Columbia> weird! What's going on?

[sdooner30]

I agree in that most of the time, it is the applicant's responsibility to call and confirm that the school has everything. Otherwise, if the school happens to not receieve something, the blame all falls back to the applicant

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[MissionDental]

Man, this is rediculous. when u apply for a career that maybe change your life from now on, you wanna make sure everything is going right. Even I sent my check and they cashed it, I still wanna call to make sure that they had it. You never know when and where they make a mistake. If this is just another bills I have to pay, then it's not a problem. But it is my LIFE. However, the second email Lugo sent out sounded like she was very pissed. All the highlights and underlines emphasize her invoice in angry.

She just a secretary and happen to be one of the admission staffs. she is nobody.

wow

 

[Jake8]

The way she is handling this is a flat out slap in the face of all who applied to Columbia. I wish I could have my application fee refunded and application withdrawn. Honestly how hard is it to accept the fact that you messed up and caused undue grief to all of those affected? Seriously she needs to go, she is giving the school a bad name.

 

[latasha]

I am wonderring if any other admission staffs know about this issue. Should we send them a note or a link to this thread? let them decide who will stay and who will go.

 

[AlwaysImproving]

I didn't start this thread for us to fight 😱

 

[Contach]

"Dear Applicant,

PLEASE READ THIS EMAIL IN IT'S ENTIRELY!"


roflmao.. it's entireTy.. not entireLy... and also.. in this context it should be "ITS" (posessive) not "IT'S" (it is) ... if you are going to highlight, bold and underline something, atleast make sure it isn't swamped with typos - get it right Columbia admissions...


Furthermore, if the last interview is on the 27th of February,why are they asking for more secondary fees? It is unlikely they will be able to receive this money, cash it, and review the last of the applications in time to offer interviews by February 27th.. this seems like the cheapest, slyest way to get an extra few bucks before everyone's applications are thrown in the trash.... looks so bad on the school - I'm glad I canceled my interview at Columbia. If I could do it again, I wouldn't be kind enough to phone them in advance and let them know I wasn't going to make it, becuase clearly they have not reciprocated this kindness to any of the applicants this year. We all experienced the same coldness.

 

[supraman]

The Canadian layin the law. Unbelievable, noticed the same thing.

 

[bucknut2009]

I have read the email and it is clear that she is a piece of work. I usually like to give people the benefit of the doubt but she has clearly stepped over the line. If hundreds of people (as she mentions) are responding in the same way, then maybe IT'S (as noticed by Contach) time to evaluate how the situation was initially handled. A simple apology/clarification immediately after the incident would have done the trick. SIMPLE.

 

[latasha]

"Dear Applicant,

PLEASE READ THIS EMAIL IN IT’S ENTIRELY!"


roflmao.. it's entireTy.. not entireLy... and also.. in this context it should be "ITS" (posessive) not "IT'S" (it is) ... if you are going to highlight, bold and underline something, atleast make sure it isn't swamped with typos - get it right Columbia admissions...


Furthermore, if the last interview is on the 27th of February,why are they asking for more secondary fees? It is unlikely they will be able to receive this money, cash it, and review the last of the applications in time to offer interviews by February 27th.. this seems like the cheapest, slyest way to get an extra few bucks before everyone's applications are thrown in the trash.... looks so bad on the school - I'm glad I canceled my interview at Columbia. If I could do it again, I wouldn't be kind enough to phone them in advance and let them know I wasn't going to make it, becuase clearly they have not reciprocated this kindness to any of the applicants this year. We all experienced the same coldness.

i like this part the most..lolz.

 

[ddsclassof2013]

The 1st email. Instead of sending it to those who haven't submitted their appliction fee, she was lazy enough to send it to the whole applicant pool.

The 2nd email. She was pissed because some applicants emailed her and asked about their checks.

Is this the way columbia handle their applicants? and Yes, this is def the last chance to suck money from applicants.

not regret at all when I canceled my interview in Dec 5th

 

[Daydream46]

I have read the email and it is clear that she is a piece of work. I usually like to give people the benefit of the doubt but she has clearly stepped over the line. If hundreds of people (as she mentions) are responding in the same way, then maybe IT'S (as noticed by Contach) time to evaluate how the situation was initially handled. A simple apology/clarification immediately after the incident would have done the trick. SIMPLE.

Agreed. Maybe something like "I realize there has been some confusion, I would like to clarify that the email was simply a reminder for all who have not paid"

Maybe people were rude when they called and put her in a bad mood... like "What the hell... I sent this in months ago" I don't know.

 

[Stephie3]

i really thought that little "clarification" e-mail sent to me by columbia today was really rude and entirely out of place.

if i remember right, columbia was one of the schools that was like "don't contact us. we'll let you know if we need more stuff for your app"

ok soo i hear NOTHING from columbia for like EIGHT months, then they send me a "reminder" to pay my application fee after all the interviews have already been given out? like what the crap? i doubt they even looked at my application, because most all the other schools i applied to seem to really want me

SEVENTY FIVE DOLLARS. if it's "just" an oopsy extra seventy five dollars, then how about columbia gives me an extra seventy five dollars? i'm hungry for pizza and could use a new pair of jeans.

as IF undergrad didn't suck enough money out of us. i am now 10,000 dollars in debt from undergrad. yes, i was accepted into dental school, but looking back now, i could have just studied for the DAT on my own and did well enough where i could have skipped a lot of college classes.

i think this is SO unprofessional of columbia. it looks really shady and fraudulant. the email today just made me mad, it was talking condescendingly to us like we can't read or something. ummm i have been reading since i was like six years old and hello dentists are in the top 2% of people in society, so we're probably capable of reading, thank you very much.

this is a horrible shame. just horrible. and YES i am going to complain, because i felt that i paid them 75 dollars + money to aadsas just for them to throw my application in the trash.

 

[Jimmy Choo]

A lot of bitter people here. Unless your check was never cashed, you have no right to complain about this. You haven't heard from them because you're not good enough, not because they never got your check. Now if your check was never cashed, then you should be really angry about this because it could really mean that Columbia lost your check and didn't look at your application. Additionally, I think you guys are forgetting the fact that Columbia is one of the most competitive dental schools in the country.

I thought the follow up email was so funny. It was such a pompous F U email.

 

[Jimmy Choo]

I received the email as well. It says in the email "If the fee hasalready been paid, please disregard this notice."

I agree it's stupid to have sent the email to every applicant but let's be honest here, who actually read that first email in its entirety? I don't think I have ever in my life read a long formal email like that. How many of you actually caught that part? I certainly didn't and only found out after I read ElDiente's post.

 

[nydds25]

A lot of bitter people here. Unless your check was never cashed, you have no right to complain about this. You haven't heard from them because you're not good enough, not because they never got your check. Now if your check was never cashed, then you should be really angry about this because it could really mean that Columbia lost your check and didn't look at your application. Additionally, I think you guys are forgetting the fact that Columbia is one of the most competitive dental schools in the country.

I thought the follow up email was so funny. It was such a pompous F U email.

Eagerly anticipating the responses this one gets...

 

[Cleric7x9]

A lot of bitter people here. Unless your check was never cashed, you have no right to complain about this. You haven't heard from them because you're not good enough, not because they never got your check. Now if your check was never cashed, then you should be really angry about this because it could really mean that Columbia lost your check and didn't look at your application. Additionally, I think you guys are forgetting the fact that Columbia is one of the most competitive dental schools in the country.

I thought the follow up email was so funny. It was such a pompous F U email.

d-bag

 

[Stephie3]

Unless your check was never cashed, you have no right to complain about this.

well i don't know about you, but I am from America. Therefore, I have the RIGHT to say whatever I want. what's all this "you have no right to speak against injustice..you should just be a mindless pawn of society" forget that. people need to start taking more consumer education classes or something if they have that kind of attitude if they feel you can't speak up when things like that happen.

no one who knew that Columbia was pretty much done with their interviews would send in $75 dollars knowing the likelihood that columbia isn't even going to interview them. ALSO, they were probably counting on people who forgot or weren't certain that they sent in their fee..or ppl who are just afraid to say anything, so they fork out another $75.

raise your hand if you would give a school $75 (after paying AADSAS fee and DAT fee for it too) if you knew that there was a super super super slim chance of them even considering you at this point. my point exactly.

 

[Stephie3]

i get the feeling that people who say "you have no right to complain" when a school tries to rip you off are the same ones who believe that doctors don't have a right to be adequately compensated for their work.

there is definitely a need to caring for humanity while being a dentist (which i def. intend to do), but it is also a business. just like colleges are a business (if you don't pay your tuition fees, they kick you out of their school) and therefore colleges should conduct themselves in ethical business ways.

 

[AlwaysImproving]

"Dear Applicant,

PLEASE READ THIS EMAIL IN IT’S ENTIRELY!"


roflmao.. it's entireTy.. not entireLy... and also.. in this context it should be "ITS" (posessive) not "IT'S" (it is) ... if you are going to highlight, bold and underline something, atleast make sure it isn't swamped with typos - get it right Columbia admissions...


Furthermore, if the last interview is on the 27th of February,why are they asking for more secondary fees? It is unlikely they will be able to receive this money, cash it, and review the last of the applications in time to offer interviews by February 27th.. this seems like the cheapest, slyest way to get an extra few bucks before everyone's applications are thrown in the trash.... looks so bad on the school - I'm glad I canceled my interview at Columbia. If I could do it again, I wouldn't be kind enough to phone them in advance and let them know I wasn't going to make it, becuase clearly they have not reciprocated this kindness to any of the applicants this year. We all experienced the same coldness.

So btw, I got an "e-Interview Invitation" from Columbia. Did they mean "Interview e-Invitation"?
In other words, the former would mean they are inviting me for an "e-interview" (interview via email)?
I am not trying to be mean. I really am just curious about this 😎

 

[thethethe]

what day is your interview? is it this friday?

 

[AlwaysImproving]

.

 

[thethethe]

i heard this friday was the last date.
i would hurry up and set up the interview.

 

[trojan360]

I thought the email was extremely rude, unprofessional and uncalled for. I could understand if the first email was sent earlier in the cycle. When i got the email, it made me wonder if they cashed my check and just didn't write down that i've paid and didn't review my application. They should have just sent the email to the people who didn't pay instead of tell us to disregard the email if we have already paid to avoid confusion. they caused this mess themselves. Also, it's our right as applicants to ask the status of our application. We've paid 75 dollars and the least they could do was to tell us of our application status. This whole situation made Columbia look really unprofessional. Btw, she really should have edited the email before she sent it out; it was so rude and so full of mistakes that it was funny.

 

[Ninster]

Man, I have gone through WAYY too much trouble to send Columbia their 75 dollars. I'm from Canada and even a money order from the post-office wasn't good enough. I had to have family in the states send them a check. Then, no update in 8 months...I don't care about the e-mail, they were just being lazy but LET ME KNOW MY STATUS DUDE.

Edit: the part with her spelling mistakes DID bug me a bit.

 

[Upenn08]

Rather than talking to Diana Lugo, people should talk/email to Dr. McManus directly. He is a reasonable person and if a student is not satisfied with some aspect of the admissions process, I know that he will listen and correct it.

Also, I wanted to add that, while I agree with all you guys that Diana Lugo is horrible, Columbia's admissions people other than Diana are all great. Let's not diss the whole admissions department just because of one horrible secretary. I didn't get into Columbia, but Dr.McManus and Dr. Davis were the best folks I have seen in the dental interviews.

 

[dmd0]

oh... plz... columbia! I laughed so hard at the 1st and 2nd email. what the hell is wrong with this woman?

 

[AlwaysImproving]

..

 

[Upenn08]

any updates on this madness?

 

[yayforcoffee]

Updates!

1. Talked to Diana on Friday, who was completely professional and reasonable by the way. Either she's gotten in trouble for this, or (which is more probable) you guys don't have any tact when talking to people...she was really nice and I joked around with her too...

2. Interviews, which are usually over by now, are being extended towards the end of March because of the large amount of applications.

3. Their class is NOT filled up yet.

 

[Upenn08]

Updates!

1. Talked to Diana on Friday, who was completely professional and reasonable by the way. Either she's gotten in trouble for this, or (which is more probable) you guys don't have any tact when talking to people...she was really nice and I joked around with her too...

2. Interviews, which are usually over by now, are being extended towards the end of March because of the large amount of applications.

3. Their class is NOT filled up yet.

Judging from the two emails Diana Lugo has sent, and judging from numerous testimonies of the predents here, I think the former is much more likely than the latter.

 

[dmd0]

interviews are extended to march? wow... it surely is a tough yr for columbia...kids don't choose to go there yr by yr....

 

[icedawg]

Man, I have gone through WAYY too much trouble to send Columbia their 75 dollars. I'm from Canada and even a money order from the post-office wasn't good enough.

Yeah, me too. I originally sent them a Canadian cheque that was attached to a US funds bank account--the cheque even said "US funds" on it. I didn't even realize they didn't cash it b/c they invited me for an interview, and during my interview I was not informed the fee was still outstanding! (Furthermore, the 10+ other U.S. schools had no trouble cashing it.) When I got Diana's e-mail I double-checked the bank records and that's when I noticed the cheque hadn't been cashed. I tried calling Diana several times and only ever got voicemail, so then I e-mailed her and she completely ignored my e-mail. I'm assuming, at that point, she was inundated with so many e-mails that she just stopped answering them. Fortunately my sister's boyfriend works in the states and has an account at a bank there and was able to get me a money order. I went ahead and sent an e-mail to Dr. McManus anyway because I imagine it looks really bad that I still haven't paid my secondary fee! Geez I've interviewed there and am hoping for an acceptance for crying out loud.

 

[shamrock84]

dont bash mrs. lugo--she is such a sweetheart!! they always interview until march. nothing unusual

 

[bucknut2009]

dont bash mrs. lugo--she is such a sweetheart!! they always interview until march. nothing unusual

Is that you Ms. Lugo?

 

[kppredent]

I applied to Columbia back in July. They cashed my check really fast, but I did not hear anything back from them for a month. So I called and the secretary told me they never got my payment. I told them they cashed in my check a month ago and she told me not to worry about it. Then, I called again a week later to confirm my payment and she told me they still didnt get my payment. I did this for a while until they finally said they got my payment in October. My app supposedly got reviewed in November, but who knows if they actually reviewed it. I got into other five dental schools, but they really need to do something about their admissions staff. If you are one of the admissions staff reading this post, I WANT MY MONEY BACK

 

[later2pharm]

stfu. Can we not inquire about why we are receiving these emails at the end of february when applications and fees were submitted in the summer?

yeah, "stfu" lol....no jk. i have whole new perspective on dentists now after my short history on sdn. now every time i see a young dentist I will know there is a good chance they were one of the many foul mouthed, "low class" posters on sdn. Ive noticed of all the forums, the Dental one has the most foul mouthed people. wonder why?

 

[glk2101]

even from someone thats going there i cant deny the incompetence at hand