<p>i had a year off inbetween high school ... finished highschool and then went on to college ...</p>
<p>i applied to columbia college, and the guy told me i do have the option of retaining my application for the college if i so wish ... which im pretty sure im gonna do ...</p>
<p>the thing with me is... i dont feel comfortable letting other people decide what i want to do ... even if that is columbia ... i applied for the college, and i'd prefer to get into the college .... or atleast take a chance and try to get in anyway :P</p>
<p>i wouldnt wanna live with the fact that i paid the same and studied as hard as other people and ended up differently ... however small the difference may be .... i know im paranoid .. but i guess thats the way i am :P</p>
<p>the reason i kept asking questions is i dont understand how it is possible..first you apply to CC and eligible..then they process it and suggest you apply to GS..which i found weird...anyway..you know what is best for you..so..do whatever that will make you happy!!</p>
<p>For those interested, I called GS today. Here's what I found out:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>One's transcripts and degree will say Columbia University and The School of General Studies. The degree will be signed by the Columbia University president and the dean of GS. The degree will be printed in English and not Latin.</p></li>
<li><p>GS students can take the same core as Columbia College students, if they choose. They also take the same classes, are taught by the same faculty, etc., as CC and SEAS students.</p></li>
<li><p>GS is easier to get into than Columbia College, but the education one receives is identical. Further, the admission rate for GS is higher because GS students tend to be more self-selecting, whereas students coming from high school apply to every school under the sun even if they have a relatively low chance of getting in.</p></li>
<li><p>The primary difference between GS and CC, however, is in student services, housing, academic advising, etc. Because the school caters to non-traditional students, the student services must be necessarily different. Also, there some services (lectures, and such) that only available to CC students and other services that are only available to GS students. For example, GS had a Georgetown Law professor come lecture, permitting only GS students to attend.</p></li>
<li><p>The same undergradute research opportunities are available to GS students and CC students.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>I was concerned about the number of GS students getting into law school, so the person I spoke with let me know that 4/7 valedictorians from GS went onto Yale Law last year, while others ended up getting into other great law schools such as Stanford, Harvard, Boalt, Columbia, etc.</p>
<p>The method by which one gets into a great school should not matter as much as what one does during and after receiving his/her education. </p>
<p>If anyone wants/needs more information, I have tons.</p>
<p>ictanti... that post is great--thank you. I would love more information, please post whatever you think is relevant on in this thread. As for specific questions, I can't think of any right now... but if you think something is interesting--go ahead and post!</p>
<p>Did your discussion today influence you toward GS? I think I saw that you also got in at NYU (and maybe Cornell?), where do you think you will go?</p>
<p>So far, I'm in at NYU and Columbia (GS). I'm still waiting on Georgetown, UCB, UCLA, and GWU. However, even if those schools accept me, I still think I'm going to attend Columbia. I just can't pass up the chance to receive an Ivy League education.</p>
<p>forget about GWU..i live in Northern VA..have friends going to GW..i fyou got in to NYU and Columbia..no need for GW..they dont offer scholarship either...GW is the 2nd most expensive school in the US</p>
<p>Thanks Fred. Yeah, GW is a safety and I'll probably end up withdrawing my application soon. I'm studying philosophy and intend to go to law school. Academics are of primary concern to me, so GS is definitely where I'll be going in the fall, even if UC Berkeley, UCLA, and Georgetown say yes.</p>
<p>I would think through some more issues. If you apply to grad schools, people know you are GS. GS students do not get the same 'on-campus" recruiting options. GS students are socially isolated (and Columbia isn't an easy place to transfer into socially for anyone, even CC and SEAS!) In life, Columbia alums will ask you if you were CC or SEAS, and when you say GS you will get a different impression out of them. Of course, if you go to a top grad school it doesn't matter and you'll probably not use the Columbia network much anyway.</p>
<p>Also, columbia students are incredibly "name" based, the second thing you hear when you meet someone is "are you SEAS or CC." Its awful, but people within the community look at GS as a backdoor, I was surprised you had a 1400SAT and were considering GS. I literally was in a film class in the fall and in a section someone made a slightly stupid comment. The guy next to me wrote "GS" on the paper next to me.</p>
<p>If I were you I'd rather be a first class citizen at a slightly lower ranked school like Cal or Gtown vs. a second class citizen at a slightly higher ranked institution.</p>
<p>that is, unless, social and network needs are unimportant and only the academic parts of an Ivy Education matter to you.</p>
<p>Yeah, ictanti, you mentioned Law School... you may just want to <em>think about</em> going to a cheaper UC (LA or CAL)... save some money for law school? UCLA rocks--as does its law school.</p>
<p>Just something to think about.</p>
<p>@slipper1234: Let's say in about a week, you go to Starbucks and run into some random person that mentions Columbia. You ask him "CC or SEAS?" he replies "GS."</p>
<p>honestly, what would go through your head? honestly.</p>
<p>First off, I really dont care about blending in, parties, socializing, etc., with 18-19 year-olds. Also, I don't care about CC students talking behind my back or wondering if I'm GS or not. I'm an adult, I can take it. I'll prove myself in the classroom, like every other student in universities across the nation. Wherever I transfer, GS, Cal, UCLA, I will encounter this same problem. Being non-traditional, I am going to be older than most of the students on campus. So, not fitting in is going to be an issue wherever I go. To the person that asks me, "CC or SEAS" and wants to discriminate against me for being GS, then I suppose by all means. But, when I show them my transcripts and prove that I've taken the same rigorous classes as ALL other Columbia students, is he going to try to convince me that I've received a different education? No, I don't think so.</p>
<p>I'm not too concerned about money right now, so GS is still the best option, if I'm deciding between UCLA or Cal.</p>
<p>Leobag, depending on how I do at Columbia, I'd like to go to a top-25 law school.</p>
<p>I'm in CC, and although people so ask you which school you go to, it's usually so that they can talk about some common interests (e.g classes , the Core, etc.), not to "peg" you. I have not heard of any antipathy towards GS students either...on the otherhand I've only been here for a year.</p>