Hi everyone!
Due to health issues my college years got interrupted. Right now I am a traditional student at a school within a tier similar to Tufts/BU/Wellesley, etc. (a good school, though not the top tier). I am trying to preserve my identity and remain anonymous so I do not want to give my current school away. Anyways.
I am very interested in Columbia GS and Upenn LPS because frankly I am becoming a bit bored of my surroundings and want to start afresh. Because of illness I did not have a chance to apply to these schools.
There seems to be much disagreement over the educational quality of these programs as compared to their traditional undergrad programs. After what I have been through with my health, to finish at an Ivy would be good for my self-confidence and the caliber of these schools does matter to me.
I am happy at my current school if not a bit bored and there is obviously no guarantee that I will get in to either of these programs. However, my main question lies in the core differences between these non-traditional programs and the actual programs–I know you will graduate with a practically identical degree to the traditional student at both schools, but I feel there must be some sort of difference (or a catch, if you will).
I understand the pull for exceptional students at community colleges. As for me, I am wondering if it will be truly worth it to even apply, and this rests heavily on not knowing the quality of a non traditional path at an Ivy versus a standard one at perhaps slightly lower caliber school (and the question of potential employers and what they like to see, as well. Will they judge me differently when they see LPS or GS?).
I do very much like Philly and NYC, however. Yet, this would not be the deciding factor.
If anyone has any experience at either of these two programs I would love to hear from you. Thank you for reading and for your time 
Financial aid for these programs is available but is not as generous as in the traditional undergrad programs.
BTW Tufts and BU are not in the same tier.
Hi there,
Yes, I am aware of that, but that is a non-issue for me and was not my question. I feel like Tufts/BU are comparable enough. Both good schools but not the top. I am not so obsessed as to know the minute differences. Essentially, I am at a decent school, not a community college or a school no one has heard of.
I am just editing this to say I dug a little and my school is probably somewhere in between tufts and BU (leaning towards Tufts). But this is just from CC lol. I do find people tend to get into the gritty details and obsess so much that you find more info here that you wouldn’t find elsewhere. Being from the Northeast myself, I would have put them in the same category.
It sounds like you are already at a very good 4 year university. While we don’t have your stats, transferring to Penn or Columbia sounds like a high reach. You should also think about the financial aspects of the transfer – transfer students usually don’t get good financial aid.
One thing that you might want to seriously consider: Finish your Bachelor’s where you are, then apply to Penn and Columbia for graduate school (or medical or law school). It is very common for very strong students at “very good” schools to go on to graduate work at “tippy top” schools.
That consideration does make sense and it is what I’m feeling. I am a very good student with a 3.9 and would most likely go there for grad, true. The thing is, I am just bored. Not bored academically but more geographically. I guess my main question is about what I see as “a catch” for both of these degrees…there has to be one. I suppose that is more the question I am asking because I would apply most definitely if I knew more about them and likely go…their websites just generally seem vague and I cannot find the caveat I am searching for. It must be there somewhere.
This doesn’t answer your question, but it’s pertinent, I think: how much longer would you have to stay at your current school before graduation? Also, is there any chance for study abroad, to experience a more exciting environment for a semester or a year?
How much have you explored them? Columbia GS is essentially the same education as traditional Columbia. You take the same classes, sit with the traditional students, most are full-time, etc.
Penn LPS can be 100% night classes, though you can pay more for the traditional daytime classes (and have to for some majors, I believe).
BTW, Wellesley is an Ivy-equivalent, Tufts is a Near-Ivy, and BU is neither. Columbia is also different from Penn and both are pretty different from Wellesley or Tufts (and BU).
I guess the question is what are your goals and reasons for any of this? What about majors?
Actually, are you even eligible for Columbia GS?
They require a gap of at least a year in your educational history.
I have friends in both programs. Regarding job opportunities. The one at Penn was just hired by FB pending graduation in May, another from Columbia GS is working for GS up in NYC.
Penn’s LPS program will make you take gen-ed classes at night if available. Generally speaking as you get into your major those upper division classes are only offered during the day and you get a tuition waiver to offset the difference. If you’re a bit lost go travel the world and take a year off, at that point you’ll qualify for Penn LPS, Columbia GS, Yale Eli Whitney, and Brown Rue etc etc
Night classes for LPS, at least that I’ve seen, are mostly STEM and foreign language. My English class (which is sort of a major requirement, it’s one of many classes that fills a particular English major requirement) has two LPS students in it.