<p>I am very interested in transferring to Columbia GS. I had to drop out of highschool(it is a long story) and there was a 2 year gap between GED and college. I heard that the average age of GS students is 29 and most of them are attending GS for second Bachelor's degree, MA or MBA. But I am only 21 years old and it will be my first Bachelor's degree. I am worried about my future career. How the society and job market treat GS student? I will not be surprised even if there is a discrimination between Columbia College and GS since it is easier to get into GS than CC. But I want to hear about this from Columbia alumni who experienced the discrimination in the job market.</p>
<p>There is a considerable amount of misapprehension in your conception of GS, the bulk of which (if you’re serious about trying to become a Columbia student) you should certainly not attempt to resolve on an internet forum. You would be wise to consult an admissions officer at Columbia, visit campus, and speak to current students in order to provide yourself a solid foundation for your academic decisions. That said, here’s what I can tell you:</p>
<p>First off, you are correct that due to the 2 year break between your GED and college, you are “non-traditional” in Columbia’s eyes and therefore must apply to GS (as opposed to the College or SEAS).</p>
<p>You said, “I heard that the average age of GS students is 29 and most of them are attending GS for second Bachelor’s degree, MA or MBA.” This is mostly incorrect. GS is an undergraduate liberal arts college. It does not grant graduate or professional degrees; it grants only the BA or BS. While some students choose GS in order to complete their second undergraduate degrees at Columbia, they do not represent the majority. In fact, according to statistics published by GS, only 5% of the incoming Fall 2006 class were seeking second bachelor’s degrees. Yes, the median age is 29, although some GS students are as young as 17. It’s an average.</p>
<p>Your concerns about “[h]ow the society and job market treat GS student” are, again, mostly unfounded. GS students graduate from the same major departments, having studied with the same faculty, as their CC counterparts. Your trajectory after graduating is mostly up to you. Your comment also seems to place you in a CC graduate vs GS graduate dichotomy that is, frankly, irrelevant. CC is not an option for you so I don’t see why you’d be concerned about facing discrimination as a GS graduate when your alternative would be not being a Columbia graduate at all. Which brings me to the big issue.</p>
<p>Do not assume that you can simply go to GS because you are non-traditional, regardless of your academic record. That is not what GS is about. Admission is competitive and most successful applicants have strong academic and professional backgrounds. You state that “it is easier to get into GS than CC.” Obviously your statement can be neither affirmed nor denied objectively as the two colleges have different selection criteria and GS has a considerably self-selecting applicant pool. However, as an incoming GS student who also did very well in HS, I can tell you that the achievements and qualifications that likely secured my admission to GS are more significant, distinguishing, and were more difficult to achieve, than the kind of benchmarks that would typically gain one admittance to CC.</p>
<p>Just so you know the kind of students that GS is admitting, here’s my background:
After HS, I was admitted to one of the most selective and renowned private fine arts institutes in the country. My program had an approximately 10-12% admit rate. After a couple years at the top of my class, with a high GPA (3.7), I left and launched a start-up company that would go on to become very successful. (If you live in the US, you’ve seen my company’s work). My story is unique but not in opposition to those of many of my fellow GS students. High GPAs, test scores and/or distinguished professional lives are the norm.</p>
<p>As a final FYI— the main Columbia board here is largely CC/SEAS focused. Should you seek further discussion about GS, you’d be well served posting on the “School of General Studies” sub-forum.</p>
<p>Best of luck to you.</p>
<p>The average age of entering class is 29 but average age at graduation is about 35.
Your transcript and diploma says ‘General Studies’ and the employer will assume that your are abotu 35 years old. </p>
<p>GS job database is different from CC/SEAS job database. </p>
<p>[Columbia</a> GS vs UCLA bizecon | WallStreetOasis.com](<a href=“http://www.wallstreetoasis.com/forums/columbia-gs-vs-ucla-bizecon]Columbia”>Columbia GS vs UCLA bizecon | Wall Street Oasis)</p>
<p>According to ths web site, investment banks don’t hire GS graduates.</p>
<p>The volume of misinformation on the website billkamix cites rivals that found on this website.</p>
<p>i know many gs students who work in finance, though most do not seek to work through the IB world, and in fact all of the ones i know worked for vc/pe shops as undergraduates and continued on after they graduated. </p>
<p>billk does this on every gs/cc forum. he forgets that sometimes gs students might not want to do IB (as if IB was the only way to work in finance), and he makes up this farce that there is a different recruiting list for cc students (because CCAA has some list of internships that does not exist, i am heavily involved in CCAA, CCYA and CCF stuff, i would know). it is true that most people you will be applying to work with may double take when they think about general studies, or a columbia grad will ask you a cc like question about which dorm you lived in, but if you have grace and ability you can walk your way through that awkwardness and still get the job (that is if you want the job through networking means).</p>
<p>gs is appropriate for some people and not for others. if you don’t mind paying a lot for an education (or would pay a lot for one regardless of where you attend) then gs and the ivy name are strong for you, mostly because gs is the most accessible ivy league school for non-traditional students. ultimately, however, you need to decide what is best for you in the short or long term.</p>
<p>to answer your quick question - you would not be eligible for cc, if you applied, cc would send you a note saying you were not eligible and asking if you wanted your application fwd to gs.</p>