Columbia University ETP 2011

hskwon06 · Apr 2, 2011

Does anybody have a rough or not so rough budget for the entire BSN/MSN ETP Program? I'm trying to get an estimate of how much I'll be going into debt with this program.
Also, the estimated room/board of $24,000 in the financial aid package: is that spot on, liberal, or conservative? I would intend to live frugally.

In my opinion, 24K is VERY liberal. I pay $600/mo for rent; I have 2 other roommates. My average utility bill (energy and internet) is $35/mo. I spend on average $50/wk on all food and drink (groceries, eating out, etc) and $50/wk on miscellaneous items (toiletries, laundry, etc). $10/mo goes towards Rx. This means in one year, I spend less than $13,000 on room, board and misc items. I've been on a budget for the past year and calculate how much I've spent at the end of every week to ensure I am not going over. It is definitely possible to spend less than 24K, but you have to create a budget and stick with it. :)

sfrntobe · Apr 3, 2011

I am currently in ETP and vowed to come back here and answer some of the questions I had at this time. Looking through I'll try and give my best take on some of the common topics I have seen, starting with the one above.

$24,000 is about right on. The poster above who pays $600 is actually the cheapest rent I have yet to hear in all of NY. Most people in the WH area around school (including the dorms) pay around $800 give or take. Anything less than that in NY is out of the norm and if you want to live outside of the heights it is almost guaranteed to be more. Groceries are not cheap, and again $50/week is being pretty frugal. If I go out with friends I can spend that much in a night so it just depends on how much you plan to get out of the hood, what you like to do etc...$24,000 is comfortable for NY, but not over the top, it is an expensive city, but you could do less if you were very diligent. Just want to be realistic here.

For those considering Acute Care if you want to work in an acute environment this is the specialty to do. That said it does not include peds and this was tricky for many people. I would say if you are unsure start as acute for integration reasons, it is easier to move out than in and be guaranteed an acute setting spot (that said integration will have a lot of variables and if you switch out they do not keep you in that spot).

Money, I had not heard that the fed aid is upped to $25K for you guys, this would mean the gov't changed their limits, which is possible, but the way it worked is that you get this amount for master's years, not for BSN. Either way my private loan is actually a lower interest rate than my federal, though not fixed, but it all works out once you fill out the paperwork.

Our scholarships were $22K for Bachelor year and $11K for master if you go straight through. Sounds like you may be a bit different but the way they handled ours was $11K on the fall and $11K on the spring, summer was no scholarship. Fedaid handled the amount requested from your loans to cover this, though they had a few minor blips. The biggest advice here is to save some extra money for living over the summer, the money came through late for a lot of people and you may need to pay first months rent + security etc... before your loans come in.

Equipment, it is ok to only have a steth and pen light as long as someone else in your physical assessment group has the tuning fork and reflex hammer. This will be needed for your PA checkout in August, so while most people can get away without them and they are not needed at clinicals, someone will need to have it for this class. That said, there were plenty in our class to go around.

Lastly, I think our class has been great and we all really like each other for the most part. It is a pretty amazing class, NY is a pretty amazing city, and minus a few administrative frustrations Columbia is a pretty amazing school with great faculty. They are big on research and advocate strongly for the NP profession. I think all of the top programs probably have a lot to offer so I would just look at it from a personal perspective in terms of what you are looking for in regards to location, length of program, costs etc... Sorry this got so long but hope it helps!

alleeme · Apr 4, 2011

CAV13,

Not related the the ACNP track but the FNP part of your question. I am accepted in Women's Health, but have the same sense of thinking I will be limited in this specialty since I can't see men or children. I was considering the FNP track as a possibility after seeing how the ETP year goes.

However, I was in touch with a recent grad from the FNP program and she hated it. Her main complaint was she thought that particular program was very unorganized, and she learned more through work as an RN and textbooks than from faculty members... The information was unsolicited as I was contacting her about housing. Definitely not what I wanted to hear. I know some people had really positive things to say about the program director for FNP after visiting day (I was with the WHNP group so missed it).

I'd love to hear from other current or recent grads about the FNP program as well...

hskwon06 · Apr 4, 2011

I am currently in ETP and vowed to come back here and answer some of the questions I had at this time. Looking through I'll try and give my best take on some of the common topics I have seen, starting with the one above.
$24,000 is about right on. The poster above who pays $600 is actually the cheapest rent I have yet to hear in all of NY. Most people in the WH area around school (including the dorms) pay around $800 give or take. Anything less than that in NY is out of the norm and if you want to live outside of the heights it is almost guaranteed to be more. Groceries are not cheap, and again $50/week is being pretty frugal. If I go out with friends I can spend that much in a night so it just depends on how much you plan to get out of the hood, what you like to do etc...$24,000 is comfortable for NY, but not over the top, it is an expensive city, but you could do less if you were very diligent. Just want to be realistic here.

This poster is absolutely correct. $600 is cheap, but it's because I live in Astoria, Queens. The neighborhood is great (google it) and my commute to CU's campus in the Heights is 1 hour door-to-door. I already live in NYC and travel further for work, so an hour is okay with me. If you're looking to live a bit frugally, living for under 24K is possible. For the past year, I already came to terms with the fact I cannot spend too money going out to bars, going shopping, eating out, etc, and know that this same budget of mine has to continue while I'm in the ETP program. This has made it so that the only loans I need to take out are for tuition and mandatory fees. It's a lifestyle change, but I decided a while ago that I did not like the idea of taking out loans for rent, food, books, etc while in the ETP program.

If you are dedicated to spending the least amount of money possible, it will take time and dedication to finding an apt that's affordable, giving up cable TV, whatever. Creating a budget in advance is also key. Otherwise, expect to spend ~20K living in New York City. It's an awesome place, but expensive.

alleeme · Apr 4, 2011

I also currently live in Astoria. However, I am probably going to move because I don't want to commute. But Queens is MUCH cheaper in all ways than Manhattan. At least based on my time living in Midtown. Although, I think nowadays rents for shared apartments probably start around $700-800 unless you are lucky. Groceries are noticeably less here, although they might be cheaper in Upper Manhattan as well. In general rents in Washington Heights on craigslist look comperable to a touch more than Astoria. So if you are planning on living near school you might be able to find good deals.

sfrntobe · Apr 5, 2011

Yes, good points, I should clarify my posting was from the Manhattan perspective and furthermore the person who moved from farther away and did not know too much about all of the other areas of NY. As a baseline I started in the dorms and think I paid somewhere around $760/month.

naa232 · Apr 6, 2011

Has anyone heard anything about the waiting list???

Anxiously waiting....

Annie3289 · Apr 6, 2011

I have not heard anything and I am on the wait-list.

shine4 · Apr 7, 2011

I'm on the waitlist too haven't hear anything. It would be so nice to hear back. Do you guys know if when considering you they will only consider your specialty and nothing else? I don't remember seeing a second choice specialty on the app, but I definitely had top two you know? FNP and neonatal fnp

Annie3289 · Apr 7, 2011

I don't think there was a choice for that, but I am in the same boat as you. Wasn't there a deadline for those on the wait-list? That if we didn't hear back by April 1st then we could reapply or something. I thought maybe they would send an email or something.

shine4 · Apr 10, 2011

Yeah I think there was a deadline of April 1st, but I thought it said they would notify us about applying again, etc if anyone hears anything can you let us know? Thanks :)

Annie3289 · Apr 11, 2011

Yeah, I thought so too. I emailed to ask, so hopefully, I'll hear something today from admissions. I'll keep you posted.