Is it smart to be a visiting student at an ivy?

i heard of it. you will be taking columbia classes but you won't get a Columbia diploma. It's like taking a summer class somewhere other than your own school. 3+2 program is a good option to consider. You do 3 years of liberal arts elsewhere and take 2 years of engineering classes,

check to see if columbia's career services dept would let you use its resume drops. if it will, then i suppose you can apply to all the same positions as columbia students.

it will be up to the recruiters to make interview decisions.

btw, given that you posted this thread, i understand that you have considered the option of transferring.

i actually transferred from a nontarget to a target (not columbia, although i got in there as well), and i lost very few units. i will still graduate next year with my dual degree + minor.

i have been very happy with my decision to transfer.

I called and asked and she said all the normal resources that a student has are available for visiting students including the career center. Is anyone here familiar with the school structure at columbia? I either have the option of applying to columbia college or to the continuing education school. I spoke to someone about the CE school and she said all classes at Columbia are available to CE students while as a CC i can only take CC classes. The CE visiting student would also technically be part time while CC is full time only. Also the application period for CC ended March 15th but i guess i can still send an application while CE's deadline is in august.

Timergoof thanks for the tip but i don't go to any of Columbia's affiliated colleges so the 3+2 program wouldn't work for me.

Futura thanks for the insight. There are a few things holding me back though. I had some bad grades my first semester freshmen year but then transferred to the current school where i am now, those old grades probably mess up my chance of transferring. To apply as a visiting student i am told i only have to send my current transcript. Secondly i enjoy my current school plus it costs pennys compared to what it would cost me to go to columbia for 2-3 years, i'd probably still transfer if i think i could get in though (plus im past the deadline).

CE is akin to extension school i.e. they let anyone in

Did you choose Columbia for some particular reason, or just because you want to go to a target and figure the visiting program is an easy way in?

What's wrong with it? I would think it would show pretty good initiative to shell out 25 k for one semester just to have recruiters take a look at you, that is if you can spin your story correctly.

nobody cares about your initiative if all that's involved is shelling out money.

if the program is well known and respected, it's worth it. otherwise, it's like getting a degree from the harvard extension school or the columbia school of general studies--nobody gives a crap, and everybody knows the only reason you're there is because you have a big enough checkbook. seriously, they will let retards into those places.

Alright so CE is complete shit, the columbia college college exchange is ehh ehh but not really worth it.

Going to a Harvard career fair and saying "Hi I dont go to harvard" wont help you get a job. The experience of going to and studying at those schools would be unique on your resume back at SMU.

I would still be attending an ivy school but only for a semester. You will be considered a "guest" or "visiting" student to the institution. You can take any of the school's classes just that they make you go back to your home institution at the end of the term.

You can achieve the same thing by taking a study abroad at Oxford, Cambridge, LSE in the summer?

Although I would also study at Harvard.

If people asked why you studied at Harvard tell them you wanted to learn 'real' english, ya' know what i mean. So that you would turn you're typical 'ya'll' to you all.

Just kidding, I'm from TX.