Columbia University School of General Studies

Columbia University
School of General Studies
Motto Lux in Tenebris Lucet[1]
Motto in English
 The light that shines in the darkness
Type Private
Established 1947
Dean Peter J. Awn
Students 2,394
Address 408 Lewisohn Hall
New York, New York, U.S.
Campus Morningside Heights Campus,
urban, 36 acres (0.15 km2; 0.056 sq mi)
Affiliations Juilliard School, Sciences Po, City University of Hong Kong, Trinity College Dublin, and Albert A. List College (Jewish Theological Seminary of America)
Website gs.columbia.edu

The School of General Studies (GS) is a 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 City.[2] 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 is notable for being the only Ivy League college to offer dual B.A. programs with multiple leading universities around the world.[3][4] GS is fully integrated into the traditional undergraduate curriculum at Columbia and shares the same courses, Core Curriculum, and faculty as Columbia College.[5][6]

GS students make up almost 30% of the Columbia undergraduate population and consistently earn the highest average GPAs among undergraduates at Columbia University.[7][8][9] Numerous GS students have gone on to win prestigious fellowships, including the Rhodes Scholarship, the Gates Cambridge Scholarship, and the Fulbright Scholarship. Since 2010 (and until 2017), GS has been the only undergraduate college at Columbia University to produce any Rhodes Scholars.[10][11][12][13]

GS offers dual degree programs with Sciences Po in France, the City University of Hong Kong, Trinity College Dublin (University of Dublin) in Ireland, and List College of the Jewish Theological Seminary.[3] GS is the historical home to dual-degree programs at Columbia University.[14] 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.

History

Lewisohn Hall at Columbia University, home to the School of General Studies

Defunct predecessors

GS's evolutionary ancestor is the now-defunct, all-male Seth Low Junior College, which was established in Downtown Brooklyn in 1928 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.[15] Following completion of the two-year program, graduates could complete their undergraduate degrees at the University's professional schools, such as the School of Law, Business School, or School of Engineering and Applied Science (all of which conferred terminal bachelor's degrees at the time) or earn B.S. degrees in the liberal arts as University Undergraduates.[16]

Seth Low Junior College was closed in 1938 due to the adverse economic effects of the Great Depression and concomitant popularity of the tuition-free Brooklyn College in 1930. Henceforth, its remaining students were absorbed into the Morningside Heights campus as students in the University Undergraduate program in University Extension, which was established by Nicholas Murray Butler in 1904. University Extension was responsible for the founding of three schools at Columbia: the School of General Studies, School of Business, and the School of Dental and Oral Surgery (now the College of Dental Medicine). The School of Continuing Education was later established to reprise University Extension's former role.[17][18][19]

The Establishment of the School of General Studies

With an influx of students attending the University on the GI 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.[20][21][22] In December 1968, the University Council permitted GS to grant the B.A. degree instead of the B.S. degree. Despite the objections of some members of the Columbia College Faculty, the Board of Trustees authorized the decision in February 1969 (at the time, the University only conferred the B.A. to graduates of Columbia College).[23]

Merging of Columbia College and General Studies faculties

In 1991, 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.[24][25] As a result, both GS and CC students receive B.A. degrees conferred by the Trustees of Columbia University through the Faculty of Art & Sciences,[25] and GS is recognized as one of the two official liberal arts colleges at Columbia University, along with Columbia College.

Academics

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.[26][27][28] Approximately 20% of GS students are part-time students who have significant, full-time work commitments in addition to their academic responsibilities (which is also the case for some full-time students).[29]

The School of General Studies confers the degree of Bachelor of Arts in more than 70 majors.[1] All GS students are required to complete the Core Curriculum, which includes University Writing, Literature/Humanities, Contemporary Civilization/Social Science, Art Humanities, Music Humanities, Global Core, Quantitative Reasoning, Science, and Foreign Language.[30]

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 the Columbia School of Engineering and Applied Science, the Jewish Theological Seminary, and the Dual BA Program Between Columbia University and the French University Sciences Po.[31]

Admission

Admission to Columbia GS is highly selective and "extremely competitive."[32] The SAT score range (25th-75th percentiles) for admitted students is 1330–1530 out of 1600 on the new SAT (680-770 on Reading and Writing, and 650-760 on Math). The average GPA of admitted students is 3.9/4.0.[33]

Admission requires an online application, official high school (or GED) transcripts, SAT or ACT test scores within the past eight years or a score on the General Studies Admissions Examination,[34] an essay of 1,500-2,000 words, and two recommendation letters.[35] Interviews are conducted in person and over phone.

Eligibility

Prospective Columbia undergraduates who have had a break of a year or more in their education, have already completed an undergraduate degree (and intend to pursue studies in a different discipline), or are pursuing dual undergraduate degrees are considered non-traditional and eligible to apply to GS. Applicants in extenuating circumstances which preclude them from attending Columbia College full-time are also eligible.[36][37] GS students have the option to attend part- or full-time.[38]

Dual Degree Programs

Dual BA with Sciences Po

The Dual BA Program is a unique and highly selective program in which undergraduate students earn two Bachelor of Arts degrees in four years from both Columbia University and Sciences Po, one of the most prestigious and selective universities in France and Europe.[39] This program is geared towards traditionally-aged applicants in high school.[40]

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 70 majors offered at Columbia. Graduates of the program are guaranteed admission to a Sciences Po graduate program.[40]

Joint Bachelor's Degree with City University of Hong Kong

This highly selective program is open to top-ranked undergraduates enrolled at the City University of Hong Kong and allows graduates to receive two bachelor's degrees from CUHK and Columbia in four years. Undergraduates spend their first two years at CUHK and their final two years at Columbia, where they complete the Core Curriculum and choose one of 70 majors offered at Columbia.[41][42]

Joint Bachelor's Degree with Trinity College Dublin

The Joint Bachelor's Degree Program with Trinity College Dublin is a unique and highly selective program in which undergraduate students earn two Bachelor of Arts degrees in four years from both Columbia University and Trinity College Dublin (University of Dublin), an ancient university modeled after the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge. Trinity College Dublin is the oldest university in Ireland and is widely considered to be its most prestigious institution. This program is geared towards traditionally-aged applicants in high school.[43]

Combined Plan with the School of Engineering and Applied Science

GS students are eligible for guaranteed admission to the School of Engineering and Applied Science (SEAS) through the Columbia Combined Plan program, under the condition that they complete the necessary pre-engineering courses. Students in the program receive a B.A. in a liberal arts discipline from GS and a B.S. in an engineering discipline from SEAS. Students may apply for the Combined Plan program in their junior (3-2 program) or senior (4-2) year of undergraduate study.[44]

Notable alumni

An asterisk (*) indicates an alumnus who did not graduate.

Academia

Politics

Literature and arts

Technology and entrepreneurship

Activism

Music

Film and entertainment

Media

Athletics

Fashion

Miscellaneous

References

  1. 1 2 http://gs.columbia.edu/gs-at-a-glance
  2. ↑ http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/columbia-university-2707
  3. 1 2 http://gs.columbia.edu
  4. ↑ https://gs.columbia.edu/sciences-po/glance
  5. ↑ https://gs.columbia.edu/fact-sheet
  6. ↑ https://gs.columbia.edu/news-school?article=a-message-from-dean-awn
  7. ↑ http://www.columbia.edu/cu/opir/abstract/opir_enrollment_history_1.htm
  8. ↑ https://s3.amazonaws.com/BWARCHIVE/2013/may13.pdf
  9. ↑ http://bwog.com/2013/05/18/paying-it-forward-student-debt-at-gs/
  10. ↑ http://columbiaspectator.com/news/2015/12/02/columbia-student-wins-rhodes-scholarship-first-time-five-years
  11. ↑ http://columbiaspectator.com/news/2016/12/01/gs-alumna-wins-rhodes-scholarship
  12. ↑ http://columbiaspectator.com/news/2015/03/02/gs-cc-alumnae-awarded-gates-cambridge-scholarship
  13. ↑ https://gs.columbia.edu/sciences-po/dual-ba-students-receive-prestigious-grants-pursue-foreign-language-and-global-studies
  14. ↑ https://gs.columbia.edu/sciences-po/glance
  15. ↑
  16. ↑ Stand, Columbia: A History of Columbia University in the City of New York ... – Robert A. McCaughey – Google Books. Books.google.com. Retrieved 2014-01-05.
  17. ↑ https://www8.gsb.columbia.edu/centennial/about-centennial/deans-columbia
  18. ↑ http://library-archives.cumc.columbia.edu/finding-aid/college-dental-medicine-school-dental-oral-surgery-records-1892-1915-1976
  19. ↑ "Columbia Daily Spectator 2 June 1942 — Columbia Spectator". Spectatorarchive.library.columbia.edu. 1942-06-02. Retrieved 2014-01-05.
  20. ↑ History of the School of General Studies
  21. ↑ "Columbia Daily Spectator 10 December 1946 — Columbia Spectator". Spectatorarchive.library.columbia.edu. 1946-12-10. Retrieved 2014-01-05.
  22. ↑ "Columbia Daily Spectator 6 December 1946 — Columbia Spectator". Spectatorarchive.library.columbia.edu. 1946-12-06. Retrieved 2014-01-05.
  23. ↑ "Columbia Daily Spectator 19 December 1968 — Columbia Spectator". Spectatorarchive.library.columbia.edu. 1968-12-19. Retrieved 2014-01-05.
  24. ↑ http://fas.columbia.edu/home/about-faculty-arts-and-sciences/history
  25. 1 2 http://columbiaspectator.com/2014/02/26/gs-eliminate-bs-degree-option-may-2014
  26. ↑ http://www.columbia.edu/cu/opir/abstract/opir_enrollment_history_1.htm
  27. ↑ https://s3.amazonaws.com/BWARCHIVE/2013/may13.pdf
  28. ↑ http://bwog.com/2013/05/18/paying-it-forward-student-debt-at-gs/
  29. ↑ https://gs.columbia.edu/program-overview
  30. ↑ "The Core | General Studies". gs.columbia.edu. Retrieved 2014-01-05.
  31. ↑ "Columbia University School of General Studies". Princetonreview.com. 2013-09-22. Retrieved 2014-01-05.
  32. ↑
  33. ↑ https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/college-university-search/columbia-university-school-of-general-studies
  34. ↑ https://gs.columbia.edu/admissions-exams
  35. ↑ http://gs.columbia.edu/applying-gs
  36. ↑ http://undergrad.admissions.columbia.edu/ask/faq?body_value=general+studies&field_question_topics_tid=All
  37. ↑ http://columbiaspectator.com/2012/03/07/gsjts-students-feel-caught-between-two-worlds
  38. ↑ "Program Overview | General Studies". Gs.columbia.edu. Retrieved 2014-01-05.
  39. ↑ 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
  40. 1 2 https://gs.columbia.edu/sciences-po/faq
  41. ↑ https://gs.columbia.edu/cityu-hk/academics
  42. ↑ https://gs.columbia.edu/cityu-hk/admissions
  43. ↑ https://gs.columbia.edu/tcd
  44. ↑ http://undergrad.admissions.columbia.edu/apply/combined-plan

Coordinates: 40°48′33″N 73°57′47″W / 40.809163°N 73.962941°W / 40.809163; -73.962941

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