TESTIMONIALS

“Unlike other clubs, I feel that the Columbia Undergraduate Scholars Program is the perfect avenue for me to find out what I want to do academically, and become wiser in those matters extending beyond the gates of campus.” -First-year Kluge Scholar

“There are two unquestionable facts: I love Columbia University and I love the Scholars Program. Deciding to attend Columbia College was one of the best decisions of my academic career.” -3rd year Kluge Scholar

“As a John Jay Scholar, I have been afforded the opportunity to interact with some of the greatest intellects of our time and form friendships with other students who share my passions.” -3rd year John Jay Scholar

“The Columbia Undergraduate Scholars Program has always impressed me as a group of dynamic individuals who set out to make the changes they see necessary in their areas of interest.” -First-year Kluge Scholar

“No matter in what capacity I may serve, I am excited about getting a chance to further involve myself in the Scholars’ community to which I’m honored to belong.” -First-year John Jay Scholar

“When I was first notified that I was a member of the Scholars Program, I was ecstatic about having the opportunity to be part of a smaller community within the larger Columbia community. Being selected for this program is a high honor…” -First-year C.P. Davis Scholar

“I always had the feeling that at Scholar events, we could acquire some practical knowledge of the outside world that we could not receive in class... talking to people who have accomplished what we ourselves desire to eventually accomplish might in some small way bring us closer to whatever these remarkable goals may be. That is why I love the Columbia Undergraduate Scholars Program so much: because I see it as a privilege to be given access to these remarkable people, to be allowed to engage them in conversation, ask questions of them, and – perhaps –advice.” -4th year Global Scholar

“I greatly appreciate the goals and visions of the Scholars Office and as such I wish to contribute to furthering those goals and expanding on the solid groundwork that has been laid out.” -3rd year Kluge Scholar

“As a first-year Kluge Scholar, I was fortunate to be exposed to diverse interests, knowledge, interpretations, and philosophies presented during Columbia Journey Sessions. Within our Journey Session group, we were all able to act as resources to each other. With the introduction of the CUSP Alliance, I see a Scholars’ community forming, which, like the Journey Sessions, create a wonderful exchange of thoughts and ideas.” -2nd year Kluge Scholar

 “The Columbia Undergraduate Scholars Program has provided me with a unique resource: the opportunity to interact with professionals in varied fields. I feel that the opportunity to both listen to and question the speakers, along with the content of the programs themselves, have both personally and academically enriched me.”  -2nd year C.P. Davis Scholar

“Being a Global Scholar at Columbia far exceeded my expectation of university life and I feel honored, every day I’m here, to be part of this community.”  -2nd year Global Scholar

“The Columbia Undergraduate Scholars Program has been one of the defining elements of my Columbia experience thus far.” -3rd year John Jay Scholar

“I do, in essence, owe my admission into this haven to the Columbia Undergraduate Scholars Program. The diversity of its events, not to mention the invaluable Columbia Journey Seminars, formed an integral part of my experience at Columbia as a freshman.” -2nd year Kluge Scholar

“I have been very impressed with the range of speakers and themes that have been covered at Columbia especially those addressing pressing issues that deal with the end of global poverty. The Columbia Undergraduate Scholars Program has constantly kept me intrigued by our own urban university and by world issues that require our greater involvement and bring about our enrichment.” -3rd year John Jay Scholar

“My status as a Scholar is a source of comfort for me, for it serves as a constant reminder that I can become a successful engineer without surrendering my love for art, writing, and calligraphy.” -2nd year C.P. Davis Scholar

"While many of my courses at Columbia have required research papers, this research experience [working on an independent research project with Ernest Drucker of the CUSP Board of Advisors] was much different because of the amount of time spent exploring my topic. On a practical level, this experience gave me the opportunity to develop critical basic research skills and I gained valuable experience as I worked to concisely synthesize my findings. Hoping to one day work to form public policy, I benefited greatly from exploring the many factors which mold America's policies for preparing for a pandemic. My favorite part of research was approaching the issue of America's preparedness through different disciplines including international relations, state-federal relations, science, and pharmaceutical research. This experience has given me greater assurance that a career creating public policy would be a good fit for me."  -3rd Year Kluge Scholar

“It was encouraging to see how an idealist, like Ms. Gupta, can indeed be successful.” -CUSP Scholar on CUSP Speaker Series with Vanita Gupta:

“It was amazing to discuss NASA’s future plans and projects with a person so integral to their success… I loved the detailed, old, and new pictures of the universe - it is incredible to see the beauty of the universe that is not apparent in everyday life.”-CUSP Scholar on CUSP Speaker Series with David Gilman

“I really appreciated that he drew on our own thoughts and experiences for a dynamic discussion.”- CUSP Scholar on CUSP Speaker Series with Peter Goldmark

“It’s possible to find truth in the most unexpected places. Classic Greek texts can pour insight into questions of war thousands of years after their creation. Learn from the past.” - CUSP Scholar on CUSP Speaker Series with Jonathan Shay

“This discussion has made me think more deeply about civic engagement and our duty as citizens of the world to seek a peach between nations.” - CUSP Scholar on CUSP Speaker Series with Jonathan Shay

“Truth does not have to be sought out in a conventional manner. Trying to do something that is personally more important to you can lead to more knowledge than trying to adhere to orthodox academia.”- CUSP Scholar on CUSP Speaker Series with Henry Kaiser

“I have heard from several students and parents about how impressed they were with you and the students at the reception. One who was admitted to both Harvard and Columbia, is now leaning toward Columbia due in great part to the experience she had meeting the students at the reception…another, who is deciding between Columbia and Williams feels that what he learned at the reception convinced him that he could experience the same kind of small college environment here using the scholar community as a home.” Columbia University Admissions Officer

“I just wanted to thank you for offering what seems to be an outstanding opportunity for students who take their "make the world a better place" quest seriously. This honor was the factor that tipped the scales in our daughter's college decision. Getting the acceptance letter at Columbia was an honor in itself …and the tell you the truth, it wasn't until later in the day, when I actually read the page behind the acceptance letter, that we even knew she was designated a John Jay Scholar. It certainly sounded nice, but we had no clue such an organization even existed. We did a little research on the Net - enough to want to make a final trip to Columbia to get a better feel of whether Columbia would be a good fit…Still, by the time we met up at the Scholars Reception, there was no obvious choice made. I watched her as she heard the Scholars' testimonies and activities. Her eyes widened as the Admissions person explained the culling process, and of the committee's standing ovation for each winner. I am confident that she would have been happy at any of those schools, but I feel, along with my husband and Chelsea, that Columbia is where she will thrive the best, mostly because of the enriched environment of being in the Scholars program.” -Parent of CUSP Student

“This year’s speaker series was an exceptional success, judging from students’ attendance and their comments on the event evaluation forms. Presentations were particularly engaging because the speakers expressed their passion, sincerity, and commitment to their life’s work through a variety of mediums, including musical performance, personal reflections, story-telling, satire, slide shows, and video clips. In so doing, their work vibrantly captured the spirit of this year’s program themes – the need to break forth to discover new challenges, the importance of imagination and creativity, and the need for civic engagement that grounds words in action.” -CUSP Graduate Student Mentor

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