<p>Thanks, Caliqwerty. My mother is totally for USC because 1. it's close, and
2. her uncle went there. My father and his family on the other hand is for anything Ivy League because all (except my father) went to an Ivy college. So to them, Columbia is legacy. </p>
<p>If you don't mind me asking, what do you not like about GS and why did you originally choose it over USC or Stanford (Stanford would have been my 1st choice)?</p>
<p>I think everybody who is considering this school should read this. It took quite some digging, but it is proof that there is a separate alumni network for the college that is THROUGH the university. Apparently the college alum do not consider GS a part. Just go through the stuff on there. </p>
<p>Columbia</a> College Today</p>
<p>When you attend Columbia University School of General Studies, you are attending an undergraduate college of Columbia University. If you attend believing you are attending Columbia College, you will probably be disappointed. Decide whether or not to attend based on the merits of the School of General Studies. The academics are almost identical to Columbia College; the rest of the package is different. </p>
<p>As an alum, you will be part of the GS alumni network and the overall University network.</p>
<p>The more that I have dug up information, the less I want to go to GS. I mean it really shouldn't matter, if you are taking the same classes and doing well then the only difference is that you are intelligent on an ivy league scale AND have other life experiences that were desirable. </p>
<p>However, why should there be a stigma towards GS, why should you only get to have a positive relationship with alumni from GS. I am aware that you can use ColumbiaTrak to talk to alumni from the rest of the University, but your profile definitely displays right at the top that you are GS.</p>
<p>This shouldn't be a problem and one should be proud to go to GS. However apparently it is a problem and college and seas alumni apparently will look down upon GS. I'm having trouble understanding why I should pay more for the same education and then be looked down upon because I had other experience outside of high school?</p>
<p>I am only 22 and can somewhat still fit in with regular college kids. I was looking forward to being able to interact with the more mature and experienced GS population. However, with more expensive tuition, much less financial aid, and a stigma against those with life experience, I think I will go to one of the other ivies that accepted me.</p>
<p>I must say I agree with you, TitanBoxer. I am only 20 and so am in a similar situation. I was so impressed with the GS program, and was so thrilled to be accepted. But with the combination of (a) several remarks of snooty Columbia College kids posted everywhere (b) the complete lack of adequate financial aid and (c) a lack of professionalism and organization in the GS administration has made me feel very disillusioned. I have deferred for now, but am very serious about going somewhere else in the end. I don't know why the university goes out of it's way to make GSers feel like outsiders, when it seems that it would be very simple to make some changes.</p>
<p>I'm starting to agree with both of you. I am only 21 and the reason I took the year off making me "non-traditional" was due to family illness, not personal choice. I only applied to GS and USC, and I am now seriously considering USC since they treat me like a normal student. Yes, they accepted me based on the same criteria as GS would use, but the message they give is that we're all there for different reasons and to add strength to the overall body. "We do not compete within the family" is their motto.</p>
<p>Imho, Berkley > GS when you factor in the financial aspect.</p>
<p>Listen to Burb Parent s/he is a wise person. GS != CC. You will not be rooming with CC students, you will probably not be dining with CC students either and you'll probably miss out on all the 'fun', impromptu activities that are characteristic of traditional college life. If that's what you're looking for, then GS might not be for you. I think of GS as a "come get your stuff done and move on with your life" kind of school.</p>
<p>Come to GS for the academics. If you have other priorities, then another school might be a better fit.</p>
<p>Hi Guys,
I swore that I wouldn't post on this forum. However, I'll make an exception in this case. You were accepted to Columbia GS for a very special reason. Take advantage of the academic opportunities. That is why you're there for. The academics should your motivation. Not the social aspect of Columbia College or Columbia SEAS. There are so many opportunities that you can seek out, if you look hard enough. Don't expect Columbia GS to hand it to you on a silver platter. In addition, it doesn't hurt to create your own opportunities while you're at Columbia GS. Forget about the negative remarks about the school. Besides, Columbia GS is what you make of it. Not neccessary the other way around. </p>
<p>There are those, such as myself, who would have taken what Columbia has given you and to work with that. There is no rush to anything as it would fix itself. At least most of you don't have to worry about going to the Harvard Extension School, which only offers their classes at night. And in order to take classes in the daytime, a degree candidate must earn that opportunity through Special Student Status and if selected to take classes at Harvard College, you are limited to taking up to two classes a semester for one year. At Columbia GS, you don't have to worry about things like that because you are integrated with the rest of the university. Not segregated from the daytime students as it is at the Harvard Extension School.</p>
<p>Embrace the rare opportunity that you were given. It'll not come your way again!</p>
<p>redline,</p>
<p>I can kind of see your point, but I was accepted at schools just as good as Columbia. I would have liked to be in the gs community, but at what price? I'm not comparing my choices to Harvard Extension. That isn't even in the same realm. What attracted me to GS was the level academic playing field. However, why should I suffer during recruiting and financially, simply because GS USED to be like Harvard Extension?</p>
<p>I would love to go to Columbia, and I am still waiting on my scholarship app, but even if I get the GS max, I'll still be about 30,000 a year short of another ivy that I was accepted to.</p>
<p>I realize that not everyone has this choice, and thats where the hard choices come into play. At what price does the "Ivy" tag become too pricey. For me, going to any of the other nontraditional programs in the Ivy League was out of the question. Only Columbia has the same academic rigors, too bad not everyone knows this. </p>
<p>I then had to consider how much would I be willing to pay for a Columbia education compared with the other schools I got into. I decided that if I didn't get into another school that had top 5 recruiting for what I want to do, I was willing to pay $25,000 a year for Columbia before I went to my flagship state school for free.</p>
<p>I think Columbia really needs to evaluate how it sees the GS community. If the university wants to enrich the campus with the quality of students GS provides, they should be a little more appreciative and accommodating. Otherwise most students with an equal academic choice will not choose Columbia.</p>
<p>I feel that if the financial aid and tuition costs were the same, along with equal respect, within a couple years GS would have an acceptance rate as low as CC which is what the elitist jokes really care about anyway.</p>
<p>I do agree with everyone here. In respect to college, academics should be the primary driving force. The overall social life does not concern me because ultimately, my college experience will greately be guided by what I decide to make of it. And yes, I do accept that my experience still would be different at GS than CC. What concerns me is ultimately the way graduate schools/employers will view me and that my alumni network (something I do consider an important factor) may be tarnished. If this is the case (and I say only if), than why would I want to attend a college where I would work equally as hard, most likely pay more, and yet not have the same opportunities when I graduate? </p>
<p>GS_Banding, I did not apply to UC Berkeley. Although I do consider it an exceptional college, its philosophy department is not very good. In that area, USC does outrank Cal, and financially for me, the cost is equal.</p>
<p>One other thing...I should point out that I have not been accepted to GS. They have yet to give me a decision. I had posted my stats earlier, but nobody responded. I am asking these questions now because USC did accept me and if GS does accept me, I would like to have all of the information possible to make the best decision.</p>
<p>precious, I only mentioned Berkley b/c I saw someone trying to decide between the two. Don't know too much about USC so I can't be of much input in that matter. I think it mainly depends on what you plan on doing after your BA. If you're planning on going to a professional school then USC might be a better choice. If Wall Street, then GS is probably the better one.</p>
<p>Personally, I didn't make my decision to attend GS based on the alumni network or intra-CU perceptions. 1) What I've accomplished so far in life has not been at all dependent on connections from past schools attended so I didn't deem the alumni network as a factor. And 2) I don't really care what other people <em>might</em> think of my degree or my past experiences. It's just not something I worry about.</p>
<p>To be honest, after three semesters here, I can count with one finger the instances where I've heard negative comments regarding GS (actually two, a girl in one of my classes and a few jokes at Orgo Night). Maybe it is more prevalent but outside of this forum, it's not something you'd be aware of. I think that says a lot. The professors don't know and don't care if you're in GS.</p>
<p>I can understand why you would be a bit concerned regarding GS perceptions but imho you place too much importance on those perceptions. Whatever the perceptions might be, if you're bright, a hard worker and get good grades, you can forget all the BS as graduate schools and employers will want you. "This guy/gal had a great interview, top 10% of his class at CU and came well recommended from so and so. But wait, he's from GS, let's pass on him and get a 'real' college grad." Get out of here. Even if such a scenario were to take place, there are plenty of other employers that would want to hire you.</p>
<p>I think that once/if you are admitted to GS and receive the financial aid award, it will be much easier to make this decision. So stop pre-conditioning yourself and wait until all the cards are dealt. Good luck.</p>
<p>re: titan. The other ivy non-trad programs I know of are Penn, Harvard, Brown, Yale. I'd rate them in this order: Yale > Brown > CU >= Penn > Harvard. (I don't know if Cornell has one). If you were accepted at the first two, I don't know why you'd be considering GS.</p>
<p>I was in the same predicament. </p>
<p>I received a letter last October from Columbia in the mail inviting me to apply to their GS program. </p>
<p>I got out the the Navy last May and have been attending Austin Community College with the hopes of going to UT as a transfer.</p>
<p>I have done extremely well taking 5 classes a semester. 4.0, Phi Theta Kappa, etc. </p>
<p>I could apply to GS and pay alot of money or go to UT (which Ive been admitted) and take my GI BILL plus the 5,500 in grants they are giving me! That might not be alot for an IVY but Ill tell you this, tuition is only 8,000 or so for the entire academic year. I'll end up paying only 2,500 or so for my education in 08/09. UT is rated around 44th nationwide. Thats not freaking bad.</p>
<p>In a nutshell, GS is for those probably wanting to look great for graduate school. Go to USC or some of those other top state schools you guys are talking about, please who ever reads this! Get an outstanding GPA and LSAT (my test of preference), save money, and be smart cause after college the bills will be there. You can attend an Ivy League graduate school later on (supposing you do well and are good enough).</p>
<p>Thanks.</p>
<p>:)</p>
<p>In the same boat, like everyone else. I got accepted to GS in May, but I don't know if the cost is worth it. I would be taking out over $30,000 in loans each year-- no real help from parents, and I'm only 21. I also got into UNC (which is ranked #5 public school in the nation) and it's right in my back yard. I wouldn't have to pay anything near what I would for Columbia. I would love to attend GS, but I just am not sure if I can justify it when I also have a great education at UNC without being in huge amounts of debt. :/</p>
<p>GS_Banding,</p>
<p>Are you suggesting that GS students are at a disadvantage when applying for admission to graduate school? I ask because I have applied to GS, but my primary concern is graduate school.</p>
<p>es four, I don't see how you can reach that conclusion from my post. AFAIK, GS students are not at a disadvantage. I can't speak on absolute terms as I obviously haven't applied to grad school and I only know a few people that have (of those that have, I haven't heard them complain).</p>
<p>Anything else I say would be purely baseless opinion.</p>
<p>GS_Banding- It was the comment about USC being a better alternative for professional school and GS better for working on Wall Street. </p>
<p>I must have misinterpreted that... I would HOPE GS is equal to the other schools at CU for the purposes of grad school admission.</p>
<p>Ah, I meant that professional schools, for the most part, don't care about your undergrad institution. More important factors are GPA and test scores. And I mentioned Wall Street b/c obviously CU is closer to where the action is.</p>
<p>like several of the last posts, my main problem is the financial one. yes, I am concerned about the way GS fits into the overall Columbia university, but it would not stop me from going if I could pay for it. My point is that EVERYTHING CONSIDERED, I don't think the difference in financial aid is necessarily worth it. like city middle, I'm only 20, and would have to take over $30,000 in loans each year, with no help from parents. if I can get an equal education elsewhere for less, why would i put myself in such a situation?</p>
<p>I'm in a quandary over GS as well. I received a pretty hefty scholarship by GS standards, but I still expect to finish at Columbia with ~ $50k in debt. I have to decide by tomorrow if I'd rather go to Amherst instead. They're offering me an absurd amount of financial aid (they're paying me $8k more than fees and tuition to go), but I'm 29 years old and unsure about fitting in at a small residential college. My sense is that it's a little fratty there still, and I wasn't even into that when I was 18. Also, my wife is from Manhattan and would be CRUSHED if we don't go back, and there are a couple less job opportunities for her in the boondocks of Massachusetts then there are in NY. Why can't I just put Amherst's financial aid offer towards a Columbia education? Gah. I wonder if GS_Banding and any other Columbians could reassure me that going to GS rules? I am afraid I'll feel like a fool in the fall if I find that I'm in some balkanized Columbia University ghetto.</p>