<p>A 3.9+ GPA takes more work, definitely, though I feel there’s always that need to feel out the new academic climate and adjust to it wherever you go. Understand that you’re up against tougher competition and will need to put in more hours to pull off the same GPA you could achieve with ease at a weaker school.</p>
<p>I’m more of a humanities person, so I can’t really answer for a science major. I’ve got some pre-med and otherwise science-inclined friends if you’d like me to ask, though.</p>
<p>Go for a full course load. I’d actually advise taking at least five classes to start with, so you can drop one if need be, and still be able to manage getting in all your requirements, Core, major, and otherwise. You’ve got a solid month to figure out if your schedule works for you (though you can’t drop Core courses as late). As a transfer, you have a year (or two, if you’re a junior transfer) less than all the freshman to complete the Core, so you’ve got a tougher path ahead of you and need to plan it out to be able to fit it all into your years at the school.
Transferring to Columbia first and foremost allowed me to keep my internship in the city. It’s at a prestigious law firm (and paid, to boot), and I feel the connections I’m making are hard to get elsewhere. Even if I’d come without an internship, the career center here is incredible.</p>
<p>I feel like I’d be a bad Columbia student if I didn’t mention all the opportunities afforded by being in the city… but also, I suppose, from having such awesome roots. I’m part of the Columbia Review, which I suppose is pretty well known, being the oldest undergrad lit mag in the country, because we get submissions from all over (foreign countries and all).</p>
<p>Also, the World Leaders Forum is sort of the greatest thing ever. I can go more into detail about any of these things when it’s not past midnight if you’d be interested :)</p>