To Current Columbia Students: can you answer my questions?

<p>I am interested in attending Columbia, but I would really love to know more about it. Can a current student please answer my questions?</p>

<p>I am thinking of majoring in biology and neuroscience. Are there any science classes or fun electives that you would recommend and why?</p>

<p>Who were your favorite teachers? What class did they teach and why were they your favorite?</p>

<p>Are there any traditions that Columbia students take part in?</p>

<p>How is the dorm life?</p>

<p>Thank you!!!</p>

<p>I think you’re looking for Columbia CC-SEAS, their traditional school. This is the thread for the School of General Studies, their non-traditional student program (having a break of 1+ years after HS). Hope you find what you’re looking for!</p>

<p>Oh I think i pressed the wrong link sorry and thank you so much for clarifying it.</p>

<p>Sorry can I mooch of this original poster…and pick up questions I have for GSers (sorry for freeloading!) </p>

<p>Hello Everyone,</p>

<p>I am from an Ivy League University (I was an ED candidate) but I have had a break. I had to withdraw from all my courses due to medical reasons. </p>

<p>I matriculated two years ago. I took some classes at the Columbia Summer Session as an undergrad at my home Ivy (which was not Columbia) during my break and basically failed cause I had a lot of issues getting back into school work. (I also have a very complex guardian situation where my guardian was in jail). Also, I was too eager to prove myself again (this comes from the fact that in high school I was taking classes at UPenn as a senior in hs, had a 3.9 GPA from a Prep School, had national answers in science, and received letters from schools like Yale to apply). </p>

<p>It was really recently that I did those courses. I am wondering if I bring those grades up by taking courses elsewhere if I can bring up my grade to get in, or if that is not a possibility at all. </p>

<p>I am feeling really hopeless…if I was smart enough to get into an Ivy straight out of HS in ED, I feel like it is in there somewhere - it has just taken me a long time to find it again. Also, I have had really ****ty health issues where I have had to have been in the hospital & my ever so loving guardian who clearly was not who we all thought he was. </p>

<p>Also, do I have to send those transcripts from the summer? Since it was just a summer course and it wasn’t at my home institution and I was on leave. </p>

<p>If I do, does anyone have any suggestions on how can I improve or what I can do? I mean I think that I need three more semesters to pull up my grades. But does that mean that my grades at Columbia’s summer will overshadow all of my grades at a non-Ivy while i try to pull them up?</p>

<p>Sorry for the huge jumble, I am just feeling like super helpless about this whole situation.
I have seen a lot of GSers post that they had a horrible hs record…but I have a horrible college record and a stellar hs one. I feel like a lot of that is because I never got into the rhythm of college cause I had a horrible first year experience. </p>

<p>I really appreciate hearing feedback. I never lurked this forum when I was applying to college the first time…I was a bit too arrogant, but now I feel like I need it.</p>

<p>Lots of GSers have terrible college transcripts. The key thing is that you have to convince GS that you’re going to succeed now. I worry with the short gap since you were a student that you haven’t been able to demonstrate that your previous problems won’t recur. Once you can demonstrate that, you’ll probably be a great candidate and student. </p>

<p>I wouldn’t expect them to care enormously more about Columbia summer grades than other school grades from the same time period. What you want is a string of bad grades, then a break, then a set of stellar grades. And yes, you do have to send them, especially Columbia grades. They forgive a lot, but not dishonestly.</p>