I have dreamed of applying to Columbia GS ever since I graduated from my first bachelors but I don’t know if that will prevent me from being accepted. I wanted to major in film and media studies but my parents would not allow it as they were paying the tuition in full out of their own pockets, they forced me to take Management instead, I received my first degree from Hofstra University in Business Management with a gpa of 2.8, my transcript from this degree has a a D in ever semester due to the Statistics / Finance classes I took (I was in no means a math student), I even failed and retook a class during winter session but the first “F” grade was noted on my transcript, I graduated from that program with a low GPA and a loss of hope and confidence. Afterwards I began working at Aflac, a job offered through a family friend as a process analyst It wasn’t the job I wanted but it was good enough I did that for a year and a half I also did real estate sales on the side. One day I decided to pick up courses at a local community college, Bronx CCNY, where with my own money, I studied Media Studies for 2 years and a half earning 60 credits and accumulating a GPA of 3.94 between those years I also took on two impressive internships one at viacom and the other at time warner cable, after receiving my Associates from CCNY I moved to the west coast to attend another community college, Irvine Valley College, where I majored in political science and philosophy at this school I became more involved with my academic life and I joined several student organizations, I am currently studying there only a semester away from graduation, my overall gpa so far is a 3.96. I want to have a second bachelors from Columbia GS so I can move on to get my masters from another prestigious school, after graduating from Irvine I plan to take a year or two off to work before applying, With all my experience and my two redeeming associates degrees is it possible to get into GS after having a bad first undergrad gpa? I also would like to know if I could leave out the first undergrad transcript and just submit the two community college transcripts in their place during the application process. Please could anyone help me? Can my first gpa destroy my chances of getting into GS? I plan to My plan is to double major at GS in Political Science and Film and Media Studies, with business not in the repertoire but will my 2.8 gpa spoil my chances? Can it be left out of the application as a whole?
Hey @secondchancekid, I think you have a really strong story and should definitely apply. Having done so well at the last two Community Colleges is definitely going to look really strong on your application. You shouldn’t dwell on your first BA experience since it seems like its been quite some time since you completed that degree and since then you’ve made a huge leap forward academically. As far as if whether having a BA will affect your ability to attend GS, I can speak from personal experience that it doesn’t disqualify you (completed a BBA at Baruch prior to transferring). In your essay you should just speak honestly about what happened during your first BA and how you’ve been able to change and do better this time around, in addition to explaining your passion for film.
The GS application requires you to send in all transcripts, high school and college, so you can’t leave that hole in your application. I’ve heard of some schools using National Student Clearinghouse to verify when and where a student attended college, so omitting past colleges might not be a good move.
What you can do is write out that story you just told us in the application essay. It sounds like you might have stumbled a bit in the beginning, but you matured as a student and found what you really wanted to do. It might have taken longer than some people, but GS is geared towards nontraditional students. I would definitely encourage you to apply!
Hi @secondchancekid,
GS employs a holistic admissions process that evaluates applicants based on a variety of factors, with GPA being just one of them. Given what you’ve shared here, I would absolutely encourage you to apply! However, it is important to note that you must send all high school and college transcripts as part of your application. Keep in mind that your essay is where you have the opportunity to explain your academic background as part of your overall story, and you should share how you have progressed since your time at Hofstra, and why you are now ready to succeed at Columbia.
If you would like to discuss your particular situation further, I invite you to contact our Office of Admissions. They may be reached at 212-854-2772 or gs-admit@columbia.edu.
Best,
Christina