Columbia: Questions about ETP

Kevn2bNP · Feb 21, 2007

DG,

Not sure if my two cents will help, but I'm going with the most expensive stethoscope (the cardiology III i think it is). My reasoning is that it's an investment, and will likely serve me years beyond school.

As for the sizes, I'm guessing...can't decipher those conversion charts too well (but

I'm a guy, so they'd be different for me anyway).

My two cents...

cozzy66 · Feb 22, 2007

I'm going with a Littmann II Classic... I read a few of the other forums specifically discussing stethoscopes and they all raved about it. As much as I think a Littmann III Cardiology is really fantastic and high-end, I don't know if I'll need it in the long run. I think the classic should be just fine.

Regarding the scrubs, if you're borderline, I would suggest going for the S size. You can always pull the drawstring and make them tighter, but XS you can not expand.

iriska_meller · Feb 23, 2007

Regarding scrubs - how many sets do we need realistically?

BerkeleyMom · Feb 23, 2007

(4) The most important -- can I hack it? Is Columbia the type of place that lets everyone in and weeds out the people who can't keep up or are the professors generally there to help people who need it? Anyone have the stats on people who have failed out of the first year? I have a BA and an MA but my experience in the sciences is very limited.

Hello Columbia folks and congrats to you on being admitted! :lol2:

I did not apply there and intend on staying in Cali. However, I did read quite a few threads about Columbia--the cost and the admissions rates. I just want to make the disclaimer that I am not familiar with Columbia and am only going by what I have read on allnurses, which I understand is based on opinions.

Is it true that they admit half of their applicants to their direct entry program?

If so, then dg05, I think you have some very valid concerns! Any school that admits a large percentage of their applicants means that they are not looking for particular qualities in their applicants, and that class sizes may be too large. How can those 2 things not affect the quality of education and faculty commitment?

You also are afraid that the school may be "weeding" out students. If that is true of a graduate level program, then I think that is a huge red flag. When you work hard to get into a graduate/professional program you should expect the most out of it.

At over $1000 per unit, these are very important things to consider. I hope that Columbia students can attest otherwise, because if the above is true, it does not sound like the best education, or enivironment, for one of the most important decisions in your professional life.

I am applying to a private direct entry program that is expensive as well (about 800/unit). However, the faculty is highly selective, the class sizes are small, it is a supportive environment, and the faculty are committed to your success. .... with that said, I am still worried about the cost. ...

I hope the above statements about Columbia are not true.

Either way, I guess everyone is looking for something different in a program.

Best to all of you in your decision making process!

cozzy66 · Feb 23, 2007

BerkeleyMom,

They actually admit 70% of all applicants and then half of those go to different schools so approximately 30-40% go into the program. That is a very large number... it's actually the highest admission rate in the entire university - the school of general studies and medical schools both have around 11-12% admission rates. I think the main reason for this is the difference in the number of apps: 450 to nursing vs. 1000s for the other ones. The class size is 150, which is small enough ,especially for me. I'm used to lecture halls of 300 people in a college with 15,000 full time attendees.

Even with these numbers, I still think that the majority of faculty are (or should be) committed to making a good education for the students... I have heard both good and bad things about professors - which goes for any other school. I guess i'll be able to say more once I actually begin the program, but that's just from waht I've read on allnurses and other statistics.

good luck with your application!

Re: the scrubs..I'm getting 2 sets and I already have 1 more set from last year...

yogagal · Feb 23, 2007

I have three shirts and two pants and it's enough. If they're using the same brand as we got then I would definitely not order the XS unless you are truly tiny, like a size 0-2. However, it seems that you guys are getting different stuff than us so the sizing could be different. We were not offered any sort of jacket, honestly though i don't think you need it, you can just wear a long sleeve shirt underneath your top if you get cold. It's usually not that cold inside the hospital anyway. I mean, the patients are only wearing gowns for the most part so it's usually pretty warm.

And no, I don't feel that people are in anyway weeded out; faculty are very supportive. Almost everyone who started is still here and historically almost all of us pass the NCLEX on the first try, so I really wouldn't worry too much.

dg05, RN · Feb 23, 2007

Thanks for your responses on the scrubs & stethoscope. I plan to order package 2 and 2 sets of small scrubs.

Yogagal, thanks for the info about the shirt under, wasn't sure if that was allowed or not. Also, thanks for the reassurance that the staff is supportive; that's been one of my biggest concerns.

Is anyone ordering the pocket aneroid? It's listed as additional but I'm not sure if it's necessary.

Also, anyone know when we'll receive the list of what else we need -- white shoes, PDA (?), etc?

BerkleyMom,

With just this in mind, I asked an admissions person at Columbia how many people the lose between the start of the 1st year and the end of the first year (this is really what I'm concerned about; I'm confident that I can handle a normally-paced load of graduate classes). He said that they lost 3 people.

dg

Mission · Feb 27, 2007

Even though Columbia is part of a larger university the school of nursing is very small and you will be on a first name basis with most of the faculty as you go through the 5x5s. The ETP faculty meet (at least) monthly to discuss *each* students progress and the overall satisfaction with the program. If you talk to students who were in the program just 3 years ago you will be amazed at the amount of changes that were made based on student input. Even though the acceptance rate is high there is a real self-selection process here, I know a lot of very qualified applicants who don't apply to the school either because of the cost or because they think they can't make it at an Ivy league school. The faculty tries to select students that will be successful here and really does it's best to make sure everyone gets through the program and will bend over backwards for you when you ask for help. My only real complaint about the program is that during the admissions process the location of the school is really downplayed. Washington Heights is a poor, predominantly Latino neighborhood. It is perfectly safe if you use common sense but it does affect what kind of patients you see in clinical. If you have a problem working with poor people, people who don't speak English, people with HIV, people with drug addictions, people who look different from you, please don't come to school here as you will do both yourself and your patients a disservice. One of the reasons I chose to come to Columbia was because most of their research is focused on improving healthcare in underserved communities and it was disheartening to me to hear some of the comments students would make about the patients that we were serving.

Kevn2bNP · Feb 28, 2007

Question for the 2007 class:

Anyone having trouble finding the recommended reading texts? The Henke's med-math is unavailable on amazon. Just wondering if others are finding it and where?

Thanks!

Kurlyz26 · Mar 2, 2007

Kevn,

where did you get the info for books?

SteveNNP, MSN, NP · Mar 2, 2007

Hey, I won't be in the ETP program (straight MSN/NNP) but was wondering what the dress code is for you all... I went to a private school for my BSN and had to adhere to a pretty strict dress code including dress pants/shirt/tie, for mornings, khaki's/polo shirt in afternoons. As I update my wardrobe for the upcoming school year, What should I go for? Jeans and an oxford? Business casual? (I'm talking class, not clinical here...) I lived near/hung out in NYC for the 1st 20 years of my life, so I know what the weather's like, just wondering what to expect in terms of Columbia's dress code.....

Thanks!

PS.... Do you MSN people have all your classes on one day? How many clinical days per week? I need to figure out if I can cut it working FT, doing school PT.... Any advice would be appreciated!