I feel like I’m back every week with a new college thread asking for help and I’m extremely sorry for that! But I literally just got admitted of the waitlist at Columbia College (I’m pretty disappointed it’s not Stanford). I can’t decide between these two colleges (shocker!)!!
So my initial concern with CMU was that I would be unable to double major in music but I would be able to do this at Columbia college very easily because there's no audition! :-) I'd also be able to do this awesome concentration in jazz and learn from some of the greats by taking jazz composition lessons. I'm not sure if they offer classical voice lessons though?? Also not sure if their chamber choir is any good???
I would be getting a B.S. from CMU and a B.A. from Columbia. I'd prefer a B.S. because it would involve more tech oriented courses but you cannot double major between SEAS and CC at columbia.
The core curriculum at CC is nasty if you don't enjoy it LOL. I've heard nightmares. The physical requirements and music/writing requirements are fine to an extent, but I despise studying stuff I won't use.
BS vs BA is meaningless. What matters is the specific coursework that you take. Match the course lists for the two programs. Are there truly any critical “tech oriented” courses that you would be absolutely unable to get at CC that you would be able to get at CMU? Likewise, it won’t matter that you can’t formally declare a double-major if you can still fit in the classes that you want to take. Ask CC whether any of the classes you want are restricted to majors only.
@deadgirl , can you specify the location of Columbia College as there are several.
If you are referring to the one in Chicago then:
Columbia College Chicago doesn’t have a cohesive residential experience. They are working hard to change that. Columbia courses are taught by working musicians and through that you’ll get to know the scene in Chicago. This is a great choice if you want to perform off campus as early as possible.
CMU has a more serious reputation and will hone your craft before releasing you to perform. More technical.
Congratulations on your acceptance off the waitlist! From your post, you do sound much more excited about Columbia than about CMU. If that’s accurate, go with your gut. I agree with happymomof1 that it absolutely doesn’t matter between BS and BA. Being sure that you don’t want to take classes you “won’t use”… that’s tough to determine before you’ve completed them. Some of my most interesting and memorable college classes were unrelated to my major or future plans, and thank goodness they were required or I might not have had the chance to fondly look back on them years later.
I sort of feel strange turning down the #1 computer science school in the nation though! I love being challenged. But at the same time, Columbia is good in all aspects.
i would definitely make sure you are ok with the Core i agree that taking classes you don’t “need” for your major can be enlightening and interesting but it can also be annoying when they take up space you’d like to use for classes you do want to take. The vibe at those schools is very different as well. Hopefully you had the chance to visit them in person.
Take a look at the core and see if all of the requirements are acceptable to you.
If you want to do two majors like CS and music, count up requirements to see if you can fit both majors and any non-overlapping core requirements into the number of courses you would take in eight semesters.
I’m very sorry. This post comes off a little bit disrespectful, ungrateful and I truly feel terrible about it. I was in a bad headspace this afternoon after getting my waitlist results! The core curriculum may actually be a good thing because it would allow me to explore interests I may not know I have! I’ll have to see when I visit soon!!
^^well, technically, its Columbia College at Columbia University, as the latter also offers the College of General Studies (which many on cc have discussed) as well as Barnard and an Eng school, among other schools.
If you have more than one undergraduate college then it should be called a University according to “standard” nomenclature. As an example Harvard college is the only true undergraduate college at Harvard university (which includes its graduate schools). Of course its all very convoluted when colleges have separate “schools” within them. Personally I think if you have to apply to a schools within a college then it really is a University. If you are in a college and can major in any of the undergrad degrees offered (including engineering) without having to apply to the school separately, that is a true college IMO, how about that for a convoluted explanation.
I actually took a look at some of the classes and they actually seem very interesting! I think the core would give me the opportunity to find what I really like.
It does seem as if Columbia may offer a better balance and a more blended program for your mix of interests than CMU. You haven’t said how much Columbia would cost, but perhaps you’re just more excited about Columbia and therefore less ambivalent about having your parents pay. Assuming that Columbia and CMU are similarly expensive, I would make a firm decision as to your preference between the two, and then weigh whether that front-runner is worth the extra expense over UMD, which is still a good option as well. My sense is that you weren’t excited about either of your options before, and Columbia is filling the excitement void now - if so, and if the cost is manageable, then go for it and congratulations!
If, by reading the course descriptions, you think you would benefit from classes such as CC and Lit-Hum, then I think you would benefit from the Core in general.
