GS Admissions

Colleges and Universities A-Z Columbia University
1

<p>I was just wondering if anyone could give insight on GS admissions. What is CU looking for in a GS applicant?</p>

<p>I have read the other posts about the GS and some people say it is possible to get in with a 3.5 from a CC or other school, while others say that is too low. </p>

<p>What weight will high school transcripts bear? I graduated from high school 8 years ago and am having trouble locating my transcripts; are they required?</p>

<p>A little about me: I am a recently discharged disabled veteran, so the VA would be paying for my school. I have a Community College of the Air Force A.S. in Aviation Maintenance Tech. and completed much of my core credits for that degree at the University of Maryland with approx 3.5 GPA. </p>

<p>Any thoughts, insight, opinions would be great.</p>

2

<p>I just got accepted for the Spring semester at GS, coming out of a community college. Like you, I've been out of high school for a number of years so I'll let you know what I've found out.</p>

<p>First, YOU don't need to "locate" your high school transcripts, simply call the high school you graduated from and tell them the name of the College and the address where you need your transcripts sent, its THEIR responsibility to locate your transcripts and send them out. ALL high schools are required to keep student transcripts, no matter how long ago you graduated. Certainly, 8 years should be no problem...I know people who have gotten transcripts 20 years after they left high school....and YES, you are required to have your transcripts sent in order to be considered for GS admission. The longer you have been out of high school, the less weight that record carries but unfortunately your college record's weight increases that much more.</p>

<p>CU is looking for a few things. They are looking for people that have NOT been wasting their time since they have been away from school so you qualify on that count, being a disabled veteran will score you some admission points for sure.</p>

<p>They are also looking for someone who has demonstrated a commitment to do well and shown that they can possibly handle the coursework at CU. So on those criteria, your GPA will hurt you to a degree. </p>

<p>GS has become much more competitive recently, even though many people have made it a point to highlight how "easy" it is to get accepted into GS, the fact still remains that at least 50% and sometimes more of the applicants get rejected so its only easy to get in compared to Columbia College or SEAS. I have seen many posters on these forums get rejected with 3.6 or 3.7 GPAs.</p>

<p>A 3.5 doesn't automatically mean you wouldn't be considered but you should make the rest of your app as strong as possible.. you NEED to write a GREAT essay (that you submit w/your app), get a couple of VERY GOOD letters of recommendation and ace the entrance exam. </p>

<p>The exam is basically reading comprehension, analyzing sentence structure and rewriting sentences in grammatically correct ways and writing an essay at the end of the test.</p>

<p>If you do all that, combined with the fact that you are a disabled veteran, you may have a shot with a 3.5 GPA...Good Luck</p>

3

<p>Hey Brdmn,</p>

<p>You have a great chance of being admitted to GS. I do not know exactly what GS looks for, but I can tell you that I was admitted for this up coming semester and I am also veteran. Your GPA should not be that big of a factor considering that I got in with a 3.3. Primarily, GS looks for what you have done in you life outside of college. I have a strong military background, like you, and I believe that got me in.</p>

<p>Good luck and Godspeed!</p>