<p>So I've applied ED to Columbia GS for the fall of 2011. I also applied to UPenn LPS, and was admitted. I'm going through their transfer evaluation process right now though, and am having second thoughts of attending if I don't get into Columbia.</p>
<p>They've required me to send syllabuses from previous courses that I took very long ago, some of which I've been unable to find (those professors at the CC I attended no longer work there ect). </p>
<p>I'm wondering, for those of you who've gone through this process at Columbia, what was it like? Did you find that you ended up having to spend more time in college to attend Columbia?</p>
<p>I'm on track with recruiting for a large company, and if I need more than 2 years of college it could seriously jeapordize this opportunity - one which, even as a Columbia student (I'm currently at NYU), I'd really like to have.</p>
<p>No one has any first hand experience? Is GS pretty good about transferring courses? For those of you who’ve done this, what’s been your experience?</p>
<p>The most credits you can transfer to GS is 60. It takes 121 credits to graduate. The undergrad system is designed so that students take five or even six courses per term.</p>
<p>I wouldn’t recommend Penn LPS. It’s an almost entirely segregated school with a different curriculum, adjunct instructors, etc. Strictly speaking, it’s not a Penn education.</p>
<p>Oh, and I’m not sure what you by a school being good about transferring credits? I don’t remember having to send syllabi or anything like that. But, as far as meeting requirements for the Core, Columbia can be tough.</p>
<p>That’s great to know. So when you transferred your advisor or whomever just looked at your transcripts and transferred those courses over to their proper section/division?</p>
<p>Also, by meeting the core, what do you mean? Are there a tremendous amount of requirements involved? What’s been your experience at Columbia in terms of academic difficulty?</p>
<p>Hellojan,</p>
<p>i thought Penn LPS was segregated too until I spoke with my advisor. Essentally any LPS student can take virtually any class with day time students - and when your doing your major requirements you almost have to. LPS night courses are tought by the same (usually) professors as day time - which is why day time students sometimes take lps courses if they want a night class. </p>
<p>The cirrocumuli is also exactly the same - this was verified for me when I was discussing my graduation requirements - and seeing that I may need additional time. The only difference is LPS students can take their foreign language requirements for Pass/Fail.</p>
<p>The degree, which is really important to me, is also identical - It is awarded by the school of arts and sciences, not lPS - where as NYU’s non-traditional program (the one I’m in) awards its degrees from SCPS (school of continuing and professional studies).</p>
<p>Just trying to state what I have been told by my counselor. if you know anyone with first hand LPS experience however, and that’s where you heard this from, I’d love to know their username. I’m really torn between LPS and NYU if I don’t get into Columbia and would really like to hear their first hand experience.</p>
<p>The Core is the foundation of the classic Columbia education. If you’re not familiar with it, brush up immediately. If you find you have an aversion to year-long classic lit courses, music and art classes, etc., Columbia may not be for you.</p>
<p>The Core Curriculum will inevitably be a huge part of your time in Morningside. Don’t underestimate it.</p>
<p>My LPS knowledge actually comes from people who work at Penn - I’m a native Philadelphian. Penn has no age restriction on entering the college of arts & sciences (like Columbia College has). So why have a whole separate school? Why do that school’s night classes cost less? It just seems fishy. With so many options that don’t, why waste any time on it?</p>
<p>Jan,</p>
<p>Thanks for the input. I’m going to continue looking into LPS to see if its really that segregated. If it is, I’ll end up staying at NYU most likely (unless it becomes apparent I can go into the Wharton MBA program as a senior).</p>
<p>I hope your allowed to transfer these core courses from other institutions. I’ve taken music, history ( a long, long list of liberal arts courses), so hopefully they’ll be able to count for a majority of what goes on at Columbia.</p>
<p>There’s no way around the foreign language requirement is there either? What is it, four semesters or something?</p>
<p>Phillyman,</p>
<p>It’s likely that you’ll be able to transfer some of the Core requirements; however, since the Core Curriculum is the essential portion of the Columbia undergraduate experience, expect Columbia to be selective and stingy with how much transfer credit they give you toward the Core. For example, I went to one of the top 4-year art schools in the country and have taken somewhere in the neighborhood of 12-14 credits of art history seminars. Advanced stuff. Yet I have not been exempted from the Art Humanities Core course. I am petitioning, and I might be successful, but it is by no means certain.</p>
<p>You CAN be exempted from the foreign language requirement (4 semesters) in a number of ways. A score of 4 or higher on a College Board foreign language AP exam will satisfy the Core requirement. Additionally you can “test out” through exams offered by the language departments.</p>
<p>Yeah, I’m lucky enough to speak another language so, through a placement exam, I was able to “test out” of the language requirement. Otherwise, as stated above, a 4 or better on an AP exam would do it. And, yeah, you need to take a language through to intermediate proficiency which, if you’re starting from scratch, typically means four semesters.</p>
<p>Again, if you don’t want to do the Core, you may not want to come here. Seriously, it’s awesome and it’s a big part of your experience here. If it doesn’t interest you at all, do some soul searching.</p>
<p>Has anyone experienced any problems with time constraints and transfer of credits. For instance, due to the fact that not all creidt will transfer have they had to reschedule to stay longer than a traditional four years?</p>
<p>Yeah, and this is anecdotal, but it seems that for most people to just do their major and the Core it takes five or more semesters.</p>
<p>five or more semesters? even after transferring 60 units?</p>
<p>You need over 120 to graduate. If you only take four classes a term, that’s 12 credits/term and 24 credits/year. </p>
<p>Even if you transfer 60, you need to take 64 more. You see?</p>
<p>is taking 5 classes a semester really tough?six?</p>
<p>Realistically, if you are full time, one normally registers for 15 units/credits. This is done mainly to graduate early, or to maintain full time status if a class needs to be dropped. Also, depending on what your major is, courses for highly analytical fields may run in sequences, or some courses are pre requisites of another, so for sure those students can realistically count on being at Columbia for more than two years.</p>
<p>@ Phillyman. I believe this is true for any student, that taking 15-18 units is the norm, but obviously it depends on what courses you’re taking. For instance, taking 18 credits in humanities is alot easier than taking bio,chem,physics, calculus, and undergraduate writing in one semester. I hate to state the obvious but it all depends on what you know you can handle. </p>
<p>As with any school, its good to start off with a higher amount of credits to get a feel for what you can handle. Since it is easier to just drop courses in the middle of the semester than add them. If you feel yourself buckling under pressure, then you can always drop a course before the drop deadline.</p>
<p>“As with any school, its good to start off with a higher amount of credits to get a feel for what you can handle. Since it is easier to just drop courses in the middle of the semester than add them. If you feel yourself buckling under pressure, then you can always drop a course before the drop deadline.”</p>
<p>BASTA, BASTA!</p>
<p>This is actually the opposite advice that I’d offer incoming students. For one, dropping mid-semester means that you only get half of your money back. This could be a terribly expensive way to try things out. Next, you’re really going to have to campaign your advising dean to let you register for more than 12-15 credits during your first term. Typically, a first-semester student is in for a massive shock. It’s their job to mitigate this. Last, if you do successfully register for 18 or more credits, can I suggest bringing a toothbrush and a pillow to Butler Library?</p>
<p>Yes, your right, I should have been more specific. One can definitely lose money from dropping a course mid semester. However, at most schools, a student can and should have the right to drop at a certain date and still receive a Full Refund. I don’t go to Columbia so I am not sure, but I would guess, like most schools, that these dates for a full refund exist at the beginning of the semester. So, you may not have until the middle of the semester but I believe enough time should be given to get a feel if you need to drop a course or not and still receive a full refund. Not everyone is going to handle 15-18 units, but at the same time, there are people who can. For some people 12 units is tough, for others 15-18 units may seem elementary. Again, it depends on your background and which courses you choose to pursue. Just because someone is transferring to Columbia doesnt necessarily mean they are in for a " Massive Shock." The question has always been about how well can one manage their time, and how confident they are in executing a strict study regimen . For example, I was having a hard time juggling 15 units while working a full time job -But as soon as I quit my job, I was able to take 22 credits, only 2 courses were humanities, the rest were purely analytical and science related ( i.e Calculus II , Chemistry, Physics, Economics etc. ) All of which I received A’s in. I know people that study a month or two before classes start and are already ahead on every concept discussed in class, in fact, this is true for many math and engineering students since concepts taught in math have been taught the same way for centuries ( i.e integration, differentiation, and standard deviation). The point is it really depends on the individual, and unless you get your feet wet, you will never know, that is why institutions allow you time to consider the decision you made by giving you the option to add or drop courses in the beginning of the semester. And besides, the bottom line is that there is an overall incentive to finish in two years ( or as soon as possible ) if you transferred with 60 credits, and you cant do that by taking 12 credits a semester. Its always easier to register for more, then cut what you dont need instead of starting low and adding later (by then courses may have been fully registered.). I never had an issue with dropping courses and receiving a refund. In fact, if I did not venture out to take 22 credits last semester, I would not have been able to transfer this semester since some of the other institutions I applied to needed certain pre-requisites in order to transfer. If a “Full Refund,” deadline at Columbia doesnt exist, then I would definitely be safe and stick with what you know you can handle.</p>
<p>I agree, it all depends on the individual. Now, I work 40-45hrs a wk and take 6 classes. I have been doing this for the past year and a half and still have all As & one B in one of my honors courses. When I transfer, and if accepted in CU (cross fingers), in my first semester, I will only take 12 credits because I want to make sure I get a 4.0. I also want to get a feel for the level of work expected of each class. Due to my lack of financial affluence, I rely on academic scholarship assistance and I know a lot of scholarships take into consideration how often a student drops a class and are less likely to award a student who drops courses. It is expected of a freshmen/sophomore maybe, but as a junior and senior student they expect that one have a better understanding of one’s self and potential for handling the # of credits one is registering for. Like HelloJan said, my school and most schools only give you partial refund by dropping midterm. Now, if it’s scholarship funded than the committee will not be too happy about loosing those funds. Also, even if one is paying out of pocket, financial aid, or loans - loosing 4.5K+ in 5 wks for a 3 credit course is pretty steep, at least in my opinion (CU charges full tuition if you drop after the 5th wk of classes- its on the CU website). I would recommend new GS’ers not to leave anything to chance, by now, they should have an idea of what they are able to handle and try not to push it on the first semester. AT LEAST NOT IN THE FIRST SEMESTER. Get a feel for it, do great, and then increase the # of credits for the second semester to 18 or to whatever you feel you can handle. my 2 cents … 8)</p>