I am moving to NY and need to finish my graduate studies. Please answer these questions of Columbia.

What is one suggestion you would make for an incoming student, in terms of registration and course scheduling?
How about in terms of time management and coursework?
What is one financial suggestion you would make for an incoming student, in terms of managing money and/or managing debt?
What is one residency suggestion you would make for an incoming student, in terms of dorming or living in on- or off-campus housing?
Did you find adjusting to Columbia difficult? (Were experiences with Columbia teachers difficult, annoying, etc.)
Name one thing you really like about Columbia. Name one thing you really dislike about Columbia.
If you came from another state or country, what is the difference from the education there than at Columbia?

Hi Robert,
I just want to be clear that GS is an undergraduate college within Columbia. Graduate degrees are not awarded. The School of Professional Studies is under the GS umbrella and offers graduate certificates, but you will have to apply to one of the upper schools, like GSAS or TC to pursue a masters or higher.

That being said, as a working student, it took some wrangling but if you will be enrolling in GS for a BA, I’d suggest taking classes on Tuesday/Thursdays if at all possible. The way the study time and commutes work out, it presents more time for projects and writing to be completed and you’re not panicking Sunday nights to get everything done for Mondays. Depending on what you’re studying humanities will be writing heavy, the core is writing heavy, STEM programs are pset heavy…it’s Columbia. There’s no program that’s not work heavy.

As for Financial Aid, as the system currently is you will get little aid your first year. The current system is completely merit based, unlike our Columbia College counterparts whose much older and larger endowment allows for need-based packages. Our new Dean of Students, Lisa Rosen-Metsch, a former GS student, has made financial aid her primary focus, so I expect this to be changing in the coming years. All that being said, you can ask FA to waive the registration holds for owing money for the first couple of semesters as long as you keep your grades up. After your first year, the institutional merit aid increases substantially, but you have to stick out that first year.

Housing is fairly straight forward. Typically GS students are not allowed to live on campus in dorms. But there are many options available through UAH (university housing). I loved living in the suite style housing provided. You essentially get your own private room in a 4-5 bedroom apartment a couple of blocks off campus. It’s a nice compromise for adult students who are used to having their own privacy. This ran $4-5K per semester (which was a bit above market rate) but it is charged directly to your student account, not billed monthly so you never ran the risk of being evicted if money comes up short. If you have the external income from month to month, similar arrangements can be had for much cheaper, $700-800/mo for a room just north of the campus above the 130s in west Harlem/Riverside/Hamilton Heights all along the 1 train line that will get you to campus quickly.

What I found difficult about the transition was how suspect the professors were. Many are not used to dealing with working students and cut you very little slack, however if you’re upfront and got to office hours its possible to develop rapport that can not only help you later on professionally, but can improve the context they have for you as a student and give them more to go on should you need the odd extension here and there.

Ami
GS '18 (3 years)