<p>Hi GS people!</p>
<p>I've been accepted to both GS and University of Michigan, where I have in-state status. I've been living in New York for the past several years so feel like I'm generally more comfortable in the city as opposed to Ann Arbor, not to mention I'm just more excited about the GS program! I'm considering studying Human Rights or Anthropology.</p>
<p>The one little glitch is that I've received almost a full ride to Univ. of Michigan, which is in its own right a great school. My heart wants so badly to be at Columbia, but the practical side of me can't ignore the vast financial distinction between the two.</p>
<p>Any thoughts or advice from current students? Thanks for your time in advance.</p>
<p>go with heart imo. you only get one undergrad experience and if you’re the type to thrive with the intellectual stimulation columbia offers, you won’t regret it.</p>
<p>lol if only it were that easy right?</p>
<p>Thanks, yeah I mean there is a whole side of me that is very comfortable with going with my heart, but there is also no denying the weight of debt and the expense of college. Right now I’m hovering somewhere in the middle between both, help!!! ; )</p>
<p>Full-ride at U-Mich? As a GS student (who absolutely loves it here!), I say, take it! </p>
<p>Columbia will be here for grad school, should you choose to go that route.</p>
<p>If, and when, GS fixes its fin-aid problem, such a decision will not be as tough.</p>
<p>Thanks for the tips. I have a few concerns if I postpone Columbia for grad school. I already inquired about the Human Rights grad program there and they require at least 2-3 years of work experience, so we’re talking quite a ways off by the time I finish my undergrad and get that done.</p>
<p>Also, I’m 28 years old and very comfortable with living in New York (I’ve been here for the past several years). Fellow GS students, how awkward has it been being in classes with younger, traditional undergrads? Does it make a difference having other GS people around or in the class? I just fear I’ll be a lonely mess should I move to a college town in Michigan which holds a very traditional undergraduate program. Thanks again!</p>
<p>Yep, to me it’s pretty clear - you should go to Columbia. The financial offer at Michigan is very hard to turn down, of course, but - you said it’s in your heart to go to Columbia. You will regret it for the rest of your life if you turn down this opportunity. In my experience, the things I regret (the only things) are the opportunities my heart said yes to that my logical mind talked myself out of.</p>
<p>I too am 28 years old, and I feel no sense of awkwardness in class or around campus (there are a lot of us GS’ers here at Columbia). Socially, as a 28 year old, I would feel more awkward living in a college town than in NYC. </p>
<p>As for the classes, the students at CU are quite respectful. The overall ethos that seems to pervade the student body is a deep and genuine love of learning. And it is this proverbial “thirst for knowledge” that seems to bind all CU students. Columbia is an intellectual/academic community, first and foremost, and it is this community that serves as the glue for all students. At Columbia, intellectual interests and academic dedication, supersede all potentially dividing factors (race, age, religion, class, and gender). </p>
<p>Unlike Michigan, Columbia is, ostensibly, a purely academic community. While Michigan is a wonderful school with top notch academics, it still has other things to offer (socially, athletically…) </p>
<p>Columbia, is a perfect school for people who are mostly interested in satiating a genuine thirst for knowledge. Missing at Columbia, for all Columbia undergrads (GS, CC, and SEAS) is the traditional college experience. We don’t have exciting sports programs, Greek life plays a minor role in the University’s social structure, and the most social place on campus is Butler Library.</p>
<p>Thanks, everyone. You’ve been really helpful, if there are any other thoughts out there don’t hesitate to throw them my way!</p>
<p>Michigan’s a great school and, considering the fact that you sound really bright and you’re clearly high-acheiving, you’ll be successful no matter where you go. A lot of people at ivy league schools, in my experience, try to get the brand to do the work for them - meaning, they know their scores and grades are low but won’t you pretty please consider hiring them because they went to a brandname school, etc. It’s funny watching those people on facebook sweating, months after graduation with no job leads.</p>
<p>At this point, it’s really splitting hairs. And, when you’ve reached this point, take the route with the school that has put its money where its mouth is. They have a great deal of faith in you and have made you a very generous offer. So go to Michigan and be great.</p>