Do I have a shot? Worth applying?

Hey all,

I’m 29, and back in school this semester after 8 years away. I began at UMass Amherst out of highschool, and compiled a 3.82 GPA there over two years, while studying business. I worked on Wall St. for an internship following my sophomore year. It happened to be in the midst of the biggest global financial crisis (this is '07 heading for '08) in a long time. Needless to say, I realized it wasn’t the world I wanted to be in. I took a year off and saved money, then re-enrolled in CUNY Baruch, studying for a year with a 3.75 GPA. After a year, I took a job in Antarctica working on a science station, realized it was a one in a lifetime opportunity to go there, and never looked back. In the past 8 years, I’ve travelled the world. I’ve been to all 7 continents, have lived on 5. I’ve run a marathon in North Korea, and in Cuba. I’ve tought english in Bogota, Colombia. I’ve done some cool things, and feel enriched for my experiences. I really feel like I have a PhD in being a global citizen!

I’m back in school this semester, again, for the first time in 8 years, taking 19 credits at Baruch. I’ll have about 100 credits in my academic history, and my GPA should hang around the 3.75 area (I work full time too, so managing this is a challenge)! I long for something a little more challenging and given what will be my late finish of a bachelors, perhaps something that will set me up better post-graduation. I learned of the School of General Studies at Columbia and am interested, do you think it would behoove me to try for it?

Thanks for your time!

Yes, definitely. You have a strong academic background and an interesting story. Sell your story in an essay and you should get accepted.