<p>I am a perspective student really looking at Columbia. I was wondering what kind of reactions from the student body I would get as an Army cadet. Columbia has the reputation as being a haven for the super-left-idealistic type. I hate to brand a student body like that, but I don't want to be in an environment where people look down on me because of my career choice.</p>
<p>Also, I know Columbia is trying to find a better relationship with the military/build ROTC. Do you think that my passion for military service would help in admissions? My extracurriculars and school choice reflect this passion significantly.</p>
<p>They have had cross town agreements in place for some time with Army ROTC and I believe they do PT on campus already, so people are already used to it. The majority of students seemed to be very much in favor of officially returning ROTC to campus and the vote to do that passed a few weeks back. You might want to google some articles. The folks my D talked to in admissions seemed very enthusiastic and encouraging. There will likely be some naysayers, but not much more than you will find on any college campus. People at Columbia seem to really embrace the individual and I am sure you would feel very welcome. My D followed the ROTC story closely as she is very interested in ROTC also. If you haven’t found BWOG yet, you might check that out, or see if you can get some copies of the Columbia Spectator (columbiaspectator.com) . My D has some March and April issues that talked about the return of ROTC and you can glean the student and administration’s support. Hope that is of some help! Good luck.</p>
<p>You won’t be ostracized just because you’re an Army cadet. In fact, most people you meet will probably find that really cool. But the majority of campus is definitely anti-war and skeptical of the military. If you loudly argue that those who are anti-war are unpatriotic or naive or terrorist sympathizers, you will **** people off. (Although, even then, not everyone; there is a small subset of people who hold such extreme views on campus.) But aside from a very small group of radical protesters, students will not dislike you simply because you’re a cadet. The key is just not to be a dick.</p>
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<p>Solid life advice, really.</p>
<p>haha very true. I am definitely not the gunslinging-Republican type (I actually consider myself a moderate Democrat), so I don’t think I’ll have to worry about upsetting my peers.</p>
<p>Any opinions on how it would weigh in admissions? I’m very qualified academically and have really good scores, but do you think that my passion for military service will help me stand out?</p>
<p>My suggestion is to read the articles on the campus blog tagged with “ROTC” to get a flavor of how some students would feel: [ROTC</a> – Bwog](<a href=“http://bwog.com/tag/rotc/]ROTC”>ROTC Archives – Bwog)</p>
<p>Don’t take Bwog commenters too seriously, though. Anonymity, coupled with the sense of a free-for-all where commenters can only distinguish themselves through their aggressive attacks on one another leads people to say and do things they never would in person. It’s probably valuable to have that (mostly) unfiltered free speech zone, but don’t mistake Bwog comments for the Columbia community. People are much more respectful and interesting in real life. As a moderate liberal who has served in the armed forces, you should have no problems. A lot of the students you meet, especially those in the College, will probably be really interested in your perspective.</p>
<p>As fas as admissions, I think it will definitely help you. GS likes veterans because they have motivation, drive, discipline, and life experience that others don’t have. GS is a school for non-traditional students that wants students with life experience more than stellar high school grades, so I think your veteran status is a big plus. And don’t forgetthe GS applicant pool is really self-selecting, which is why the admissions rate is so high! By just applying to GS, especially as a veteran, you have a very good chance of getting in.</p>
<p>pwoods. It’s not as high as you think. 33% is the rate for successful TRANSFERS. If you include applicants that are applying to begin as a freshman, then the rate drops to 23%. Then you have to account for the fact that a lot of potential applicants are deterred from applying by the lack of need-based financial aid, and the meagerness of merit-based aid, which drastically shrinks the applicant pool. If I had to estimate, I would think that the inadequacy of financial aid cuts the size of the applicant pool by anywhere from 20-30%. Even so, the trend is that the acceptance rate is shifting downwards so I wouldn’t be surprised to see 15% in 4 years. GS graduating GPA is already essentially equal to CC graduates as of this year, and trending towards potentially surpassing CC graduates next year.</p>
<p>Just so I’m not too far off topic from the OP, I can say that the students in general have a lot of respect for veterans who work hard and aren’t acting like dicks.</p>