On Columbia’s polisci website it says that if you talk to the graduate school director, you can gain admission to the master’s program without having to take the GRE. What are the conditions for this exemption to happen? Has anyone here done this or went through the process?
FWIW - I think the option is pretty easy for students with good grades in the major. But, taking the GRE at the start if senior year is a pretty useful exercise for anyone planning on grad school within 5 years of graduation. The BA/MA option is an odd duck because the MA part is usually treated as a free-standing program by the participating departments. That means there is little/no funding though you are essentially getting a semester of graduate school included with your BA. However, the only credits that count for the MA are those in excess of the BA requirements. So you’ll have to load up on 4000+ level courses senior year. And a terminal masters in an academic field (as opposed to a professional field) is not an especially valuable added credential for a Columbia grad. It can be a smart move if you want to be a K-12 teacher. But, if you are considering an academic graduate program, it probably makes more sense to just go to a funded PhD program.That way you’ll end up with a masters at no cost even if you get pushed out, ABD or decide finding a job in academia is too daunting.