Columbia's Application???

[kc361]

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First of all, I want to wish everyone applying for the class of 2006 the very best of luck!!! I know how harrying this whole procedure is (it certainly is for me), but I've no doubt that in a few months this forum will light up with posts that shout of success.

If anyone has a moment, could you please help me with the Columbia app? I'm confused about their essay. The last page of the online application allows you to add additional information, but also talks about attaching an essay...yet there are no guidelines whatsoever. Do they want us to attach a personal statement, or is the question, "what do you want from your medical career?" basically the only essay question?

If anyone could please offer me a little insight, I would sincerely appreciate it. I'm going abroad in a few days and won't be back for six weeks...I'd really like to get this squared away before I go.

Thank you so much, and good luck everyone!

 

[L'?nergie]

Hi kc361,

Are you referring to the one on Embark.com? I applied last year, and I remember Columbia having only one essay (something like "what satisfactions do you expect to get out of the medical profession"). Basically, if you don't want to write your essay online (because of all weird formating stuff), you can write your essay on Word, and then upload the entire essay as an attachment. The website thing will change your essay to a pdf (acrobat reader?) file, I think...but I could be wrong..this could be the AMCAS...sorry, I did all of this in a hurry in the fall...so things get a little murky. In any case, I just remember it being much easier to upload my essay as a word document at the end than to write the essay online...because they give you 40 minutes per page. If you upload your essay, then just write "see attachment" in the online application box where you're supposed to write the essay. I suspect everything worked out in the end regarding the essay attachment, even though I was a little leary about the whole attachment deal.

Good luck with the application...(and don't forget the deadline on Oct. 15th!)

 

[kc361]

Thanks L'engergie! I think that's precisely the case. I'm just going to tweak my AMCAS essay a bit and upload it ("what satisfactions, etc" sounds to me like a fancy way of saying, "why do you want to be a doctor?")

Thank you again!

 

[po' boy]

I applied last year as well. The nice thing about that application is that it doesn't restrict the amount of space you have in the uploaded essay section. So, you can basically upload everything but the kitchen sink (resume, second essay, etc.) as long as it's all one file.

Good luck -- maybe we'll be classmates in a year! I'll be attending Columbia in the Fall.

 

[kc361]

Dear po'boy,
Congratulations on your acceptance! I'm actually a little ways down from P & S. . . I'm at Barnard for undergrad. I hope that you enjoy the City & your first year in med school!

Again, congrats!