Any Columbia University Medical Physics students around?

  • As many already know, studying for the physics GRE and getting accepted into a graduate program is not the final hurdle in your physics career.
  • There are many issues current physics graduate students face such as studying for their qualifier, deciding upon a field of research, choosing an advisor, being an effective teaching assistant, trying to have a social life, navigating department politics, dealing with stress, utilizing financial aid, etc.

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oz13
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Any Columbia University Medical Physics students around?

Post by oz13 » Fri Aug 08, 2008 10:13 pm

I am looking for some info about there program. I know that they are not CAMPEP approved, and would like to know if this is turning out to be a problem for you? Any info about the program itself would be appreciated, is it worth it? Is anyone near graduation? Thanks.

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jdhooghe
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Re: Any Columbia University Medical Physics students around?

Post by jdhooghe » Fri Sep 12, 2008 2:37 am

Columbia has actually disclosed that they plan on enrolling a negative number of students a year because the program is too prestigious. How they plan to do this is beyond me but then again, I am not smart enough to understand the ways of a genius. Good luck getting in.

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muonman
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Re: Any Columbia University Medical Physics students around?

Post by muonman » Sat Sep 13, 2008 5:33 pm

What's so hot about Columbia's medical physics program? (I.e. is the money for medical physicists really that good, even with NO campep?????) (Give us some $ figures, OP!!)

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twistor
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Re: Any Columbia University Medical Physics students around?

Post by twistor » Tue Sep 30, 2008 2:08 pm

Negative enrollment means they are kicking out current students.

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quizivex
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Re: Any Columbia University Medical Physics students around?

Post by quizivex » Tue Sep 30, 2008 3:21 pm

twistor wrote:Negative enrollment means they are kicking out current students.
:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:
HAHAHAAHHAHAH, LOLOLOLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!!!!!!


....

Edit: Oh wait, that comment wasn't even funny. I must've been thinking of this old comment by twistor that was possibly the funniest thing I've ever read online. I still laugh at it...
twistor wrote:U R LIKE GIANT COCK OF WISDOM EJAKULATING UR KNOWLEDGE ONTO THESZE FORUMSS.
I didn't realize how hilarious it was when I first saw it... but it has grown on me.

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twistor
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Re: Any Columbia University Medical Physics students around?

Post by twistor » Wed Oct 01, 2008 2:50 pm

I apologize for no longer being funny. I have failed you.

CUMedPhysGrad
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Re: Any Columbia University Medical Physics students around?

Post by CUMedPhysGrad » Tue Jan 20, 2009 9:12 pm

Buyer beware....
As prospective MP students start to make decisions about where to attend later this year, here is some important information...

As a current student in the Columbia Medical Physics program, you should know that Columbia requires it's Master Level students to complete a comprehensive exam given in August of the program. Of the 15 students who took this exam in 2008 (and if you fail this part they let you take an oral exam with the professor - that has even lower passing rates), only 5 passed!
Yes, 10 students were not awarded their degrees because they did not pass the comprehensive exam and must wait an entire year. (Well, actually 1 student was considered to have a hardship because she was from Asia and would have lost her Visa had she not gotten her degree - so she was awarded a special "retest").

Don't believe me? I encourage you to write Marlene Arbo (Administrator of the program) at mja2@columbia.edu to find out this information yourself. Perhaps Professor Noyan (Head of the program) could also shed some light on this: jcn2@columbia.edu

As a student, I might have (probably would have) chosen a different program had I known this statistic. Supposedly, the comprehensive exam (mind you this is after you have already passed all of your classes) is supposed to be at the same difficulty level as the ABR board exams...

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twistor
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Re: Any Columbia University Medical Physics students around?

Post by twistor » Wed Jan 21, 2009 3:53 pm

I don't get it. Why don't schools publish these statistics? And why admit students, fund them for an entire year, and subsequently fail them out of the program?

How many chances do you get to take the test?

This is one of several reasons I think we as a nation need to rethink our entire educational system. It seems that some programs exist only for the glorification of the faculty.

CUMedPhysGrad
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Re: Any Columbia University Medical Physics students around?

Post by CUMedPhysGrad » Wed Jan 21, 2009 4:14 pm

You get 1 chance every year (August/September) and 5 chances over all.
You are right, they should publish these statistics.
Many (most) new full-time students were not aware of the comprehensive exam as a requirement to receiving your degree. It is sort of buried in Columbia's MP webiste...

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grae313
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Re: Any Columbia University Medical Physics students around?

Post by grae313 » Tue Jan 27, 2009 4:11 pm

CUMedPhysGrad wrote:You get 1 chance every year (August/September) and 5 chances over all.
You are right, they should publish these statistics.
Many (most) new full-time students were not aware of the comprehensive exam as a requirement to receiving your degree. It is sort of buried in Columbia's MP webiste...
So you get five chances to pass a test that is around or slightly higher than the difficulty of the board certification you hope to eventually have. Hm...

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twistor
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Re: Any Columbia University Medical Physics students around?

Post by twistor » Tue Jan 27, 2009 11:00 pm

Would you want to spend an extra 5 years getting a masters?

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grae313
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Re: Any Columbia University Medical Physics students around?

Post by grae313 » Thu Jan 29, 2009 12:20 pm

twistor wrote:Would you want to spend an extra 5 years getting a masters?
Oh, it's a master's program? That puts it on the slightly ridiculous side.

CUMedPhysGrad
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Re: Any Columbia University Medical Physics students around?

Post by CUMedPhysGrad » Fri Jan 30, 2009 11:08 am

It is a Master's program, and yes there are several (4 +) students who will be attempting this test for their 3rd time in 2009. These facts were not "out there" when I was choosing programs and I think that prospective students to the Columbia Medical Physics Program should be aware.

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grae313
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Re: Any Columbia University Medical Physics students around?

Post by grae313 » Wed Feb 04, 2009 3:27 pm

CUMedPhysGrad wrote:It is a Master's program, and yes there are several (4 +) students who will be attempting this test for their 3rd time in 2009. These facts were not "out there" when I was choosing programs and I think that prospective students to the Columbia Medical Physics Program should be aware.
Fair enough. I wish you luck; sounds like a tough program.



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