Columbia University Medical Center

Convenient. Close to trains and bus stations. Plenty of food choices around the area.

Absolutely amazing hospital, but the people who work here (doctors, nurses, staff and students) are what makes it superb. Always greeted with a smile and they care about your well-​being. It always makes my day every time I come here. The construction going on puts a hassle on things as it de-​routes everyone, but I’m happy that they’re upgrading the buildings and facilities for the modern age. After all, this is where «amazing things are happening».

Amazing staff, bright minds, all housed in one place. It surprises me every day how so many great future Therapists and Doctors can be housed in one location. With the new medical building opening in 2016, it is sure to be the highlight of uptown Manhattan. As a current student, I can’t wait!

You will be disappointed.
I have no doubt that students get a stellar education and an «incandescent learning experience» at any of the various Columbia Medical Schools. To work here, however, that’s a whole another story.
Let me start by saying that I loved my colleagues: a lot of cutting edge, exciting scientific discoveries happen every day here, and there’s a climate of collegiality and collaboration that I really enjoyed.
The real problems are with the support staff; that is, with people who are paid to help me do my work[1]. For example: when we first moved into a new state-​of-​the-​art research center[2], my bay was without heating. We moved into the new space in October; in May the following year the plant operation staff finally showed up to discover that, during the renovations, they forgot to install a heating unit.
Our darkroom would often break down/flood[3]. There is an emergency number to call for any issues concerning the darkroom. Too bad nobody ever (like, never ever!) picks up the phones, returns calls, or even check their voicemail. When I tried to politely bring the issue up with the administration, this is the reply I had from Ed Johnson, Department Administrator for the Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biophysics: «I am fully aware of what problems we had the room and I don’t need to constantly reminded of them.». Wow…
At the beginning of last year I was without salary and health insurance for 3 months. That’s right: 3 months! My boss submitted all the documentations for the renewal of my contract in September; comes January I get COBRA documents in the mail, and immediately realize that something is wrong. The administration at the Pathology Department then asks my boss for all the documents again, and it takes 3 full months before the situation is rectified. Meanwhile nobody could give me a clear answer as if it was even legal for me to work there without a contract, or if I had medical coverage in case of an accident[4].
I could go on and on, but you get the picture. Any concern you may have is met with incompetence at best and indifference at worst at most, if not all, administrative levels, making doing your daily job here extremely frustrating. Moreover, nobody cares, and nobody is held responsible for any of these chronic, structural problems with Columbia administration.
The motto attached in front of a couple of buildings reading «Amazing things are happening here» should read instead «Amazing: things are happening here!».
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[1] Except the two main administrators in the Center where I worked, who are simply awesome! In fact, they provided enormous help and support in clearing out a lot of the mess generated higher up in the administrative hierarchical chain.
[2] They renovated lab space, but forgot about the bathrooms. Let’s just say that, when we have potential donors visiting the center, one has to pray that they don’t need to use the bathroom. I even saw a guy washing his feet in the bathroom sink. Twice.
Check them out: P&S building, 5^th floor. A true gem.
[3] We’re talking about toxic chemicals kind of flooding, here. In a room with no windows.
[4] Having to deal every day with, among other things, toxic chemicals, biohazard waste, and radioactive material, this is a major concern.

i’m biased b/​c my sister will be attending here :) campus is beautiful…

Impressive!
Wow! Huge! I am a visiting tourist from CA… how does one get from one class to the other on time? I stood and took a look at one of their many huge buildings and saw that it was the campus library! Beautiful campus and also an Ivy League school in the heart of New York. Just stopped by to take enough photos… you never know, one of my daughters may end up here :)

columbia here we come! took a visit for an open house. mailman school! the buildings are really high and nice looking. facilities are all top notch as ive seen so far. library looks pretty modern. fits ny well. im ready to be prestige and be an ivy league snob. learn the best from the best. so many falafel trucks around. and supposedly some are ²⁴⁄₇. when do they pee? so dedicated to serving the students. so the biggest question when moving to ny, how do we get our groceries? do we take a cab or do we use a bike and a basket? vital questions of living in ny.

Incandescent learning experience. My program this year closes with a BioMedical Informatics Career Fair– Yay!