<p>As a prospective international student I will start my undergraduate education in a Community College (Grossmont) for my freshmen and sophomore year the following Fall. I will want to transfer and major in a Business/Econ program in one of the following schools:</p>
<p>There are certain articulation agreements (like IGETC for UCLA, or a specific one for USC) for certain schools, but I realize that a school like Columbia GS might have a total different approach than a California school to what courses they accept.</p>
<p>From what I have been reading, it seems like if a Community College student (like myself) wants to transfer after 2 years, it's best to take a solid liberal arts curriculum instead of taking too many major related courses. Is this true?</p>
<p>Any info, tipps & input on how I can prepare best to transfer to these Universities highly appreciated.</p>
<p>It depends on your major. That’s always the answer you will get. I would say no to your liberal arts theory unless you major is in the liberal arts or humanities area of study. Engineering, econ, business…etc. These majors require way more preparation, and therefore way more courses than IGETC. IGETC is what you should follow if you are going to major in something with few pre reqs, or you don’t know what your major is yet. However if you have to choose between major prereq and IGETC, go with pre reqs.</p>
<p>“Our Committee encourages potential transfer applicants to participate in a solid liberal arts curriculum within their current school. There are no specific courses that will increase your opportunities for being offered admission. We encourage you to enroll in those courses that will keep you on track to graduate from your current school should we be unable to offer you admission as a transfer student. It is usually not necessary to have previously participated in course work from an area that you intend to major in once you transfer to NYU. More detailed information about specific course work that would make you a more competitive candidate for individual schools or colleges at NYU can be found in the “NYU Colleges and Schools” forums.”</p>
<p>No, this is NOT true. As vintij said, it depends on your intended major. If you want to major in business, you need one set of classes patterned after the business school curriculum. If you want to major in liberal arts econ, you need another set of classes patterned after the major/distribution requirements at the liberal arts college where the econ major is at.</p>
<p>You have to keep in mind that business and liberal arts econ are two VERY different majors. Business is more skill oriented and econ is more academically oriented. Columbia does not have undergrad business school. UPenn, NYU, and USC all have undergrad business schools (Wharton, Stern, and Marshall). Wharton is almost impossible to get into, so you can pretty much forget it. Stern is very competitive and very hard to get into. Marshall is realistic if you do well at your community college.</p>
<p>Econ is an easier major to get into. Every school you listed has econ major. UPenn and Columbia have very strong econ programs, NYU has a strong one, and USC has a decent one. Econ is a lot harder major for an average student though - it requires a deeper knowledge of high-level math and, in general, putting a lot more efforts into being a nerd. Compared to that, many classes in business major are about stupid teamwork, presentation skills, etc., which is usually easier for an average student than learning multivariable calculus.</p>
<p>If you want to check out what classes you might need for either major, you can review USC articulation agreements with California community colleges - you’ll see what kind of classes USC wants for econ vs. for business major.</p>
<p>Also keep in mind - Columbia GS does not offer financial aid. So, do not apply there unless you are a veteran or have a scholarship ready or unless you can shell out some $150,000 for your Ivy League education.</p>
<p>drek’thar pretty much hit the nail on the head. Stern Econ is different than CAS Econ. </p>
<p>Stern = applied economics
CAS = economic theory.</p>
<p>both Economics departments are hard to transfer into because a) Stern has crazy-high retention rates b) Economics is one of the most popular majors in NYU CAS. you’ll have to make a choice. people claim that Stern students have an easier time being recruited by companies, but i think that’s bull. </p>
<p>look at the recommended classes for Stern and CAS. Stern WANTS certain classes from their transfer students. CAS is a bit more forgiving about transferring credits. your decision on whether to go for Stern or CAS will impact what classes you might want to take. </p>
<p>i transferred to NYU in '08, but to another NYU division. </p>
<p>NYU offers 0 aid to international students. so, like applicants to Columbia GS, you’ll have to think about whether you’re ready to pay out the nose for NYU.</p>
<p>Hey you two, thanks for your answers. One more thing though, I know about the articulation agreements of USC with California Community Colleges, but if I prepare for transfering to USC, don’t I get a disadvantage at the other Universities like NYU?</p>
<p>For example, NYU requires to take Calculus 1, while USC requires Busienss Calculus as their prereq. What I am trying to find out is, is it possible to prepare to all those schools so that in the end I have equal chances (if we set aside the difficulty to transfer into NYU)?</p>
<p>For reference (NYU Stern):</p>
<p>Applicants for transfer admission should have completed (or be in the process of completing) semester courses in the following areas: calculus I (or higher), expository writing, microeconomics, statistics, managerial accounting, and financial accounting.* The calculus course must be the equivalent of Calculus I as offered by your school’s mathematics department; courses such as business calculus, elementary calculus, and calculus for social sciences typically do not satisfy the calculus requirement for Stern transfers. Note also that college credit that may have been awarded to you for AP Calculus does not satisfy the Stern mathematics requirement. In addition, Stern will not transfer any AP credit you may have previously been awarded by your current school in Calculus AB or BC, Macroeconomics, Microeconomics, or Statistics.</p>
<p>If someone could elaborate a little more on my initial question I would appreciate that.</p>
<ol>
<li>Is it possible to make a “perfect” preparation for all of those Universities with course selection, or do I have to priorize where I would like to go, and therefore maybe not be able to prepare as good for my last choice as for my first choice?</li>
</ol>
<p>Columbia GS doesn’t care about any specific course pattern, as long as you take some courses pertaining to your major and you have high GPA. UCLA requires specific course pattern for transfers. USC articulation argeement is only created for your benefit - to avoid having to complete USC GE requirements.</p>
<p>Don’t know about Wharton or Stern. I would imagine that Wharton would require specific course pattern. I heard they strongly prefer sophomore transfers. And you shouldn’t be banking on Wharton anyway out of CC; it’s as hard to get into as Harvard or Yale.</p>
<p>I can’t tell you for Stern. I imagine there has to be a Stern transfer lurking around the main NYU board- I would repost that specific question there. I know CAS and Steinhardt best, since I live with a CAS transfer and I’m a Steinhardt transfer. Sorry. :-(</p>