<p>I applied for Arts and Sciences but got accepted to the General Studies Program. I think they put me in there because I've had a rather... sporadic high school experience, grades fluctuating between As and Fs because of various family and emotional issues, while consistently getting 4s on AP exams, but anyway...</p>
<p>Should I be put off by the GSP? Northeastern is really expensive, and the 17k grant that they offered me makes it competitive cost-wise with my other choice (DePaul) but I feel like I shouldn't be considering Northeastern if they want me to spend another year in high school. 3/5 credits on the GSP classes really seems like I'm wasting my time. </p>
<p>Is my perception of the GSP all wrong? Help me out CC ):</p>
<p>(Also, does anyone else think its weird that they offered me 17k and put me in the GSP?)</p>
<p>They see you as a good student with a lot of potential. But as you state, you have had problems in high school leading to up and down performance. At most large universities, it is either sink or swim. Even consistently top performing high school students sometimes flunk out of college because no one is looking over their shoulder like in high school to make sure they do the work.</p>
<p>In General Studies, your performance will be monitored. If you show signs of sinking, you will get the extra help you may need. For example, I believe attendance is taken in classes. If you stop showing up for class you will be contacted to see what is going on. In other programs, faculty could care less if you show up for class. </p>
<p>The emotional issues you had in high school may intensify in college without additional assistance the first year. </p>
<p>If you feel that the General Studies program at NEU is childish, then go to DePaul and good luck, you may need it there.</p>
<p>I guess I just want to know more about what the differences between other programs and the GSP are. A lot of my apprehension about the GSP comes from my highschool experiences. In subjects where I don’t excel like math and science, I get put in introductory classes. My experience with introductory classes is that you’re put under instructors with much lower expectations for you, and the class becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. Instead of catching up, you’re put even father behind and not expected to do better. A cap has been put on what the school believes you can do.</p>
<p>I figured that college would be a chance for me to shrug all of these lowered expectations and force myself to either perform to the best of my ability or face dropping out. I want to be put on the spot and challenged and I guess that the reason that the prospect of the GSP upsets me so much is because it smells like all the other introductory courses that I’ve been put in before. In my experience introductory courses seem to be a way to get everyone through the requirements without allowing them room to improve and join the mainstream.</p>
<p>If the GSP is similar to what you say, and what NEU’s website says it is, then I think my fears are somewhat irrelevant. </p>
<p>In short, I guess what I’m saying is this: will the GSP affect my potential when I go on to my chosen field of study at all? Will I have less opportunities than students not in the GSP?</p>
<p>Your example of mandatory attendence is just the kind of thing I was looking for, because in terms of information NEU’s website on the program leaves much to be desired.</p>
<p>Thanks so much for your response, and any other information you have about the differences in the GSP would be very greatly appreciated.</p>
<p>Hello generalstudies I am on the exactly same situation as you are. I have applied for business adm. and put in general studies for 1 year. I have posted in thread to ask the cons and pros and what actually is gsp. However no one answered my question. Do you actually know what gsp inside is? Are we gonna be having the same classes with students from our actual intended major with just help from tudors or is it is it going to be like high school and we will have different courses than them? I am scared that I feel like its just class for stupid students and not helpful at all, if you know what I mean. Please respond to me</p>
<p>Dear Northeasterngsp & General Studies,</p>
<p>If you “feel at home” on the NEU campus and appreciate the Co-Op program there, I encourage you to take advantage of the General Studies program at NEU for the 1st year. My son at NEU is a sophomore now and was accepted to all 6 colleges he applied to for Engineering, including RIT, another Co-Op school. Even though NEU was the most expensive and gave him the least amount of money of all the schools, he really wanted a co-op program school and liked NEU better than RIT, plus he liked the idea of being in Boston since we live in a small town. </p>
<p>Anyway, after his 1st year in Engineering at NEU, he realized that it was not what he thought it would be in high school (he’d had high school engineering courses he loved and had attended some summer engineering camps at other colleges he’d really enjoyed. So he transferred into Business and really enjoyed his 1st semester there, but it was a lot harder than he thought and he didn’t understand that if he did not get at least a 3.0, he would not be accepted, and he didn’t. So now, he is “experimenting” with different course as a major and is minoring in business. It was very disappointing for him not to be accepted into the Business Program and major in International Business, which was what he thought he wanted to do. Now he is working with an Academic Advisor, who is excellent and monitoring his progress, and helping him figure out other options. However, he will not be co-oping now until next Spring. Fortunately, he has been lucky enough to have some good job experience already on this resume and is planning to do an international experience as soon as possible.</p>
<p>So my advice is to take the General Studies, work hard and do really well, get into good consistent study habits and understand completely what NEU will require of you in the Business College, or wherever you think you’d like to end up. Work with your advisors and the the people in the departments you are interested in for Sophomore year and co-op. NEU is such a good school and there are so many different options once you are there, it would not be bad to have a year to refine your college study habits, make good friends, find out who the good professors are and “scope it all out”! Hope this helps.</p>
<p>I’m not super helpful because I know almost nothing about the program. I do have one close friend who was GSP as a freshman, then switched into her major as a sophomore. She isn’t behind at all, found good co-ops, is basically a normal NEU student. I don’t think it’ll make that big of a difference. </p>
<p>Freshman year most people are exploring different things anyway… lots of major switching and such goes on. I don’t think it’ll put you in a very different position than 90% of other freshmen.</p>