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 |
Campus | Morningside Heights Campus, urban, 36 acres (0.15 km2; 0.056 sq mi) |
Affiliations | Columbia University |
Website | gs.columbia.edu |
The Columbia University School of General Studies (GS) is a private, undergraduate, liberal arts college in the Morningside Heights neighborhood of New York City's Manhattan borough.[2] Founded in 1947, it is one of three official undergraduate colleges at Columbia University, sharing the same courses, Core Curriculum, and faculty as Columbia College.
GS offers a traditional B.A. degree in over 70 majors[3] for non-traditional students who have had an academic break of a year or more. It is the only Ivy League college to offer dual B.A. programs with universities abroad,[4][5] including Sciences Po in France, the City University of Hong Kong, Trinity College Dublin in Ireland, and List College of the Jewish Theological Seminary,[4] as the historical home to dual-degree programs at Columbia.[6] It also offers Columbia's Postbaccalaureate Premedical Program.
GS students make up almost 30% of Columbia's 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, Gates Cambridge Scholarship, and Fulbright Scholarship. From 2010 until 2017, GS was the only undergraduate college at Columbia to produce any Rhodes Scholars.[10][11][12][13]
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.[citation needed]
History
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.[14] 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.[15]
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, the graduate-level 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.[16][17][18]
Establishing GS
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.[19][20][21] 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).[22]
Merging of Columbia College and GS 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.[23] 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,[23] 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.[24][25][26] 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).[27]
The School of General Studies confers the Bachelor of Arts degree in over 70 majors.[1] All GS students are required to complete the Core Curriculum, which includes courses in writing, literature/humanities, contemporary civilization/social science, art humanities, music humanities, global core, quantitative reasoning, science, and foreign language.[28]
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.[29]
Admission
Admission to Columbia GS is highly selective and "extremely competitive,"[30] with an SAT score range (25th-75th percentiles) for admitted students of 1330–1530/1600 on the new SAT (680-770 on Evidence-Based Reading and Writing, and 650-760 on Math). The average GPA of admitted students is 3.9/4.0.[31]
Admission requires an online application, official high school or GED transcripts, SAT or ACT test scores within the past eight years or the GS Admissions Examination (a SAT On-Campus program of the SAT Reasoning and Writing),[32] essay of 1,500-2,000 words, and two recommendation letters.[33] 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 completed an undergraduate degree in a different intended 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.[34][35] GS students have the option to attend part- or full-time.[36]
Dual Degree Programs
Combined Plan with School of Engineering and Applied Science (SEAS)
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 prerequisite science and mathematic 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.[37]
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.[38] This program is geared towards traditionally-aged applicants in high school.[39]
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.[39]
Dual BA 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.[40][41]
Dual BA 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.[42]
Notable alumni
An asterisk (*) indicates an alumnus who did not graduate.
Academia
- Simon Kuznets (1923), Nobel Prize-winning economist.[citation needed]
- Baruj Benacerraf (1942), Nobel Prize-winning immunologist.[citation needed]
- Isaac Asimov (1939), science fiction writer and biochemist, professor of biochemistry[citation needed]
- Allen Forte (1950), professor at Yale University, music theorist and musicologist[citation needed]
- Jehuda Reinharz (1964), President of Brandeis University[citation needed]
- Edward Cecil Harris (1971), Creator of the Harris matrix.[citation needed]
- Roger Pilon (1971), Constitutional scholar and legal theorist.[citation needed]
- Alfred Appel (1959), scholar on Vladimir Nabokov.[citation needed]
Politics
- Philippe Reines (2000), Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs and Senior Advisor to Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton.[citation needed]
- Patrick Gaspard* (1994–1997), current United States Ambassador to South Africa, White House Political Affairs Director for U.S. President Barack Obama, former Executive Director of the Democratic National Committee[citation needed]
- Mike Gravel (1956), Former United States Senator from Alaska and candidate for the 2008 Democratic nomination for President of the United States. Released full Pentagon Papers.[citation needed]
- Howard Dean (1975), Former Governor of Vermont and Chairman of the Democratic National Committee.[citation needed]
- Peter H. Kostmayer (1971), United States Congressman from Pennsylvania.[citation needed]
- Seymour Halpern (1934), United States Congressman from New York[citation needed]
- Gale Brewer (1997), 27th Borough president of Manhattan[citation needed]
- Stewart Rawlings Mott (1959), Lobbyist and Philanthropist[citation needed]
- Patricia Robinson (1955), First Lady of Trinidad and Tobago from 1997 to 2003[citation needed]
Literature and arts
- J. D. Salinger* (1939), Writer, The Catcher in the Rye[citation needed]
- Federico García Lorca* (1929), Spanish poet and dramatist; influential member of the Generation of '27[citation needed]
- Barbara Probst Solomon (1960), American author, essayist and journalist[citation needed]
- Louis Simpson (1948), Pulitzer Prize-winning American poet[citation needed]
- Ingrid Bengis (1996), American writer [citation needed]
- Sasha Frere-Jones (1993), American writer, music critic, and musician[citation needed]
- Ted Rall (1991), Syndicated cartoonist, president of the Association of American Editorial Cartoonists from 2008 to 2009[citation needed]
- Simi Linton (1977), author, consultant, public speaker who focuses on disability studies[citation needed]
- Edward Klein (1960), Author.[citation needed]
- Kevin Brown* (1990), biographer, essayist, translator[citation needed]
- Joy Leftow (1983), poet, fiction writer, essayist [citation needed]
- Mykola Dementiuk (1984), American author; twice winner of the Lambda Literary Award[citation needed]
- Lee Siegel (1980s), cultural critic [citation needed]
- Cecil Brown (1966), African American writer and educator[citation needed]
- John Rousmaniere (1967), American sailor, author on sailing and yachting history[citation needed]
- Castle Freeman, Jr. (1968), author, Go with Me; contributor to Old Farmer's Almanac[citation needed]
- Raymond Federman (1957), French–American novelist and academic; author, Double or Northing[citation needed]
- Hunter S. Thompson*, (1958). Writer.[citation needed]
- Herbert Kuhner (1959), Austrian writer and translator [citation needed]
- Donald Clarence Judd (1953), Artist.[citation needed]
- Dolores Dembus Bittleman (1952), American fiber artist [citation needed]
- Alexandra Ansanelli (2010-), American ballet dancer for The Royal Ballet[citation needed]
Technology and entrepreneurship
- Thomas Reardon (2008), creator of Internet Explorer [citation needed]
- John W. Backus (1950), Developer of Fortran, the first true computer language.[citation needed]
- Scott Brinker (2005), programmer and entrepreneur[citation needed]
- Chris Dixon (1996), angel investor, co-founder of Hunch and SiteAdvisor[citation needed]
Activism
- Jane Jacobs* (1940s), author The Death and Life of Great American Cities, urban theorist and activist.[citation needed]
- Florynce Kennedy (1949), Feminist, Civil Rights advocate, Social activist[citation needed]
- Susan Mesinai (1965), activist, founder of the Ark Project that aimed to find out information on non-Russians taken prisoner by the former Soviet Union[citation needed]
- Matthew Lipman (1948), founder of the Philosophy for Children movement[citation needed]
Music
- Ira Gershwin* (1918), Pulitzer Prize-winning American composer.[citation needed]
- Leonard Cohen* (1957), Musician and poet[citation needed]
- Jason Everman (2013), former member of Nirvana, Soundgarden, the Army Rangers, and Green Berets[citation needed]
- Gil Shaham (1990), Violinist.[citation needed]
- Lena Park (2010), Korean-American singer[citation needed]
- Robin Pecknold (2016), American musician and frontman of Seattle indie folk band Fleet Foxes[citation needed]
- Pat Boone (1957), Singer and actor.[citation needed]
- Tamar Kaprelian (2016), Singer.[citation needed]
Film and entertainment
- Joseph Gordon-Levitt* (2000–2004), American actor and director[citation needed]
- Robert Sean Leonard*, American actor[citation needed]
- Jonathan Taylor Thomas (2010), Actor.[citation needed]
- Kristi Zea (1974), Academy Award-winning producer, As Good as It Gets[citation needed]
- David O. Selznick* (1923), Hollywood producer, King Kong, Gone with the Wind[citation needed]
- Telly Savalas (1946), Actor, Emmy-award winner and Oscar nominee.[citation needed]
- Sarah Ramos (2013-), American actress, American Dreams, Parenthood[citation needed]
- Eric Shaw (2003), Emmy Award-winning writer for SpongeBob SquarePants [citation needed]
- Ossie Davis (1948), Actor and social activist, Emmy- and Golden Globe-award nominee.[citation needed]
- Adriana Ferreyr (2011-), Brazilian film, television and stage actress, Marisol[citation needed]
- Julia Bacha (2003), Brazilian documentary maker, director of Budrus[citation needed]
- Larysa Kondracki (2001), Canadian film director, The Whistleblower[citation needed]
- Donald Richie (1953), Film Critic.[citation needed]
- Anthony Perkins* (1950s), Actor and writer.[citation needed]
- Frank Sutton (1952), actor, Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.[citation needed]
Media
- R. W. Apple (1961), The New York Times associate editor.[citation needed]
- James S. Vlasto (1950s), American editor, public relations consultant for Franklin Delano Roosevelt Jr. and Herman Badillo; press secretary for Governor of New York Hugh Carey; father of Chris Vlasto, executive producer of Good Morning America[citation needed]
- Jacques Pepin (1970), internationally recognized French chef, TV personality, dean at the International Culinary Center[citation needed]
- Mary Helen Bowers (2008), celebrity fitness guru, entrepreneur, former New York City Ballet dancer[citation needed]
- Ray William Johnson* (2008), YouTube celebrity best known for his show "Equals Three"[citation needed]
- Trish Regan (2000), Fox Business Network anchor [citation needed]
- Steve Hofstetter (2002), comedian, host, and executive producer of "Laughs" on Fox television stations[citation needed]
- Erik Courtney (2000) Bravo TV personality Newlyweds: The First Year[citation needed]
- Mark Rotella (1992), senior editor at Publishers Weekly[citation needed]
- John Horgan (journalist) (1982), American science journalist, known for his 1996 book, The End of Science[citation needed]
- Howard G. Chua-Eoan (1983), News Director, Time.[citation needed]
- Malcolm Borg (1965), Chairman of North Jersey Media Group (formerly Macromedia, Inc.) owner of The Record (Bergen County)[citation needed]
- Eytan Schwartz (2001), Israeli Reality television personality[citation needed]
- Matt Sanchez (2007), journalist and former Marine reservist[citation needed]
Athletics
- Red Auerbach* (1937–39), legendary basketball coach of the Washington Capitols, Tri-Cities Blackhawks, and general manager of the Boston Celtics[citation needed]
- Kimberly Navarro (2004), ice dancer, 2008 & 2009 U.S. bronze medalist and 2008 Four Continents bronze medalist.[citation needed]
- Trent Dimas (2002), Olympic champion gymnast[citation needed]
- Gillian Wachsman (1994), former skater; 1985 NHK Trophy champion and 1986 U.S. national champion
- Sandy Koufax* (1955), Hall of Fame pitcher for the Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers[citation needed]
- Troy Murphy (2015), former NBA player[citation needed]
Fashion
- Gerard W. Ford (1957), Founder of the Ford Modeling Agency.[citation needed]
- Mary McFadden (1959), Fashion Designer[citation needed]
- Kelly Killoren Bensimon (1998), model, author, socialite, The Real Housewives of New York City[citation needed]
- Sara Ziff (2011), American supermodel [citation needed]
- Cameron Russell (2013), model and activist.[citation needed]
Miscellaneous
- Amelia Earhart* (1920), American aviator and early female pilot.
- Princess Firyal of Jordan (1999) Jordanian princess, socialite, and philanthropist
- John Tauranac (1963), Chief designer of the New York City Subway map of 1979.
- Josh Waitzkin* (1999), Child chess prodigy and author.
- Steve Brozak (1982), investment banker, retired marine
- Gabby Gabreski (1949), American flying ace during World War II and the Korean War; headed the Long Island Rail Road
References
- ^ a b http://gs.columbia.edu/gs-at-a-glance
- ^ http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/columbia-university-2707
- ^ http://bulletin.columbia.edu/general-studies/undergraduates/majors-concentrations/
- ^ a b http://gs.columbia.edu
- ^ https://gs.columbia.edu/sciences-po/glance
- ^ https://gs.columbia.edu/sciences-po/glance
- ^ http://www.columbia.edu/cu/opir/abstract/opir_enrollment_history_1.htm
- ^ https://s3.amazonaws.com/BWARCHIVE/2013/may13.pdf
- ^ http://bwog.com/2013/05/18/paying-it-forward-student-debt-at-gs/
- ^ http://columbiaspectator.com/news/2015/12/02/columbia-student-wins-rhodes-scholarship-first-time-five-years
- ^ http://columbiaspectator.com/news/2016/12/01/gs-alumna-wins-rhodes-scholarship
- ^ http://columbiaspectator.com/news/2015/03/02/gs-cc-alumnae-awarded-gates-cambridge-scholarship
- ^ https://gs.columbia.edu/sciences-po/dual-ba-students-receive-prestigious-grants-pursue-foreign-language-and-global-studies
- ^ [1]
- ^ 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.
- ^ https://www8.gsb.columbia.edu/centennial/about-centennial/deans-columbia
- ^ http://library-archives.cumc.columbia.edu/finding-aid/college-dental-medicine-school-dental-oral-surgery-records-1892-1915-1976
- ^ "Columbia Daily Spectator 2 June 1942 — Columbia Spectator". Spectatorarchive.library.columbia.edu. 1942-06-02. Retrieved 2014-01-05.
- ^ History of the School of General Studies
- ^ "Columbia Daily Spectator 10 December 1946 — Columbia Spectator". Spectatorarchive.library.columbia.edu. 1946-12-10. Retrieved 2014-01-05.
- ^ "Columbia Daily Spectator 6 December 1946 — Columbia Spectator". Spectatorarchive.library.columbia.edu. 1946-12-06. Retrieved 2014-01-05.
- ^ "Columbia Daily Spectator 19 December 1968 — Columbia Spectator". Spectatorarchive.library.columbia.edu. 1968-12-19. Retrieved 2014-01-05.
- ^ a b http://columbiaspectator.com/2014/02/26/gs-eliminate-bs-degree-option-may-2014
- ^ http://www.columbia.edu/cu/opir/abstract/opir_enrollment_history_1.htm
- ^ https://s3.amazonaws.com/BWARCHIVE/2013/may13.pdf
- ^ http://bwog.com/2013/05/18/paying-it-forward-student-debt-at-gs/
- ^ https://gs.columbia.edu/program-overview
- ^ "The Core | General Studies". gs.columbia.edu. Retrieved 2014-01-05.
- ^ "Columbia University School of General Studies". Princetonreview.com. 2013-09-22. Retrieved 2014-01-05.
- ^ [2]
- ^ https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/college-university-search/columbia-university-school-of-general-studies
- ^ https://gs.columbia.edu/admissions-exams
- ^ http://gs.columbia.edu/applying-gs
- ^ http://undergrad.admissions.columbia.edu/ask/faq?body_value=general+studies&field_question_topics_tid=All
- ^ http://columbiaspectator.com/2012/03/07/gsjts-students-feel-caught-between-two-worlds
- ^ "Program Overview | General Studies". Gs.columbia.edu. Retrieved 2014-01-05.
- ^ http://undergrad.admissions.columbia.edu/apply/combined-plan
- ^ 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
- ^ a b https://gs.columbia.edu/sciences-po/faq
- ^ https://gs.columbia.edu/cityu-hk/academics
- ^ https://gs.columbia.edu/cityu-hk/admissions
- ^ https://gs.columbia.edu/tcd