Difference between revisions of "School of General Studies"

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The '''School of General Studies''', or '''GS''' is a degree-granting college of Columbia University.  It confers Bachelor of Art and Bachelor of Science degrees in over forty different majors. In addition to its undergraduate program, GS also offers a joint program with List College of the [[Jewish Theological Seminary]]. GS also offers a Postbaccalaureate Premedical Pre-health Program. The median age of GS students is 29.
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{{Infobox school
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|Name=Columbia University School of General Studies
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|Image=GS-Shield.gif
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|Established=[[1947]]
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|President=
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|Dean=[[Lisa Rosen-Metsch]]
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|Degrees=[[Bachelor of Arts]]
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|Enrollment=2,600 students (2019)
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|Website=[http://www.gs.columbia.edu/ www.gs.columbia.edu]
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}}
  
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== Admissions ==
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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]].<ref>http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/columbia-university-2707</ref> 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).<ref name="http://gs.columbia.edu">http://gs.columbia.edu</ref>
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The School of General Studies is notoriously tight-lipped about its admission criteria and the statistics on admitted students. The School tends to admit approximately forty to fifty per cent of applicants. The profile of the applicant pool or the admitted pool is unknown.
 
  
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Although there is little information to support the claim, the consensus seems to favor the notion that GS is a 'back-door' to Columbia. The general impression is that GS students come to Columbia with lower SAT scores, lower GPA, and fewer 'accomplishments.'
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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.<ref>http://www.columbia.edu/cu/opir/abstract/opir_enrollment_history_1.htm</ref><ref>https://s3.amazonaws.com/BWARCHIVE/2013/may13.pdf</ref> 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]], the Gates Cambridge Scholarship, and the [[Fulbright Scholarship]].<ref>http://columbiaspectator.com/news/2015/12/02/columbia-student-wins-rhodes-scholarship-first-time-five-years</ref><ref>http://columbiaspectator.com/news/2016/12/01/gs-alumna-wins-rhodes-scholarship</ref><ref>http://columbiaspectator.com/news/2015/03/02/gs-cc-alumnae-awarded-gates-cambridge-scholarship</ref><ref>https://gs.columbia.edu/sciences-po/dual-ba-students-receive-prestigious-grants-pursue-foreign-language-and-global-studies</ref>
  
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== Academics ==
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GS offers dual degree programs with Sciences Po in France, the City University of Hong Kong, and List College of the [[Jewish Theological Seminary]].<ref name="http://gs.columbia.edu"/> GS is the historical home to dual-degree programs at Columbia University—the school is the first undergraduate college at Columbia University to offer joint programs with other universities.<ref name="ReferenceB">https://gs.columbia.edu/sciences-po/glance</ref> GS is also home to the Postbaccalaureate Premedical Program.
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''Forthcoming''
 
  
 +
Notable alumni include [[Nobel Prize]] winners Simon Kuznets and Baruj Benacerraf, as well as [[Isaac Asimov]], J.D. Salinger, [[Amelia Earhart]], and Princess Firyal of Jordan.
  
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{|-
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==Academics==
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|+ Core Requirements
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A Columbia undergraduate class could include students from any of the following schools: the School of General Studies, Columbia College, the School of Engineering and Applied Science, or Barnard College. GS is unique among colleges of its type, because its students are fully integrated into Columbia's traditional undergraduate curriculum: GS Students take the same classes with the same students and professors and are granted the same degrees as students at Columbia College or SEAS.
 +
 
 +
The School of General Studies confers the degree of [[Bachelor of Arts]] in more than 80 majors<ref>https://bulletin.columbia.edu/general-studies/majors-concentrations/</ref>. All GS students are required to complete the [[Core Curriculum]], which includes classes in Writing, Literature/Humanities, Contemporary Civilization/Social Science, Art Humanities, Music Humanities, Global Core, Quantitative Reasoning, Science, and Foreign Language.<ref>https://bulletin.columbia.edu/general-studies/the-core/</ref>
 +
 
 +
In addition to its bachelor's degree program, the School of General Studies offers combined undergraduate/graduate degree programs with Columbia's schools of [[Columbia Law School|Law]], [[Columbia Business School|Business]], [[College of Dental Medicine|Dental Medicine]], [[School of Social Work|Social Work]], [[SIPA|International and Public Affairs]], [[Teachers College]], and the [[College of Physicians and Surgeons]], as well as undergraduate dual-degree programs with [[SEAS]], the [[Jewish Theological Seminary]], and a dual-BA program with [[w:Sciences Po|Sciences Po]]. In 2012, GS launched a pilot dual degree program with City University of Hong Kong. <ref> http://gs.columbia.edu/owl-article?ntitle=7141&mgid=7138 </ref>
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 +
==Admission==
 +
Admission to Columbia GS is highly selective and "extremely competitive."<ref name="gs.columbia.edu">[https://gs.columbia.edu/our-process]</ref> Admission standards are among the highest in the nation: the SAT score range (25th-75th percentiles) for admitted students is 1330–1530 out of 1600 on the new SAT (680-770 on the Evidence-Based Reading and Writing Section and 650-760 on the Mathematics Section). The average GPA of admitted students is 3.9/4.0.<ref>https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/college-university-search/columbia-university-school-of-general-studies</ref>
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 +
Admission requires a formal application as well as submission of official SAT or ACT test scores, academic transcripts, essays, and recommendations; if the test scores are older than eight years, applicants may instead take the General Studies Admissions Examination.<ref name="http://gs.columbia.edu/applying-gs">http://gs.columbia.edu/applying-gs</ref> Interviews are conducted in person and on the phone.
 +
 
 +
==Eligibility==
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Eligibility for admission requires that applicants have taken a minimum of one year or more off from academic studies, or have extenuating circumstances which preclude them from attending Columbia College full-time. Prospective Columbia undergraduates who have had a break of a year or more in their education, have already completed an undergraduate degree, or are pursuing dual undergraduate degrees are considered non-traditional and are automatically ineligible for admission to Columbia College.<ref name="http://undergrad.admissions.columbia.edu/">http://undergrad.admissions.columbia.edu/ask/faq?body_value=general+studies&field_question_topics_tid=All</ref><ref name="http://columbiaspectator.com/">http://columbiaspectator.com/2012/03/07/gsjts-students-feel-caught-between-two-worlds</ref> GS students have the option to attend part- or full-time.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://gs.columbia.edu/program-overview |title=Program Overview &#124; General Studies |publisher=Gs.columbia.edu |date= |accessdate=2014-01-05}}</ref>
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 +
==Sciences Po Columbia University Dual BA Program==
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The Dual BA Program is a unique and highly selective program in which undergraduate students earn two Bachelor of Arts degrees from both Columbia University and Sciences Po (one of the most prestigious and selective universities in France<ref>http://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/en/coming-to-france/studying-in-france/presentation-1988/articles-from-actualites-en-france/article/elite-paris-institut-d-etudes</ref>) in four years. The applicant pool consists almost entirely of high school students.<ref name="gs.columbia.edu faq">https://gs.columbia.edu/sciences-po/faq</ref>
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Students spend two years at one of three Sciences Po campuses in France (Le Havre, Menton, or Reims), each of which is devoted to a particular region of the world. At Sciences Po, undergraduates can pursue majors in political science, economics, law, finance, history, among others.
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After two years at Sciences Po, students matriculate at Columbia University, where they complete the Core Curriculum and one of over 80 majors offered at Columbia. Graduates of the program are guaranteed admission to a Sciences Po graduate program.<ref name="gs.columbia.edu faq"/>
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 +
==Placement==
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More than 70 percent of GS students go on to earn advanced degrees after graduation. Columbia GS students have been admitted to top graduate programs all over the country including law schools at Yale, Harvard, Stanford, Columbia, the University of Chicago, NYU, the University of Pennsylvania, UC Berkeley (Boalt Hall), Duke, Cornell, and Notre Dame. They have also been admitted to medicals schools at Harvard, the University of Pennsylvania, Johns Hopkins, Duke, Stanford, UC San Francisco, Yale, Columbia, the University of Chicago, Cornell, and many others. In recent years, GS graduates have been recruited by investment banks such as Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, Credit Suisse, UBS, Bank of America Merrill Lynch, and Citigroup.
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 +
==The Core Curriculum==
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GS has been progressively bringing its Core closer into alignment with CC, most recently during the summer of 2012 when it replaced the Cultural Diversity requirement (1 class that may overlap with another core class, commonly Asian Music or Art) with CC's 2 class [[Global Core]] requirement. It is possible to [http://bulletin.columbia.edu/general-studies/undergraduates/degree-fulfillment/core/registration-petitions/ petition] core requirements in certain cases.
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The following table lists the core requirements for GS and CC for students matriculating Fall 2012 or later:
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{|- border="1" cellpadding="2"
 
|-
 
|-
 
|
 
|
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|GS
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!width="45%"|GS<ref>[http://www.gs.columbia.edu/bulletin_courses/Bulletin98/bach_core.html School of General Studes Core Requirements]</ref>
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|CC
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!width="45%"|CC<ref>[http://www.college.columbia.edu/core/ Columbia College Core Curriculum]</ref>
 
|-
 
|-
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|Writing
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!Writing<ref>[[University Writing]] is required of both GS and CC students, but the sections are divided by school.</ref>
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|[[University Writing]]
 
|[[University Writing]]
 
|[[University Writing]]
 
|[[University Writing]]
 
|-
 
|-
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|Literature
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!Literature/Humanities
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|2 Literature Courses OR [[Lit Hum]]
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|[[Literature Humanities]] (or 1 semester of literature at Columbia and 1 semester of humanities or literature)
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|[[Lit Hum]]
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|[[Literature Humanities]]
 
|-
 
|-
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|Foreign Language
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!Foreign Language
 
|4th Semester of a Language OR exemption by university exam
 
|4th Semester of a Language OR exemption by university exam
 
|4th Semester of a Language OR exemption by university exam
 
|4th Semester of a Language OR exemption by university exam
 
|-
 
|-
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|Art
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!Art
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|Art Hum, Asian Hum (Music) or exemption by similar course
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|[[Art Humanities]]/Asian Humanities (Art) (or exemption by similar course taken at another institution)
 +
|[[Art Humanities]]
 
|-
 
|-
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|Music
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!Music
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|Music Hum or Asian Hum (Music0
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|[[Music Humanities]]/Asian Humanities (Music) (or exemption by similar course taken at another institution)
 +
|[[Music Humanities]]
 
|-
 
|-
−
|Humanities/Social Science
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!Contemporary Civilization/Social Science
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|2 courses each in Humanities and Social Science
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|[[Contemporary Civilization]] (or either 2 social science or 1 social science + 1 humanities)
 +
|[[Contemporary Civilization]]
 
|-
 
|-
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|Quantitative Reasoning
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!Quantitative Reasoning
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|Exemption by exam:600 on Math section of SAT OR any math, stat, econ, or comp sci course, OR Frontiers
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|[[Frontiers of Science]]; most classes satisfy both the Quantitative requirement and count as a Science requirement
 +
|Covered under Science requirement
 
|-
 
|-
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|Science
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!Science
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|3 science courses OR Frontiers
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|[[Frontiers of Science]] or 3 approved science courses  
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|[[Frontiers of Science]] and 2 additional science courses
 
|-
 
|-
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|Cultural Diversity
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!Global Core
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|1 course in a non-western culture
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|2 courses from the Global Core List
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|2 courses from the Global Core List
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|-
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!Physical Education
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|None
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|[[Swim test]], 2 courses
 
|}
 
|}
  
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== History ==
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=== Major Requirements ===
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The School of General Studies was spun off from the University Extension Program in 1947. It became Columbia's third official undergraduate school. It is sometimes claimed that [[Barnard College]] is Columbia's third undergraduate school, and GS is its fourth, however Barnard is officially only affiliated with Columbia University, whereas GS, its deans and students are formally integrated into the university proper, along with [[Columbia College]] and the [[Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Sciences]].
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Major requirements are determined departmentally, and are the same for CC and GS students. GS students must complete a major unlike CC students, who can complete a major or concentration.
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It initially served to educate GIs returning from World War II. GS originally maintained its own faculty, classes, and programs. In 1967 the University first decided (over the objection of the Columbia College Faculty) to allow GS to grant the A.B. degree in addition to the B.S. In the 1980s it was separated from the Division of [[Continuing Education]]. In 1990, its faculty merged into the Faculty of Arts & Sciences. Since then, the classes available to GS students are generally the same as those available to Columbia College students.
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 +
== Financial Aid ==
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 +
GS offers scholarships for both newly accepted and continuing students. These scholarships are merit- rather than need-based like that of Columbia College and SEAS.
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A common complaint made by GS students is that the financial aid amounts and options offered by GS are smaller than those offered to CC/SEAS students. In the absence of need-based institutional aid, many GS students rely on a combination of loans, external grants, and personal funds. In 2006 the University announced financial aid reforms for CC and SEAS students whose parents earn less than $50,000 annually.
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 +
GS does not offer parity with the packages offered to CC/SEAS students. This is because the scholarship system at GS is independent of the financial aid system for CC/SEAS and funding is sourced from a separate GS-only pool. GS has made some recent efforts to address the issue, both through campaigns to increase the endowment and by increasing its scholarship offerings by 10 percent (in 2006). Starting summer 2012 GS is offering merit institutional aid for summer study, in addition to fall and spring semesters.
  
 
== Housing ==
 
== Housing ==
 
General Studies students are not eligible for the CC/SEAS [[Room Selection]] process. However, many GS students receive housing through [[University Apartment Housing]].
 
General Studies students are not eligible for the CC/SEAS [[Room Selection]] process. However, many GS students receive housing through [[University Apartment Housing]].
  
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== Myths ==
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==History==
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* GS is night school
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:GS students subscribe to the same classes as students in other colleges at the university. Columbia offers some classes at night and they are available to all students.
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===Defunct Predecessors===
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* GS is an extension program
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GS's evolutionary ancestor is [[Seth Low]] Junior College, which was established in Downtown Brooklyn to help alleviate the flood of Jewish applicants to [[Columbia College]]. The entrance requirements for Seth Low Junior College were reportedly the same as those enforced in Columbia College.<ref name="spectatorarchive.library.columbia.edu">[http://spectatorarchive.library.columbia.edu/cgi-bin/columbia?a=d&d=cs19280403-01.2.7]</ref> Following completion of the two-year program, graduates could complete their undergraduate educations at the University's professional schools (many of which still conferred terminal bachelor's degrees) or earn B.S. degrees in liberal arts and scientific disciplines as University Undergraduates at the Morningside Heights campus; at the time, the University only conferred the B.A. to graduates of Columbia College.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=F39SJn66jF0C&pg=PA271&lpg=PA271&dq=%22university+undergraduates%22+%22columbia%22+%22seth+low%22&source=bl&ots=U826rr4J0b&sig=amyK9MLUkhBfA2-BOuW-iSMMA2o&hl=en&sa=X&ei=nMLwUYnzPLL84AOG8IDoDQ&ved=0CD8Q6AEwBA#v=onepage&q=%22university%20undergraduates%22%20%22columbia%22%20%22seth%20low%22&f=false |title=Stand, Columbia: A History of Columbia University in the City of New York ... – Robert A. McCaughey – Google Books |publisher=Books.google.com |date= |accessdate=2014-01-05}}</ref>
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:GS is degree-granting college. Students are expected to pursue a Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degree. GS is very serious about keeping its undergraduates on track to earn a degree. Aimless class takers are put on academic probation. The separate [[School of Continuing Education]] offers individual courses on non-degree basis.
+
 
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* GS is a back door to CC.
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Seth Low Junior College was closed in 1938 due to the establishment of Brooklyn College in 1930 and the concomitant economic effects of the Great Depression. Henceforth, its remaining students were absorbed into Columbia's undergraduate population as students in the University Undergraduate program (previously, University Extension, which was established by [[Nicholas Murray Butler]] in 1904).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://spectatorarchive.library.columbia.edu/cgi-bin/columbia?a=d&d=cs19420602-01.2.16&srpos=12&e=------194-en-20--1-byDA-txt-IN-%22university+undergraduates%22---- |title=Columbia Daily Spectator 2 June 1942 — Columbia Spectator |publisher=Spectatorarchive.library.columbia.edu |date=1942-06-02 |accessdate=2014-01-05}}</ref>
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:*The criteria for admission is different between GS and CC. Unfortunately, GS admission criteria is not divulged by GS, so it is impossible to say for sure.
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:*Since GS students and CC students have access to and take the same classes, GS is a back door to those classes
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===The Establishment of the School of General Studies===
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:*This is logically unsound, since they are entirely different programs, how can one be a back door to the other?
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With an influx of students attending the University on the G.I. Bill following the resolution of World War II, in December 1946, the University Undergraduate program was reorganized as an official undergraduate college for "qualified students who, because of employment or for other reasons, are unable to attend other schools of the University" and designated the School of General Studies as of July 1947.<ref name="gs.columbia.edu-2">[http://www.gs.columbia.edu/gs-history History of the School of General Studies]</ref><ref name="spectatorarchive.library.columbia.edu-2">{{cite web|url=http://spectatorarchive.library.columbia.edu/cgi-bin/columbia?a=d&d=cs19461210-01.2.2&srpos=2&e=-------en-20--1-byDA-txt-IN-%22general+studies%22----# |title=Columbia Daily Spectator 10 December 1946 — Columbia Spectator |publisher=Spectatorarchive.library.columbia.edu |date=1946-12-10 |accessdate=2014-01-05}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://spectatorarchive.library.columbia.edu/cgi-bin/columbia?a=d&d=cs19461206-01.2.5&srpos=1&e=-------en-20--1-byDA-txt-IN-%22general+studies%22---- |title=Columbia Daily Spectator 6 December 1946 — Columbia Spectator |publisher=Spectatorarchive.library.columbia.edu |date=1946-12-06 |accessdate=2014-01-05}}</ref>
  
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== Relationship to Columbia College ==
+
===The Trustees Grant the Bachelor of Arts (B.A.)===
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The School of General Studies is loosely defined as a school for 'non-traditional students.' Non-traditional in GS terms seems to refer to anybody who has had a gap of one year or more in their undergraduate studies. By inference, Columbia College is for 'traditional students' who matriculate directly from high school and have not had a gap in their undergraduate studies. On this basis, students interested are applying to study at Columbia University are tracked to an 'appropriate' school. These admissions criteria favor tracking older students into the School of General Studies and is de facto if not de jure age discrimination.
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In December 1968, the University Council permitted GS to grant the B.A. degree. Despite the objections of some members of the Columbia College Faculty, the Board of Trustees authorized the decision in February 1969.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://spectatorarchive.library.columbia.edu/cgi-bin/columbia?a=d&d=cs19681219-01.2.2&srpos=29&e=-------en-20--21-byDA-txt-IN-%22general+studies%22+%22b.a.%22-ARTICLE---# |title=Columbia Daily Spectator 19 December 1968 — Columbia Spectator |publisher=Spectatorarchive.library.columbia.edu |date=1968-12-19 |accessdate=2014-01-05}}</ref>
  
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Part of the tension between Columbia College and General Studies stems from the University's 1967 decision (over the objection of the Columbia College Faculty) to allow GS to grant the A.B. degree in addition to the B.S., creating a redundancy within the University. While this undermined the College's exclusive right to grant the A.B. degrees, the University most likely viewed it as yet another revenue stream. It should be noted that for a large part of it's history, the University administration has paid scant attention to the College. Then-dean of the College David Truman reportedly broke into tears when he learned of the Trustees' decision.
+
===The Merging of the Columbia College and General Studies Faculties===
 +
In 1990, the Columbia College (CC), School of General Studies (GS), and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GSAS) faculties were merged into the Faculty of Arts & Sciences, which resulted in the complete academic integration between the School of General Studies and Columbia College.<ref name="columbiaspectator.com">http://columbiaspectator.com/2014/02/26/gs-eliminate-bs-degree-option-may-2014</ref> As a result, both GS and CC students receive degrees conferred by the Trustees of Columbia University through the Faculty of Art & Sciences,<ref name="columbiaspectator.com"/> and GS is recognized as one of the two official liberal arts colleges at Columbia University, along with Columbia College.
  
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It should be noted that at the time each of schools had a faculty independent of the other, with professors able to hold joint-appointments between multiple faculties. There was likely a certain sense of the College faculty's privelege to grant the A.B. being breached. The independent faculties of the schools have since been integrated into a single Faculty of Arts and Science.
+
== Myths ==
 +
* GS is night school.
 +
:GS students attend the same classes as students in other colleges at the university. Columbia offers some classes at night, but they are available to all students.
 +
* GS is an extension program.
 +
:GS should not be confused with the separate [[School of Continuing Education]], which offers individual courses on non-degree basis. GS is one of the two official liberal arts colleges at Columbia University along with Columbia College. Students are expected to pursue a Bachelor of Arts degree.  
  
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The financial aspect of the decision to create GS is underscored by the lack of financial aid funding for GS students. Because GS operates separately from the [[Division of Student Affairs|joint administration]] of CC and SEAS, it was not covered in the plan to eliminate student loans for CC and SEAS students with family incomes below certain levels.
+
== Relationship to Columbia College ==
 +
In December 1968 the University Council decided, over the objections of some members of the Columbia College Faculty, to allow GS to grant the B.A. degree in addition to the B.S. The Board of Trustees authorized that decision in February 1969. The creation of the [[Faculty of Arts and Sciences]] in 1991 merged the GS, CC and [[GSAS]] faculties. As a result, GS and CC students are nearly academically indistinguishable – they both receive instruction in the liberal arts and sciences from the Columbia Faculty of Arts and Sciences and receive the Bachelor of Arts degree from Columbia University. Until 2014 some did receive the Bachelor of Science degree, like SEAS students. GS students participate in nearly the same Core as Columbia College students, with a little additional flexibility, and the waiving of the swim test, PE, and [[Frontiers of Science]]. GS students have the same curriculum, but their own sections of, [[University Writing]], [[Literature Humanities]], and [[Contemporary Civilization]] although non-GS students may enroll if they wish and can gain permission. GS students may substitute certain other classes for the traditional Lit Hum, Art Hum, and CC that focus on non-western culture, if they wish.  
  
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The somewhat arbitrary delineations between the College and GS have grown as a result of attempts to reconcile the overlap and provide each school with a mission. However, the wide range of constituents forming the GS student body, from professionals or drop outs returning to school for a degree, to students who took 2 years off before attending college, to 'traditional' age students enrolled in the [[Joint Degree Program]] with [[List College]] at [[JTS]], to post-bac pre-med students, makes it hard to say just what identity GS students have and what separates them from their fellow students in the College. This makes 'integrating' GS with the other schools difficult, as different parts of the GS student body have very different needs.
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The wide range of students that form the GS student body, from professionals or dropouts returning to school for a degree, to military veterans, to students who took 2 years off before attending college, to 'traditional'-age students enrolled in the Joint Degree Program with List College at [[JTS]], to postbac pre-med students, makes it hard to say just what specific identity GS students have that makes them so different from their fellow students in the College. In [[2007]], the administration floated the idea of a CC-GS merger.<ref>http://www.columbiaspectator.com/2007/11/12/university-may-merge-gs-cc "University May Merge GS with CC." Columbia Spectator. November 12, 2007</ref> However it quickly died down.<ref>http://www.columbiaspectator.com/2008/03/10/merits-gs-cc-integration "The Merits of the GS, CC Integration" Columbia Spectator. March 10 2008</ref>
  
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=== Other differences between GS and CC ===
+
== References ==
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* GS students may attend full-time or part-time. CC students are expected to attend full-time (part-time study is accepted under special circumstances.)
+
<references />
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* Although everybody must take [[University Writing]], the sections are segregated into GS and CC sections.
 
−
* Graduation requirements somewhat different. CC requires the completion of the [[Core Curriculum]]. While GS students may opt to use this curriculum to satisfy requirements, they may also satisfy the requirements a wider variety of classes.
 
  
 
== External links ==
 
== External links ==
Line 86: Line 144:
 
* [http://www.gs.columbia.edu/studentservices/housing.htm GS Housing website]
 
* [http://www.gs.columbia.edu/studentservices/housing.htm GS Housing website]
 
* [http://www.alumni.gs.columbia.edu/ OwlNet, GS Alumni website]
 
* [http://www.alumni.gs.columbia.edu/ OwlNet, GS Alumni website]
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* [http://gssc.columbia.edu GSSC Website] ([[GSSC]] General Studies Student Council)
 +
* [http://www.gs.columbia.edu/history.htm History of the School of General Studies]
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*[http://media.www.columbiaspectator.com/media/storage/paper865/news/2007/03/05/News/Implications.General.Studies-2757242.shtml IMPLICATIONS: General Studies (Article on the evolving and conflicting identities of GS)] - [[Columbia Spectator|The Spectator]] 3/5/07
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* [http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,822081,00.html College for Grownups (''Time'' article from 1952)]
 
* [http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,810834,00.html The Unwashed Brother (article on GS in Time Magazine, circa 1959.)]
 
* [http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,810834,00.html The Unwashed Brother (article on GS in Time Magazine, circa 1959.)]
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* [[w:Columbia University School of General Studies|Wikipedia article]]
  
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[[Category:Schools]]
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{{Schools}}
  
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[[Category:General Studies|*]]
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{{Schools}}
 

Latest revision as of 22:12, 3 June 2021

Columbia University School of General Studies
GS-Shield.gif
Established 1947
President
Dean Lisa Rosen-Metsch
Degrees Bachelor of Arts
Enrollment 2,600 students (2019)
Website www.gs.columbia.edu

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.[1] 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).[2]

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.[3][4] 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, the Gates Cambridge Scholarship, and the Fulbright Scholarship.[5][6][7][8]

GS offers dual degree programs with Sciences Po in France, the City University of Hong Kong, and List College of the Jewish Theological Seminary.[2] GS is the historical home to dual-degree programs at Columbia University—the school is the first undergraduate college at Columbia University to offer joint programs with other universities.[9] GS is also home to the Postbaccalaureate Premedical Program.

Notable alumni include Nobel Prize winners Simon Kuznets and Baruj Benacerraf, as well as Isaac Asimov, J.D. Salinger, Amelia Earhart, and Princess Firyal of Jordan.

Academics

A Columbia undergraduate class could include students from any of the following schools: the School of General Studies, Columbia College, the School of Engineering and Applied Science, or Barnard College. GS is unique among colleges of its type, because its students are fully integrated into Columbia's traditional undergraduate curriculum: GS Students take the same classes with the same students and professors and are granted the same degrees as students at Columbia College or SEAS.

The School of General Studies confers the degree of Bachelor of Arts in more than 80 majors[10]. All GS students are required to complete the Core Curriculum, which includes classes in Writing, Literature/Humanities, Contemporary Civilization/Social Science, Art Humanities, Music Humanities, Global Core, Quantitative Reasoning, Science, and Foreign Language.[11]

In addition to its bachelor's degree program, the School of General Studies offers combined undergraduate/graduate degree programs with Columbia's schools of Law, Business, Dental Medicine, Social Work, International and Public Affairs, Teachers College, and the College of Physicians and Surgeons, as well as undergraduate dual-degree programs with SEAS, the Jewish Theological Seminary, and a dual-BA program with Sciences Po. In 2012, GS launched a pilot dual degree program with City University of Hong Kong. [12]

Admission

Admission to Columbia GS is highly selective and "extremely competitive."[13] Admission standards are among the highest in the nation: the SAT score range (25th-75th percentiles) for admitted students is 1330–1530 out of 1600 on the new SAT (680-770 on the Evidence-Based Reading and Writing Section and 650-760 on the Mathematics Section). The average GPA of admitted students is 3.9/4.0.[14]

Admission requires a formal application as well as submission of official SAT or ACT test scores, academic transcripts, essays, and recommendations; if the test scores are older than eight years, applicants may instead take the General Studies Admissions Examination.[15] Interviews are conducted in person and on the phone.

Eligibility

Eligibility for admission requires that applicants have taken a minimum of one year or more off from academic studies, or have extenuating circumstances which preclude them from attending Columbia College full-time. Prospective Columbia undergraduates who have had a break of a year or more in their education, have already completed an undergraduate degree, or are pursuing dual undergraduate degrees are considered non-traditional and are automatically ineligible for admission to Columbia College.[16][17] GS students have the option to attend part- or full-time.[18]

Sciences Po Columbia University Dual BA Program

The Dual BA Program is a unique and highly selective program in which undergraduate students earn two Bachelor of Arts degrees from both Columbia University and Sciences Po (one of the most prestigious and selective universities in France[19]) in four years. The applicant pool consists almost entirely of high school students.[20]

Students spend two years at one of three Sciences Po campuses in France (Le Havre, Menton, or Reims), each of which is devoted to a particular region of the world. At Sciences Po, undergraduates can pursue majors in political science, economics, law, finance, history, among others.

After two years at Sciences Po, students matriculate at Columbia University, where they complete the Core Curriculum and one of over 80 majors offered at Columbia. Graduates of the program are guaranteed admission to a Sciences Po graduate program.[20]

Placement

More than 70 percent of GS students go on to earn advanced degrees after graduation. Columbia GS students have been admitted to top graduate programs all over the country including law schools at Yale, Harvard, Stanford, Columbia, the University of Chicago, NYU, the University of Pennsylvania, UC Berkeley (Boalt Hall), Duke, Cornell, and Notre Dame. They have also been admitted to medicals schools at Harvard, the University of Pennsylvania, Johns Hopkins, Duke, Stanford, UC San Francisco, Yale, Columbia, the University of Chicago, Cornell, and many others. In recent years, GS graduates have been recruited by investment banks such as Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, Credit Suisse, UBS, Bank of America Merrill Lynch, and Citigroup.

The Core Curriculum

GS has been progressively bringing its Core closer into alignment with CC, most recently during the summer of 2012 when it replaced the Cultural Diversity requirement (1 class that may overlap with another core class, commonly Asian Music or Art) with CC's 2 class Global Core requirement. It is possible to petition core requirements in certain cases. The following table lists the core requirements for GS and CC for students matriculating Fall 2012 or later:

GS[21] CC[22]
Writing[23] University Writing University Writing
Literature/Humanities Literature Humanities (or 1 semester of literature at Columbia and 1 semester of humanities or literature) Literature Humanities
Foreign Language 4th Semester of a Language OR exemption by university exam 4th Semester of a Language OR exemption by university exam
Art Art Humanities/Asian Humanities (Art) (or exemption by similar course taken at another institution) Art Humanities
Music Music Humanities/Asian Humanities (Music) (or exemption by similar course taken at another institution) Music Humanities
Contemporary Civilization/Social Science Contemporary Civilization (or either 2 social science or 1 social science + 1 humanities) Contemporary Civilization
Quantitative Reasoning Frontiers of Science; most classes satisfy both the Quantitative requirement and count as a Science requirement Covered under Science requirement
Science Frontiers of Science or 3 approved science courses Frontiers of Science and 2 additional science courses
Global Core 2 courses from the Global Core List 2 courses from the Global Core List
Physical Education None Swim test, 2 courses

Major Requirements

Major requirements are determined departmentally, and are the same for CC and GS students. GS students must complete a major unlike CC students, who can complete a major or concentration.

Financial Aid

GS offers scholarships for both newly accepted and continuing students. These scholarships are merit- rather than need-based like that of Columbia College and SEAS.

A common complaint made by GS students is that the financial aid amounts and options offered by GS are smaller than those offered to CC/SEAS students. In the absence of need-based institutional aid, many GS students rely on a combination of loans, external grants, and personal funds. In 2006 the University announced financial aid reforms for CC and SEAS students whose parents earn less than $50,000 annually.

GS does not offer parity with the packages offered to CC/SEAS students. This is because the scholarship system at GS is independent of the financial aid system for CC/SEAS and funding is sourced from a separate GS-only pool. GS has made some recent efforts to address the issue, both through campaigns to increase the endowment and by increasing its scholarship offerings by 10 percent (in 2006). Starting summer 2012 GS is offering merit institutional aid for summer study, in addition to fall and spring semesters.

Housing

General Studies students are not eligible for the CC/SEAS Room Selection process. However, many GS students receive housing through University Apartment Housing.

History

Defunct Predecessors

GS's evolutionary ancestor is Seth Low Junior College, which was established in Downtown Brooklyn to help alleviate the flood of Jewish applicants to Columbia College. The entrance requirements for Seth Low Junior College were reportedly the same as those enforced in Columbia College.[24] Following completion of the two-year program, graduates could complete their undergraduate educations at the University's professional schools (many of which still conferred terminal bachelor's degrees) or earn B.S. degrees in liberal arts and scientific disciplines as University Undergraduates at the Morningside Heights campus; at the time, the University only conferred the B.A. to graduates of Columbia College.[25]

Seth Low Junior College was closed in 1938 due to the establishment of Brooklyn College in 1930 and the concomitant economic effects of the Great Depression. Henceforth, its remaining students were absorbed into Columbia's undergraduate population as students in the University Undergraduate program (previously, University Extension, which was established by Nicholas Murray Butler in 1904).[26]

The Establishment of the School of General Studies

With an influx of students attending the University on the G.I. Bill following the resolution of World War II, in December 1946, the University Undergraduate program was reorganized as an official undergraduate college for "qualified students who, because of employment or for other reasons, are unable to attend other schools of the University" and designated the School of General Studies as of July 1947.[27][28][29]

The Trustees Grant the Bachelor of Arts (B.A.)

In December 1968, the University Council permitted GS to grant the B.A. degree. Despite the objections of some members of the Columbia College Faculty, the Board of Trustees authorized the decision in February 1969.[30]

The Merging of the Columbia College and General Studies Faculties

In 1990, the Columbia College (CC), School of General Studies (GS), and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GSAS) faculties were merged into the Faculty of Arts & Sciences, which resulted in the complete academic integration between the School of General Studies and Columbia College.[31] As a result, both GS and CC students receive degrees conferred by the Trustees of Columbia University through the Faculty of Art & Sciences,[31] and GS is recognized as one of the two official liberal arts colleges at Columbia University, along with Columbia College.

Myths

  • GS is night school.
GS students attend the same classes as students in other colleges at the university. Columbia offers some classes at night, but they are available to all students.
  • GS is an extension program.
GS should not be confused with the separate School of Continuing Education, which offers individual courses on non-degree basis. GS is one of the two official liberal arts colleges at Columbia University along with Columbia College. Students are expected to pursue a Bachelor of Arts degree.

Relationship to Columbia College

In December 1968 the University Council decided, over the objections of some members of the Columbia College Faculty, to allow GS to grant the B.A. degree in addition to the B.S. The Board of Trustees authorized that decision in February 1969. The creation of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences in 1991 merged the GS, CC and GSAS faculties. As a result, GS and CC students are nearly academically indistinguishable – they both receive instruction in the liberal arts and sciences from the Columbia Faculty of Arts and Sciences and receive the Bachelor of Arts degree from Columbia University. Until 2014 some did receive the Bachelor of Science degree, like SEAS students. GS students participate in nearly the same Core as Columbia College students, with a little additional flexibility, and the waiving of the swim test, PE, and Frontiers of Science. GS students have the same curriculum, but their own sections of, University Writing, Literature Humanities, and Contemporary Civilization although non-GS students may enroll if they wish and can gain permission. GS students may substitute certain other classes for the traditional Lit Hum, Art Hum, and CC that focus on non-western culture, if they wish.

The wide range of students that form the GS student body, from professionals or dropouts returning to school for a degree, to military veterans, to students who took 2 years off before attending college, to 'traditional'-age students enrolled in the Joint Degree Program with List College at JTS, to postbac pre-med students, makes it hard to say just what specific identity GS students have that makes them so different from their fellow students in the College. In 2007, the administration floated the idea of a CC-GS merger.[32] However it quickly died down.[33]

References

  1. ↑ http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/columbia-university-2707
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 http://gs.columbia.edu
  3. ↑ http://www.columbia.edu/cu/opir/abstract/opir_enrollment_history_1.htm
  4. ↑ https://s3.amazonaws.com/BWARCHIVE/2013/may13.pdf
  5. ↑ http://columbiaspectator.com/news/2015/12/02/columbia-student-wins-rhodes-scholarship-first-time-five-years
  6. ↑ http://columbiaspectator.com/news/2016/12/01/gs-alumna-wins-rhodes-scholarship
  7. ↑ http://columbiaspectator.com/news/2015/03/02/gs-cc-alumnae-awarded-gates-cambridge-scholarship
  8. ↑ https://gs.columbia.edu/sciences-po/dual-ba-students-receive-prestigious-grants-pursue-foreign-language-and-global-studies
  9. ↑ https://gs.columbia.edu/sciences-po/glance
  10. ↑ https://bulletin.columbia.edu/general-studies/majors-concentrations/
  11. ↑ https://bulletin.columbia.edu/general-studies/the-core/
  12. ↑ http://gs.columbia.edu/owl-article?ntitle=7141&mgid=7138
  13. ↑ [1]
  14. ↑ https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/college-university-search/columbia-university-school-of-general-studies
  15. ↑ http://gs.columbia.edu/applying-gs
  16. ↑ http://undergrad.admissions.columbia.edu/ask/faq?body_value=general+studies&field_question_topics_tid=All
  17. ↑ http://columbiaspectator.com/2012/03/07/gsjts-students-feel-caught-between-two-worlds
  18. ↑ Template:Cite web
  19. ↑ http://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/en/coming-to-france/studying-in-france/presentation-1988/articles-from-actualites-en-france/article/elite-paris-institut-d-etudes
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 https://gs.columbia.edu/sciences-po/faq
  21. ↑ School of General Studes Core Requirements
  22. ↑ Columbia College Core Curriculum
  23. ↑ University Writing is required of both GS and CC students, but the sections are divided by school.
  24. ↑ [2]
  25. ↑ Template:Cite book
  26. ↑ Template:Cite web
  27. ↑ History of the School of General Studies
  28. ↑ Template:Cite web
  29. ↑ Template:Cite web
  30. ↑ Template:Cite web
  31. ↑ 31.0 31.1 http://columbiaspectator.com/2014/02/26/gs-eliminate-bs-degree-option-may-2014
  32. ↑ http://www.columbiaspectator.com/2007/11/12/university-may-merge-gs-cc "University May Merge GS with CC." Columbia Spectator. November 12, 2007
  33. ↑ http://www.columbiaspectator.com/2008/03/10/merits-gs-cc-integration "The Merits of the GS, CC Integration" Columbia Spectator. March 10 2008

External links

Columbia University Schools
Architecture, Planning and Preservation • Arts • Arts and Sciences (Graduate School) • Business • Columbia College • Dentistry • Continuing Education • Engineering • General Studies • International and Public Affairs • Journalism • Law • Medicine • Nursing • Public Health • Social Work
Affiliated Institutions
Barnard • Jewish Theological Seminary • Teachers College • Union Theological Seminary
Defunct Schools
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