<p>wow this thing is so annoying. i just wanted to change one word</p>
<p>seriously ***. ok, i tried, whatever. time for breakfast now</p>
<p>and the ā ā ā ā ā returns to post on the only topic he has posted on. The poster is only here to anonymously make sure he can get on GS studentsā nerves.</p>
<p>Iām sure Dretzerik doesnāt like the fact that GS students actually have a sort of easier chance in getting in Columbia University, acquiring the same degree, some GS students have full rides, saved a lot money going to a community college, access to the same resources (classes, career days, etc.), or possibly itās the GS-CC merger rumor. I bet we could make you mad Dretzerik by just listing on our resumes that we went to CC rather than GS (like some students at Barnard do).</p>
<p>^
You know, I really hate to admit it, but ā ā ā ā ā ā like Dretzerik really did factor into my decision to not attend Columbia GS. Finances werenāt an issue. Iām a vet, so I would of had a free ride through the GI Bill/Yellow Ribbon program. Itās the fact that a certain segment of Columbia harbors hostile feelings towards GS. Even if it is a very small minority, it is a huge turn off.</p>
<p>Had it been between Columbia GS and a state school, it would have still been worth it, but luckily I had other options. And, honestly, being one of the 15 people selected for transfer to Amherst College this year would have won out regardless. Still, itās sad that I even had to weigh the fact that some of my āpeersā (āpeersā being in quotes because even asserting my sense of equality with Columbia College students might offend some people) harbor feelings of superiority towards me just because Iām a non-traditional student who got into Columbia through a ābackdoorā.</p>
<p>Just my two cents.</p>
<p>Iām about to graduate from Columbia CCā¦used to be in SEAS - Computer Sciā¦</p>
<p>And I can tell you one thing: Some of the programming and tough math courses? The class average on midterms were 54% (at least for our professor). The professor would send out emails detailing the midterm statistics: Most people in the class fell within 50%-65% out of 100. There were ALWAYS 3 outliers in the 90sā¦and those were GS students. They were in their late 20s and had worked as senior technology consultants for some big companies and they are quick as hell. One of them got a 100% on a midterm where the median grade was a 56.</p>
<p>Donāt underestimate them! There were tons of GS students in my engineering classes who continuously ruined the curve for the rest of us SEAS kids.</p>
<p>Dretzerik - Itās great to see you passionate about something. I enjoy your driven personality, itās a relief in a world with complacent minds. However, itās unfortunate that you are using your energy towards worthless endeavors. What is the goal of posting, what clearly seems, a lengthy, time-consuming post about some obscure school that Iām fairly sure you are not a student at? You should do something that actually means something. Anything - it doesnāt matter - just stop wasting your time here and do something else. Robbing a bank or starting a revolution is about seven steps up from posting flame wars on the internet.</p>
<p>I think the main disagreement comes from the fact that Dretzerik sees the ādistinction of being an Ivy League studentā solely through the accomplishment of the admissions letter, and not through what a person accomplishes through classes at the schoolā¦if people come out of the exact same classes with equal GPAs to CC students, I think it is very fair to say that person received an Ivy League education</p>
<p>and while I will agree that GS is Columbiaās cash cow and that probably several people get in for the cash and not because they belong at Columbia, that degrades the experience of CC/GS/SEAS/Barnard as a whole (because they are all in the same classroom), not just GSā¦and it doesnāt negate the fact that several people accepted to GS would be accepted through CC if that admissions process were designed to evaluate real world extracurriculars and accomplishments and not solely those accomplished in the simulation exercise called high school</p>
<p>I have nothing to do with GS, precisely because of the financial aspect, ā¦but this guyās attitude is so obviously based on his own insecurityā¦those attending or accepted to GS shouldnāt bat an eyelash</p>
<p>Dretzerik, it seems that if you have indeed been accepted to an Ivy League school that youāre doing a great deal to tarnish and sully any modicum of prestige or respectability that comes from acceptance. Your complete inability to make an argument without atrociously obtuse fallacy and your complete lack of grace are more of an embarrassment to your āvalueā than any acceptance could demonstrate. </p>
<p>You show a pitiful lack of understanding of what self-selection means statistically and attempt to create some sort of analogy as useless as a tissue paper trampoline. The number of people who apply for CC who have absolutely no chance whatsoever of being accepted due to extremely lackluster performance and aptitude scores is very high. At the GS level itās more likely to be adults who have some kind of realistic grip on what their capabilities are. Therefore, the group is self-selecting in the sense that those who are capable of performing are more likely to apply. You canāt go backwards for the statistic without some basis, there are no grounds to say something like āthere are 70 women and 30 men in the room beyond this door, that means that thereās a 70% chance youāre a woman if you walk inside.ā</p>
<p>Your attempt to disagree with the assessment that a GS degree is a real Columbia degree because there are other degrees from Columbia than CC simply ended up being entirely circular. If you had made a singular argument, it would have been begging the question, but since you havenāt, it was just babbling and drooling in circles like a concussed puppy. If you had any familiarity at all with how universities around the world worked they are almost all composed around colleges that are run in a separate manner. Someone studying theology at Duke Divinity is going to be a graduate of Duke University just like an engineering student who graduates from Duke Trinity. In the case of Oxford and Cambridge, the number of colleges is actually a bit daunting and changes on a regular basis.</p>
<p>Since your argument is that going to an Ivy League is completely the exclusivity and validation one gets from accepted to the school, Iām assuming you wouldnāt actually waste your time GOING to one. It would seem, by your philosophy, that the ideal is to just get an acceptance letter, frame it and then attend a school of possibly lesser reputation with the best and most immediate ROI. Ultimately, what is revealed here is that, by attempting to mock and ā ā ā ā ā , youāre assuming the role of a child bully, unwittingly exposing your own fragile ego and need for validation. So sure, itās easier to get into GS than CC, and what the heck, maybe GS students suck and drag the others down. However, even if that were true, thatād be a <em>GOOD</em> reason to be a GS student (and a reason not to go to CC) as you gain the advantage of having CC classmates who can challenge you and drive you to do better.</p>
<p>Finally, itās important to point out that academics canāt define a person wholly, and what youāve written here has done more to define you as a negative effect on society than one of benefit.</p>
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<p>thatās really unfortunate, since for the most part, both seas and college students respect the GS students. To be honest, the only ill will we might harbor towards them is because they always ruin the average/scaling for testsā¦</p>
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<p>I see it as being similar to when Iāve gone to countries where they ādislike Americansā and have made friends anyway and had people say āwell, except you!ā In most cases, individual interaction has more consequence than the group youāre stereotyped with.</p>
<p>People like dreterzik are the reason Iām not applying.Iām not going to have some snot nosed elitist punk talking to me like that without a firm backhand following.Good decision on my part.Im not coming up off of 50 grand to hear that ********.The people at Columbia would be wise to take that into account.Many people i know are passing on GS because of the combination of snobbish classmates and weak financial aid.</p>
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<p>We donāt even know for sure if dreterzik is even college age, much less an Ivy or Columbia student. So to characterize the āclassmatesā that youād have at Columbia as being like him may be a bit unwarranted. There are going to be jerks wherever you apply, and there are plenty of anecdotes of CC students befriending GS students. </p>
<p>(Iām with you on the financial aid issue.)</p>
<p>You know whatās great about all this? I donāt even read all of your responses. I know for a fact Ivy wrote this pseudo-intellectual response to one of my posts - I glanced over it and laughed.</p>
<p>Krav wrote something interesting though: āIām not going to have some snot nosed elitist punk talking to me like that without a firm backhand followingā. Good job, Krav, spoken like a true caveman - and a poor one at that, since you go on to complain about financial aid.</p>
<p>Want to get into Columbia without dealing with the elitists? LOL, want cream & sugar with that? Thereās a way for you to go to Columbia without having to deal with elitists - earn the right to get in, and donāt knock on the backdoor (GS). Get it? It aggravates you that you arenāt accepted as you are: slow, aggressive, and poor. Oh well.</p>
<p>I stand correct: GS = everyone can get in. Now THAT is special, huh? Another thing, lol, you guys seem to know those who have been admitted into GS. Find me a person who has not. HAHAHAHAHAHA.</p>
<p>^ thatās simple, check the Columbia GS thread for applicants who were rejected. You obviously donāt read all the comments because you canāt be able to lash back on them.</p>
<p>Because Dretzerik refuses to give information about which school he is attending or how old he is, it is safe to say he is not adequately informed about Columbia. Therefore, his opinions are insignificant.</p>
<p>I can say that it is a great loss to the school that has or will admit you, Dretzerik. You probably have a fine academic record, but all your work is lost to your average mind.</p>
<p>My favorite part of his screed was this:
Iām fascinated by this āneed-blind aidā, please explain how it works, and subscribe me to your newsletter.</p>
<p>Here is my rebuttal:</p>
<p><a href=āhttp://xkcd.com/386/[/url]ā>http://xkcd.com/386/</a></p>
<p>^ HAHA, brilliant!</p>
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<p>Eh. You get pwnt on any level of rational discussion and youāre a ā ā ā ā ā . Not really news to anyone.</p>
<p>Dear ā ā ā ā ā ā ,</p>
<p>Today is Commencement here at Columbia. Itās going to be almost 80 degrees without a cloud in the sky. Iām older than normal for a ācollege-ageā student. I learned a lot while I was here. Got almost $60,000 in grants and scholarships from GS. Itās true - my diploma is in English. The last few years have been an amazing experience. Columbia has been phenomenal. Met some of the most exciting and passionate people ever. GS has been extraordinary. I have been accepted to Harvard for graduate school. Iām proud to be a Columbia alum. Proud to be a graduate of GS.</p>
<p>Yours,
<a href=āmailto:nrc2107@caa.columbia.eduā>nrc2107@caa.columbia.edu</a></p>
<p><em>Applause</em></p>