Academic Life

Petitioning for Course Exemption

Petition, petition, petition! Even if it’s a long shot, do the paperwork anyway…it just might pay off. This is especially true of University Writing (the past few years there has been little space in the UW classes, so Columbia seems to be more willing to give exemption).

Research Programs

Study Abroad

Approximately one out of every four undergraduate Columbia students studies abroad at some point during their four years here. While being a transfer student makes it a little more challenging to schedule your classes in order to study abroad, it is certainly still a possibility. Junior year is the most popular time for CC students to study abroad, while sophomore year is becoming increasingly more popular for SEAS students. For both schools, the Spring semester is the more popular choice for a Study Abroad program. Keep in mind: the application deadline for the Spring semester is part way through the Fall semester, and Columbia will make you jump through plenty of hoops before they approve you for a Study Abroad semester. Also, in order for Columbia to approve you for Study Abroad, you will need to either be fluent in the native language of the country you are visiting, or have taken the Intermediate II course in that language. www.studentaffairs.columbia.edu/studyabroad

Internships/On-campus Jobs

The Center for Career Education is incredibly helpful if you take advantage of their services. They run career fairs, discussion panels, career workshops, and other helpful events. They have a life-long commitment to Columbia students, which means if you’re 82 and unemployed, they will STILL help you find a job. Sign up for MonsterTrak on their website as soon as possible, to gain access to their job listings (both on and off campus). www.cce.columbia.edu

Bulletins

These are essentially overviews of the curriculums of CC and SEAS. While you have probably seen this information before, it never hurts to go back and double check that you’ve got all the credits and course exemptions you deserve. The links for the online versions are below, but you can also find bound, hard copies of the publications in both the Visitors Center (213 Low Library) and the Undergraduate Admissions office (212 Hamilton).

CC:
http://www.college.columbia.edu/students/bulletin.php

SEAS:
http://www.engineering.columbia.edu/bulletin/

Academic Calendar (2007-2008)

So you can plan your Spring Break trip way ahead of time! http://www.columbia.edu/cu/registrar/docs/students/academic-calendar/year2.html