Accepted for Fall 2012! Drew or Columbia?

<p>Hello!</p>

<p>I'm very happy to have been accepted, but I'm really worried about my ability to perform well at either school. I think I somehow tricked the application committees into accepting me! </p>

<p>Drew has offered me a very generous fin aid package and I'm waiting to hear from Columbia. Does anyone know how they compare?</p>

<p>Also, I am planning on living in Nj and doing a 45 train commute. Train time for me will be additional reading/studying time so I think it's okay. I just have to stay near my business otherwise I'd move to NYC.</p>

<p>Hi, I’m a graduating GS student living in NJ and can address your transportation question. I take the bus into Port Authority and then just take the 1 subway (the local) or the 2 or 3 subway (express) to campus. With the 2 or 3 train, just switch at 96th street for the 1 train. You could also consider taking the train into Penn Station and taking the subway from there. You are correct…that time on public transportation is definitely valuable study time, especially as you are making your way to campus for an exam. It’s totally doable plus very relaxing. You should also check out the student discount that GS has worked out with NJ Transit. I believe that if you are a full time student then your montly bus or train ticket is significantly reduced.</p>

<p>THANK YOU! May I ask what you were were doing prior to GS? If you are a community college trasnfer, what was the transition like? Did they accept your credits? And what’s the scoop on finanical aid?</p>

<p>Prior to GS, I had a full time career with a master’s degree. I graduated back in 1985 so it was quite a transition but it went so smoothly. There was lots of support from GS, the professors love having me in their classes, and the students have been exceptional. I feel very sad that I’m graduating. If I could win the lottery, I would stay at Columbia for a few more years because there are so many great classes that I would still love to take.</p>

<p>GS took the maximum allowed for transfer based on courses that I took with my undergraduate degree. I think it was 60 credits. I tell everyone that I was able to earn an Ivy League education at a 50% discount! Financial aid is based totally on your academic record. One of my friends receives quite a bit of money which is understandable as she is brilliant.</p>

<p>With financial aid everyone really is a special snowflake. It’s incredibly difficult to generalize, since everyone has their own situation, needs, academic record, and life plan. In general I believe the majority of full time first year undergraduates who get aid receive $6k-$8k in institutional grants (GS Scholarships, aka Free Money) for the first year, up to around $18k. Again those numbers vary for individuals. Here’s what the GS website says about scholarships:

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<p>In addition there are the federal programs all schools have (Pell grants, subsidized and unsubsidized loans, work study, etc) and state programs.</p>

<p>I’ve been told by partially reliable sources that students who enroll in the spring semester more than likely drop out and do not graduate whereas fall enrollment would have produced different results. Is this true? Especially at a campus like Columbia. Do not be afraid to answer as I am only looking for facts.</p>

<p>Why or how would the term of enrollment affect graduation rates? I’m genuinely curious to know your source’s rationale.</p>

<p>To hellojan:
Well, what they shared was a now vague statistic about students who enroll in a semester other than fall that went something like this. By and large those students pursuing a degree who do not enroll in the fall term, but choose spring are more likely to leave school and not complete their studies. In terms of semester affecting graduation rates perhaps he meant that there is less of a bond, so to speak, with others in the sense that the relationships are not being secured to make the hill to graduation a little more easier to climb.</p>