Looking for some advice, and a reality check
Ok so a few months ago I posted asking about NYU Stern. I'm 24 now, and am active duty military for another year, so I plan to attend a college starting the spring 2015 semester. Since my first post, I've had a lot of time to research some schools, and I have been reading a ton of posts on WSO. I've come to realize that NYU just can't happen for me financially, but Columbia General Studies is a very realistic possibility, and affordable for me with all the benefits I would get to attend there. I am also very interested in CUNY Baruch, which would of course be completely free with the GI Bill, being a public school.
Now where I am looking for a reality check is I honestly don't know if I can pull a high GPA at Columbia. I take online courses now and get A's, but I know that one of my classes compared to one of Columbia's classes could potentially be like comparing kindergarten to, well, an Ivy league school. I am prepared to bust my ass full time in college, but I am worried if I cannot pull high grades that an Ivy could wind up being a costly mistake.
I have a wide range of interests, with finance being my top interest. I couldn't tell you if I specifically would like to become a banker, trader, PE guy, F500, etc. College plus interning will help me zone in on which areas I specifically want to aim for. Now going back to the GPA thing, I understand the further south I go from a 3.5, the harder it is to have a chance at these top jobs. And if I go the CUNY/Public school route, I feel even with a strong GPA it could be hard to compete.
Could there still be good options for me if I take the Columbia route and come out with a ~3.0? Or could a CUNY degree get me into a decent position at a place like Google?
I am really aiming high, but I know I need to be careful and have a backup plan. Time is still on my side to plan the best course of action, and this is a great place to get some thoughtful insight, so I will appreciate any input.
Do a Linkedin search of Baruch grads and see where they've ended up if you're so worried. Also, the workload at Baruch and other CUNY's such as Hunter is no walk in the park; NY has a very strong public college and university system; it only gets overlooked because all of the Ivies and MIT are on the east coast as well as name private institutions (Georgetown, Middlebury, etc). Baruch is loaded with immigrant students (Russian, African, Indian, etc) who absolutely kill it academically because in their countries education is your only way out. You're going to have to bust your ass wherever you end up, so go to the best school you can both get into and afford and study topics you find interesting outside of the core curriculum.
Yeah it definitely won't be a walk in the park regardless of where I go. I guess I'm just worried because I've never been a full time college student. But I mean college will be my full time job so if all my effort and attention is there ideally I should be able to do well.
New York has a pretty shitty public school system when compared to pretty much every other non-terrible state. The decision to eschew a flagship state university is one of the worst things that New York State has ever done.
Since this is a finance board, OP should know that NY's best state schools (Geneseo, Binghamton, kinda/sorta Stonybrook, Baruch for NYC) likely won't place him anywhere in the real-deal finance world, even if he kicks ass academically.
Is there a reason you're only limiting yourself to these blah New York schools? If you're active duty military, why not spend free time crushing the SAT and writing great essays? Military service almost gives you a do-over when it comes to admissions, even if you have shit high school grades. With a 2200+ and a compelling story about how you didn't apply yourself when you were 16 but don't think that needs to follow you for the rest of your life, you could go to some T25 schools with decent aid to boot.
I'm kind of fixated on New York simply because I really want to move to NYC when I get out, so I've been looking at my options there. When you say "blah school", what about Columbia? I mean, their GS program is my best shot at a top school. But I need to apply to multiple schools because there's no guarantee of getting accepted to any one school. Perhaps I should be open to places outside of NYC to give me more options.
I mean, just because you want to live in New York after you graduate doesn't mean you can't spend 4 years in Cambridge studying at Harvard or something. I wouldn't even bother apply to these CUNY schools. They suck, they're not going to get you where you want to go, and you could very well end up so much aid at a top school that it's actually cheaper to go private. If I were in your boat, I'd send in apps to every target and semi-target in the country (search the forums). Reach out to some veterans groups at places you particularly like (every school has them) to get advice on how to get in, what campus is like. Maybe they can connect you with a professor there who you can connect with and get a stellar rec from. I'm being completely serious. You're a vet. You're treated, legally, like a URM. Take advantage.
To answer your question, Columbia General Studies is not the same thing as Columbia College, and you can't pretend you're at the regular school when you're applying. When analysts (probably Columbia alums) review your resume, they'll see "Columbia General Studies, X.XX GPA." Which might not be a ding, but it's a minus. Put it this way: if you know it's easier to get into Columbia General Studies than the regular college, then trust me, the actual Columbia students and alumni know it too. Why would you want to perpetually be seen as second class?
Employers love Ivy League ex-soldiers. Also, difficulty of classes are greatly exaggerated at target schools like Columbia. The curve could be painful, but it's relatively easy to maintain a decent GPA. I also believe GS has access to the same recruiting as undergrads and GSAS. Go to Columbia GS if you can get in and afford it.
You need to realize that cost of an MBA should not matter if you are attending a top 10 program. Think about this....
Attend Baruch, no cost, get a job for $80k doing some BO thing.
Attend CBS, $200k debt, get a job for $120k + $100k bonus in FO role.
You will pay it off super quickly and in the long run well exceed anything you could have done coming from Baruch.
I'm making the assumption this is for graduate business school though, if it's not, you should remove your head from your ass and attend a good school that is not in NYC so you can afford it or have it free.... UVA, UNC etc.
Just because you want to eventually move to NYC is no reason to limit yourself. Go to the undergraduate business school at UVA/UMich etc. for free and you will have the kind of opportunities you are looking for. You have a year to do well on the SAT, and vets get a pass on high school grades.
Since you're considering a "decent position at Google" it seems like you're not completely fixated on FO finance in NYC. You should expand your horizons and look at top public schools, especially since it sounds like you get some financial aid there. You'll be able to get a much better job (and a better shot at finance) from a school held in higher regard in a non-NYC location than a CUNY.
Check out schools like: UC Berkely, UCLA, UVA, UNC, U Mich, U Texas, U Illinois, and U Indiana.
Some inaccurate information in this thread.
I'm a vet, transferred to Columbia GS this fall.
First of all, it doesn't matter what you end up doing, Columbia GS is the most academically rigorous and most prestigious undergraduate program available to a veteran. It will open the most doors and prepare you better than any other institution for what ever career you choose.
Yes GS is a relatively easy to gain entrance into Columbia, but that's only if you don't consider the years of sacrifice and maturing you underwent in the military to make you eligible for the GS program. And I've been to several veteran-focused financial services info sessions on campus and each bank reiterates that GS allows them to find candidates that posses excellent leadership and team-based skills, which are skills that are harder to find in regular candidates, no matter how smart these other candidates may be.
As for the curriculum, yes it is rigorous but it is certainly doable. Be prepared for 3-6 hours of homework a night. But as long as you do this 3-6 hour of homework, you'll be fine. Or better yet, think of it this way, since Columbia GS was created in 1947, thousands of veterans have graduated from the program. If they could do it, why can't you?
Additionally, after the GI bill, you'll have no more than $25,000 of student loans.
So come to Columbia and don't look back. It will be the best decision you ever made.
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