Real Integration for GS and CC

“Where do I fit in at my school, and where does my school fit in at my University?” As a General Studies student at Columbia, this was one of the first questions I asked myself during orientation. Now, after four semesters at GS, I feel moderately equipped to answer these questions.

In order to discuss the place of GS and its students at Columbia University, it is important to establish a non-traditional student identity. Aside from students in the joint program with the Jewish Theological Seminary, the majority of GS students spent at least one year away from school before applying.

For the GS Office of Admissions, our experiences supplement our academic history. Even in non-academic capacities, each GS applicant differs hugely from every other. Moreover, we enter at wildly different periods of our educational development. We enter with 0-60 transfer credits, attend school full- or part-time and graduate in 2-10 years. Still others among us are post-Bac/pre-Med students who have already received an undergraduate degree. Our different educational experiences and expectations mean that we meet many wonderful people during the orientation process that we may never see again. The GS entering class of ’08 will become the GS graduating class of who-knows-when. As a result of the mission of the school and the diversity of those accepted, finding a common identity is challenging.

What all students here, GS or not, do have in common is the motivation to attend. That motivation comes from the quality of education available at Columbia University. During my own period of application and acceptance, I was filled with excitement and anxiety in anticipation of the opportunity to study at Columbia. GS stood out from other options because it treasured a diverse student body in the midst of the city and because classes were integrated with traditional Columbia students. I expected an educational experience with an urban backdrop. In my view, GS offered the best of two worlds.

Upon arrival, at orientation, “you’re special and that’s super!” seemed to be the theme. While I admit that GS students do have different needs and orientation does address those needs, it seems that an unnecessary psychological and social separation between GS and CC/SEAS was deeply defined in my orientation. This created, from the very start, a feeling of being separate and different, a feeling that various structural separations have only added to. Although most classes are integrated, the division of activities and resources, including academic resources, is vast. But the gap is closing—GS is a separate school with different students, deans, Core requirements, and resources. Each of these elements has an impact on a student’s educational experience.

As a council, at the very beginning of our service, we decided that two of our main points of focus for the coming year would be an augmentation of orientation and an emphasis on communication. We financially and socially participated in some traditionally CC/SEAS exclusive orientation events for the first time this fall. On the communications end, Brody Berg and the rest of his committee have been connecting and informing more and more GSers every day.

Thanks to the efforts of prior councils, especially the work of Susannah Karlsson and Gabrielle Breen, GS students can now join any of the 250 plus clubs and organizations on campus (by the way, GSers, a huge portion of your student life fees help fund these clubs—if that’s not motivation to get out of the library and eat some pizza, I don’t know what is). Is the answer to the divide a grand influx of GS membership to the Dance Dance Revolution Club? Not exclusively, but it is a start. Greater involvement, equal access to student services, and a deeper investment in the campus experience is integral to a richer academic experience.

I predict the further evolution of GS to more closely resemble CC and SEAS academically and socially. Presently, the greatest needs of GS students are more access to financial aid and more on-campus housing. A further improvement would be a broader applicant base. I believe the social segregation problem begins as soon as the GS population arrives; we are told that we are different. Diversity should be heralded, and it is. However, the difficulty of difference can be converted into an understanding of commonality. GS students deserve to be granted the educational experience that we have come to Columbia to acquire.

The administrative and structural barriers that once hindered our school and our students from full social and academic inclusion are and have been tumbling. Now it is up to us to break down the psychological barriers that exist.

I love my school. I have made amazing connections with fellow students. GS, CC, SEAS, Barnard, Law, Social Work, and Teacher’s College students have directly enriched my years here. I believe that my love for my school, my University, and the fellow members of my community is a direct result of my inclusion in and involvement with campus life.

The author is a student in the School of General Studies and the General Studies Student Council’s Vice President for Policy.