<p>Hi,</p>
<p>I'm currently at NYU in their equivalent of Columbias GS. I'm absolutely loving classes, but hating the social scene at NYU. Socially, I find NYU no different than the community college I attended prior to moving to NYC. This, and several other reasons, have made me consider transferring again.</p>
<p>Whats the social situation like for a GS student at Columbia? Do you hang with CC students if your roughly the same age, or is that awkward? Can you join frats, clubs, etc? What's the deal.</p>
<p>By the way, I've been deemed non-traditional by NYU and Columbia (spoke with them), but am relatively young (21, turning 22 in December)</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>There’s a ton of GS people involved in Greek life, clubs, etc. Don’t worry about that one bit.</p>
<p>The only place where there’s a noticeable shortage of GSers is in Columbia athletics. I can’t honestly think of any right now, but, our programs recruit directly from high school and I’m not sure how many varsity sports encourage walk-ons. There’s also the fact that some of our more athletically gifted students can’t compete because they have, prior to coming here, played professional sports and are thus barred from NCAA competition.</p>
<p>Totally agree with what hellojan said. The scene is what you make of it. There are opportunities to go to regular happy hours, and other events. I know a few GS-ers who have started clubs on campus this semester. I’ll say that for me, personally (I work full time so I don’t hang out at campus that often if I’m not there for class) the people I met at Orientation are still the people I hang out with today. It can be tough to remember to be social once you’re in the swing of things during the semester (thought definitely not impossible).</p>
<p>thanks guys!</p>
<p>morrison, last time we spoke i believe you were transitioning to columbia. hows it gone so far? how are classes and course-loads?</p>
<p>im at nyu right now and considering re-applying, as the counselor in my feedback session suggested i do so. that being said, im curious to see how much harder you find columbia in comparison with the colleges you attended beforehand? whats your typical week like in terms of homework/reading/etc? whats the typical class size?</p>
<p>I love it. I’m only taking three classes because I also work 40/hours a week in a corporate job. I’m taking University Writing and two other social science classes. I do around two hours of reading a week, though this is probably on the low end - I’m a terrible procrastinator! As I mentioned, Orientation was where I met the people I now call my friends, but classes like UW (where it’s limited to 15 students or less) really help in meeting people.</p>
<p>This is great to hear. How are you liking classes? Minus UW, are they typically big lecture halls? Are tests extremely difficult?</p>
<p>I’d like to update this with the news that I’ve since met three or four GSers that are varsity athletes.</p>
<p>who needs a social life?</p>
<p>The answer to this question depends on the person you are and how you utilize your academic surroundings. Best prospects are always when you get involved in sports, fraternities, clubs, networking etc. This is easy for some, hard for others. For example, a 25 year old GS’er that has a younger, and a less non-traditional, appearance can easily assimilate into the Columbia undergrad culture and will most likely have a better opportunity than say a 40-something yr old student with 5 children will at making friends both inside and outside of GS.</p>
<p>IMHO, Presentation counts. Present yourself in a manner that is respectable and reminiscent of todays traditional Columbia student and then youll find that people will connect with you.</p>
<p>For me personally, I came to Columbia on several occasions, and I found myself connecting with a lot of the younger students who smoked since it is easier to start conversations with upperclassman who smoke for some reason. I also look a lot younger and I can talk until ears drop to the ground, so I feel those attributes came in to play nicely.</p>
<p>So there’s no difference between being a GS and CC student on campus? Nothing you can’t access or do (other than ivy sports)?</p>
<p>If you go on the website, I think it explicitly states that GS students are eligible to participate in ALL activities, including sports, clubs, internships etc.</p>
<p>Columbia GS students can and do participate in ivy sports</p>
<p>What the heck does “respectful and reminiscent of today’s Columbia student” mean?</p>
<p>it sounds like something a tour guide created by Wes Anderson would say</p>
<p>I’ve found that people here, meaning Columbia, sometimes adopt this very affected tone in the way they talk and write. Since I’ve begun to notice it, it’s blossomed into this big problem - for me, at least.</p>
<p>People too often talk or write how they think they’re supposed to talk or write. Their voice goes out the window and, in that process, nothing really comes across as genuine. </p>
<p>Look, I know I’m ranting. But, honestly, “respectful and reminiscent of today’s Columbia student…”? How about we all come to grips with the fact that we can be ourselves and add dimension to the school rather than trying to fit in to whatever we think the mold for a student here should be. </p>
<p>All kinds of people find ways to fit in here. I’m in a frat - I’m not going to deny it. Two of my brothers and I routinely chill with another GS dude who is like, I don’t know, in his 60s? Sometimes there’ll be one or two pledges with us, too. We’ll hit up a museum and have dinner or whatever. At the end of the night he doesn’t go to parties with us. But, he’s himself, we’re the same, and there’s a mutual respect and admiration there that’s really, really cool.</p>