<p>I really need help deciding on whether to transfer out of George Washington University SEAS or not. I got into Columbia University's SEAS for next fall and need to make a decision by tomorrow (yikes!) on whether or not to attend. . . I really am torn.</p>
<p>For GWU:</p>
<p>Merit scholarship of 25k/year (as opposed to no FA whatsoever at Columbia)
No worries about social life (as it's already established), excellent housing
DC</p>
<p>For Columbia:</p>
<p>Greater quality of academics, more well known engineering school
Engineering education mixed with liberal arts courses
Closer to home for weekend visits (I'm from the Boston area)
NYC</p>
<p>The money I'm getting at GW is helping my family out financially, but it's not necessarily a make or break deal (my parents could afford Columbia, but it would make the money situation tighter at home -- and it might also make me feel a little bit guilty for giving up that scholarship if I do transfer)</p>
<p>I am most worried that I will go to Columbia only to find that the social life is very difficult compared to GW. I'm not that outgoing, so I feel like making friends will definitely be tough coming in as a transfer. I basically don't want to give up my scholarship at GW just to hate my experience at Columbia. On the flip side, the higher level of education I would receive at Columbia vs. GW may be completely worth it. I guess that's just a risk I would have to take?</p>
<p>If anyone has any input, I would LOVE to hear!!</p>
<p>Well- Columbia for Engineering just SOUNDS impressive buddy. Have you talked to your parents about what they think of your situation? Perhaps they gave you the “Whatever you want to do, we will support you”- which is great. Put yourself in their position- If you’re kid had a chance to go to Columbia for engineering and it would cost you more- would you want him to stay at his current school because it is cheaper for you and less stressful? If it was my kid, I would say “Go!”</p>
<p>Also, think of the job opportunities Columbia will provide, the internships, the awesome network with its famous professors, great history, and other classmates that will nurture competition and allow you to pursue engineering maybe even more vigorously. Also, if you want to go to grad school- graduating in engineering from Columbia compared to GWU- the name does do a lot.</p>
<p>But, as mentioned, its not all about the name. Also, you may be making more money from the job you get later in life because of having your education at Columubia- which may help with paying off some loans etc… You have to be smart to have gotten in- it may allow you to grow more as an engineer and even as a socialite, pressing you to expand and be a little more extroverted. Also think about the education at GWU compared to Columbia- where will your brain have to work more and really get the most?</p>
<p>Obviously, you know where I stand, but in the end its really up to you buddy. Personally, I would throw in a quick prayer- it always helps.</p>
<p>I have a friend who attends Columbia, and she absolutely loves it. The education is top notch, as it is an ivy league school, and the environment is great she says. Not only on campus, but around. It is in NYC you know, need I say more? And though the education is great, it isn’t near impossible hard like John Hopkins, Stanford, or MIT. It’s a very diverse campus too. My friend isn’t really the outgoing type either, yet she manages to find good, true friends. Hope I helped. :D</p>
<p>What I’m not seeing here is WHY are you leaving GWU? My own personal opinion is that you shouldn’t just transfer to go to an Ivy League school and while I see you have other reasons (being closer to home, NYC). I don’t know if those are make or break, especially considering the fact you seem to have a strong, established social life at GWU :)</p>
<p>Is the Columbia school of engineering much better than GWU? Does it have a concentration GWU doesn’t offer? Will you have access to professors/experiences that GWU absolutely cannot provide? Once you graduate, does Columbia or GWU have a better system for placing you in a job? Is GWU or Columbia a more hands-on learning environment? Will you be taught by grad students or professors at Columbia? Do you have a preference in regards to engineering? Are the resources at Columbia significantly better than at GWU? Is there in some other way, GWU is not fulfilling what you want? I think these are the perspectives you need to be looking at.</p>
<p>To sofy: My main reasons for applying for transfer were 1) the academics aren’t that challenging for me at GW and 2) I felt it was really hard to take humanities/social science courses that I find interesting, fit in my schedule, and, most importantly, actually count for credit for engineering students like myself. I really thought the portion of the core that engineering majors have to take at Columbia would help me out with the second issue. I also believe that Columbia has the better engineering school. At GW, it is known that they try to attract more students to the engineering program with things like merit scholarships and free printing. Because GW’s engineering school is lesser known and regarded than Columbia’s, I think Columbia may hold more opportunities in respect to summer internships and future jobs. Yet, the social aspect of Columbia is what I think is holding me back from committing to the school. Also, thanks for all those questions you listed – I’ll definitely be taking those into consideration as I make my decision :)</p>
<p>I wouldn’t turn down an acceptance to top school like Columbia because you think that the social life will be bad. You will be able to make friends at Columbia, you just need to be friendly. I was accepted to Columbia as a transfer this year and I am also not very outgoing. I am going to join a few clubs that interest me and hopefully I’ll make friends with some people in those clubs. Also, there is a week long orientation before the semester begins. It (NSOP) is structured to get people to make friends. If you can afford Columbia, it seems ridiculous to turn it down.</p>
<p>Also, you need to realize that sofy has a conflict of interest. She is waitlisted at Columbia right now. It is in her best to make you give up your spot at Columbia. Source:</p>
<p>Also, TheTruth34, you need to commit to Columbia by the 20th (tomorrow). I am biased, but I would definitely choose Columbia, as you won’t have any regrets down the road.</p>
<p>themoops: thanks for the insight! even before you posted, i had done some more thinking and now i’m about 99% sure i’ll be going to Columbia next fall. i think i’ll just sleep on it for this last night before sending in the deposit :)</p>
<p>While I appreciate you trying to balance what may have seemed a biased post on my part, the original poster’s acceptance or denial of his Columbia acceptance would not affect me as we applied into completely different schools at that university.</p>
<p>Honestly, it’s phenomenal the OP got into Columbia, I was just trying to understand his reasonings and thus my questions.</p>
<p>I think it depends on your goals. If you want to be a rank and file engineer GWU is fine. If you may want to do something else with the degree Columbia will give you better opportunities.</p>
<p>I am not positive on this, but I think that when they say “by May 20th,” they mean before the 20th. This would mean that you have about an hour and a half to submit your deposit. My assumption might be wrong, but it is better to be safe than sorry. Also, you need to apply for housing by the twentieth. You can get to the housing application by going here (you will need to log in with your C00 number and date of birth):</p>
<p>I interpreted “by May 20th” to be by 11:59pm on May 20th. I haven’t it accepted it yet but probably will tomorrow. Like TheTruth, it’s the social aspect that is holding me back. Also, where did you see that the housing application is due on May 20th? Mine says something about August 15th… Did you see the housing application deadline after you accepted the offer of admission? Thanks!</p>
<p>transferqs, you’re right. The email from Columbia I got this past Monday says, “We look forward to hearing from you by our Wednesday, May 20th (11:59pm Eastern Time) deadline.”</p>
<p>As for the housing deadline, I also read somewhere that it is by May 20, though I can’t seem to find now where I saw this.</p>
<p>Yay, great, I’m glad we interpreted that the same way. I don’t know why I’m putting this off until the last moment. Ahh! Good luck with your decision.</p>
<p>You can see the housing deadline on one of the sheets in your blue acceptance folder. It will have your online application pin number in bold at the top and will tell you to respond by May 20th. Further down the page, it will say that students planning to live on campus need to submit a housing application by the 20th as well.</p>