<p>Hi my name is ben, i haven't had a gap in my education but i do have a compelling story. When i was young, around 14, i had a father who was an abusive drunk and would abuse my brother and i along with my mother, we would switch from schools and towns constantly to avoid him shortly after him finding us and continuing the punishment. This caused me to develop cognitively as well as behaviorally which would set me apart from most of the traditional students. With that being said school was ruff for me, my high school cumulative GPA was a 2.1. most of the time after school i would volunteer my time at the Mt. Hope family center (a place where children who were exposed to violence in their homes and communities go too to seek supporting help). My teacher and i raised over 5,0000 dollars for them my senior year to help them financially. I am currently attending monroe community college and everything has been going well i maintain a 3.76 GPA (going to be a 3.80 by the time i apply) with a 32 Act score, I am a part of Phi Theta Kappa as well as National Honors Society most of my classes are honors classes and i am also on the schools soccer team as well as Africa awareness group, i was wondering if my story would be compelling enough to gain acceptance into the General studies program also i plan on being a part time student (which i don't think columbia university allows) so that i can work to help provide finacially for my mother due to her state of psychological inconvenience </p>
<p>I would caution you against applying at this point in your life. You’re simply not going to be able to help financially support your mother while living in New York City. </p>
<p>My advice is to do what you can for your family now. Reconsider your plans to apply to Columbia when you’ve been able to establish some stability.</p>
<p>If you’re part time, GS is the place. However be aware that you’ll probably be giving up a LOT of financial aid by going to GS instead of CC. GS is very expensive, even working part time you’ll probably end up in debt.</p>
<p>I also worry a bit about your writing, based just on this post. You’ve made a number of grammar and spelling mistakes, the sort of thing that would raise a red flag for Columbia. Be sure to carefully edit your application essays, regardless of the schools you apply to.</p>
<p>The best advice I can give is call the admissions office and talk to an admissions officer. They can let you know where they think you’ll fit in best.</p>
<p>Dirk, it would be nice if you could qualify your statements. You’ll notice that even the people on these forums with established authority take the time to explain themselves when a fellow poster has put themselves in a vulnerable position.</p>