Columbia University ETP 2011

ayu531 · Mar 2, 2011

anybody flying out from san francisco (jetblue) on thursday night?

dorshee · Mar 2, 2011

anybody flying out from san francisco (jetblue) on thursday night?

I'm on the SFO at 11am to JFK on jetblue. PM me if that's you!

ayu531 · Mar 2, 2011

I'm on the SFO at 11am to JFK on jetblue. PM me if that's you!

aw... i'm on the 10:30 pm flight. have a safe trip and hope to see you friday!

jsda · Mar 3, 2011

i'm about 90% that I will choose to go to Columbia, but I can't make the accepted students day....so bummed!! if anyone who is going could provide a short summary of what happened or any information that seems worth knowing, i'd really appreciate it!! :nurse:

pnguyen · Mar 3, 2011

Hey Ayu531,

Got your PM, i dont have enough posts to PM you back though it seems. I actually did TA for Jett, if you wanna chat just send me an email. Nice to see you got in, congrats! pnguyen_3kgt @ yahoo . com

Do you know where you'll be going yet? Where else did you get in?

spiced_chai · Mar 4, 2011

i'm about 90% that I will choose to go to Columbia, but I can't make the accepted students day....so bummed!! if anyone who is going could provide a short summary of what happened or any information that seems worth knowing, i'd really appreciate it!!

I second the motion! I'm sure that there are several of us who weren't able to make it to the accepted students day. (I'm still an undergrad and I need to go to class!)

If any one would be so kind as to give us anything from a CliffsNotes of the event (but if you want to write us a detailed play-by-play, that's cool too), I would be very grateful! It would also be great to get some feedback here from students accepted to different specialties!

mleigh · Mar 6, 2011

Question for current ETPers:

What's the deal with the uniform sizes? I've heard they are somewhat off and was hoping for a recommendation about ordering. I normally wear a small top (size 6) and medium bottom (size 8). I heard that the tops are big, but the pants are small. Any suggestions for ordering?

Also, any hints on ordering equipment? Which package would be best for someone in the women's health specialty? Are the stethoscopes the only difference?

Thanks!!

aidenlc · Mar 7, 2011

Hey everybody, I went to the visiting day, here are some highlights that I thought were important:

1. Financial Aid, last year second degree student were awarded $12,500 in financial aid (stafford loans), this year they increased that amount to $25,000. For those of you who had filled out a FAFSA, the financial aid packages will be arriving on Monday. Also, since there is a timing difference in when we receive financial aid, they advised that we have all our financial situations straightened out for the first month of June.

2. Housing, is basically on a first come first serve basis with priority given to out of state students. Most of the people who will get housing will stay in "Bard Hall" - we got a tour of and the rooms look really runned down and dingy.

3. Equipment, the student ambassadors who are currently entering their specialty year told us that they didn't use any of the stuff in the equipment packages except for a penlight and the scope.

4. Uniforms, we got to try on, when I go shopping I usually get size s tops, but the tops were pretty big, so I am going to get an xs instead. The bottoms ran kind of big, so I will be getting the pants in a size small. The nice thing about the white pants are that they have extra pockets on the side, but they're kind of see through, so I'm going to get 2 sets of navy tops and bottom.

That is basically it, everything else was more or less "fluff"

Advice from the ETP director: don't get married, pregnant, or get off your anti-depressants!

Hope this helps!

aidenlc · Mar 7, 2011

** I meant to say the pants ran small**

rose_marie · Mar 7, 2011

With regard the the equipment/uniforms--our student ambassador said that you definitely need to tuning forks. She purchased the second tier package but now wishes she had gotten the first tier (the Cardiology III is a much better stethoscope and she can definitely tell the difference). She also said that you should purchase a minimum of three uniform sets.

After attending the admitted students day, I decided against Columbia. The labs facilities were described as "anemic" and "pathetic", there didn't seem to be enough merit-based aid/non-loan need-based aid to make the price tag worth it, and the ETP year seems WAY too rushed. There were definitely some strong positives to the program, though, and I would totally understand why someone would be really excited about going there! Good luck to all of you who decide to make the move to NY! :)

rose_marie · Mar 7, 2011

I should also mention that our student ambassador was amazing--my decision against Columbia had nothing to do with her. I really enjoyed talking with her and found her honest and reflective feedback helpful and constructive!

SaraNH · Mar 7, 2011

Has anyone been emailed their financial aid package yet?