For CUID, you can check at the bottom of the acceptance letter.
For the deadline of acceptance reply from, I am not sure about it neither.
I feel like it would be better if we have a discord or facebook page for all admitted students for Fall 2021 to share the information.
Does anyone (international students) need to take the ALP Essay exam?
I need to take the exam and I heard they ask all admitted international students to take it. So if anyone here also needs to take it, please let me know.
I was accepted to GS last semester and I thought I would chime in on a few of the topics here…
Acceptance rate: There is absolutely no point in fixating on this. The population that applies to Columbia GS is highly unusual. Students that apply are already more likely to be successful applicants by virtue of being a nontraditional student applying to Columbia University. Remember, this college is for nontraditional students; it is only logical that traditional metrics absolutely do not apply here. If you are the right fit for GS they will take you, if you’re not the right fit, they won’t. It’s not like fractional grade points are going to be the difference between getting in and not getting in. Given these reasons, I believe the acceptance rate is not a relevant indicator for Columbia GS like it is for traditional undergraduate programs.
What to look out for: Notifications seem to come on Wednesdays after 5PM ET. When I was accepted, I never received an email telling me to check the portal. Before my status update posted, I saw official transcripts listed as new missing items in my document list. The status update appeared a couple hours later.
Also, if you haven’t received your CUID, I would recommend reaching out. I received mine almost immediately after applying.
@Robertmaximums: I’m not sure. I received my acceptance letter yesterday afternoon and only took a glance at the Admitted Students Portal. There seems to be plenty more to sort through. I have to apply for financial aid and saw there’s a whole section on that. I’m hoping I can do it before formally responding to being admitted. I’m still waiting for more answers before committing to GS.
Just got off the phone with admissions. They said my application is complete and in the review section. They said I will most likely hear back by May 1st. She said that’s “usually what they do” ugh lol and I have to pay my deposit for my state school by may 1st looks like I’m paying the deposit just in case lol
Since May 1st falls on a Saturday this year, if we’re going with the general consensus that decisions are released by the admissions committee on Wednesdays, I think we might get our decisions this upcoming Wednesday the 28th.
Totally agree, this is an excerpt from my post in February:
“Regardless, GS is so self-selective and has such a unique rubric for admission that it’s almost not worth trying to quantify your chances. They look for people with cool stories and can handle the rigorous academics. That’s all you really need to know and, quite frankly, those are the type of people who I want to go to school with anyway.”
Checking in from the brink… hopefully decisions will be made this Wednesday, feel like I’m going crazy! Congrats to those who got in-- super proud of your massive accomplishment!!!
Hi, I am planning to apply to Columbia GS this year. I need some advice though– I am unsure whether to apply for the Spring 2022 or Fall 2022 semester.
I am currently a freshman at a community college in Missouri, 30 credits, 4.00 GPA, Honors, PTK Office, some volunteer experience and 35 ACT score, editor of the school newsletter, but no work experience except being a Starbucks barista… I graduated HS in Eastern Europe (2017) with a very poor GPA (2.5 ish), but am a member of the Roma minority and have experienced tremendous discrimination. I am planning on writing an essay about my experiences as a Roma, overcoming poverty and lack of parental support, being the first one to graduate HS in my family, and immigration. I should add that I previously attended college in Eastern Europe part-time while supporting myself and tutoring other Roma kids living in slums.
My question is, should I wait to graduate with an Associate’s degree and accumulate more credits to make up for a bad HS GPA and lack of significant work experience, or should I take my chance and apply for the Spring semester? Also, what do you think my chances are? I am feeling discouraged because I am not a veteran, an athlete, or have cool work experience.
HI @ninalee98: Welcome to the group and …what a story! Well done on your achievements and overcoming so many obstacles. I can’t even fathom it. I am an American student, based in NYC, currently in community college. My suggestion would be finish your Associate’s degree and build up your academic and nonacademic portfolio. You are precisely what GS looks for, but you have to document your academic success and achievements. If you lack something, pull it from somewhere else. You sure do have a unique story to tell. I’m not so sure what difference it would make to apply for the spring or fall of 2022. I think it depends on what you do before that.
If your current GPA is 4.o and it’s been that way for the past 2 years, that’s what they want to see. No matter if it was high or low in the past, if you did well or not in high school. All that doesn’t really determine your trajectory. I guess what GS wants to see is, regardless of what happened in the past, good or bad, in the more recent past, have you been consistent in sticking to a plan and making good on achievements?
Other very important things the time at a community college will help you do is build a strong GPA and find all those potential scholarships, opportunities, volunteer work, everything that might help you succeed on your college journey. I plan on earning my AA at the end of spring 2021 and start at GS in the fall. I was informed last week that I had been accepted. All the best!
I am finishing up my first year of community college and will take additional 9 credits over the summer. So, altogether, I will have 39 credits by the time I apply (if I choose to apply for Spring). I am unsure if that’s enough to prove my consistent academic success to override bad High School performance.
@ninalee98: Look into your options. Many scholarships are available only for fall admissions. The Cooke Transfer Scholarship is one of them, but many if not most follow the fall admissions schedule. It’s better to take more time to establish a strong academic and nonacademic resume than rushing to get into spring as a weaker candidate. I say that based on experience, on what I saw other students do, and a ton of research. Good luck.
I received an email from admissions this morning asking some questions about my current classes and how I would manage the core curriculum at Columbia. I answered back pretty quick. Hoping for a decision later today! Good luck everyone!
looks like I’m paying the deposit just in case lol
All the best!