Accepted into Columbia University...

<p>I found out this week that I was accepted into Columbia University, School of General Studies. I transferred from a CCC with a 3.8 GPA and numerous ECs.</p>

<p>GS at Colubmia is designed for students with a one-year break in their education, but students take the same classes as all Columbia University students, are taught by the same faculty, and receive the same degree.</p>

<p>I'm excited about getting into any Ivy League school, but is GS inferior, in any way, to Columbia College? Any information would help me make a better decision. Thanks.</p>

<p>u got my kinda scared</p>

<p>i thought u meant CC</p>

<p>the admissions difficulty for Columbia is 10/10, for CCC, its more like 1/10</p>

<p>You thought I transferred from Columbia College into GS?</p>

<p>congratulations. GS is perfectly respectable, and you take all the same courses with CC, SEAS and Barnard kids. nontrad, but if you're nontrad its perfect.</p>

<p>Hey ictanti,</p>

<p>Congrats on your GS acceptance. If you don't mind, can I ask what your ECs were, and maybe even some relevant stats? I'm thinking of taking a year off, and I'd love to go to the GS program afterwards. Thanks!</p>

<p>Major: Philosophy
CCC GPA: 3.8
Prior four-year school GPA (Cal Poly, Pomona): 3.1
HS GPA: 4.1 (11/355)</p>

<p>SAT Reasoning Test: 2100 (720-Writing, 680-Math, 700-CR)</p>

<p>College ECs: Adult Literacy Tutor, recorded books for the blind, Phi Theta Kappa, Alpha Gamma Sigma, Student Body President, Philosophy Club, Business Club President</p>

<p>HS ECs: California State Science Fair, Track and Cross Country</p>

<p>Hope this helps.</p>

<p>What are the qualifications for Columbia's GS program? Is the year off for any and all reasons?</p>

<p>CCC == Community College ?
How long was your essay?
How did you find out? (email, post mail, web?)</p>

<p>and congrats!</p>

<p>CCC = California Community College</p>

<p>My essay was just under 2,000 words. </p>

<p>They notified me of my decision over the phone and then I received an admissions packet a couple of days later through FedEx.</p>

<p>Don't worry about it ict at all. You'll get your degree from Columbia College, and no one will be the wiser in the future (if it is looked down on.) Columbia is a great place to study philosophy, especially as an undergraduate. Enjoy the Core and the wonderful department.</p>

<p>Congratulations!</p>

<p>ictanti, that's awesome. When was your app submitted (complete)? When did they call you?</p>

<p>I don't mean to be pretentious or burst your bubble, but you WON'T get your degree from Columbia College, you'll get it from the school of General Studies (I'm not sure if it has the core or not), and it IS seen differently from SEAS or Columbia College (so people will "be the wiser" in the future, to follow up on what a previous poster said). Congratulations on you acceptance nonetheless, I just wanted to clarify that for you or anyone else looking at this.</p>

<p>Ah, I stand corrected. I thought it was simply a two-year program that feeds in to CC.</p>

<p>Thanks for the information. I doubt there's anything you could say that would burst my bubble. You are right, the GS core is different from the CC core (though, only slightly), and there are only two classes in the CC core that GS students are not permitted to take. So, that's not a terrible difference. Of course, I will not receive my degree from CC (I'm a GS student), I will receive it from Columbia University, which, of course, is the more important point. My acceptance letter and people that I've talked to at GS make it perfectly clear that the degree one receives is the same one received by all Columbia University students. Nevertheless, I doubt I will have to walk around telling people, "I went to Columbia, but it was the School of General Studies" after I've graduated. I say this because 99% of the classes I will take at GS will be identical to those taken by CC and SEAS students. I agree that GS may be viewed differently than CC, but if I'm taking the same classes, reading the same material, writing the same papers, and taking the same tests as all of the other Columbia University students, who could really make a sound argument that the education is substantially different or inferior? Again, I appreciate your comments, and the others. All of them are helping me make a better decision about my future.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.gs.columbia.edu/bulletin_courses/Bulletin98/transfers.htm%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.gs.columbia.edu/bulletin_courses/Bulletin98/transfers.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>If you're worried about the prestige factor, you might want to inquire about the intra-school transferring policies. They are rather vague here, but apparently people transfer from Columbia College to the SGS, too.</p>

<p>So might I ask what the difference between GS and CC is?</p>

<p>One must have a one-year break in their education to apply to GS (unless they have a compelling reason to attend part-time), otherwise they should apply to CC. Also, there is a small difference in the core curriculum between CC and GS, one does not have to attend full-time (as is the case with CC), and I believe some of the student services may be different. Other than that, I'm not sure there's much of a difference academically, which is ultimately what matters most in my view. The admission rate might also be higher, though it seems as if the degree and the eduction are just as difficult and rigorous as a CC one, so necessarily having a higher admission rate than CC doesn't seem worth noting.</p>

<p>Is there anyone else out there that can offer me their perspective on GS vs. Columbia College? I'd really appreciated it. Thanks.</p>

<p>I know people at Columbia Uni...Columbia College and SGS might be viewed same..but CC is a different story..i think SGS students dont have access to their social activities as well...but come on..just think..CC accepts only 5% of the transfer applicants..but SGS God only knows...i know people who are 40 and got in...anyways..Congrats, ictanti...it is a success...you got into a school at Columbia Uni. but by no means dont compare it to Columbia College..</p>