<p>Hi everyone,</p>
<p>I'm a junior at Columbia University majoring in Political Science and History. Feel free to contact me with any questions about student life, academics or admissions.</p>
<p>Hope to hear from you soon!</p>
<p>-Steve</p>
<p>Hi Steve, Can you tell me what adcoms really look for in applicants? Is a high gpa a must? And what is the average gpa for accepted applicants, in your opinion?</p>
<p>Thanks</p>
<p>they want high GPA, SATs, leadership and sustained involvement in extracurriculars and a killer essay (the essay tends to be more important than most people think). A high GPA is good, but if you have other things going for you and your high school average is in the low 90s, I wouldn't worry.</p>
<p>they don't advertise the average GPA, and students don't really talk about that stuff once they're at Columbia, so I couldn't tell you that one. feel free to PM or email me with other questions or if you want advice.</p>
<p>How much financial aid does Columbia give to a person whose family income is less than 30,000? My friend dropped out of Columbia because he could not pay for the high tuition.</p>
<p>you'd have to submit a FAFSA- <a href="http://www.fafsa.ed.gov%5B/url%5D">www.fafsa.ed.gov</a></p>
<p>i'd think they'd be pretty generous with a situation like that</p>
<p>in general, Columbia is pretty stingy with financial aid compared to other Ivies</p>
<p>Steve - Is there much of a sense of community about Columbia? Most schools the size of Columbia College are set apart from their surroundings and students see one another every day, get to know each other, see their faculty out of class, etc. Can that happen on a campus in NYC where most of the students were attracted by the lure of the larger city?</p>
<p>My D asked me to ask you about the "Core". She wishes to double major in both a hard science (chemistry or physics) and vocal performance. Is this possible to do AND meet the class requirements of the core? She also is looking into the combined Columbia/Julliard BA/MM program. Do you think it would be possible to have the BA in a hard science along with the MM?</p>
<p>gadad, Columbia is unique in that it DOES have a great campus life, unlike NYU or other city schools. students tend to stay in the Morningside Heights area and leave it for the larger city a lot less than you might think. Students get lazy and stay on campus. if you've visited the campus, you'll know what I'm talking about in that students can run into each other all the time, plus 99% of students live on campus. there are lots of student activities, and it's very easy to get involved if you want to meet other students and participate in campus life: <a href="http://www.columbia.edu/cu/abc/listofgroups.htm%5B/url%5D">http://www.columbia.edu/cu/abc/listofgroups.htm</a></p>
<p>quiltguru, about the Core: it is possible to finish the core and do the double major. she just won't be able to take that many electives and may have to take six classes for a semester or two.
Requirements for the Core: <a href="http://www.college.columbia.edu/students/academics/core/%5B/url%5D">http://www.college.columbia.edu/students/academics/core/</a> </p>
<p>Requirements for the sciences:
<a href="http://www.college.columbia.edu/bulletin/depts/chem.php?tab=ugrad%5B/url%5D">http://www.college.columbia.edu/bulletin/depts/chem.php?tab=ugrad</a>
<a href="http://www.college.columbia.edu/bulletin/depts/physics.php?tab=ugrad%5B/url%5D">http://www.college.columbia.edu/bulletin/depts/physics.php?tab=ugrad</a></p>
<p>I don't know much about the MM program.</p>
<p>Feel free to ask me any other questions.</p>