Columbia University School of GS

Colleges and Universities A-Z Columbia University
1

<p>Hey gang,</p>

<p>So as the title suggests, I'm in the process of applying to School of GS. I'm 28 and I've lately had the intense desire to finish school. 10 years ago I was admitted to WUSTL but dropped out after 1.5 years due to emotional issues. Even though most people would consider me an excellent student in HS (recent immigrant and took very challenging courses. AP/honors. 1250 SAT, iirc.), I had a disastrous college experience. Failed a lot of classes not because I couldn't handle the workload but because my heart wasn't in it.</p>

<p>So I left school and decided to join the work force. After many ups and downs and sleepless nights from learning things on my own, I've been one of the founding members of two companies and I'm now the CIO for a small company in NYC. Most people would say I've had my share of success especially since I lack a formal education.</p>

<p>I should feel confident in applying to CU from my professional achievements but the my academic history monkey won't get off my back. As of the beginning of the summer my GPA was 2.0 (or under I think). I took an English course at a local college and got a 4.0 and I've signed up for 13 credits for the fall. Basically, I want to show Columbia that this time, I'm ready to meet the academic challenge.</p>

<p>I know it's not easy to give recommendations since we don't know each other but would Columbia look disfavorably at my application taking into account my lackluster academic performance and the fact that I have very little EC activities outside of work and racing triathlons?</p>

<p>Basically looking for some input as to what kind of person GS is looking for or what kind of things I should mention in my essay. I have no doubt in my mind I can handle the courseload at Columbia and also that GS is the perfect place to embark on this new phase of my life. To be honest and it might sound cliche and trite to the cynics, I want to go to Columbia to learn. That's it. I want to expand my horizons and take advantage of every resource the school has to offer. If I get accepted, I'm really looking forward to Lit Hum.</p>

<p>Tips, ideas, similar stories to share?</p>

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<p>For what it's worth, I think you have a compelling story and that you are very much the type GS is looking for. Your strategy of taking college classes to show them you can handle the classroom work is a good one. It's worth the effort to ace them and to get recommendations from some of those professors. I don't know whether they will require you to retake the SAT, but I wouldn't worry about the extra-curriculars. Your business achievements more than make up for that. Just get across in your essay what you've described here, including your desire to learn. I think it's very appealing to a college to have a student who really wants to be in the classroom, even though he has already shown he doesn't need it to succeed in his vocation. It says to them that you really value what they have to offer. Perhaps, in describing why you dropped out of WUSTL, you might put it more in terms of lack of emotional maturity than emotional "issues", so that they can see you've outgrown the cause of your previous failure. Good luck!</p>

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<p>i imagine you've seen the other recent discussion on GS:</p>

<p><a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=229069%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=229069&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

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<p>I don't think you'll have any problems getting in. Good luck!</p>

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<p>Thanks for the replies, very encouraging. I'm finishing up my essay at the moment. sac, I have to take the General Studies Admission Exam which is similar to the non-math part of the SAT.</p>

<p>As a side note...</p>

<p>People are so negative in that thread. Why does it matter if someone in a class has a few wrinkles? Just live and let live (you know you did, you know you did, you know you did). Worry about your own issues and don't be so judgemental. Not everyone starts off life with the same goals or even in the same race.</p>

<p>I'll see you boys and girls in Morningside Heights in the spring! :)</p>

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<p>It was mostly me being negative in that thread.</p>

<p>People judge other people continuously, all day every day, every time you meet someone or talk to someone. It's human nature. I just chose to share my thoughts instead of trying to appear impartial the way everyone else does. I don't lose sleep over it, and I don't expect everyone else to agree.</p>

<p>Enjoy GS!</p>