<p>i've been trying to go to GS for several years now. currently live in tampa, florida. been going to Hillsborough Cmty Col since fall of 2004.
First time I got offered 8k in scholarship aid
Second time, where i had to reapply for scholarship aid cuz i deferred admission, the same
Third time (new application) i was definitely transferring and applied to 10 schools total. Columbia offered me 10k (pfft!) so i settled on Gtown.
Then Columbia GS offers me Program for Academic Leadership and Service, a super-rare and hard to get FULL TUITION AND FEES scholarship.
I am finally going back home to NY this fall ^_^</p>
<p>Congrats on getting this scholarship. When I filled out my scholarship application, I made it known that I was the only person in my family to go to college, and a first generation minority who has dedicated his time with community services through Habitant for Humanity. I also mentioned that without this scholarship, it would be very hard to attend Columbia GS, even with loans.</p>
<p>Dear, khorsani</p>
<pre><code> I am proud of you that you were admitted to gs a year ago. I
</code></pre>
<p>have a question for you. My gpa is 3.7 from loyola but I went to depaul</p>
<p>and a 3.1. I have more hours from loyola. I wonder does gs average the </p>
<p>gpa's? I believe the weight on my application should be the school where</p>
<p>I did the more hours and have a higher gpa.</p>
<p>Hello, I have just found out about the GS program and am very excited. I have always dreamed of getting an Ivy Lague education, but could never afford it. As a person who has lived with military their entire life, I respect your desire to go back to school and pursue that education at such a difficult institution. If you could give me any tips or information on how to get admitted to GS i would greatly appreciate it. Again, this is a dream of mine and I am finally in a place that I have a shot of getting in, so any tips or info. will help. Thanks for your time.</p>
<p>Hi all,</p>
<p>I am applying to both Columbia's SGS and Upenn's CGS for the Spring 2007 semester and wanted to know if current/admitted students could help give me some guidance/info on admissions.</p>
<p>I am a community college transfer that has taken time off to support my family and care for a mentally ill brother, fitting the non-traditional student profile. As my grades are not stellar, I want to shine w/ my personal statement as much as possible.</p>
<p>I've completed my essay but wanted to know if the admitted folks could give input on how they answered: "'identify and describe specific elements of the program that meet my needs as a nontraditional student" and "why GS is the place for you". What do you think its most important to focus on here?</p>
<p>I've implicitly answered why GS is for me by telling my story/who I am to show that I fit the non-traditional applicant that the school is looking for and have identified briefly some features of the program (i.e. flexibility, support catered towards the needs of non-traditional students, liberal arts focus). However, I feel like this is just repeating their marketing marterial. Is this along the lines of what you guys included? Is this how to answer "why GS" ?</p>
<p>Also, can you share your thoughts/experiences during the application process in general? What do you think made your essay successful? What do you think the school is looking for in an ideal candidate? How do you like GS's education?</p>
<p>Any admission tips for would be greatly appreciated!</p>
<p>Thank you so much for your time.</p>
<p>Cheers,</p>
<p>Andrew</p>
<p>anyone? =)</p>
<p>this thread is Frankenthread.</p>
<p>whoops. i started this a long time ago and it has become quite a monster.</p>
<p>I would like to apply to GS - but I had applied in 2005 (two years ago) and was rejected. </p>
<p>Can I still apply or I can't? I will be working part time in NY next month, and was planning on just transferring to a CC in NY but if I can do part time in Columbia I'm all for it (good gpa, good sat, I think I can do it if I hadn't applied 2 years ago. Any replies are appreciated!)</p>
<p>P.S. May I count as an international applicant if I lived all my life outside the USA? But am a US citizen?</p>
<p>I mean I had applied to Columbia CC two years ago, I have just found out about the GS program. I am 20 years old and have 50 credit hours. </p>
<p>If someone can reply I'd appreciate it. Thank you</p>
<p>Did you take at least a year off from school?</p>
<p>I think you have to wait three years before reapplying to any of the undergraduate schools, but check with the admissions office first.</p>
<p>Frankenthread lives!</p>
<p>Hi, no I did not take a year off but I am self employed (have my own business and was in NYTimes) which caused me to withdraw from my first year college in Boston, Ma and into a MI CC as due to my growing business I could not live the same way as residential undergrad (such as partying, the social life, left little time for my business to grow). </p>
<p>Anyways, interesting and definitely worth calling. Thank you!</p>
<p>P.S. Actually I am 19, have about 3 week till 20, maybe I am too young. Oh well...</p>
<p>"Application materials from all programs are kept on file for two years, after which they are destroyed. If you have been denied admission, you are required to wait one year until reapplication. You are only permitted to reapply twice after your initial application. Reapplications are subject to the same deadlines and regulations as normal applications.</p>
<p>You are required to submit a new application and cover letter stating that you wish to reapply. The letter must include the program, year, and term of your original application, as well as updated contact information, including a working e-mail address and current mailing address. (Your decision will be mailed to this address.) Also include a list of materials that you wish to update. We strongly recommend that you include all updated materials in the same package as this cover letter, plus transcripts of any college- or university-level work undertaken since your last application, your SIPA fellowship statement (if applicable), and an application fee of $75.</p>
<p>(Please note that no fellowships are awarded for the spring term.)</p>
<p>Please make check or money order payable to Columbia University.</p>
<p>We strongly recommend that you update your personal statement (no more than 850 words); résumé / C.V.; and your TOEFL score (if applicable)."</p>
<p>Citygirl06 -- Your first step should be a conversation with GS Admissions to be certain that you meet their criteria, and to ask if you need to go through the process you pasted above. GS offers a first-rate education. However, it does not offer the same social life that many colleges do. Read through the threads on GS and good luck to you!</p>
<p>Thanks Burb Parent - </p>
<p>I see that their last information session is Dec 13th which is two days away! I am going to fly to NEW YORK from Michigan tonight. </p>
<p>Do you think it will help that I meet with the admissions? </p>
<p>My SAT score isn't that competitve it's 1290, but I can always retake it. </p>
<p>This is going to be expensive :(</p>
<p>Before you fly to NYC for the info session, be certain that you meet their criteria. I think you do, but you should be certain. I don't think you need to submit the SAT for GS. They have their own test. Current students/applicants, please chime in! I went to GS, but it was too many years ago to be helpful on their current process.</p>
<p>Hi citygirl,</p>
<p>I think you may qualify to apply (there's an exception to every rule), although I did find this in the viewbook:
<a href="http://www.gs.columbia.edu/viewbook/index.htm%5B/url%5D">http://www.gs.columbia.edu/viewbook/index.htm</a></p>
<p>"Applicants may not simultaneously apply to the School of General Studies and to any other undergraduate division of Columbia University (Columbia College or the Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science), nor are candidates eligible to apply to the School of General Studies if in the last three years they applied to any of these divisions and were not accepted."</p>
<p>Also:
"Official* scores from the Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) or the American College Testing Program (ACT) taken within the last eight years. Students who have no test scores or old test results must arrange with the Office of Admissions to take the General Studies Admissions Examination at a cost of $25. The ETS code number for General Studies is 2095."</p>
<p>I think it's a tad late to apply for the Spring semester. It takes them more than 6 weeks to make a decision.</p>
<p>My suggestion would be to call admissions, attend an info session and if you're going to be in NY, setup an appointment with a counselor.</p>
<p>Yeah I would definitely see if you are eligible before you pay for a plane ticket. </p>
<p>"nor are candidates eligible to apply to the School of General Studies if in the last three years they applied to any of these divisions and were not accepted." Besides this I think you need to have taken a least a year off from school or have a compelling reason to attend part time. You should try applying to CC again. You sound like a great candidate.</p>