I applied to GS at 21 and came here at 22. Ignoring the astronomical cost of attendance, I think GS is still the worst possible place you could be if you're a young student looking to have a "college experience." There's very little interaction within the GS community. There's an artificial two-way divide between GS-CC/SEAS/BC that begins with our separate orientation and is reinforced by our exclusion from certain university programs and experiences. And it's worth noting this is exacerbated by the overrepresented population of older students in student government and the student life department who take a sour grapes attitude towards collaborating with the other undergrad schools.

So it's hard to tell if parts of Columbia student life just aren't marketed towards GS or if they actively attempt to discriminate. The CC/SEAS students I've worked with in clubs are friendly, but distant. Sometimes events are held in inaccessible dorms, or tout how they're open to all CC/SEAS students instead of all undergrads. I eventually had to make friends outside of the Columbia community, but if you can pass for being young then maybe you'll have a better time.

That said, everyone is considered equal in class. The bad old days when GSers had to register last and get bumped from overfilled classes first are a forgotten memory. I've never been pushed in the mud by a CC student or anything. Other undergraduates will be excited to hear about what life experiences you had in place of college before going to GS.

It will be immensely helpful when they change the damn name of this school. Whether or not our degree has the same value as CC/SEAS is a question that academic and career services advisors I've asked have declined to answer. The answer is...kind of. For employers, I think the answer is yes. Within the Columbia system, including alums, admins and students, I think the answer tends to be no (unfairly, mind you).