Hey, everyone! I graduated from GS almost ten years ago and have been working in investment management ever since.
Outside of my day to day work responsibilities, I also assist with recruiting at Columbia.
Ask me anything about your post-GS career prospects, life as an alumnus, etc.
Hey, @hellojan appreciate you making the thread. Couple questions:
2)You said you assist w/ recruiting at Columbia. How different are GS (non-vet) students treated compared to CC/SEAS/BC when it comes to recruitment?
3)How much of a boost is being a CU/GS grad professionally? Applying to jobs, workplace wise, grad schools, etc…
4)What attracted you to CU/GS in the first place?
I think it’s really tight but in a quiet way. I worked with CC folks, Columbia MBA folks, SEAS, and GSers - even a Columbia PhD!
When the GSers see each other in the halls there’s a really warm, genuine camaraderie.
Importantly, it’s not just during the good times. We all came together when Peter Awn died, for example.
2)You said you assist w/ recruiting at Columbia. How different are GS (non-vet) students treated compared to CC/SEAS/BC when it comes to recruitment?
Not at all differently. We look at coursework, campus leadership, work experience, soft skills, etc. You can have all the goods and be from any one of the undergraduate schools.
3)How much of a boost is being a CU/GS grad professionally? Applying to jobs, workplace wise, grad schools, etc…
That’s a fairly broad question. So, at risk of sounding a bit poetic, I’ll say that it’s at the intersections of your career where it matters most.
It’ll get your foot in the door (especially if you preformed well academically and have campus leadership experience). It’s up to the individual from there.
4)What attracted you to CU/GS in the first place?
It wasn’t on my radar until a professor at my community college recommended and pushed me in that direction. The more I learned, the more I liked.
Hi @hellojan! Thanks for starting this thread and thanks to @8Hours for getting things going.
How old were you when you graduated from GS?
Do you use what you learned at GS in your career? Is GS curriculum applicable outside academia?
How traditional is the culture of CU/GS? I’m a nontraditional community college transfer, currently in my first year at a selective four-year university. The culture at my new school is toxic and unexpectedly dated. I’m looking for a school that (a) is prepared to educate adult students and (b) has a popular education model. Can you speak to these concerns as a former community college student? If not, can you think of anyone who might?
Did you have enough time to participate in student life/student leadership at GS, despite a presumably heavy workload?
If you participated in student leadership, how much autonomy did you have? Were you able to plan your own projects, events, campaigns, etc? Do student leaders have budgets to fund leadership work?
Thank you!
Hey cordeliachase,
I’m pretty far removed from my Columbia experience. So, I hesitate to respond to questions about my time in Morningside Heights without a caveat: I don’t really know what campus life is like today.
I was in my late 20s when I graduated. I thought Columbia did an excellent job of catering to adults. Professors mostly treated us like any other students. But the GS administration was really mindful of the challenges that adult students face and tried to create programming, seminars, and other resources to address those issues.
I was not a student leader. I helped with a bunch of things (orientation, graduation and class day, etc). I was involved in Debate and Greek Life. I was usually spread pretty thin and didn’t have a ton of time to dedicate to either of those. I worked nearly full-time while going to school full-time.
Finally, I use my Columbia education all the time. Keep in mind that Columbia’s non-engineering undergraduate curricula are mostly liberal arts based. So, as funny as it sounds, they teach you how to think and not what to think.
Reminds me of a line (Twain, maybe?)… education is what’s left over after you’ve forgotten what you’ve learned.
Hopefully that’s helpful!
Were you in the military? If not, how did you afford tuition at GS? Did you decide to pursue any additional degree?
I will send you a private message.
I was not in the military.
I just finished an Executive MBA. Thankfully, my employer funded it for me.
I noticed a lot of people on forums often have questions about the cost of the program, and if it’s worth it. What would your advice be on someone who is thinking about taking out student loans to attend vs going to a cheaper school?
I like this old rule of thumb: don’t borrow more than your first year, post-grad salary.
For most GSers, that leaves consulting and finance. If you don’t want to go into one of those fields for at least 5 years you will have a tough time servicing your debt.
After nearly a decade in finance, I’m now shifting towards becoming an entrepreneur and, oddly enough, nobody cares that I went to Columbia (or went to college at all).
What do they care about?
Entrepreneurs, in my limited experience, care about delivering a top-notch product or service and, most importantly, making money. Everything else is secondary.
Are you trying to market something to other entrepreneurs?