Columbia

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The suspense is killing me!

Maybe I should have dedicated a work of art to him . . .
 
So am I the only sucker who didn't send in a letter of interest or intent? Bad move?
 
Me gusta Columbia.

Good luck everyone!
 
I didn't send one. I figure if I get in, then I get in. If I don't, it wasn't meant to be.

FWIW, my tour guide (nice guy) wrote an LOI (intent) after his interview before receiving a decision. He was waitlisted. Then he sent another after getting waitlisted and was ultimately accepted. His point when we were speaking was that he felt that LOI's are the way to go with Columbia. The dean looks favorably on them. But my guess is that they are more effective after receiving a decision, but they don't hurt either way.

Good luck everyone! :luck::luck:
 
Anyone care to investigate?

Granted, I'm not our class's admissions rep or anything, but I'd call BS on that. The admissions suite has been closed up for about a week or two... which is sad because I can no longer use all you interviewees as a way to steal coffee.


Last year, when my panties were bunching over Columbia's decision, there were tons of people making similar claims on here. Decisions still came out on time.

:luck::luck::luck: everyone
 
Granted, I'm not our class's admissions rep or anything, but I'd call BS on that. The admissions suite has been closed up for about a week or two... which is sad because I can no longer use all you interviewees as a way to steal coffee.


Last year, when my panties were bunching over Columbia's decision, there were tons of people making similar claims on here. Decisions still came out on time.

:luck::luck::luck: everyone

Severus, you rule. Now, back to the waiting!
 
Granted, I'm not our class's admissions rep or anything, but I'd call BS on that. The admissions suite has been closed up for about a week or two... which is sad because I can no longer use all you interviewees as a way to steal coffee.


Last year, when my panties were bunching over Columbia's decision, there were tons of people making similar claims on here. Decisions still came out on time.

:luck::luck::luck: everyone
when i called today they said that they were still reviewing applications and sending out invitations to interview, and they would be interviewing well into march. I think they're still sending out decisions when they're expected, but leaving just a few spots for these last few students.
 
These next two weeks will probably be going pretty slow, but then again, I interviewed in early September, so its been a long journey as is.

Also interviewed in September... 5 months went by faster than the next few weeks will probably go, I'm waiting to hear from EVERYONE and I seriously think I've been crazy for the last few days, especially cause Dr. Hinkley at Miami told us we'd hear last Wednesday and still nothing. 😕
 
when i called today they said that they were still reviewing applications and sending out invitations to interview, and they would be interviewing well into march. I think they're still sending out decisions when they're expected, but leaving just a few spots for these last few students.

Well, I dunno about that. It's just queer for them to say that b/c as a tour guide/student host/lunch-guide person I'm not getting emails from admissions to do any of those things anymore. Now, granted I could just suck as a lunch-person/student host and Ellen just finally scratched my name off the list, but I haven't witnessed any of my classmates giving tours or hosting anyone lately either.

And I totally realize that I/this post sounds way more b!tchy than intended, and I'm sorry for that. I just don't want you or anyone else to get their hopes up about receiving one of these seemingly super-stealthy-secretive-Ninja-operated March interviews and then feel totally jilted and lied to if/when it doesn't arrive. That said, if they really are still looking over a few late applications, I hope you get an interview (and from stalking your MDapps profile, :luck: with Cornell too!)
 
Yeah, I was also curious about what people were saying about possible interviews in March. I hadn't seen people in suits around in a while, and I haven't seen people in the interview suite in a while either. (I work there and I pass by the 1st floor of P&S almost every day). That's odd.
 
iiinteresting. I wonder what the deal is.

Whoa. So Severus, you totally could have been a lunch-person for a lot of us, and we never would have known it. 🙂
 
ooo columbia!!! 😍😍😍

**fingers crossed**

good news on the 29th would make me die & go to heaven...
 
😱:scared:👍:hardy:I didn't apply to Columbia but I just wanted to affirm that I completely approve of these collective bug-out threads. 😱:scared:👍:hardy:
 
Okay, I interviewed in mid Jan and sent an LOI (interest) afterward...

Yet I've received no acknowledgement, NOR one of those letters/emails from Dean Frantz (you know, the ones that were worded one of three ways that were discussed in another thread).

Any thoughts??? 😱
 
Okay, I interviewed in mid Jan and sent an LOI (interest) afterward...

Yet I've received no acknowledgement, NOR one of those letters/emails from Dean Frantz (you know, the ones that were worded one of three ways that were discussed in another thread).

Any thoughts??? 😱

I sent a thank you note and never received any letter/email. Apparently applicants have been trying to figure out the mystery behind the different letter types and who gets what letter, etc. for a few years now, and the mystery hasn't been solved. I'm not worrying about it at all.
 
Okay, I interviewed in mid Jan and sent an LOI (interest) afterward...

Yet I've received no acknowledgement, NOR one of those letters/emails from Dean Frantz (you know, the ones that were worded one of three ways that were discussed in another thread).

Any thoughts??? 😱

Don't worry. I sent a letter of intent pre-decision last year and heard absolutely nothing while others were getting love letters from P&S left and right. I still got in straight off the bat.

I don't honestly know what the deal is with the letters, but I'm pretty sure that there is no correlation between acceptances and Dean Frantz's letters.
 
Don't worry. I sent a letter of intent pre-decision last year and heard absolutely nothing while others were getting love letters from P&S left and right. I still got in straight off the bat.

I don't honestly know what the deal is with the letters, but I'm pretty sure that there is no correlation between acceptances and Dean Frantz's letters.

Maybe... sending an LOI and NOT getting any love in return is a good sign? 😀 😀 Just wishful thinking. I didn't get any cryptic letters from P&S after my Letter of Intent. Ah well.
 
Another Columbia fan here, and an MD-PhD applicant to boot. According to P&S's MD-PhD admissions staff, we were supposed to hear back from them ~ two weeks before the MD-only applicants... but it's less than two weeks before March 1st, and still no word... 🙁
 
This is friggin' tense. I can't sleep anymore. Partly because I'm hearing from a couple other schools between today and Columbia-Day, but mostly because LETTERS GO OUT IN ONE WEEK. 😱

P&S, I <3 U.

Another Columbia fan here, and an MD-PhD applicant to boot. According to P&S's MD-PhD admissions staff, we were supposed to hear back from them ~ two weeks before the MD-only applicants... but it's less than two weeks before March 1st, and still no word... 🙁

ACK. Sorry, dude. You gotta be feelin' the hurt right now. 🙁

Don't you think it would be more fair if they sent out West Coast notices two days early so we all got them at about the same time?

Well, that would only be fair if the postal service ran like clockwork. Unfortunately, perusing last year's threads, it seems that oftentimes people on the East Coast have to wait a few days because the post is slow. Maybe they should just e-mail it out...

At the same time, though... it's nice to have physical evidence so that you can be absolutely sure it isn't a dream.
 
Don't you think it would be more fair if they sent out West Coast notices two days early so we all got them at about the same time?

I agree! Maybe it will get sent to my home on the East Coast...but I would like the thrill of opening at least one decision letter this year....I've had to listen to my mom open them all over the phone so far.
 
hey severus,

could you give a physical description of what the acceptance letter looks like? is it a fat 8.5x11? will it be stuffed with candy and buzzers? do you happen to know what the rejection letter looks like? is it a thin bad envelope soaked in sewage? thanks because i sometimes wonder if i'll know prior to even opening the letter.
 
hey severus,

could you give a physical description of what the acceptance letter looks like? is it a fat 8.5x11? will it be stuffed with candy and buzzers? do you happen to know what the rejection letter looks like? is it a thin bad envelope soaked in sewage? thanks because i sometimes wonder if i'll know prior to even opening the letter.

As soon as I opened my mailbox I knew it was an acceptance, because the priority mail packet is pretty darn massive. There's seriously like a pound of paper in there, with -- of course -- your acceptance letter, finaid stuff, bard hall info, revist weekend plans, etc.

I'm not sure what our rejection letter looks like, but from past years' threads, I believe that rejections/waitlists come in a typical letter mailing. As I recall, WL letters maybe a tad thicker because there are forms in there for you to send back regarding your wish to stay on the WL.

Hope that helps... and I hope you all get big white packets come March!!
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dodo23
Another Columbia fan here, and an MD-PhD applicant to boot. According to P&S's MD-PhD admissions staff, we were supposed to hear back from them ~ two weeks before the MD-only applicants... but it's less than two weeks before March 1st, and still no word... 🙁

ACK. Sorry, dude. You gotta be feelin' the hurt right now. 🙁

Thanks. I'm still holding out because none of the other mudphud applicants I know has heard from them yet, so maybe they're just sending them out late this year. I'd love to have an idea when, though. 🙁
 
Well, we're looking at 6-days 'til they're in the mail, and 7-days 'til they start arriving in mail boxes.

I think getting waitlisted at Dartmouth has taken the edge off a bit. I'm just not as nervous anymore, because I assume that I'll be waitlisted at Columbia too. Who knows, though? Maybe that LoIntent I sent to Columbia will make a difference.
 
Yeah, I'm surprisingly not nervous because I doubt I've got a snowball's chance in hell of getting in straight off the bat. If I get flat-out rejected I'll be disappointed, but at least I'll get some closure. We'll see...
 
Yeah, I'm surprisingly not nervous because I doubt I've got a snowball's chance in hell of getting in straight off the bat. If I get flat-out rejected I'll be disappointed, but at least I'll get some closure. We'll see...

Yeah. It's probably best to avoid getting our hopes up. Hope for the waitlist... and then pray that we're accepted from there.

I think that's a reasonable target.

I wish I could do more. I already sent the LoIntent, and I don't want to pester the heck out of Dean Frantz and the admissions office.
 
I bet most of their decisions are already done and our names are just sitting in some computer file waiting to be printed up. So frustrating.

I don't know about you folks, but this week and I am sure the next few feel like a void because nothing else seems that important. Be it Columbia or some other school, I want to know where my life will be taking me. But as said above, I am sure getting on a wait list will just extend the fun. =D
 
I am also waiting on a bunch of schools in the next two weeks. It will be an intense time. Months of nothing to 2 weeks of everything 🙂
 
I just hope they mail them out the 29th. I have a nagging feeling that its going to be delayed a couple of days.
 
I am also waiting on a bunch of schools in the next two weeks. It will be an intense time. Months of nothing to 2 weeks of everything 🙂

Hahaha. I wish I had a bunch of schools to freak out about.

Good luck with all of them!
 
I am getting pretty excited.... This wait is killing me though.
 
Holy crap. We're looking at less than 5 days 'til decisions are sent out.

I think I need to lie down... for the rest of the week.
 
when i called today they said that they were still reviewing applications and sending out invitations to interview, and they would be interviewing well into march. I think they're still sending out decisions when they're expected, but leaving just a few spots for these last few students.

Columbia 4th year here, revisiting the pre-allo board for old time's sake. Perhaps the interviews that go into March are the 2nd interviews for some folks who were waitlisted?

Good luck all:luck:
 
this is another P&S '08 person checking in...

FWIW, my tour guide (nice guy) wrote an LOI (intent) after his interview before receiving a decision. He was waitlisted. Then he sent another after getting waitlisted and was ultimately accepted. His point when we were speaking was that he felt that LOI's are the way to go with Columbia. The dean looks favorably on them. But my guess is that they are more effective after receiving a decision, but they don't hurt either way.

This accurately reflects my experience in 2004. After I was waitlisted at Columbia I sent another LOI (just snail mail, no Fedex) and received a pleasant letter in response with a handwritten albeit noncommittal note from Dean Frantz.

I was advised to hold off on asking for another interview, which I did until May rolled around and I realized I still really wanted to go to Columbia. So on May 25 I called in and spoke with Dr. Frantz who gave me a second interview (my first was in October) on June 2. My interview lasted over an hour, and at the end Dr. Frantz couldn't give an offer on the spot because he was waiting for more accepted students to drop out. On June 15 he called me and I was in.

The good news is that even if you don't get in this week there is a chance. The bad news is that this chance carries a low probability and the process may continue until bare weeks before class starts.

The result of all this drama is that I'm part of a very enthusiastic class who couldn't imagine doing medical school anywhere else. I was pleasantly surprised at the high praise I heard for past Columbia students during my residency interviews; the common theme was "we've had great people from your school in the past, you should join us too."
 
Has anyone heard any recent or updated news from the admissions office about when they are sending out decisions?

Good luck to everyone!
 
MD-PhD decisions are out, so all you MD-only applicants should be hearing in a few days. Hang in there, everyone! :luck:
 
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