Official Columbia P&S 2010 Accepted Students Thread

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.
Members do not see this ad.
mazeymaze said:
I was thinkin of getting a laptop. Aside from wireless capability and a CD burner (that's what the computing center recommended), are there any other requirements/recommendations for a computer there at school? Memory?RAM?...
Click to expand...

If you're going in the direction of a windows PC, you might want to get something that will support Windows Vista which may come out in 6 months.

A Windows Vista Premium Ready PC includes at least:

* 1 GHz 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) processor.
* 1 GB of system memory.
* A graphics processor that runs Windows Aero.
* 128 MB of graphics memory.
* 40 GB of hard drive capacity with 15 GB free space.
* DVD-ROM Drive.
* Audio output capability.
* Internet access capability.

http://pogue.blogs.nytimes.com/?p=64
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsvista/getready/capable.mspx

These are bare minimum requirements. More is better. Most computers out there will have most of these. atleast 1.6GHz, 60Gig hard drive, etc. Don't know hte specifics of the graphics processor that runs Aero.

It's quite possible that Columbia will hook us up with an upgrade to vista when it comes out. Anyone know for sure?

And of course, that's just Windows. You can always go the Mac route as well (for which there are now options of running windows).
 
From Nancy, my orientation leader about white coat sizes:
One final thought based on my pre-med school experience last year: The sizes for the white coats listed on the forms are male sizes. Girls: definitely go for the smaller sizes. Don't worry, if you guess wrong, you can switch to a more appropriate size after the white coat ceremony. So girls, avoid looking silly in photos the day of the ceremony in a gigantic white coat (like me) but going for a smaller size.
Click to expand...
 
nancy is my orientation leader too. anyone think we get our names printed on our white coats? that would be sweet.
 
i think we just get nametags.. also, judging by nancy saying that you could switch sizes after white coat ceremony, i don't think they would our names on it... having a farmers market so close by is awesome news tho..
 
cameron's my leader. anyone in my group?

About scrubs...do we have to buy them before we get to school, or are they passed down from upperclassmen?

And it's ok to talk to yourself, sponge 🙂 Thead activity is pretty sporadic. I've felt lonely many a time on this thread. Haha.
 
you don't need scrubs immediately, but you will have to buy or use some type of apparel that will be dedicated only to anatomy...unless you want the smell of cadaver to linger with you wherever you go.
 
raosen said:
you don't need scrubs immediately, but you will have to buy or use some type of apparel that will be dedicated only to anatomy...unless you want the smell of cadaver to linger with you wherever you go.
Click to expand...

nancy and cameron, along with the rest of the orientation crew, are AWESOME! 😀

scrubs: if you can find cheap scrubs at home, bring them, along with old tennis shoes for anatomy lab. the p&s ones are nice, but it sorta sucked to have to spend $30 on scrubs you were throwing away at the end of the year anyways. by no means are you required to wear scrubs to anatomy -- we all started switching over to sweatpants and old tshirts when the stink in our scrubs started getting overwhelming (and the thought of washing them with other clothes was sort of unbearable). just some things i wish i knew at the beginning of the year!

well the clock is ticking...can't wait to meet you all during orientation week 🙂
 
Buy scrubs? Can't we nab 'em from the hospital somehow? I'm not sure if I want to be a doctor anymore. The perks are all myths. I thought I was signing up for something that gave me free pajamas for life.
 
truue i always assumed they were free or dirt cheap. i was planning on hording scrubs as soon as i got there. is it really $30 for a set?
 
speaking of having to pay for things...
For the fee of $90, you get a week’s worth of welcoming activities including but not limited to a ticket to a Broadway or off-Broadway production, the annual P&S and College of Dental Medicine Boat Cruise, Billiards and Game Night, many meals, and a 7-day unlimited Metrocard!
Click to expand...
http://psclub.columbia.edu/2010welcome/orientation/greeting.html

we have to pay for our orientation activities? isnt' that covered somewhere in the 40,000?
 
badlydrawnvik said:
one would think so. but that $90 is just a drop in the bucket i guess. where are those rich alums that love P&S so much...?
Click to expand...
a drop in the bucket or the straw that broke the camel's back? good question though -- where is the money from rich alumni?

In the end, I'll try get my money back through every possible free meal.
 
I'm jealous of all of you. Columbia is my first choice school and I'm still on the wait list. Anyone planning to withdraw anytime soon??? Anyways, congrats! For now, off to UCSF...
 
Hey all,

Apparently we are eligible to join the swanky Princeton/Columbia Alumni Club as soon as we start. It is $110 for full-time graduate students. It looks really nice... a private library, fitness center, fine dining, reduced rate lodging, and what-not. Anyway, I am excited about it at least.

www.princetonclub.com
 
hm..... the orientation form changed... and i already turned mine in.....
 
they definitely changes all the shows, what's the deal
 
I hope they anticipated Avenue Q would prolly be the popular choice and stocked up on tickets.
 
chanx314 said:
I hope they anticipated Avenue Q would prolly be the popular choice and stocked up on tickets.
Click to expand...
agreed
 
well, ave Q is what we went to during the revisit. So a good portion of our class has seen it (don't know how many). on the other hand, it won't the most requested. was really funny though, go see it!

What is everyone else going to sign up for? I'm thinking Stomp. I've seen ave Q, Rent, and Lion King.

And does the 40 bucks include the pre-theater dinner? Or is that included in the 50 dollar orientation package?
 
how could we let this thread fall to the second page? anyone going to NYC for the fireworks tomorrow? i'll be there somewhere after watching the WC semi-final at a soccer bar in lower manhattan, should be a good time.
 
to answer some questions:

1. the pretheater dinner is out of pocket, not provided by orientation, at least historically

2. p&s scrubs are $30 and include a P&S logo, but hospital scrubs can be obtained for free on loan when shadowing
 
Thanks for the info raosen!
 
Hi, thread! Looking forward to school...This is all very exciting! I was wondering whether anyone knew of any nice Asian markets not too far from campus? Where do P&S students usually go to satisfy their Asian-food (and other kinds of ethnic-food) needs?
 
Good asian food & supermarkets are quite a ways downtown. Koreatown is 32nd and Broadway. Chinatown is around Canal St. Little Tokyo is around St. Marks. I don't know if there are any place uptown...anyone?
 
m2m at the undergrad has some asian foodstuff. but ivy is on the mark about where the major asian centers are. mind you, i have never ventured much between the parallels of 168th and 116th, so there could technically be closer asian markets...

if anyone does find something closer, i am sure the rest of us would be interested in hearing about it as well...
 
raosen said:
m2m at the undergrad has some asian foodstuff. but ivy is on the mark about where the major asian centers are. mind you, i have never ventured much between the parallels of 168th and 116th, so there could technically be closer asian markets...

if anyone does find something closer, i am sure the rest of us would be interested in hearing about it as well...
Click to expand...

Oooh, nice, an m2m by the undergrad campus 🙂 I go to the one downtown, 11th and 3rd, and its pretty nice.

So all this talk about food around washington heights made me want to try some.. so i ventured out there last night and ate at El Malecon (found it on the P&S Club guide, http://psclub.columbia.edu/whguide/food.html. Excellent, in my opinion. great food, reasonably priced and large portions 😀
Empire Szechuan is a pan-asian restuarant in the area, also cheap, and the next on my list.
After dinner at El Malecon, going back downtown on the A was incredibly fast... it would take maybe 25 minutes to get to canal street by my estimate (the same amount of time by car )

Does fresh direct have a wide selection in terms of ethnic foods?
 
Hi everyone,

I have a question preferably for present P&S students. So I am looking for the required diagnostic items as listed on the Orientation information website (i.e. blood pressure sphygmomanometer, ophthalmoscope, stethoscope, reflex hammer, tuning forks, penlight). I have a hunch I can get them cheaper online before school (and because I really want to get my hands on them and play with them over the summer 🙂 ); however, I am reluctant to buy them knowing nothing about the devices themselves, the specifications required by the school (for instance should I get a single or double headed stethoscope), reputable brands and if I am indeed getting a better deal. Thanks in advance!!
 
Don't buy anything. You won't need them at all during the first year, unless they're changing things. (I don't seem to remember anything at all about needing to buy diagnostic equipment at your stage.)
 
Brainsucker said:
Don't buy anything. You won't need them at all during the first year, unless they're changing things. (I don't seem to remember anything at all about needing to buy diagnostic equipment at your stage.)
Click to expand...

I dont know... they said to budget approx $500 for diagnostic equipment listing the items i listed above. It would be nice to not spend that money right now.
 
Brainsucker is right on. We never had to use any diagnostic equipment of our own last year, it was always provided.
 
Karl Hungus said:
Brainsucker is right on. We never had to use any diagnostic equipment of our own last year, it was always provided.
Click to expand...

...cool. Thanks for the help.
 
i assume they'll give us some recommendations for this stuff too right? also the OL bios are up now, good work distraction.
 
have you guys joined the columbia p&s facebook? now talk about distraction at work 🙂 vik, get ON that!
 
I know we have another thread on the facebook... but BUMP.
 
HI 2010,

I am from the class of P&S 2009, and i have a great fridge, with full freezer, that is perfect for Bard dorm rooms. Let me know if you are interested in buying it!
I also have lots of textbooks, too, that you will need for 1st year, so let me know if you are want to buy them used (CHEAP) rather htan new from the bookstore!!
 
hi chyulu,

i was wondering if that fridge was still available. i am possibly interested in buying. how much is it?


chyulu said:
HI 2010,

I am from the class of P&S 2009, and i have a great fridge, with full freezer, that is perfect for Bard dorm rooms. Let me know if you are interested in buying it!
I also have lots of textbooks, too, that you will need for 1st year, so let me know if you are want to buy them used (CHEAP) rather htan new from the bookstore!!
Click to expand...
 
When do accepted students undergo drug screening for the hospital? First week? Nothing seems to mention it.

JD
 
Dunno anything about that.. but you should probably play it on the safe side.

Any one know if there are any health forms we'll need to hand in and/or have our primary care physician sign? Also the damn health insurance waiver online form isn't up and running for us P&S kids yet.
 
There are two forms we need to hand in. Well, we were supposed to have handed it in a month ago, but I just found them today. Ooops. I called the Student Health Office, and the lady who answered the phone said I could turn it in during move-in. Just make sure to get it complete before classes start.

Anyway, it's in a blue folder that came with your acceptance package. There should be two forms in there, one for you to fill out, and another for your physician. If you aren't able to get a physical with your physician, there are a few appointments available at CUMC for a fee of ~$170 + lab tests (I don't remember the exact price - all the info is in the blue folder). Hope that helps!
 
Hey guys, I'm moving out to NY from San Francisco in a few days and I need a new cell phone. Does anyone know what carrier has the best service in Washington Heights? Verizon is really good out here, but I don't know if that's true for NY. Thanks for any help.
 
Verizon is awesome out here too. I've had Verizon for 4 years now, 2 of those years in NY. They have the ugliest phones, but the service is great. I hope most of our classmates have Verizon cuz the free "in-network" calling is key.
 
Ditto on Verizon. The only place where it doesn't work well is my manhattan apartment. (Never had a problem in friends' places.) Certainly worked well up in the Heights.
 
Another vote for Verizon here in Heights, great reception and didn't drop any of my calls during my 1st year.

mwdude, as for drug testing... We didn't get drug tested at all 1st year, at least not to my knowledge. If we ever do get tested, it might happen before 3rd year. But that's just a guess.

Only 4 days until Orientation!!! Get Psyched!
 
Thanks for the help on the cell phone. I have another quick question. What is the official address for rooms in Bard Hall? I need to send myself some packages and I'm not sure how to fill in the address. Thanks for any input.
 
Bard Hall Addy:

50 Haven Ave
[Box # XXX]
New York, NY 10032

They'll give you a Box # when you get here; it's not your room number. If you just put your name for now, it should get to you.

Another vote for Verizon. If you have T-Mobile, consider switching.

JD, good work on the "woah, man, I like totally gotta know exactly when the Man is gonna drug test" post.

Best,
B-K
MS II

Anyone rock climb here? There's some good trad less than 2 hours north of the City; sport is more difficult to find out East.
 
Now I'm scared. I have T-Mobile, and I wasn't planning on switching. Is there anyone else with T-Mobile who can vouch for whether or not it works well in Washington Heights?
 
mountainhare said:
Now I'm scared. I have T-Mobile, and I wasn't planning on switching. Is there anyone else with T-Mobile who can vouch for whether or not it works well in Washington Heights?
Click to expand...


I had it, and it was the worst. It really just depends on where you live. Could be spotty, could be great. Wait til you get here if it's a hassle.

Best,
Ben
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Deku
Kansas University Medical School Class of 2023 Accepted Student Thread
Replies
3
Views
4K
Deku
Deku
Clint Westwood
  • Poll Poll
University of Minnesota Medical School Class of 2023 Accepted Student Thread
Replies
2
Views
4K
Hopeful_vet
Hopeful_vet
eksaplam
***Official Georgetown University Class of 2022***
Replies
0
Views
3K
eksaplam
eksaplam
D
  • Poll Poll
***Official Indiana University Class of 2022***
Replies
26
Views
11K
Deleted member 750603
D
D
Texas Tech students help me out please (curriculum)
Replies
0
Views
2K
DWagz
D
Top