Columbia ETP Program 2012 entry

NYCityLights · Mar 14, 2011

I know it's early, but I too am planning to apply to Columbia's ETP program for next year (I've been reading through posts from this year's accepted students and am jealous I didn't apply sooner. I want to start school NOW!!!) I haven't completely decided which specialty area yet, but I've heard the anesthesia program is tough with very few spaces (10 total, perhaps?). Best of luck! Any others out there already working on pre-reqs and applications for summer 2012 entry?

If you read back through posts from the 2010 and 2011 ETP classes, there may be some stats there on accepted anesthesia applicants. There is a lot of information in the SRNA and CRNA forums as well.

Editorial Team / Moderator · Mar 14, 2011

Post moved to the post-grad forum (vs. the GN forum) to encourage responses.

LookingAhead · Mar 15, 2011

I'm applying for summer 2012 entry to the ETP program, midwifery specialty. Finishing my last prereq this month - GREs taken, recommenders selected, etc. Am lining up something that will hopefully be great experience this summer, before submitting my application.

I went to an info session at Columbia and I think they said that there were only 10 or so places for CRNA, but they don't breakdown application statistics by specialty, only for the ETP program as a whole.

dedicatedone · Mar 17, 2011

I thought it was TOO early to start a thread for next year haha. Glad I'm not the only one thinking way ahead of the game. I'm applying for their ETP program and eventually go into the FNP program which I know is extremely competitive but I know that they have a larger cohort than other programs out there. I'm almost done with all of the Pre-Reqs and am studying for the GRE. But getting classes at the community college level is CRAZY! I'm in California and the budget cuts have really hurt my ability to take on more classes in the same semester because everything always is PACKED. I hope I can get into my last class without any problems...we will see :)

PamCNM2Be · Mar 18, 2011

Hi guys - I applied to (and was accepted) to Columbia for 2011. I decided to go elsewhere, but if you have any questions I'm happy to help. Good luck with all your applications, I don't miss filling those out :)

dedicatedone · Mar 18, 2011

Hi guys - I applied to (and was accepted) to Columbia for 2011. I decided to go elsewhere, but if you have any questions I'm happy to help. Good luck with all your applications, I don't miss filling those out :)

Congrats on your acceptance!!! That is an amazing program. Was there anything that turned you away from the program specifically? Some programs I am looking into incorporate distance learning for the actual masters portion and only have to come back to the college several weekend a semester. Is that the case for Columbia?

PamCNM2Be · Mar 18, 2011

From what I understand about the program, you do all your classes at Columbia. Some days you have clinical, some days you have classes (about 2-3 days per week) - but it's not distance learning.

I ended up choosing Yale over Columbia because it's a better fit for me, and because of various factors, including cost of living, it made more sense for me to choose Yale. I start in August.

I'd definitely recommend reading 2009-2011's ETP posts, they're pretty helpful and provided me with a lot of useful information. I will tell you that the CNM and the CRNA programs are the most competitive because they have to organize clinical placements ahead of time so enrollment is restricted. As for the other specialties, you can fairly easily switch your specialty after starting the bachelors portion of the program. They take a large class and don't do interviews which may be a plus for some and a minus for others. :)

NYCityLights · Mar 21, 2011

Very helpful, PamCBM2Be. Thank you so much for your willingness to advise those of us just starting on this track. Yale's program also seems great (as someone already living in NYC, married, and pretty much settled here for the long haul, Yale and Columbia are really my two most logistically realistic options at this point -- hoping and praying every day that at least one will work out next year). Congratulations and best of luck this fall!

If you don't mind my asking--if you applied for financial aid, did you find that the packages were similar from both schools? Or was one significantly more favorable than the other? That is probably my biggest concern at the moment. Given NYC's significantly higher cost of living, I'm curious to know if that is accounted for in Columbia's package, or whether the two were pretty similar (leaving the student to figure out the additional living expenses separately).

PamCNM2Be · Mar 21, 2011

Very helpful, PamCBM2Be. Thank you so much for your willingness to advise those of us just starting on this track. Yale's program also seems great (as someone already living in NYC, married, and pretty much settled here for the long haul, Yale and Columbia are really my two most logistically realistic options at this point -- hoping and praying every day that at least one will work out next year). Congratulations and best of luck this fall!
If you don't mind my asking--if you applied for financial aid, did you find that the packages were similar from both schools? Or was one significantly more favorable than the other? That is probably my biggest concern at the moment. Given NYC's significantly higher cost of living, I'm curious to know if that is accounted for in Columbia's package, or whether the two were pretty similar (leaving the student to figure out the additional living expenses separately).

To me, the packages were comparable. Columbia's first year is more expensive, but they give you a bigger need-based scholarship. For Columbia, a significant portion of the cost of attendance must either be funded out of pocket or through private lenders, at least 35k for the first year alone. For Yale, since it starts out as a Graduate program (instead of a second BSN), students qualify for GradPlus loans which is an alternative to needing to find your own private lender (and a bonus for people who aren't quite as credit worthy or have no cosigner). Yale does give a scholarship, but it's small in comparison to the pricetag. Overall cost of attendance for Yale for the first year is around 75k (tuition and living expenses and fees included and 5-10k of which is covered by scholarship). Overall cost of attendance for Columbia was about 100k for the first year (25k of which is covered scholarship). Columbia might be a tad cheaper of a program because it is usually 2.5 years instead of 3, so there's less tuition to be paid, but then once the higher cost of living is taken in to account, it ends up being quite a bit more expensive (at least for me). The specialty years for both programs are less expensive than the first year is.

For both programs, its possible to work the specialty years to help offset the cost a bit.

Hope that helps :)

dedicatedone · Mar 24, 2011

Yes, finances are also a worry of mine. I would have to relocate from So Cal to attend either of those programs and recognize that the cost of living is EXTREMELY expensive. It's great to know that they try to assist where they can but loans would be where the majority of my funding would come from.

PamCNM2Be, I just want to be clear that you said Columbia does NOT conduct interviews for their program. Is that correct? Most entry programs like this have an interview and this would be the first program that I know to not include one in the decision making process. Thank you!

NYCityLights · Mar 24, 2011

I recently attended the Columbia information session, and they confirmed that they don't do interviews.