemed, was less likely every year

 

[thirsty4chicken]

I'm betting April - May.

But, given that there are, from what I understand, something like 600-700 people on the wait list, the chances of getting in are pretty low at this point.

 

[slipperyslope]

I'm betting April - May.

But, given that there are, from what I understand, something like 600-700 people on the wait list, the chances of getting in are pretty low at this point.

what do you mean the chances are low at this point? if anything, since people have probably continued to withdraw from the waitlist and no one has gotten off yet, aren't the chances as good as they're gonna get? and weren't those numbers just speculation, i mean, does anyone really know how many people are on the waitlist? 700 sounds kinda ridiculous.

 

[Lorienne7]

I remember hearing somewhere that to get off the waitlist at Columbia you need to be interviewed again. Is that true? If so, those interviews have probably not yet taken place which is why no one has been pulled off the WL yet.

 

[CptCrunch]

I remember hearing somewhere that to get off the waitlist at Columbia you need to be interviewed again. Is that true? If so, those interviews have probably not yet taken place which is why no one has been pulled off the WL yet.

I think I remember reading on here that Dean Frantz meets with you and offers you a spot in-person.

 

[Garrison1]

I think I remember reading on here that Dean Frantz meets with you and offers you a spot in-person.

You don't need to have a second interview to be offered a spot off of the waitlist (refer to last year's waitlist thread) but certainly many have gotten off the waitlist with the second interview.

 

[dbhvt]

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=264212

Good luck, 11.

 

[SkiUtah]

I know of one person who had a second interview with Frantz last week. I emailed to see if he wanted to chat with me again and he replied that he did not have time right now....prob not a good sign.....

 

[uclaRM]

Did you guys have the wording "very highly ranked application" or like that in your waitlist letter?

 

[PhotoMD]

Generally speaking, Dr. Frantz has second interviews with those he did not speak to personally the first time. There is typically some movement prior to the May 15 day of reckoning, but most of it occurs after that. It is important to remember that more acceptances are granted than positions in the class already, and waitlist acceptances are typically granted when the number of outstanding acceptances dips below the number of seats. Finally, as a disclaimer, everything I just said is a generalization based on my experience from 2005, so take it with a grain of salt. Good luck! I have been incredibly happy at Columbia.

 

[CEEJAY000]

So, what are you guys doing in the mean time? Just crossing your fingers? Calling Dean Frantz every day? I'm just curious what, if anything, people are doing to try to get off the waitlist.

 

[moomix906]

I built a shrine for Dean Frantz....

 

[khadija]

its probably to early for any waitlist movement. most ppl with multiple acceptances r holding on until May 15.

 

[PhotoMD]

I have been getting some private messages asking what one can do to improve his or her chances of acceptance from the wait list. My honest, if vague, advice is to write to Dean Frantz detailing your activities since you applied, and to be candid and honest about your aims in medicine and why Columbia is the best school for you. In the past, it has been said that a letter of intent is almost requisite for admission from the wait list. Good luck! Your efforts are very, very well spent.

 

[benbk]

Part of what makes Columbia a lot of fun and the student body unique is all of the activites, clubs, etc. that take place outside of class. I've collected probably 1,000+ photos from my MS1 at P&S. Have a look...I'm glad I chose to come here.

http://www.chem.ucla.edu/~benbk/medicine/

Ben B-K
P&S, c/o 2009

 

[swk]

How's the financial aid at Columbia compared to other schools?

 

[ghsieh]

i actually read that in previous years they accepted 210 and waitlisted 250, and about 90 kids end up getting in off of the waitlist, cause all in all they accept ~300. that makes me optimistic, but i wonder if that changes from year to year, and i don't know if the person who put that in previous years was actually sure of those numbers. anyway... i really want to go to columbia, so still waiting. does anyone have any advice for these updates we should send?

 

[Pagz09]

i actually read that in previous years they accepted 210 and waitlisted 250, and about 90 kids end up getting in off of the waitlist, cause all in all they accept ~300. that makes me optimistic, but i wonder if that changes from year to year, and i don't know if the person who put that in previous years was actually sure of those numbers. anyway... i really want to go to columbia, so still waiting. does anyone have any advice for these updates we should send?

90 off the wait list? i don't think so. that would be over half the class. i know that last year almost no one got off the wait list (maybe 5 or so?) because columbia over-committed with their initial acceptances, and ended up with a very full class. i know that last year was atypical, and i have no idea what the usual range is, but i doubt it's as high as 90. let's hope it's much better than last year, though!

 

[slipperyslope]

i would tend to doubt that 90 people got off the waitlist but i also think we cannot judge waitlist movement by what is said on sdn. threads from the past couple of years have made it seem as if there is little movement but then the next year someone will say that almost 1/2 their class came from the waitlist. so who knows.

on the other hand...i REALLY want to believe that my chances of acceptance are closer to 90 out of 250. where did you read/hear those numbers??

 

[QuakerPreMed]

I withdrew from the wait-list last week (my decision is really down to a binary now, between two other schools) ... good luck to all who remain!!

 

[mountainhare]

90 off the wait list? i don't think so. that would be over half the class. i know that last year almost no one got off the wait list (maybe 5 or so?) because columbia over-committed with their initial acceptances, and ended up with a very full class. i know that last year was atypical, and i have no idea what the usual range is, but i doubt it's as high as 90. let's hope it's much better than last year, though!

It was definitely far more than 5-ish last year. Off the top of my head, I can immediately think of 3 people who got in off the waitlist last year from my undergrad institution alone, and I'd bet those 3 weren't the only people accepted off the waitlist from my undergrad institution, either. In spite of knowing that Columbia had overcommitted, Dean Frantz was still taking people off the waitlist weeks before May 15 last year; he was willing to do this even though it meant we'd end up with a larger-than-normal class size. I'm afraid I don't know any hard numbers about waitlist movement, but you shouldn't necessarily worry that overcommitment is going to stop Dean Frantz from accepting sufficiently enthusiastic people off the waitlist, either. Write letters of interest, people. At least every four weeks or so. And good luck.

 

[ghsieh]

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=264212

that's the place that said like 90/250 which i think also is high. obviously all 90 wouldn't go, so yea. but if they give out 210 initial acceptances and accept around 300 overall then it makes sense to me.

i dunno. 30 sounds right too. they all sound approximately right. im hoping that lobbying really hard will get me in... but that's pretty unlikely.

 

[swk]

yeah, waitlists suck

 

[ghsieh]

I think this is pretty bizarre, the columbia waitlist thread from previous years seems to have been ridiculously active, but i almost feel like i am the only one monitoring this thread. I hope this means that everyone is withdrawing from P&S's alternate list! yay yay yay yay

 

[Pagz09]

I think this is pretty bizarre, the columbia waitlist thread from previous years seems to have been ridiculously active, but i almost feel like i am the only one monitoring this thread. I hope this means that everyone is withdrawing from P&S's alternate list! yay yay yay yay

well, i don't think there has been any movement at all yet, so it's not like we're missing out. people were accepted in late april last year, so my guess is that within a week or two we might see the first acceptances. let's keep hoping!

also, the revisit weekend was just going on. let's hope all those wishy-washy people finally withdraw, and leave room for people with some real enthusiasm!

 

[moomix906]

anyone got a 2nd interview with Dean Frantz? I wonder if he gives them out when he has spots open, or if he just does them if he likes someone?

 

[PhotoMD]

anyone got a 2nd interview with Dean Frantz? I wonder if he gives them out when he has spots open, or if he just does them if he likes someone?

Generally an applicant asks for one.

 

[CEEJAY000]

Has anyone called the admissions office or Dean Frantz and received any information at all about the alternate list? I'm just curious because it seems like we're basing our information on a lot of hearsay and things said in last year's thread.

 

[ghsieh]

i actually spoke with frantz on the telephone today. he said that it's too early to tell whether we're high/mid/low on the waitlist because most people haven't even started declining initial acceptances yet, and that come mid-may he'll have a better idea of where we're placed. I asked what the highest/lowest # of people to come off the waitlist is, and he said it's been "as low as three dozen and sometimes can reach five dozen" so 36-60 as my trusty brain tells me, which is a pretty big range. they said they don't extend so many initial acceptances that the waitlist is impossible to get off, so we should still be hopeful.

 

[CptCrunch]

I have been getting some private messages asking what one can do to improve his or her chances of acceptance from the wait list. My honest, if vague, advice is to write to Dean Frantz detailing your activities since you applied, and to be candid and honest about your aims in medicine and why Columbia is the best school for you. In the past, it has been said that a letter of intent is almost requisite for admission from the wait list. Good luck! Your efforts are very, very well spent.

I walk past P&S almost everyday. Would it be helpful if one of these days I stop by with a bouquet of flowers and a box of chocolates?

 

[PDsquash83]

i actually spoke with frantz on the telephone today. he said that it's too early to tell whether we're high/mid/low on the waitlist because most people haven't even started declining initial acceptances yet, and that come mid-may he'll have a better idea of where we're placed. I asked what the highest/lowest # of people to come off the waitlist is, and he said it's been "as low as three dozen and sometimes can reach five dozen" so 36-60 as my trusty brain tells me, which is a pretty big range. they said they don't extend so many initial acceptances that the waitlist is impossible to get off, so we should still be hopeful.

Useful information. Thanks for calling.

 

[Pagz09]

i actually spoke with frantz on the telephone today. he said that it's too early to tell whether we're high/mid/low on the waitlist because most people haven't even started declining initial acceptances yet, and that come mid-may he'll have a better idea of where we're placed. I asked what the highest/lowest # of people to come off the waitlist is, and he said it's been "as low as three dozen and sometimes can reach five dozen" so 36-60 as my trusty brain tells me, which is a pretty big range. they said they don't extend so many initial acceptances that the waitlist is impossible to get off, so we should still be hopeful.

bless your kind heart. that makes me feel warm and tingly inside. 36-60....i think i can work with that.

 

[hateroftheyear]

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[CEEJAY000]

i actually spoke with frantz on the telephone today. he said that it's too early to tell whether we're high/mid/low on the waitlist because most people haven't even started declining initial acceptances yet, and that come mid-may he'll have a better idea of where we're placed. I asked what the highest/lowest # of people to come off the waitlist is, and he said it's been "as low as three dozen and sometimes can reach five dozen" so 36-60 as my trusty brain tells me, which is a pretty big range. they said they don't extend so many initial acceptances that the waitlist is impossible to get off, so we should still be hopeful.

Did he happen to mention how large the waitlist is?

 

[moomix906]

Who else votes Dr. Frantz as the biggest tease ever? I write to him to ask for a second interview and instead he sends me a letter saying that my application is in active consideration (plus the usual its too early, we'll keep you in mind lalala)...but if it really was wouldn't he grant me one? On the one hand its totally gratuitous and amazing of him to keep writing me these notes everytime I write him, but on the other hand I'm totally getting set up again to be crushed...

ackackack

 

[swk]

this is what happened in the thread last year. I few people get these invites during april, and then after that there is just a few people left over on the thread complaining about the generic letters and info he gives out to people, and eventually, around July, he basically tells people there is about a snow balls chance in hell of getting accepted.

applying to medical school is an awful process. You go through all this trauma, and in the end, even if you get what you want, you have to give out at least a hundred thousand dollars (on average) and pay interest on it.

definitely not as peachy as my naive mind made it out to be.

 

[Stolenspatulas]

Who else votes Dr. Frantz as the biggest tease ever? I write to him to ask for a second interview and instead he sends me a letter saying that my application is in active consideration (plus the usual its too early, we'll keep you in mind lalala)...but if it really was wouldn't he grant me one? On the one hand its totally gratuitous and amazing of him to keep writing me these notes everytime I write him, but on the other hand I'm totally getting set up again to be crushed...

ackackack

incredible tease. i also got that letter after requesting an interview. sheez.

 

[mountainhare]

OK Guys--

I was accepted to Columbia MD today!!!!!!!!! I'm not sure if this technically counts as a waitlist acceptance, because my situation is decidedly unique. I was a MSTP applicant and waitlisted for the MD/PhD program. However, Columbia is my absolute first choice for many reasons, and I would consider a MD offer there. I wrote a lengthy (two page single spaced) letter along with a copy of a neuroscience magazine I co-founded to Frantz specifying this after I received the MSTP waitlist letter at the beginning of March (signed by both the MSTP director and Frantz), and mentioned I would be in New York in early April. He invited me to a second interview (phone call) and I zoomed across town during my MSSM revisit to meet with the guy. About two hours were spent chatting about the merits of Columbia's program (neuro research, student diversity, P&S club), but the topics ranged from religion and philosophy to american literature and Shakespeare. At one point, he performed the entire soliloquy from act 1, scene 3 of Hamlet during the interview. Crazy, beautiful man. At the end he said my chances of admission to the MD program were "excellent" and that he wanted to contact the MSTP directors to ascertain my status there, and that I should call in a week. I sent a handwritten thank you note (the man took two hours out of his life to chat with me, a worthless peon!) and after some phone tag this week, I got in touch with him. Here's how it went down:


Me: ::unintelligible babbling to the effect of "hello"::

Dr. Frantz: Yes, I tried to get in touch with you yesterday in fact, I called four times but every time I got a weird "clicking" noise.

Me: ::stuttering:: I'm sorry, my phone died, but usually it goes straight to voice mail

Dr. Frantz: Well, it's a shame, because I was calling to offer you an acceptance.

Me: ::goes ape****::

And that is my story. Letter's in the mail, I'm attending, and I think I'm the first one to be accepted after the initial round of acceptances. I remain on the MD/PhD waitlist for Columbia and I should hear more in May, but it looks like movement will be tight. Will strongly consider reapplying internally, although frankly right now I'm just ecstatic to have made it into my dream school.

If P&S is where you want to be, for the love of god, TELL THEM!

roll the motherf*cking credits,
hater

Congratulations, Hater, and best of luck on getting off that MD/PhD waitlist!

 

[Pagz09]

Who else votes Dr. Frantz as the biggest tease ever? I write to him to ask for a second interview and instead he sends me a letter saying that my application is in active consideration (plus the usual its too early, we'll keep you in mind lalala)...but if it really was wouldn't he grant me one? On the one hand its totally gratuitous and amazing of him to keep writing me these notes everytime I write him, but on the other hand I'm totally getting set up again to be crushed...

ackackack

yes, those letters of his are just set ups for a very big let down. i received one after my interview in november, and i though, naive as i was, that his little "i assure you we will keep you very much in mind" was innuendo that i would be accepted. i thought columbia was in the bag. ha! silly me, thinking that a personal letter from the dean was a strong sign. but if you look at the SDN poll, it means nothing.

and now, his response letters to LOIs are the same, saying that it's too early to have open spots, and we must wait, and that we will keep being considered. and it was the same last year, if you look at the thread. but the reality is very different from the letter. if dr. frantz really wants you, he will re-interview you or accept you no matter what the matriculation status, even in mid-april, even if there aren't open spots yet. and i don't think that "hater" is an exception right now just because he was MD/PhD. Dr. frantz gave him one of the MD spots, the same spots we're waiting for. so if frantz doesn't give you that second interview, it's because he doesn't want to see you.

as of right now, i don't know if im one of the ones he wants or not, so i'm not necessarily getting bad news. when i get his response to my recent LOI, i should know one way or the other (re-interview and acceptance, or a string-me-along letter). but either way, i'm just a bit unhappy with his optimistic letters throughout the process, seemingly hinting that he is giving us special consideration, and telling us there are not yet spots, while others get admitted. it just makes for a big disappointment...

and oh wait...i've just started mimicking last year's thread without realizing it. oy!! we are doomed to repeat the cycle.

 

[Pagz09]

On the one hand its totally gratuitous and amazing of him to keep writing me these notes everytime I write him, but on the other hand I'm totally getting set up again to be crushed...

sorry for basically repeating what you already said, but i need to get it all out there, too. i'm feelin' the stress of this thing right now...

 

[Stolenspatulas]

yes, those letters of his are just set ups for a very big let down. i received one after my interview in november, and i though, naive as i was, that his little "i assure you we will keep you very much in mind" was innuendo that i would be accepted. i thought columbia was in the bag. ha! silly me, thinking that a personal letter from the dean was a strong sign. but if you look at the SDN poll, it means nothing.

and now, his response letters to LOIs are the same, saying that it's too early to have open spots, and we must wait, and that we will keep being considered. and it was the same last year, if you look at the thread. but the reality is very different from the letter. if dr. frantz really wants you, he will re-interview you or accept you no matter what the matriculation status, even in mid-april, even if there aren't open spots yet. and i don't think that "hater" is an exception right now just because he was MD/PhD. Dr. frantz gave him one of the MD spots, the same spots we're waiting for. so if frantz doesn't give you that second interview, it's because he doesn't want to see you.

as of right now, i don't know if im one of the ones he wants or not, so i'm not necessarily getting bad news. when i get his response to my recent LOI, i should know one way or the other (re-interview and acceptance, or a string-me-along letter). but either way, i'm just a bit unhappy with his optimistic letters throughout the process, seemingly hinting that he is giving us special consideration, and telling us there are not yet spots, while others get admitted. it just makes for a big disappointment...

and oh wait...i've just started mimicking last year's thread without realizing it. oy!! we are doomed to repeat the cycle.

ah crap i asked for a second interview and he said hes not doing them yet. i guess thats a secret way of telling me to piss off.

 

[Pagz09]

i wish current students wouldn't be so eager to try to convince applicants in the X vs. X threads to come to their school. if they're so wishy-washy, then why do you want them as classmates? leave room for some people who wouldn't have to think twice about such a decision. those choices would be easy for me. Penn vs. Columbia? Columbia. Hopkins vs. Columbia? Columbia. Harvard vs. Columbia? Columbia.

I'm also on Harvard's small 50 person NP wait-list, but do you see me posting there or pursuing it? No, I want Columbia.

*sigh* I'm in a complaining mood. =)

 

[Pagz09]

ah crap i asked for a second interview and he said hes not doing them yet. i guess thats a secret way of telling me to piss off.

please don't take what i said as gospel. frantz may be telling the truth, and he may have made an early exception for "hater" because he said he was planning on being in NYC in mid-april. so don't give up! i'm just in a pessimistic mood right now. =)

 

[moomix906]

oh god you know what, at this point anything you say is ok, i'll believe anything, cause I'm just nuts. Wheee....crazyyyy

This has been really great therapy guys, thanks

 

[Pagz09]

This has been really great therapy guys, thanks

i wish we could have a big group hug right now.

 

[slipperyslope]

soooooo (i'm not sure if i want to know the answer to this) has anyone ever gotten off the list w/o a second interview?? that would be one thing if they only looked at instate applicants, but it just seems unfair to people on the other side of the country who maybe don't have the time/money to take a potentially meaningless trip...