I’m a senior in high school and i wanted to know if like if I wanted to major in biology would I be able to or how is it different from Columbia College?
“The School of General Studies is a highly selective liberal arts college and one of three official undergraduate colleges at Columbia University, situated on the university’s main campus in Morningside Heights, New York. GS is known primarily for its traditional B.A. degree program for non-traditional students (those who have had an academic break of one year or more, or are pursuing dual-degrees).
GS students make up almost 30% of the Columbia undergraduate population and have been known to consistently earn the highest average GPAs among undergraduates at Columbia University. Despite the relatively small size of the college, a disproportionately large number of GS alumni have gone on to win prestigious fellowships, including the Rhodes Scholarship (GS is the only undergraduate college at Columbia University to produce Rhodes Scholars (2) over the past 6 years), the Gates Cambridge Scholarship, and the Fulbright Scholarship.”
-per Wikicu
http://www.wikicu.com/School_of_General_Studies
Basically GS has the same classes, same degree as Columbia College. There are minor differences, like the diploma is in English rather than Latin. There may be differences in the core curriculum, too. And one or two small differences. The school is more flexible than Columbia College in that you can attend part time. Also the student body is older. And the financial aid is rumored to not be as generous, although I think there are some scholarships. I’m not sure though. From an employer’s perspective, or that of grad school, you have an undergrad degree from Columbia at the end of the day.
If you’re applying directly from HS, that might be an issue. I think that most people in GS have had a pause between HS and College. Check with GS to find out how much of a pause is expected.
FYI UPenn has a similar college.