2012-2013 Columbia University Application Thread

Applying to Med School? Get In Or Your Money Back
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081479058 said:
It depends on if persons C and E successfully matched to their first choice. If they did not, then they would match to Columbia because Columbia ranked them higher than persons F and G.

At least, that's how I understand the rules.
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I think this is exactly right. I found this site to be really informative about how the matching algorithm goes down: Stable Marriage Problem

I believe that the NRMP essentially uses an Applicant-Proposing solution to the Stable Marriage Problem. As a geeky side note, Al Roth and Lloyd Shapely won Nobels largely for their work on matching systems like this.
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Appletini10 said:
I think this is exactly right. I found this site to be really informative about how the matching algorithm goes down: Stable Marriage Problem

I believe that the NRMP essentially uses an Applicant-Proposing solution to the Stable Marriage Problem. As a geeky side note, Al Roth and Lloyd Shapely won Nobels largely for their work on matching systems like this.
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Haha - I'd read about that too! The NRMP website (http://www.nrmp.org/res_match/about_res/algorithms.html) also has some good examples and explanations of the match algorithm - particularly why its to the applicant's advantage to rank programs according to their own preference independent of how the programs might rank them.
 
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wangers5270 said:
As a lowly premed, I want to make sure I understand how this works. Ok so let's say hypothetically Columbia has 5 spots for orthopedic surgery, and they interview 10 people for it. They rank everybody:
1. Person A
2. B
3. C
4. D
5. E
6. F
7. G
8. H
9. I
10. J

And the candidates ranked Columbia on their list
A- #1
B- #1
C- #2
D- #1
E- #2
F- #1
G- #1
H- #2
I- #2

So does that mean that candidates A, B, D, F, and G are the 5 people who match to Columbia for ortho then? What happens to candidates C & E in that case? Do they end up at their #1 choice? Or if their #1 choice didn't rank them highly enough, do they totally get shafted? I know this isn't exactly a Columbia-specific question but it seemed contextually relevant enough to ask based on mmmcdowe's comment. I would assume a program wants to use as little of their list as possible (i.e lots of people ranked that program #1), but wanted to clarify this detail. Thanks!!! :love:
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If C and E don't match their first choice, they will match their second choices based on this lineup. The match computations favor the student basically, in that a student's list is the primary variable for sorting and the program lists are the secondary variable (meaning if your two programs rank you high enough to match based on other students on their list and those students' lists you will always get your top choice)This is why it is in the program's favor to get everyone to match them highly, to maximize their chance of getting their top choices.
 
MedicalAuthor said:
Are you taking the year off to be more competitive in the specialty you want to go to?

If so, do most students who want to go into a competitive field opt to take a year off?
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i know at least one 4th year matched MGH ortho going straight through; it's more the norm than exception though it's close..
 
Does Columbia/Dean Nicholas do second interviews for waitlisters upon request?
 
Just withdrew from the waitlist in favor of Penn! Good luck waitlisters! :)
 
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peanutz, where did you find the April 15th date? I have written down that the documents are due March 22nd, though I can't actually find where I got that date from either.
 
Lamb said:
peanutz, where did you find the April 15th date? I have written down that the documents are due March 22nd, though I can't actually find where I got that date from either.
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student financial planning website
http://www.cumc.columbia.edu/student/finaid/MDNewStudent.html
http://www.cumc.columbia.edu/student/finaid/pdf/AidTypeMD2013.pdf

although the handbook says march 22nd (for need access and fafsa)! oops!

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here's the correct info:

http://www.cumc.columbia.edu/student/finaid/pdf/201314ApplicationDeadlinesChecklist.pdf
 
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peanutz said:
student financial planning website
http://www.cumc.columbia.edu/student/finaid/MDNewStudent.html
http://www.cumc.columbia.edu/student/finaid/pdf/AidTypeMD2013.pdf

although the handbook says march 22nd (for need access and fafsa)! oops!

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

here's the correct info:

http://www.cumc.columbia.edu/student/finaid/pdf/201314ApplicationDeadlinesChecklist.pdf
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Thanks for posting that! The handbook says that entering students will receive packages by the end of April. Here's hoping the wait is worth it!
 
Need access is a ridiculous document to fill out...
 
Sophocles said:
Need access is a ridiculous document to fill out...
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Oh god I almost threw my computer at the floor towards the end of that... I don't think I've ever spent that long on the phone with my dad in my whole life. SUCH a beast.
 
Should we fill out the financial aid documents if we are waitlisted? I mean, the whole shebang, with needaccess and the institution-specific forms.
 
In my waitlist letter from Cornell it said to go ahead and complete the form. I would assume the same would go for Columbia.
 
Hey guys,
I'm still waiting on a schedule for second look so I can plan what time to land/leave. Anyone have any idea about when we'll get more details? And the Facebook page is sad lol why are there only 9 members and no communication? :(
 
idrinkgreentea said:
Hey guys,
I'm still waiting on a schedule for second look so I can plan what time to land/leave. Anyone have any idea about when we'll get more details? And the Facebook page is sad lol why are there only 9 members and no communication? :(
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Hmm, I must have missed the facebook page. Is it for 2017ers?

I must investigate!
 
idrinkgreentea said:
Hey guys,
I'm still waiting on a schedule for second look so I can plan what time to land/leave. Anyone have any idea about when we'll get more details? And the Facebook page is sad lol why are there only 9 members and no communication? :(
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Hold tight; a current P&S student is creating the official FB group for our class. Thanks for joining my failed attempt at starting our class page, but it's apparently time to jump ship. Haha.
 
idrinkgreentea said:
does anyone know if there is an official facebook group?
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Hello Students!

The Office of Admissions and current students working on revisit weekend have just created the Facebook group for the Columbia College of Physicians & Surgeons Class of 2017!!

Please use this page to become acquainted with each other and to ask any of the current first years questions regarding the revisit weekend or about the school in general. Those that request to be added to the group will be screened and then approved on a rolling basis (did you think you were done hearing these terms??). We'll wait until we have a list of requests to approve instead of approving one request at a time, so please bear with us.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/617553404927557/

Congratulations to all those accepted and I hope to meet you soon!

Sincerely,
Justin Anderson
P&S 2016
 
Thanks for making it!

And we have the same name. It must be a sign!

Oh, and....first (2017er)?!
 
mah269 said:
Hold tight; a current P&S student is creating the official FB group for our class. Thanks for joining my failed attempt at starting our class page, but it's apparently time to jump ship. Haha.
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I dunno about you guys but I'm pretty excited to Facebook-stalk our future classmates. :D
 
mah269 said:
Hold tight; a current P&S student is creating the official FB group for our class. Thanks for joining my failed attempt at starting our class page, but it's apparently time to jump ship. Haha.
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lol sweet, thanks for the info!
 
This will just make me come off as a neurotic Columbia hopeful, but I want to know more about the waitlist process. I know that the waitlist is unranked, and there are A LOT of people on there, so do the majority of people get personalized messages? I'm just thinking that, say if 300 of the 600 waitlisted get handwritten messages, then my chances of coming off the waitlist is not that big. It's hard not to read too much into the messages, and I guess I just want reassurance that I should not be too hopeful. Being on the waitlist here and other places, it's hard to focus entirely on the school I would settle if they ultimately reject me.
 
nazz said:
This will just make me come off as a neurotic Columbia hopeful, but I want to know more about the waitlist process. I know that the waitlist is unranked, and there are A LOT of people on there, so do the majority of people get personalized messages? I'm just thinking that, say if 300 of the 600 waitlisted get handwritten messages, then my chances of coming off the waitlist is not that big. It's hard not to read too much into the messages, and I guess I just want reassurance that I should not be too hopeful. Being on the waitlist here and other places, it's hard to focus entirely on the school I would settle if they ultimately reject me.
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Not everyone with personalization gets in. Not everyone who gets in had a personalized letter. It really is difficult to say more than that, but definitely less than half get personalization...
 
mmmcdowe said:
Not everyone with personalization gets in. Not everyone who gets in had a personalized letter. It really is difficult to say more than that, but definitely less than half get personalization...
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I'm a Canadian applicant and I still haven't gotten my wait list letter. Anyone else on the same boat?
 
wangers5270 said:
Since Dean Nicholas sent a bunch of personalized letters to interviewed applicants already this year, he probably didn't personalize all the waitlist letters. Maybe he personalized the waitlist letters of those who didn't get a "thinking of you" letter because they didn't send a thank you letter or update letter through the application portal. That would be my theory- everybody gets only one personalized note during the cycle.

I have a friend who got a personalized waitlist letter and he had like a 40T & high GPA, but I don't remember him mentioning getting the "thinking of you" letter. I'll check with him and see if he did. I'm sure he thanked his interviewer but maybe he didn't upload it on the portal like they told us to do. Hmm..just a theory, anyways.

Edit: He did receive the "thinking of you" letter and it asked him to consider sending an update (that variant of the letter, deliberated a few months ago). Well, there goes my theory. New theory- the waitlist is secretly tiered and personalized waitlist letters are more promising but not the be-all-end-all, as mmmcdowe eluded to. Maybe only a subset get it personalized, kind of like those invited to Penn Preview on the waitlist (top 50 out of 500 on Penn's waitlist, or something like that)

We could go on and on about theories, but we'll never know unless somebody calls and asks. :p
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I've already mentioned in the past that the personalized waitlist letters are meant to be a positive sign of those who are most highly favored, but waitlist movement is a highly complicated thing. For example, lets say that by random chance 90 women withdraw from Columbia and they sent 45 personalized letters to women and 45 to men. Not all of those guys are going to get offered acceptances because all admissions offices consider class composition in their waitlist decisions. Not all of those women may be offered either, if there are a few other good candidates that have been highly vocal whereas a few of the 45 women have been completely silent. It is absolutely a good thing to get such a letter, it is just difficult to say how good because there are so many competing factors.
 
mmmcdowe said:
I've already mentioned in the past that the personalized waitlist letters are meant to be a positive sign of those who are most highly favored, but waitlist movement is a highly complicated thing. For example, lets say that by random chance 90 women withdraw from Columbia and they sent 45 personalized letters to women and 45 to men. Not all of those guys are going to get offered acceptances because all admissions offices consider class composition in their waitlist decisions. Not all of those women may be offered either, if there are a few other good candidates that have been highly vocal whereas a few of the 45 women have been completely silent. It is absolutely a good thing to get such a letter, it is just difficult to say how good because there are so many competing factors.
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Does everyone get a waitlist letter? I'm a bit worried I still haven't heard back in the mail...
 
0953920 said:
Does everyone get a waitlist letter? I'm a bit worried I still haven't heard back in the mail...
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I'm in CA and I received mine a few days ago so I'm sure yours will come soon.
 
mmmcdowe said:
Yes. Did you get an email asking you to accept your waitlist spot. If not you should contact them.
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Hey, yeah I got the waitlist letter on the online application system and accepted my waitlist spot. I just haven't physically gotten something in the mail yet.
 
Hey mmmcdowe, would you mind explaining a bit more about the waitlist process in terms of second interviews? Do you absolutely need to have a second interview to be accepted off the waitlist? Also, do all second interviews happen only with the dean?
 
abbey12 said:
Hey mmmcdowe, would you mind explaining a bit more about the waitlist process in terms of second interviews? Do you absolutely need to have a second interview to be accepted off the waitlist? Also, do all second interviews happen only with the dean?
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Also, mmmcdowe has said a couple times that second interviews rarely happen and that they pretty much only occur in special circumstances. You definitely don't need one to be accepted off the waitlist.
 
FijiGNR89 said:
Also, mmmcdowe has said a couple times that second interviews rarely happen and that they pretty much only occur in special circumstances. You definitely don't need one to be accepted off the waitlist.
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Yeah, they aren't part of standard waitlist admissions anymore.
 
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