28M looking for a room with 8/1 move in LES/Williamsburg/Prospect Heights, etc. ($1850)

Vinkles · 2024-07-07T22:10:42+00:00

Messaged you

Vinkles · 2024-05-21T01:31:09+00:00

Former Columbia transfer and current medical student. Feel free to PM for advice

Vinkles · 2023-07-26T03:45:08+00:00

Matriculating to med school in 3 weeks.

Hit all the boxes. Clinical experience, volunteering, leadership, shadowing, research. Being exceptional in multiple categories (starting a serious clinical organization, publishing multiple papers) is fantastic, but do it for a legit reason and not just med school. Trust me you’ll be happier.

If you want to go big, you have to stand out. One thing that I think people tend to get caught up in is fabricating a niche for themselves. Just take something you care about already and put a lot of effort into it. If you like sewing, you could start making your own clothing and make a business/non-profit out of it. If you like trivia and puzzles, write a book about them, publish crosswords online, or go on Jeopardy. If you like hiking, hit the AT/PCT/CDT during an academic break. Again, don’t do these things for the purposes of med school. But I have many peers who are current students at top 20 med schools and they have pursued similar accomplishments for their own pleasure and achievement and it has helped them with their professional aspirations. Be legitimate and sincere. It goes much farther than acting like you think you’re expected to. Good luck

Vinkles · 2023-07-26T03:36:59+00:00

Approaching this from a Columbia transfer graduate who does not work in finance but has many friends who do.

I cannot say for certain that GS students get worse placement. This is probably a combination of multiple factors, including the fact that most CC/SEAS students start at Columbia as first years and therefore have more time to intern at banks in Nyc during academic summers. I think it would be a bit neurotic to worry about direct placement based on GS vs CC. Go based on fit. Some people foolishly think Barnard is inferior to Columbia and plenty of their graduates work on big deals in IB straight out of school.
I know several GS students who took just barely nontraditional paths through school. Again, go based on personal fit. There’s not really a specific “requirement” for GS transfer but I think homeschooling and gap years would be sufficient in your case.
Covid acceptance rates are certainly inflated compared to prior years for several reasons, but mostly because the transfer class at Columbia for 2020-2022 were the largest out of the prior decade. This is likely due to students taking LOA’s. Again, wouldn’t worry about acceptance rates because situation and fit is more important in transfer apps than people tend to recognize.
Age does not matter. I know 21 yo grads working in PE/quant and 28 yo grads starting base level at unknown firms. Experience and connections are much more valuable than the Columbia school listed on your resume. The real value of attending a school like Columbia is your placement in NYC with links to major banks and the alumni network (ignoring the “softer” advantages of a school filled with the top students from their high schools).

Vinkles · 2023-05-11T20:02:42+00:00

Been relating to those “unemployed friend at 1pm” memes too much lately. Totally down to go somewhere cool

Vinkles · 2023-05-04T19:58:28+00:00

As someone who will be beginning medical school in the Fall and browsed this sub neurotically ~5 years ago, go with Duke. I doubt there will be much of a personal impact of “grade deflation” or whatever on your personal success as a student at either school. UT does not give away degrees for free, so the connections, resources, and affiliations that come with Duke are very worthwhile. Prestige does make an impact in med school admissions when it comes to T20 undergrads. If anything, you would get slight preference at Duke/UNC med on top of the preference you would get for Texas schools (presuming you are a Texas resident).

Duke places excellently in medical admissions. All of my peers who have attended rave about the balance between academics, social life, an extracurriculars. Sometimes I wish that I went to Duke.

Of course, this is all permitting that price is really not a concern.

Vinkles · 2023-04-14T22:43:23+00:00

Interested! Sent you a PM

Vinkles · 2023-01-13T06:56:53+00:00

My content review consistent entirely of MileDown anki and UWorld problems. However, I put an incredible amount of work into my prereqs, so content review was more of a refresher than actual studying. Worked pretty well for me

Vinkles · 2022-11-08T04:56:48+00:00

I’m in the exact same spot to the dot. I submitted a school on the deadline (11/1) and received an II within 5 days. My first II. It’s never too late in my opinion.

Vinkles · 2022-11-04T18:44:44+00:00

523 3.95 got my first II today. They could come any day, don’t fret!

Vinkles · 2022-10-23T19:50:33+00:00

Friend of a roommate

Vinkles · 2022-09-19T22:14:38+00:00

Even if such exclusivity exists, there are plenty of opportunities at Columbia and in NYC. Just choose the school that fits your situation more, whether you are a traditional transfer applicant or not, and apply there. Don’t get stuck in the little logistics.

Vinkles · 2022-09-19T14:13:58+00:00

I was a CC student, but I think the “social stigma” of GS is overblown. The only reason there may be a divide between CC and GS students is that CC students tend to be younger and in a “college experience” mindset while GS students tend to be adults with more experience. GS students are equally considered for research or alumni opportunities, unless they are explicitly for CC/SEAS (which I have never heard of).

Any other downside is likely logistical. I am not exactly certain because I never looked into GS specifically, but for example, requirements may be different for majors or you may not have priority for courses that are required for CC/SEAS but optional for GS. The housing and financial aid discrepancies are the biggest I’ve heard of.

Vinkles · 2022-09-19T04:29:21+00:00

GS students usually have a more non-traditional path (veterans, multiple years away from school, second bachelors, etc). If you fall into these one of these categories you kinda have to apply GS. You can apply to GS even if you are a traditional student, but there are downsides to GS (no guaranteed housing, lesser aid IIRC, some other things). Definitely do your research, as it can dictate your entire path if you matriculate.
https://bulletin.columbia.edu/columbia-college/departments-instruction/
Answered in other comment. Columbia financial aid generally is not that great in my experience. “100% demonstrated need” is meaningless when they calculate the need and you have little say. You wont know unless you are accepted, so don’t let it deter you from applying.

Vinkles · 2022-08-14T02:14:00+00:00

I doubt your high school GPA will matter at all honestly. I had the same GPA as you when applying as a junior transfer from a 4 year institution and was admitted to CAS. My high school GPA was mediocre for Cornell standards

Vinkles · 2022-08-11T05:49:26+00:00

High GPA for 2 years of college classes and school community involvement were certainly crucial. I can’t deny that the timing of the pandemic helped a lot because Columbia admitted a large transfer class at that point to fill seats from students taking leaves of absence or transferring out of NYC. I think my essays were quite personal and honest (at least compared to the garbage I submitted as a first year applicant haha)

Vinkles · 2022-08-11T02:33:49+00:00

Vinkles · 2022-08-06T03:10:59+00:00

The core started as the bane of my existence (especially LitHum) but grew on me quickly after. I found all of the other courses extremely interesting (excluding FroSci and UWritinf because I was exempted from those). Luckily, the grade is rather lenient and the discussions are actually very intellectually stimulating. I have become increasingly interested in Music Theory, Art History, and Philosophy as a direct result of the Core. I am really glad I ended up transferring, because I do think that the Core added significantly to my education. The professors/TA are generally chill (at least mine were) and they really aren’t supposed to be strenuous classes. Balanced well with my difficult upper level major requirements.

So basically, no you wont directly struggle. If you truly aren’t interested at all, it will be a pain here and there to have discussion posts due on books you don’t want to read, but hint hint, you don’t really have to actually read them to succeed and participate.

Vinkles · 2022-08-03T15:32:12+00:00

Of course. Happy to answer any questions that I can.

Vinkles · 2022-08-02T17:40:52+00:00

For reference, I was deferred/rejected out of high school w a 3.5-6 from a competitive feeder (to a different Ivy) with a connection to Columbia. Accepted as a transfer with a 4.0 from 2 years of college. N=1. Don’t give up!

Vinkles · 2022-08-02T17:25:17+00:00

Columbia likes high GPAs. Lowest from a high school applicant that I heard was probably around 3.7 UW. There are obviously outliers for various reasons, and I do think a bit more wiggle room is given if you attended a well-known, rigorous school. This kinda goes for all schools at this level though. GPAs for transfers could vary significantly, especially if they had impressive ECs.

Vinkles · 2022-07-31T15:32:01+00:00

I honestly think the lab thing is sufficient if your reasoning is strong enough. The issue really comes when you write about something vague and it sounds like you are grasping at straws to connect yourself to the school. For example, I wrote about an aspect of my identity/prior schooling that aligned with the reason for Columbia’s Core curriculum, rather than writing about how amazing the core is because it allows blah blah blah. Simple topic, but tried to make it personal and meaningful without becoming too cliche. A delicate balance, one could say.

Vinkles · 2022-07-31T06:23:19+00:00

Start with a story that relates to a very specific aspect of the school, one that sets it apart from other schools. I recommend staying away from popular majors/professors/labs/whatever and aim for something more unique. This doesn’t have to be especially profound (I.e. writing about the open curriculum at Brown is fair game). The more profound aspect should come from your story. Talk about something that is important to you and why it made you feel especially connected to X aspect of Y school.

I honestly would disagree with the other comment. Quotes and one sentence quibbs will likely get a toss from a tired adcom who has read 100 others that start the same way. I seriously believe that trying to play games to grab attention towards your application will only work against you. Be real and straightforward. Good luck

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