<p>I am a Japanese student who dropped out of college (last April) after attending a Japanese university for a year.
Here are the reasons why I dropped out:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>After I got in, I realized that Japanese universities were completely different to universities in the US; getting in is REALLY tough, but you literally don't do anything while you're there. So all you do is go through past papers before exams to get the credits, and graduate. Companies are only interested in the name value of your university, not your grades or your experience. Isn't that 4 years of your life wasted?</p></li>
<li><p>Japanese people are extremely reserved and conservative. I spent a lot of my time working for the school festival organisation committee, as I was able to get a major position in it. But during meetings, whenever I asked for opinions or votes on an idea, NOBODY speaks up. This is just Japanese culture- people do not speak their thoughts so openly as it may cause disputes. However whenever I put forward an unconventional idea, people refuted by saying that it "isn't normal because nobody else does it and is therefore wrong". I absolutely hated this part of the Japanese culture and thought it would hinder my learning.</p></li>
<li><p>I got really bad grades in college (2.7 GPA). I just didn't study. But I know I have potential, and do want to change myself into a very hard working student.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>So I came to the conclusion that I would drop out of that college, study my a** off with the SATs and go to an American university where I would further study my a** off.</p>
<p>I know my reasons aren't as convincing as say perhaps somebody whose family member passed away, or went to national service.</p>
<p>By the way my SAT I is 2230/2400 (my latest timed practice test lol), Maths II 790 Chem 800.
Going to retake the SAT I in October, and take a shot at the US History (never learned it but I thought it'll be a good challenge)
And I was in the top 10% in high school with great ECs (varsity rugby captain, orchestra club vice president, class representative committee chairman, 400hrs internship at a consulting firm, Leader of the school orientation program, etc)</p>
<p>What do you think? Is this a valid reason for dropping out of college and wanting to pursue my education at Columbia GS?</p>
<p>I’d be careful how you communicate your dropping out. It’s always hard to explain why you wanted to leave a place without making that place sound inadequate or just plain bad. I’ve found that it’s best to keep things positive. </p>
<p>Focus on what it is you want from an education and why it is that you think you’ll find it here. Explain in your essay that, perhaps, you couldn’t get these things at your school in Japan, making your choice to apply to GS a natural step.</p>
<p>Thank you so much for the reply! I was just about to give up on getting an answer lol</p>
<p>Yes, you make perfect sense.
And I think I’m on the right track; I do respect the university I was at and the people there, but I just couldn’t find what I was looking for.</p>
<p>I agree with hellojan as well. The great thing about Columbia GS is that they tend to understand students who have completely different backgrounds than most. I myself didn’t do so well at the first college I attended, and opted to leave to join the working world for a time before realizing that a challenging college education was what I truly wanted. After returning to a different school, I excelled, and found my way into GS a few years later, where I’ve been ever since. The key, as hellojan mentioned, is to be VERY CAREFUL about how you present your reasons for leaving in your essay. It is never a good thing to point fingers and make the university seem at fault for anything. It is better to use the experience as an opportunity for growth, and explain what has happened in your life since that makes you a perfect fit for the school. I hope this helps.</p>
<p>I don’t go to GS but I have been thinking about it for awhile. From what I understand you must have taken at least one full year off from university in order to apply and GS will be very interested in what you did DURING that one year off that changed you from a 2.7 GPA student to IVY material and what experiences you gained that would add something to the classroom environment. When I started at University in CA I was planning to major in Japanese and I still have many close Japanese friends. I have a tremendous admiration for the culture but I have come to learn a lot of the negative sides that are a part of life in Japan, some of which you mentioned. I would say that is a perfectly understandable reason for dropping out and for poor academic performance, culture shock. Just make sure that you take a YEAR off and DO something to expand your horizons before you head back to school and then of course make those grades! I saw on another post you mentioned you went to the best private uni in Japan, did you go to 慶大 or 早大?</p>