@MYOS1634 you are absolutely correct and I should have been more specific, I was talking about Columbia College which when I was in college 20+ years ago had age limits (or so it was rumored). I had assumed since the OP was bent on Harvard and the perfect ivy education that only Columbia College would be of interest.
I did a quick search and OP while absolutely eligible to apply to Columbia GS, and is a great option since he can go part time to GS, is not eligible to apply to Columbia College
Here is an interesting but old article for OP about Columbia GS which I agree is a GREAT option
Those are just “names”: students all take the SAME classes at Columbia. But if you’re 18-22 you have one access pathway, and if you’re older, you have another access pathway. So, if OP wants the Ivy league and likes the idea of attending Columbia + living in NYC, CGS is his pathway. Classes, majors, level of selectivity are the same.
They look for the same characteristics, intelligence, intellectual vitality, diligence, kindness, resilience, originality… but rather than high school classes (which may or may not be relevant to mature applicants), the CGS process looks at what the person has accomplished in addition to HS. (Good grades are required, pf course. But nonlinear applicants are evaluated on way more than that as proof of the aforementioned characteristics.)
If you are saying it is either this one college or none at all, I really think it is a waste of one of their spaces for the adcom to accept you. Just my opinion.
Well, I think we need to face that op doesn’t have a current academic record. He needs to be realistic and if serious, work toward this academic goal. Not just do what CC hs kids often do-- focus on the biggest prizes and “I want.”
Many here are excited and forgot the whole reasonable thinking and safety path discussion. You push colleges where he couldn’t keep up his business, would be limited in what he cd afford. Etc.
If you want to keep your current business going while you study, then you probably want to study near that business, and study part time. If you have a partner or partners who can take care of the day-to-day stuff, then you could consider studying in a different part of the country, or studying full time, but with a load light enough to have the time you will occasionally need to deal with business issues.
If you were in the Boston area, I’d suggest Harvard Extension. Yes, it is a bachelor’s degree, yes the professors are often regular Harvard professors, yes you could take some regular undergrad classes at Harvard, and yes you would have access to the Harvard libraries and facilities. Depending on the course of study you chose, and your work experience, you would be able to put together a profile that would make you a good candidate for a solid graduate program if you wanted one some day. https://www.extension.harvard.edu/
Given your business experience, if that is the direction you want to go, some MBA programs (especially Executive MBA programs) admit some applicants who do not have a full undergrad degree. The MIT Executive MBA website has this to day: “We will consider candidates without undergraduate degrees or with fewer than the recommended years of experience if they have demonstrated exceptional capabilities through other endeavors.” Google a bit to find others.