i got accepted to dickinson, and recently learned about their 3:2 program with columbia university (meaning 3 years in dickinson, and 2 years in columbia), through which i would receive a degree from dickinson, as well as one from columbia.
this sounds extremely enticing, and if anyone has been a part of the program/has more info on it, I would love to hear it!
also, I was thinking, with dickinson’s excellent study abroad program, that i could do 2 years at dickinson, a full year abroad (say - spain or france), and then 2 in columbia (following the 3:2 program). talk about a holistic education
Ask how many students have been successful in transferring to Columbia as a junior in engineering. Think about any financial aid you may need and whether it is granted by Columbia.
My daughter looked at a few of these programs and was disappointed in the ‘3’ part of it. The schools had very small physics and math departments so course selection was limited. Only 2-5 students a year transferred into the ‘2’ part of the program.
The program also has affiliation with Pitt. It seems like the GPA requirement was higher for Columbia, but agree with asking the question about how easy it is to get in and how easy it is to really get out in 2 years. How many classes do you have to take? What kinds of engineering is this open to?
My kid was looking at this as well. But spending for 5 years of tuition to end up with 2 bachelors degrees did not seem that enticing. It is a way to get an engineering degree from Columbia,however.
What are you other options? What kind of engineering?
Agree with the above. There are a number of colleges that offer similar programs. CRITICAL to ask for the numbers of students each year over the past five years who have attempted this program and have actually been admitted. It sounds sexy, but it’s important to ask course requirements and whether there is any kind of guarantee if certain benchmarks are met.
Lots of schools have 3+2 programs with Columbia. But the preparatory grade requirements are strict, it involves and extra year of costs, and Columbia does not promise as good financial aid for 3+2 transfers as it does for other undergraduates. In addition, many students who wanted a small LAC to begin with may not want to transfer away from their small LAC and their friends to a relatively big university in a big city.