<p>20 years old (21 this March), on my SECOND gap year. International student with high financial need.</p>
<p>I did have compelling reasons to take the gap years. But I never really thought they would be of any significance. Until recently.</p>
<p>Columbia emailed me today suggesting that I may be a more appropriate candidate for the “Columbia University School of General Studies”. I have applied to “Columbia College”.</p>
<p>I have the choice to either transfer my file for consideration at the School of General Studies or remain as a candidate for Columbia College.</p>
<p>My concern is that I won’t get enough financial aid at the School of General Studies. My financial need is almost 100%.</p>
<p>And also, if I choose not to transfer my file, will this affect my chances of admission at Columbia College? Will my application still get a fair evaluation? Or have they already (hopefully not) made up their mind and the choice to transfer is a “second chance” to try my luck?</p>
<p>Suggestions? Advice?</p>
<p>I know that Columbia is a reach school so maybe I shouldn't worry too much. But being an international with high financial need, ALL schools that I have applied to are a reach for me. Will they see my age and the fact that I took 2 gap years as a negative?</p>
<p>My reading of your situation is as follows. Because you have taken two gap years between high school and college, you probably are not eligible for admission to Columbia College. Anything more than one gap year, and it is my understanding that you become ineligible for admission to the traditional undergraduate college. Columbia is, in all honesty, alerting you that you will not be seriously considered for admission to Columbia College and that your best bet IS GS. In fact, I think you can safely assume that you will NOT be admitted to Columbia College. Columbia is giving you a courtesy “head’s up” that if you are still interested in the attending the university AT ALL, you really need to transfer that application to GS. This is, as you have surmised, " a second chance to try your luck." And no, you will not receive sufficient financial aid to attend GS, as that school has few financial aid resources. As an international, unless you had an exceptional undergraduate record and were, therefore, a highly sought after candidate with no more than ONE GAP YEAR, you probably would not have received sufficient financial aid to attend Columbia College anyway, as the College is “need aware” for internationals, taking financial need into admissions account. In short, the university is telling you that you really have no shot at admissions to Columbia College and is giving you a viable alternative should you choose to accept its advice.</p>
<p>At the most selective U.S. schools, international admissions are extremely competitive because of financial aid options, with most schools being “need aware” rather than “need blind” for internationals. Meaning, your demonstrated ability to pay really matters. Therefore, you need to re-think your application strategy and find schools to which you have a very strong chance of being admitted, and more importantly, that you can afford.</p>
<p>I don’t know about the other U.S. colleges to which you have applied, but unless they include HYP (which are among the only top schools “need blind” for internationals) and/or you are an absolutely extraordinary candidate, yes, needing almost 100% financial aid will work very heavily against you. For most of your schools, I assume FINANCIAL NEED will trump GAP YEARS in the admissions calculations.</p>
<p>You’re an international student with high need. You definitely won’t get sufficient financial aid from GS, but as swingtime said, it’s also unlikely you would have been admitted to the College—even if you had been eligible. Since you took two gap years, you really aren’t eligible for Columbia College.</p>
<p>Thank you for the responses
I do understand that international admissions are extremely competitive but then again, thousands of internationals still do get in every year. Not all are Olympic players or Math prodigies. I do think that I have a strong application and so I guess at the end of the day I can only wait and see how the decisions unfold.</p>
<p>My name is Christina and I am a tour guide for the Columbia GS program. I can confirm that, as swingtime said, you are in fact <em>not eligible</em> for admission to Columbia College, due to having a gap in your education of one year or more. The only possible exception to this rule involves mandatory military service (unsure if this could apply to your situation since you did not specify your reasons). </p>
<p>Because of this strict requirement, applicants are eligible to apply to either GS or Columbia College, but not both. I highly suggest you transfer your application to GS if it is still an option, because if you are rejected by Columbia College, you are prohibited from applying to any of the Columbia undergraduate colleges (i.e., GS) for 3 years.</p>
<p>You are correct that GS has limited financial aid resources, however, you would in fact be eligible for institutional aid, which typically ranges between $7500 and $9000 (based primarily on merit) for first-year students. These awards may be increased from year to year based on academic success.</p>
<p>@GSTourGuides If I am in my first gap year and there will be 14 months of gap between the high school and the college, should I apply to GS or CC?</p>
<p>If I got rejected by GS, can I still apply to GS in 3 years?</p>
<p>Based on your situation, you should apply to GS, since there will be a gap in your education of over one year. If you are rejected, you may reapply to GS sooner than three years. You would have the opportunity to speak to an admissions counselor about why you were not accepted, and could then reapply when you felt your application had addressed those issues. </p>
