hello again. glad there is such an interest in the columbia program!
first of all, i'll describe it in general and hopefully answer all the questions.
jzh200- since likage might be of interest to the others i'll mention it here but feel free to PM me again if you want.
it's typically a two year program, though some people spead it out over three and i know one person who did it in one year. it depends on how many (if any) pre-med courses you took as an undergrad, how well you did in those courses, and how masochistic you are willing to be. All of the classes are at the undergrad campus and most are fairly large lectures mixed with the undergrads. the one exception is bio., which has separate meetings catered more to postbaccs. all the classes that i took were with full professors, with recitation sections and labs run by TAs. i guess the most classes you take in a semester is four, so you are part-time by official university standards, but the program is so competitive that you feel very much like a full time student. i found that i had enough free time to maintain a life outside school, though i was definitely very very busy. most people have time to work part-time and/or volunteer somewhere (they're good about helping you get medically related jobs) during the school year. though i quit my job second semester of year 2 to study for the MCAT (most people take it during April of the second year, with some waiting until august). Generally you apply at the end of your second year and have a lag year before you start med school. Most people i know (including me) got some sort of research or clinical job for the lag year. some took classes, though i certainly didn't. needed the break.
chef- every one i knew lived off campus. the housing market is tight in NYC if you didn't already know that, so be prepared. the program says they'll help get university apartment housing but i found that to be BS, as nobody i knew lived in university housing.
aesculapian- i think that yes, the program is definitely designed to improve your overall GPA as well as prepare you very well for the MCAT, etc. on the AMCAS application, your entire GPA is available to admissions committees, as well as only your premed GPA (post-bacc and undergrad) and also your postbacc GPA alone. In interviews people definitely noticed the "upward trend" in my grades from undergrad to postbacc, so they had to be looking beyond my total GPA.
Also, Columbia has "linkage" with certain medical programs where postbaccs can apply for spots in the next entering class outside the normal applicant cycle and skip the lag year. i think the schools they have linkage with (contact the school for sure, b/c i didn't do linkage) are Brown, Jefferson, Temple, MCP Man., Trinity (in Ireland), SUNY Downstate... not sure about other places.
jzh200- i knew four people who tried to do linkage. two of them got it. one at Brown, one at Downstate. they both had strong GPAs, i think.. but i never asked exactly what their numbers were. the way the process works is at the start of your second year there will be a "linkage meeting" where anybody interested gets a general application. it's due before christmas break. then you go visit the school you;re interested in. after reviewing your application, the postbacc. office decides on a few number of people to nominate for each linkage school. then only those people go on in the process and fill out an application to the actual school. all of them except Brown require MCAT scores and interviews, so most people do that and find out if they got linkage in the early summer and start school at the end of the summer. with Brown you find out a bit earlier.if you dont get in through linkage then you still have plenty of time to apply in the regular cycle.
did that cover it all? that was a long-winded response i know. FYI, i've also heard great things about the Bryn Mawr program and i think they have linkage with certain schools as well.
like i said before, the columbia program was a great expereince for me. BUT I WORKED VERY HARD!! it was not an easy ride!! good luck and feel free to ask any more questions.
you have been an excellent resource! I mean I knew the "literature" info, but you really filled me in on the details. For P&S, I do agree with what you mentioned and I'm certainly not basing my decision to attend postbacc for P&S. I had a chance to talk with Dean of Admissions Dr. Frantz (sp?), who was raving about the Postbacc program, and I just wanted to get an experienced viewpoint. Best of luck in your decision!
