ComfortableWolf said:
Ok- Here is a sincere question...
What did you LOVE about Columbia?
Besides for the location (NYC) and the high ranking was there something on the interview day that made you say "wow, this is the place for me"
Don't get me wrong- the name precedes it and I would be proud to go there based on some of the faculty interactions I have had (although I am expecting a rejection).... But I found the interview day uninspiring and the attiutude to be rather stuck up - they let you know they were an Ivy league school, but did little to sell the scholl at all compared to other top tens at which I interviewed
Well, to begin with, I have to state that Columbia was my first interview (all the way back in October), and at least part of my excitement about the school has to do with this fact. That said, there were plenty of things that stuck out during the interview day (at least, for me personally). First, the students were amazing! I had heard and read on SDN interview feedback that they were haughty, but I did not get that sense from them at all. They went out of their way to stop by and chat, and I saw a lot of people from my school there (first-years) who were all very supportive and encouraging. They all seemed passionate about the school and at least, from my perspective, seemed content. One of the most important considerations for me has to be the students at the school, and at Columbia, there seemed to be some level of comraderie and shared passion that definitely didn't stick out at other schools (actually, I think Columbia was the only school that really left a strong impression on me in this regard). Although I agree with you that they did not show us much of the school, our tour guides were really wonderful, and one in particular (a third year) was pretty honest about the positives and negatives of going to Columbia. He definitely did not have an idealized view of the school, but he was still happy with the school overall and content with his decision. I really enjoyed sitting with them over lunch and listening to their advice and answers to all of our questions. The other thing that stuck out to me was the emphasis on outside activities such as music, arts, etc. I play the piano, and most of my interview involved discussing music. I found out that my interviewer was a composer, and he told me an interesting history about one of the pianos in the practice rooms at Columbia and stressed the opportunities available to continue with music at Columbia. I thought this was really cool (for lack of a better word
) because although I obviously have a passion for medicine, I also have a lot of interests all over the board, and it seemed to me that Columbia really embraced and encouraged that in its students. Again, this was something that I did not really get from other schools (at least not in a very strong sense).
Just about a month ago, I ran into a Columbia P&S first-year (I recognized her from my classes in college) and asked her about the school, sharing the points that seemed to stick out to me. She basically said that those were the same things that drew her to Columbia - that in fact, the students are very amazing as are the faculty members, and that Columbia leaves time to work on other things - for example, she had worked on a theater production outside of lecture time. She definitely added that the students work very hard, but that they also have time to do other things. Oh, and she also recommended avoiding Bard if at all possible
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Wow, sorry for the long-winded response. But in short, I found it interesting that what stuck out to me also stuck out to her and actually proved true at least in her experience. As such, Columbia has to be my top choice. If I am lucky enough to be accepted, I will certainly re-visit the school and try to get a better perspective - after all, at the beginning of the interview circuit, I was just concerned with "getting in somewhere, ANYWHERE" and was not really looking at schools very critically. Now, however, I am looking back on my experiences at various schools and trying to pick out what left an impression on me. I hope that this elucidates why I love Columbia, although I can't really speak for anyone else on this thread!!! Anyway, best of luck ya'll!!
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i wish they'd move beyond this snail mail nonsense, sigh.
