<p>I got in! So happy! I have a question for you guys and gals. I applied late for Spring semester at Columbia, however am in a dillema. I am thinking about deferring enrollment until Fall of next year due to financial issues with my parents, travelling, and finding housing. I wonder if I defer enrollment until Fall (being accepted for Spring) will I be GUARANTEED a seat for Fall? I don’t want to defer enrollment only to find out that it will jeopardize my absolute enrollment.</p>
<p>Are any of you deffering enrollment for Fall?</p>
<p>I was accepted to Spring and am deferring to fall since my current semester overlaps with the spring semester…</p>
<p>from what i was told it shouldnt be a problem, but that relies on your last semester’s grades… u can defer up to one full year without reapplying. its also mentioned in their package… </p>
<p>Why would finishing in the spring prevent you from applying for fall?
you can apply and they use your current transcript, you send the final transcript once you get it, and your continued admittance is contingent on those grades.</p>
<p>Being that you have gained admittance to the school, would you mind taking a look at my situation and giving me your insight on if I have a shot to get in:</p>
<p>Thanks for the info and the congrats Ziv_2k!! So I guess I will go ahead at defer enrollment until Fall. Are you living in student housing or finding a place on your own? I have never been to NYC, but if I defer until Fall it will give me sufficient time to visit and find housing.</p>
<p>i will tell you from experience… as i’ve lived in nyc in NYU housing and on my own for the past 2.5 years…</p>
<p>pros of student housing
convenient location - or accessible to shuttle bus to/from apt and campus
security - no weirdos/bums will be going in the building w/o proper student ID (and you must be in student housing as well - not just a student)
cable/internet/heat/water/other amenities included
payments through your school tuition bill
on-call maintenance 24/7</p>
<p>cons of student housing
not luxurious
not very private
if you’re in a single room, it will be damn small
not a lot of storage space (for those of you like me, with a billion pairs of shoes)
if you cancel or get out of housing, you will find it VERY HARD to get back in… and most likely will be put on a waiting list
if you live on a lower floor, pests will be a problem (insects/rodents)</p>
<p>that said… if you will be living in your own apartment, i would advise to live close to school if you’re not big on commuting. it’s around $100/month for an unlimited subway pass ==> but if you lose it, you will have to buy another one, no replacements!</p>
<p>i hate commuting. i live in tribeca, and hated commuting to wash sq for classes (which is not that far)… but the distance sucks when u have to walk in 17F weather… with the ice-cold wind blowing in your face… and it makes for walking in the dead of night super miserable.</p>
<p>columbia’s location is not ideal to ANYTHING in new york city, unless you’re craving soul food… so if you want to sacrifice distance and live in a more happening place in the city, by all means… but if you’re the type to stay at the library until late at night to study, i would advise against living under 60th Street, both east and west sides.</p>
<p>I live in NY but pretty far from school. I live in queens so the commute would be just about an hour…
so i am considering requesting housing, but it seems a little hard to be sure which option they offer is best since they are pretty vague with the descriptions…</p>
<p>heres what i think…
If in your personal statement you make clear the changes you have gone through since that time in your life, and what you have learned from it, they might inclined to give you a shot. since you have a few years in college i hope your GPA is solid to balance your SAT scores… i would also talk about why high shcool didnt go so well, and again, what has changed since then that made you to exceptional student you are at your current school…</p>
<p>i think that in this life, EVERYONE has a chance to accomplish ANYTHING… give it your all, and i will cross my fingers for you</p>
<p>THanks Yoyogirl and Ziv_2k for your responses! They were very informative. I will probably attend this January and am applying for student housing, but will also look into alternatives when I visit NY next month. I won’t be able to make it back to NY on the 9th. (Coming back from Hong Kong trip).</p>
<p>Problem is, all the APS meetings are before that (last one is on the 7th, but will be unable to make it). On the APS sheet in the package, it says for students unable to make it for one of the prescribed APS meeting times, there is an opportunity to meet with one on Orientation day (Jan. 11th). Am I crazy to think that many of the classes will be filled up by then??</p>
<p>It will be hectic figuring all this out so soon, but hope in retrospect it will have been worthwhile!!</p>
<p>Some reasons to consider deferring:
-your finances aren’t in order yet, that was a fatal mistake for me, if I had it to do over again, I would have deferred
-housing seems to be harder to get in the spring. Campus housing is a lot cheaper than most things in Manhattan. If you don’t mind the long commute, shares in Upper Manhattan (Harlem, Hamilton Hts, Inwood), Brooklyn and Queens will be less pricey.</p>
<p>If you don’t defer, there are some good housing options, but it’s pretty random. I didn’t understand the way the lottery worked, so I started looking too early. Thus, my number was 100 or so digits higher than those looking at the same apts. The units ran the gamut – rooms in dormlike shares, 2 BR shares, 2 BR share w/separate study room, studio apt. Most studios are reserved for couples, but one friend found one on 112th for less than my dorm room, about $850/mo in 2005. Still, I think the selection is much better going in during the fall.</p>
<p>Best of luck, whatever you choose to do!</p>
<p>As for the APS, I’m pretty sure I did it during Orientation and I managed to get all my classes. Of course, most of them were required (University Writing, Foreign Language), so there were many sections available.</p>
<p>Hello Insider! Muchos gracias for the advice! I enjoyed your pro’s and con’s and will surely take them into consideration.</p>
<p>I applied for student housing with my first choice as 600w 113th st and am still waiting to hear back from CU if I get a spot. Are you familiar with this housing location Insider? </p>
<p>How are you enjoying the school (If you are still there)? Are the classes as impossibly rigorous as I’ve heard (at least 100 pages of reading per class a night)? </p>
<p>How do students deal with the New York cold? I’m from Cali and have never lived in a place that snows! :-0</p>
<p>Sorry for all the questions! I admit, I am a bit anxious.</p>
<p>I’m a current GS student. Tuition here is very expensive, the financial aid very limited. The academics are rigorous, the GS students very impressive. Given this, does anyone one else feel that this onslaught of advertising from GS cheapens something that is by no means cheap? I’m tired of logging on to facebook and seeing some lame, University of Phoenix style ad beckoning me to “continue my story”. It is I dare say insulting.</p>
<p>I’m planning on applying to GS early action for Fall 2010. I was wondering if any of you could help me with these questions.</p>
<p>-Would it hurt my chances if I have more than two letters of recommendation (assuming the letters are all good)? The application only has space for two recommenders’ names, and I tend to be a stickler for the rules and want to make sure I do everything right. Also, would it help me if I have letters of recommendation from people on faculty at Columbia (a different school within the university though)?</p>
<p>-Would it be weird/strange/bad for me to submit my application in person? It wouldn’t be much more difficult for me than taking it to the post office.</p>
<p>Its funny you should ask those questions since i had the EXACT same ones…
Luckily i also got answers for all of them through the school…</p>
<p>So, you ned to submit ATLEAST 2 letters (atleast being the key phrase0 i submitted 4 (all 4 being columbia affiliates) i was told that it doesnt matter whether the recommenders are columbia afilliates or not. howwever i am under the impression taht every little bit helps. A comment regarding your abilities coming from a columbia faculty is different than a community college professor (in my humble opinion) and i wouldnt be surprised if the person that reads the letter will feel the same.</p>
<p>I also submitted the application in person, because i live in the city and wanted to make sure it reached the right person</p>
<p>obviously all those things didnt hurt my chances because 3 weeks later i got my acceptance package…
good luck!!</p>
<p>Dear KingJames,
to some this may be a sensitive topic… = )
not sure if u read the first few pages of this blog (which started a few years ago) but from what i gather, some CC students undergo a superiority complex at times. why? because the acceptance rate at GS is higher. However, if one takes the time to look at the reasons for this it is simply because the GS program is self screening. What do I mean? CC is for high school grads (ONLY) where as typically GS is for older students (early 20’s to middle aged). This being the case, the number of high school applicants supersedes the number of GS students by leaps ad bounds. The avg number of accepted CC students is approx 1400 (rough estimate from what ive heard) compared to 300 GS students. Many older students that are considering going back to school may not want to go to a private school and pay 45,000 per year (more or less) and others dont necessarily want the pressures of an Ivy league (or dont feel they belong at one). hence the number of applicants is miniscule in comparison. Point being, the applicants to accepted ration at CC is about 10% and at GS closer to 30-33%. This doesnt mean its necessarily easier to get in to in terms of criterion and expectations, but the applicant (and accepted pool) are both much smaller.
Other than that, CC and GS students take the same classes, (accept intro to college english, which is separated) Also from what I know GS students have the option of part time, but im not sure about C students (maybe yes maybe no)</p>
<p>anywho hope i was able to clarify some of the differences. There is no specific advantage of CC over GS that i am aware of, or that any faculty, student or alumni has made known.</p>
<p>Does anyone ever go to GS and then transfer to a ‘traditional’ program? I’m just worried because the career field I want to break into, investment banking, is extremely prestige-based. I’ve heard from some bankers who interview at Columbia that they do not treat GS students the same way they treat CC students. Supposedly this is because the interviewers are recent CC grads who, for whatever reason, don’t like GS.</p>
<p>I don’t know if any of this is true, but it is extremely upsetting to me. I won’t lie, the ONLY reason I want to go to an Ivy is because Wall Street recruits there. I don’t care which one it is, how I get accepted, etc. To me, college is a means to an end. If I won’t be able to land interviews at GS, then it’s not worth it for me to even go.</p>