Columbia University ETP Program 2013

U.S.A. New York

Published

The thread here for the Columbia University ETP program for entry in 2012 is pretty long (45 pages right now!), so I was hoping to elicit some of the same responses for those who are applying in 2013. Let's get to know each other!

Why are you applying to Columbia? What have you heard about the program- good, bad or ugly? Are you nervous, excited, ambivalent?

Looking forward to getting to know some of you!

I just took GRE today. 162 verbal, 147 quant. Will know essay scores in 2 weeks. The test was vexing as F. My scores equal 640 verbal/576 quant. On old ETS grid. So in verbal I am 89%ile and math 31%ile. I did bad. I did well. I am hopefully a valid candidate, while not utterly remarkable... With a cumulative score which is equivalent of 1210 in old terms. :) we shall see....

Best,Midwife2B

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@ kpinkertonlloyd nice you are done with the GRE. I will be taking mine in September and I am so nervous. Been studying hard the past few weeks. You scored pretty high on verbal, any tips?

@hopefulforColumbia hi. I will be taking the GRE in sept. as well. Same feelings, so nervous!!

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Hey guys!

I am currently living in San Diego, but I REALLY want to move back to the east coast ( where I am from). Does anyone know how much previous direct patient care weighs into the application? I am currently a respiratory therapist and have 3 years of experience mainly in the ICU. I also work a several hours a month in an ALS clinic. My undergrad GPA was a 3.5 but I didn't do well on the GRE. I am applying for the acute care NP route, does anyone know how competitive it is or if I even have a shot ???

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I used McGraw Hill New GRE book to study and I spent 30 min a day for 6 weeks going through all chapters, which helped me do better on verbal but only helped me a teeny bit for math. I happen to do really well with language which is why I scored high on verbal I think. I am not awful at math but with complicated questions and a crazy short time limit, I did poorly on math.

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Hi everyone:

Regarding the ETP-Anesthesia program, does anyone know, due to the very limited time to obtain ICU employment (which in itself is hard enough right out of school), does Columbia assist in finding positions? For instance, some kind of "career services"?

Or asked differently, have any candidates to the ETP program for anesthesia lost their position in the program due to their inability to find an ICU position quickly?

Thanks for the information.

Hi MTroup,

I'm currently in the ETP-Anesthesia speciality so I thought I would answer your questions. Columbia does not really assist students in finding ICU positions. They have career services that help with your resume and prepare you for interviews, but you are pretty much on your own to find a job.

They allow you up to two years to fulfill your 1 year ICU requirement. So if you are unable to find a job right away you just won't be able to start the Masters portion until you finish your 1 year requirement.

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Has anyone finished the application yet? I have everything but my recommendations in hand!!! I'm finishing the last pre-requisite this Fall, but during the CUSON Admissions Open House they had said that it was acceptable to apply with one class in progress.

Otherwise, just reading (and re-reading) my statement, double-checking my CV and saying a LOT of prayers. My GREs were not terrible, and my GPA is also in an acceptable range. But I still get nervous!!! How will we wait until FEBRUARY to find out???!!!

Only 6 more weeks left to apply. Best of luck to all the other applicants!

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Hi ARickli, I am also nearly done with my application! I am meeting with my recommenders one last time and I have GRE's planned for September 15th. I'm a little worried that I planned them too late but I am sure my scores will make it there in time. I am feeling so nervous about my personal statement. I wonder if anyone ever feels 100% satisfied with these things?What other schools are people applying to? I still don't have my list finalized and the deadlines are creeping up! Ah!Anyways, good luck everyone!

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Hi everyone!

I am also currently applying to Columbia ETP hoping to specialize in pediatrics with oncology. Has anybody heard about the competitiveness of this particular specialty? This is my first school I am applying to and I am a nervous wreck!! I graduated with a BS in Biochemistry last year and with personal family problems, the rigor of biochem, and my devotion to other extracurriculars, I graduated with with a sad, sad GPA.However, I feel very confident in all other aspects. I have a ton of research, volunteer, and work experience as well as wonderful LORs. I'm also taking the GRE on the 17th so I hope all that combined will somehow show that I am more than just my GPA. I feel so passionate about the field but feel like I'll never get a chance to pursue it due to my GPA :( However, I feel like Columbia is the perfect school for me and I'm so scared of being rejected. I'm currently finishing up two prereqs this semester and will be done in December. That leaves one more to finish in the spring. So far I've had all As and one B in the prereqs so I hope this will show my willingness for success.

Does anybody know whether or not applying while having 3 pending classes is even worth it? Will a low undergrad GPA be one of the major determining factors? I really don't want to wait another year to apply and I don't want this opportunity to slip away.

I'm excited to share this experience with you all! Good luck to us all and here's to lots of success with the application process! :)

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Hi PNPhopeful,

I definitely think you should apply! Columbia does a wonderful job at looking at the applicant holistically. I would say you should try and do as well as you can on the GRE, write a stellar personal statement and find recommenders who can speak to your readiness for graduate school.

Are you applying anywhere else?

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Hi hollysf,

Thank you so much for the encouragement =) I have heard great things about Columbia's holistic approach to their applicant selection, which is another reason I really have my heart set there. For now, I am also considering MGH and UMass in Boston. My ultimate goal is to become a pediatric nurse practitioner so entry MSN programs which offer the peds specialty seem most time efficient for me. However, I'm definitely not opposed to gaining some experience as a floor nurse first, so I'm also considering some accelerated BSN programs. Which other schools are you applying to?

I wish you the best of luck with your upcoming GRE! =)

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Thank you PNPhopeful!I am applying to Columbia, Yale, U Penn, JHU, Vanderbilt, Boston College (WHNP), and OHSU. Columbia is far and away my first choice, and Yale is a strong second. I do worry about Columbia not holding interviews, but I suppose I should be happy that I won't have to spend money on a flight to NYC. Are you applying early decision?

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Hey Holly,

Those are all wonderful schools! I was also surprised that they don't hold interviews, and that makes me a little more nervous. You know, I was confused about the early decision/regular deadline because I was under the impression that there's one deadline, yet in the app, they talk about the option of early decision. So I gave them a call yesterday and they said there's no such thing as early decision anymore. Apparently the information in the app is outdated and the only deadline is October 15.

Also, when I was going through the application, I noticed that there is no section to input grades or classes. Am I missing it? I find it strange that they would have to go through a huge transcript (maybe even more than one) to look for specific classes/grades.

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