<p>Seriously? If Columbia is your dream school and you don't get in by traditional methods you can be guaranteed admission by first completing 3 years at certain specific schools ie. University of Binghamton?
How does Columbia maintain exclusivity by having guaranteed admissions (as long as you keep up a certain GPA and have good teacher recs)?</p>
<p>You can also go to Caltech, Georgia Tech that way. There are many engineering schools that are tied into this process with colleges that don’t offer engineering.</p>
<p>The number of transfer seats in Columbia engineering are limited and the number of colleges which are tied to Columbia in this manner is a long list. I am not certain more than a few can go from each college.</p>
<p>The “guaranteed” admission isn’t necessarily guaranteed. At least that wasn’t my impression. I’m pretty sure you need at least a B average in order to be in. And even if that works out, the 3-2 program is not comparable to a complete Columbia undergraduate experience - at least I’d imagine it isn’t.</p>
<p>“How does Columbia maintain exclusivity by having guaranteed admissions?” It doesn’t. Recently the guaranteed admissions GPA standards have been raised for those beginning in 2011 or later from 3.0 to 3.3. Some of the 100+ affiliated 3-2 schools are top LAC’s. Other’s are not or are just universities without engineering. The most common back door at Columbia is CUNY Queens College, which is a joke. For many years a 3.0 from Queens College with the math, physics and chemistry prerequisites was guaranteed admission to Columbia. A lot of the 3-2 students don’t choose real engineering subjects like ME, EE, Civil or Chemical engineering as majors at Columbia, because they aren’t really cut out for engineering. A majority do OR or IE and sometimes CS majors just to get their ticket punched with a Columbia degree.</p>
<p>Caltech has 3-2 engineering with a dozen private colleges but admissions is not guaranteed. Caltech requires superior academic performance at the LAC’s. So if you have a 3.6 as a physics major at Bowdoin, Haverford, Pomona, Reed, Wesleyan and others, you might get into Caltech.</p>
<p>The School of General Studies is an even bigger back door to Columbia compared to 3-2. Also, there are no limits on number of students that can enter by 3-2.</p>
<p>You need a 3.3 GPA from Fordham(science majors such as math, chem, physics) for a backdoor to Columbia Engineering.</p>
<p>you also need to complete the equivalent of 3.5 years of coursework in 3 years at your current school. including finishing your major at your school, taking pre-engineering courses at times in disciplines your school doesn’t offer and being prepared to hit the ground running when you arrive at columbia. it isn’t easy. and as we all know, science courses at most schools are curved. so you have to be at the top of your school in your science discipline.</p>
<p>i think it is an awesome program to give students that want an engineering education a way into columbia.</p>
<p>I think the affiliation with universities like Fordham is great, since Fordham offers an excellent liberal arts education but does not have enough capital at the moment to found its own college of engineering. And the GPA requirement, in the context of Fordham’s rigorous education, really weeds out those who aren’t cut out for the rigor of Columbia.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Actually, a majority of them are MechE. I know very few 3-2 who do OR or IR, and in my class there are only 3 CS 3-2s. EE is probably the second biggest after MechE. The rest do applied math, applied physics, materials science, chemical engineering, computer engineering, …</p>
<p>Also, CS at Columbia is pretty difficult, especially the upper level courses. I have taken a number of them.</p>
<p>Im confused why you are using past tense. I am fairly sure that the 3.0 is still the same requisite at queens college, unless I’m misinformed.</p>
<p>The requirement is no longer a 3.0 its now a 3.3. [Combined</a> Plan Program Admissions | Columbia Undergraduate Admissions](<a href=“http://www.studentaffairs.columbia.edu/admissions/apply/combined-plan]Combined”>Combined Plan Applicants | Columbia Undergraduate Admissions)</p>
<p>I know some students who went into the Columbia-Fordham 3-2 program worked very, very hard to stay in. A 3.3+ as a Fordham science major shows they have the minimal skills and ability to do the work required. This program has been around for many, many years (over 30), so I can’t see Fordham (or many other LA schools) having the need to open their own school of engineering…why should they when a serious student has access to Columbia’s great school?. It is a win-win for both: FuSE gets a hard working student who has done solid undergrad work in the sciences from a good college, unlike the bright but untested FuSE freshman, and so FuSE makes more tuition $ with selected, proven students. The flip side is that the LA school has access to one of the very best engineering programs in the nation. No FuSE student should ever feel cheated because of the 3-2 program: these are really bright students from really good academic schools who have worked hard for the chance and the privilege to apply to FuSE. Remember, they must do in 5 years what Fu students do in 4.</p>
<p>I once was talking to a very proud (somewhat arrogant) Villanova alum who felt VU was just so much better than Fordham and sited the higher SATs required by their school of engineering. I said, “Well, it’s true your engineering students have good SATs, but Fordham’s few engineering students go to Columbia…care to compare VU’s engineering school to FuSE?”. That lead to a quick conversation change by said Nova alum and a comparison of the bussiness schools.</p>