<p>If you are, is it your first choice? What other schools/programs similar to GS are you looking at?</p>
<p>I'm applying to GS and UPenn's LPS as a transfer student. I may apply to Cornell. UPenn is my first choice.</p>
<p>Share your stats if you like.</p>
<p>Vanitas, </p>
<p>I sent in my application for Columbia GS today actually.</p>
<p>I am a 25 year old US Veteran currently finishing my last semester in community college. After two years, my GPA is perfect 4.0 (only person in my class with a 4.0). Aside from honors courses, and a few instances where I volunteered to help conduct institutional research for my college, I do not have a long list of extra curriculars.</p>
<p>I'm hoping that my experience in the Army combined with good grades and (of course) a well written personal statement will be enough to get me in.</p>
<p>Honestly, though, Columbia GS is not my first choice. They're not likely to offer me enough financial aid to make the transition worth it.</p>
<p>I am also applying to Amherst College (first choice), Brown, the Yale Eli Whitney program (super long shot), and UMass as a back up (I live in the Massachusetts area).</p>
<p>Good luck with your application. I hope you get in.</p>
<p>Jayk: out of curiosity, are you applying to Amherst's continuing ed program (i.e. does it have one?) Or are you applying to Amherst's undergraduate program?</p>
<p>jaykoblives,</p>
<p>I think you have a great shot! Did you submit your SAT/ACT scores, or did you take their exam? I'm going to be taking their exam.</p>
<p>Amherst College is great! I hope you get in! </p>
<p>Have you looked at the College of Liberal and Professional studies at UPenn? Students who enroll are fully integrated into the classes attended by "traditional" students, and receive the very same diploma.</p>
<p>cerberus,</p>
<p>I am applying to Amherst's undergraduate program (I'm pretty sure it doesn't have a continuing ed program). They have recently been given a grant from the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation to better identify and admit promising community college students for transfer. Furthermore, they just recently developed a scholarship program specifically targeting veterans.</p>
<p>I've spoken with their admissions reps, including a Dean and, apparently, they don't have many (if any) veterans on their campus. They offered to bring me down to the campus for a few days on their dollar so I could check the school out. The vibe I got from them is that, if my grades are up to par, my status as a veteran would greatly increase my chances and that, if admitted, I'd probably receive a very generous financial aid package.</p>
<p>The monetary stuff aside, I've been greatly impressed with what I've learned about Amherst College so far. It seems like a great place and I wouldn't consider it a step down from Columbia to be honest.</p>
<p>With that said, if by some miracle Columbia GS offered me financial aid similar to what Amherst might offer me, I'd probably go there instead simply because my GI Benefits allow me to afford housing wherever I might go and the opportunity to live in New York on the government's dime is just too awesome a deal to pass up.</p>
<p>Vanitas,</p>
<p>Sorry, I forgot to answer your question about standardized testing. Because I have a job, I couldn't just escape to New York to take their cheesy GS test. I actually took the SATs again. I didn't study at all really. I honestly don't care if I get amazing scores or not. A lot of the other prestigious colleges I've talked to agree that it's ridiculous to ask for scores like that from people in my position (25 year old non-traditional student). Your college grades should be able to speak for themselves and the SATs pretty much test your ability to prepare for the SATs not your ability to succeed in college (this has been the findings of numerous studies including one conducted by Harvard University).</p>
<p>But yeah, I sat in a room full of 16 year olds to take them over. Awkward.</p>
<p>
[QUOTE]
Originally posted by Vanitas</p>
<p>Have you looked at the College of Liberal and Professional studies at UPenn? Students who enroll are fully integrated into the classes attended by "traditional" students, and receive the very same diploma.
[/QUOTE]
</p>
<p>This is the same situation with Columbia GS.</p>
<p>Luke,</p>
<p>Last I checked, Columbia GS students received a different diploma.</p>
<p>I was talking about the classes, but I imagine that if one diploma says "General Studies" on it and the other one says "Columbia College" on it that maybe 1% of the people that read it will be able to discern between the two. There are probably more people that would ask about the "Fu Foundation" than about the words "General Studies". Either way, your motivation for paying $150K in tuition shouldn't be the diploma.</p>
<p>jaykoblives,</p>
<p>Exactly! Those tests are barely indicative of ones ability to perform well in the classroom. I'm still going to prepare for the GS Exam though-lol. </p>
<p>LUKEJDAVIS,</p>
<p>I know that GS students are fully integrated into the CC classes. I merely wanted to point out the difference in the diploma received by "nontraditional" students at UPenn. I don't care that the diploma received by GS students reads "SGS."</p>
<p>Are you applying to GS?</p>
<p>Luke,</p>
<p>I don't care that the diplomas are different, personally. You said that students receive the "very same diploma" which is inaccurate. I was simply correcting that part of your statement.</p>
<p>As for being motivated to pay 150K in tuition, I'd say it's not worth it especially when there are other, equally prestigious, universities and colleges out there offering an education of similar quality.</p>
<p>I wasn't trying to imply that you two are only after a diploma. As for there being equally prestigious universities, there are good areas in all schools so it's important to find the one that matches you. For me, there were maybe a couple schools that have better programs in the field I'm interested in but neither of them offered the complete package that CU offers (i.e. accelerated programs in science and art as well as being placed in NYC). Also, both were Ivy's so I'd be paying $150K no matter which university I go to.</p>
<p>Different strokes for different folks.</p>
<p>Luke,</p>
<p>I agree that the location of Columbia is a huge plus. However, I wouldn't assume that just because it's an Ivy you'll have to pay 150K. Most non-GS students at Columbia don't pay nearly that much because financial aid for CC is far more substantial. It is possible to attend an Ivy League school without taking on crushing debt, it's just harder as a non-traditional student. </p>
<p>Columbia GS advertises better than most non-traditional programs. You can even see their ads at CNN.com occasionally. The GS program got me thinking about other avenues of education beyond just state schools. However, as I probed deeper I realized that GS has a reputation for ripping off its students. You matriculate with the rest of the undergrads at Columbia, but you are not treated the same and you are not given the same generous financial aid packages. I disapprove of the different treatment that GS students typically get.</p>
<p>Just my opinion.</p>
<p>Unless I am completely wrong GS students receive the same diploma except the GS diploma is in english. GS students are working right now to get the GS diploma in latin like cc. I'm not under the impression it says GS on it. Also in my experience financial aid is pretty good here. I'm not under any really straining financial situation so the fact that they still gave me money is pretty good, I think.</p>
<p>how much did you get rcl?</p>
<p>in scholarship i got 3200 for the semester and i also submitted the scholarship app after i was accepted for the spring...so that was really late..oops.</p>
<p>Jayk: Amherst was actually my first choice (or one of my top choices, can't remember) before columbia welcomed me with open arms. I certainly don't think it's a step down, it's a terrific school. </p>
<p>that's pretty ballsy that you took the SAT's--not the fact that you did them without studying, but that you did them at all. I'd have considered it a waste of time, but I guess the 16 year olds made it worth it, huh? ;) </p>
<p>Naahhh J/K. Good luck with the process, I hope you get in (To Amherst, CU, Yale...)</p>
<p>cerberus,</p>
<p>Let me be honest. As soon as I walked in the door and saw an old teacher of mine from back in the day checking admission tickets, I almost turned right back around. I was wearing a baseball cap and I pulled it low so that nobody could make eye contact with me. I don't think anyone recognized me. </p>
<p>Amherst was originally an afterthought to me. When I first started researching my transfer options, I was all about Columbia GS. After I spoke with some of their admission reps and later a Dean, I was blown away by how friendly and helpful they were to me. As a non-traditional student and a veteran, you can feel kind of lost. You don't know which paths are open for you and which are closed due to you not being a typical student with normal credentials. I had contacted numerous other colleges: Dartmouth, Columbia, Brown, ect. and they all kind of blew me off and ignored me. Only Amherst took the time to really address my questions and concerns. Anyway, because of that experience, I researched the college more and realized that, if I couldn't get what I needed from Columbia (lots of free money), I wouldn't mind at all going to Amherst.</p>
<p>I'm thinking about applying as a transfer to Columbia GS, but i'm a little confused about the program. Do you actually graduate with a major or is it just a degree from the College of General Studies? Also, the essay portion of the application asks why the applicant considers him or herself a "non-traditional student". Seeing as i'm currently completing my freshman year at another university, i don't consider myself non- traditional in the....traditional sense (i.e. i'd probably enroll as a full time student; school is pretty much my top priority right now). If anyone has any thoughts i'd love to her them. Thanks!</p>