rw1990

Hey, everyone, I am currently a community college student, and I want to transfer to Columbia's GS program for the Fall 13 term.

I have a 4.0 GPA with 34 credit hours completed; however, I only took one term of classes with a full course load. The other terms consisted of completing 6-7 credits. That was due to my employment in a restaurant. Will that hurt my chances for admission?

I plan on taking 18 credits worth of courses in the Spring 13 term, and I'm confident I will be able to maintain a 4.0 GPA. The problem is that I will have to submit Part I of my application prior to completing my spring courses, because presumably the last date to take the GSAE will be before May, when my courses will be completed.

I'd appreciate any information and/or suggestions on the matter.

Thank you.

campaigner

I wouldn't expect it to be a huge issue. GS includes students from a wide range of backgrounds, from previous fulltime students at top colleges to HS dropouts going nearly straight from the military. However I wouldn't be surprised if they wait to decide until the end of the semester, just to make sure your grades continue to be excellent. It sucks because you won't know until late whether your accepted, but it's better than them rejecting out of caution.

You can mention it in your essay, (explaining why, etc), then say how you're taking extra classes in the spring to prove you're ready to handle the workload at GS.

Good luck!

rw1990

Thank you very much for your response, campaigner.

As far as you know, does CU typically administer the GSAE at any time during May?

RoBoCU

RW1990,
They may not know yet whether or not they are hosting any GSAE exams in May, but that doesn't mean that they aren't. Personally, when I took the GSAE in 2010, I took it on May 2nd. I know that doesn't say anything about this upcoming year, but the best people to ask would be the admissions officers or their staff themselves. You can reach them at:
Phone: (212) 854-2772

Hope this helps!

rw1990

It certainly helps, RoBoCu. Thank you. I'll call the admissions office tomorrow.