Accepted Columbia ETP applicants (and current students: some advice). get-together?

Nursing Students Post Graduate

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:welcome: Hi everyone! I thought it might be a good idea to get our own separate thread for those accepted to Columbia ETP! Sure we have a lot to discuss!

I would also like to invite current students to this topic to share your experiences and answer some questions.:idea:

Here is one question that is really bothering me.

I have been working and studying simultaneously for the past 4 years, and to tell the truth I am really tired. Will financial help from Columbia (both scholarship and loans) allow me to only study? In particular, how much money do they give every month for living expenses? If you feel uncomfortable writing about it in public, personal messages are welcome too

Aside from this, - congrats to all those accepted and really looking forward to meeting you! :balloons:

Oh, by the way, I am Women's Health! What about you?;)

I got my acceptance letter to Columbia ETP today!!! I almost passed out! The thought of ME getting into an ivy league grad school blows my mind!

I'm so nervous about making the decision. I'm still considering Seattle U, U of Chicago, and as well. The price scares me a lot. As does moving to NYC. I'm from Wisconsin originally and currently live in Minnesota. So that's a long way away from home. But still, I'm super excited and am definitely celebrating tonight!

Congrats to the rest of you as well!!!! Wheeee!

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Oh wait...I was accepted to Family Nurse Practitioner. Also, does anyone know the estimated cost per year? I can find that it's roughly $991/credit, but what does that turn out to be? And how good is the financial aid?

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Specializes in Emergency.

I'm also taking Microbio! and A&P2... and statistics! :)

They said at the open house last year that the whole thing costs around 100k... but that the majority of applicants receive around 35k in scholarship.. I'm sure that a current ETPer can give more info on this tho...

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Yay! I was just accepted as well. However, the cost has me second guessing, as I was accepted to other schools as well. A good friend of mine went through the ETP program a year or two ago (she stopped after she got her RN) and said that it was very expensive, and because you are getting a 2nd bachelors, that at least for the 1st year, you don't get many federal loans - that means that the majority of the tuition (and not to mention the living expenses in NYC) are going to be through private loans. But that was a year or two ago...so things may have changed??? Once you get into the graduate portion, you might be eligible for more loans. I have gotten into a state school as well as Columbia, and feel stupid for leaning towards the state school, but the difference in cost is $100K..... What do I do???????

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I got into psychiatric mental health nursing! I'm very excited. I plan to go to the info session in March. I realized, however, when I got my letter and the accompanying fafsa forms that I filled in my fafsa incorrectly. I submitted the fafsa already because I felt pressured to have it in before the Feb. 1st deadline. The thing is, how was I supposed to indicate that I was going to be a 5th year bachelor candidate for 2007-08 for Columbia when the other schools I was applying to did not have this component (they were considered masters only). I hope they let me resubmit the fafsa! Congratualations to everyone who was accepted!!

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Specializes in Diabetes, Primary care.

What Feb 1st deadline???? IS there a deadline for Fafsa? I tried filling my out, but I couldn't finish it because we didn't file a tax return yet, and I didn't know how to answer some questions.

Funny, its my first time filling it out, I've just got my greencard 6 months ago, and my school had a separate simple form for foreign students.

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Don't worry about the Feb 1st deadline. I mean, it's really just a date by which students must file to receive the most funding, although I have heard that it really doesn't matter all that much. I filed mine before Feb. 1st but since I obviously answered the questions incorrectly and had to estimate my adjusted income (I hadn't received my W-2 forms yet), it seems that I'll have to redo the whole thing. I plan to call the financial aid office at Columbia to let them know what happened.

I'm curious..I wonder if most nursing students live by the nursing school in the Washington Heights or in other areas of Manhattan?

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Specializes in Diabetes, Primary care.

I'm curious..I wonder if most nursing students live by the nursing school in the Washington Heights or in other areas of Manhattan?

Thanks!

They do have dorms (or university appartments) near the campus, but space is limited there. Generally, Manhattan is VERY expensive, but the areas around Columbia's Medical campus (168th street and up) is relatively cheap, because... well, let's put it this way - it is not the nicest and safest neighborhood. Things get a little better in terms of safety if you are willing to commute several subway stops - then you might opt for an apartment or room upper washington heights or inwood (around 200th street). 1-bedroom in a crappy building will go for around 1000, so you better find a rommate :pumpiron:

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I got into psychiatric mental health nursing! I'm very excited. I plan to go to the info session in March. I realized, however, when I got my letter and the accompanying fafsa forms that I filled in my fafsa incorrectly. I submitted the fafsa already because I felt pressured to have it in before the Feb. 1st deadline. The thing is, how was I supposed to indicate that I was going to be a 5th year bachelor candidate for 2007-08 for Columbia when the other schools I was applying to did not have this component (they were considered masters only). I hope they let me resubmit the fafsa! Congratualations to everyone who was accepted!!

Hi Chickpea,

I'm very curious to hear what they say when you call. I had the same problem of different programs requiring different FAFSA answers--however I filled it out would be wrong for at least one school!

On a side note, why don't they post the program-specific FAFSA guidelines right on the website? I emailed about 3 times with the FinAid guy trying to get this information out of him so I could submit before Feb 1.:smackingf

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Specializes in Diabetes, Primary care.

Guys, does anyone know if we need to be CPR certified? I know they used to have this requirement (a friend of mine was admitted last year), but I haven't seen it anywhere, neither on their website nor in the letters... ?

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Wow - not sure which one to address or whom to quote from...

Oscar the financial aid guy is a character. As for tips - just make sure you know what you are signing, and stick to the student budget. Some people had to apply for an emergency loan because $2k was distributed early, and naturally, people spent it! :roll

Almost all of it is still private loans - but there are ways to find loan forgiveness thru gov't placements and other avenues, depending on where you wind up working. The math is shocking - be sure this is what you want.

The Heights has cheap rent, and you live at school during the summer of 20 units anyway - but you are pretty FAR from the action. Then again, you have very little time to get distracted, so depending on your personality, it is better to take an excursion downtown than schlep up to school. Most people living far from here (Washington Hts) are already New Yorkers. TURN IN YOUR HOUSING APPLICATION RIGHT NOW! Just put it in the mail tomorrow. They go by the date that piece of paper gets returned to the office, and by how far away you live from the school at time of the application. Placements are made accordingly. If you can deal with the dorm, it's the cheapest option by far.

Congrats to all!!!!

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Allnurses virgin here. But I also got accepted for Peds. I went to the info day in January and I have to say, I had the fortune or misfortune of sitting next to a current student in the lounge. She asked me where else I applied and when I answered, she told me "If any of those other programs accept you, take it, the teachers here are terrible." :uhoh21:

I hate to run with only one woman's opinion and me not knowing her from adam, but if some other current nursing students could comment, that would be appreciated.

I got waitlisted at Upenn, which is my first choice. Waiting to hear from some other schools, and planning to attend the visitors day. :D

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