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Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons

New York, NY

Allopathic Medical Schools | Private Non-Profit

⭐ Overall Impressions

How did the interview impress you?

No change

What was the stress level of the interview?

6 out of 10

How you think you did?

6 out of 10

How do you rank this school among ALL other schools?

7 out of 10

How do you rank this school among other schools to which you've applied?

8 out of 10
💬 Interview Questions

What is one of the specific questions they asked you?

What do you do for fun?
What was your biggest failure?
Why do you want to do urban underserved medicine?

What was the most interesting question?

Why did you travel to a certain country?

What was the most difficult question?

Tell me about yourself in five minutes...
🤝 Interview Format and Logistics

How long was the interview?

50 minutes

How many people interviewed you?

1

What was the style of the interview?

One-on-one

What type of interview was it?

Open file

Was this interview in-person or virtual?

No responses

Where did the interview take place?

At the school
📍 On-Site Experience

Who was the tour given by?

Student

How did the tour guide seem?

Neutral

How do you rank the facilities?

5 out of 10

What is your in-state status?

Out of state

What were your total hours spent traveling?

7+ hours

What was your primary mode of travel?

Airplane

About how much did you spend on room, food, and travel?

$401-$500

What airport did you fly into?

JFK

Where did you stay?

Hotel

What is the name of the hotel you stayed in?

Hotel 17

How would you rate the hotel?

6 out of 10

Would you recommend the hotel?

yes

What is your ranking of this school's location?

9 out of 10

What is your ranking of this area's cultural life?

10 out of 10

What are your comments on where you stayed?

No responses
✅ Interview Preparation and Impressions

How is the friendliness of the admissions office?

2 out of 10

How is the responsiveness of the admissions office?

7 out of 10

How did you prepare for the interview?

Read secondary, SDN, AMCAS.

What impressed you positively?

The views from the top of Bard hall and the world reknown teaching/research faculty. NY Pres is a pretty cool hospital even though it looks grungy from the outside. Students were in general very nice. Big surgery placement school. Long anatomy (7 months) course.

What impressed you negatively?

Washington Heights is run down. The admissions people never bothered to say anything to any of the interviewees. In general, I found people to be slightly smug. Everyone seemed to justify the negatives (Bard Hall, the cramped spaces) by saying ''it's New York. People love it here and they let you know frequently.

What did you wish you had known ahead of time?

Take the subway to 168th. If you have an afternoon interview give yourself until at least 4PM as the interviewers ran extremely late. There was only one ''half one interview'' but mine lasted an hour.

What are your general comments?

Overall, Columbia is the more traditional of the NYC schools in terms of curriculum (which is being overhauled next year). Moreover, I found that they wanted talented under-represented minorities and Ivy League graduates. I felt slightly out of place. I felt the total lack of interest in interviewees by the majority of people there really spoke to their priorities. Overall, the interview went well but I wasn't overly impressed.

What are your suggestions for the admissions office?

Offer students a host placement because staying in NYC is expensive.