Uphill battle

Being a Columbia student is hard. We can all attest to that. Midterms are just now finished and finals start in about a month. During the past few weeks, you have probably seen students more flustered than at other times—they stay in packs and are unusually unstable around this time of the year. It seems to me that, more often than not, these neurotic students are pre-professional students. The stereotypical pre-professional student is high strung and unwaveringly concerned about final grades instead of the actual material learned. This begs the question: “What is he really doing it for?”

GPA is quite important to these students. However, graduate schools want to see that you are more than your MCAT score, your LSAT, or your GPA. You are not merely a multitude of statistics. I do understand, however, that with increased competition year after year, minute differences in statistics like one’s GPA can seem like the determining factor in receiving that all-important acceptance letter instead of the dreaded rejection letter to your dream graduate school.

What else can determine if one gets into medical school, for example? Many would say it depends on the undergraduate school you attend and even which major you choose. This meticulous consideration about majors sparks a debate that is all too well known by most Columbians. The ongoing intra-Columbia College and Columbia College vs. School of Engineering and Applied Science competition, the focal point of many a discussions and an op-ed printed earlier this week, is more difficult to understand.

Despite having some quite accurate points, the argument of unequal grading between the respective schools falls short on a fundamental level. Some might argue that the humanities grading system is a lot less stringent. However, because different professors teach the same courses, syllabi and grading scales are changed almost every semester, and the caliber of students can vary greatly from semester to semester. Even within the same course, there are undoubtedly sometimes two people of the same caliber who get a B and an A-. That .67 point disparity is admittedly quite large especially when both students are competing for the same graduate schools, summer internships, research opportunities, and scholarships. Whose fault is it then? It is no one’s fault. Inherent subjectivity is a part of college that may not be fair, justified, or, in truth, understandable. Connie Miller, a noted public speaker, probably said it best, “Objectivity has about as much substance as the emperor’s clothes.”

What many fail to recognize is that prospective jobs, summer employers, and graduate schools do look for that total package, and your academic statistics are only a fragment of their decision.

The choice in major, too, is a contested discussion that ultimately falls flat. CC and SEAS both have demanding major requirements. What certain departments in CC lack in major requirements, the school as a whole makes up for it in its Core Curriculum courses. Both generally demand much more than other equivalent colleges and universities. Within the bounds of CC, there is a myriad of majors and concentrations to choose from. If you prefer critiquing Molière and Lope de Vega, try the major in comparative literature. If you want to thoroughly learn about the damaging health effects of benzene, majoring in chemistry might be for you. Deciding which majors are more difficult doesn’t matter much, since it is ultimately your choice. For example, if you are a biomedical engineer, thought by many to be the “toughest” major for a Columbia undergraduate, take honor in the difficult road that you have chosen. Don’t, however, judge others for his or her “easier” choice of major and probable higher GPA. The decision is based on personal strengths and weaknesses, and graduate schools are indeed aware that some majors do require more effort. We are all future graduates of Columbia University and should be proud of our intellectual diversity.

It is also oddly conspicuous that there is not more SEAS leadership and participation in Columbia’s clubs and extracurricular activities. Each club should strive to have an equally representative population that is comprised of students from both CC and SEAS. Since SEAS is more technical, perhaps its students are less inclined to seek positions of leadership in anything deviates from their set track.

I am actively involved in Columbia University American Medical Student Association, coordinating a 25 person HIV/AIDS education service trip to Panama this spring break. I am also a coordinator for Community Impact’s Columbia Kids where I spend every Saturday with 20 kids from Harlem and Morningside Heights. Do I have time to whole-heartedly commit myself to two extra-curricular activities? Probably not. But I make time for them because both represent two of my non-academic passions—health advocacy and children. If you’re doing what you love, you find time to do the thing that means the most to you.

So, yes, there is an “uphill battle” not only for pre-professionals students, but for everyone. And it’s called Columbia.

The author is a Columbia College sophomore and a pre-med student with a double concentration in pyschology and human rights. She is also the coordinator for Community Impact’s Columbia Kids and Service Trip Coordinator for CU Global Health.