In Their Own Words: “A Wonderful Path Ahead” for Incoming Student Jay Jacobson

When I graduated high school, I wasn't sure if I was going to attend college at all. My grades were poor, my attendance spotty, and my ambition all but absent. Neither of my parents finished high school and the fact that I graduated felt like an accomplishment with which I could be satisfied. 

I didn't even dare to dream of Columbia University. It's not that I had never thought of Columbia, it's just that Columbia occupied a space of such fantasy and improbability that it was better not to think about it. Studying in a haven of academic pursuit, surrounded by driven and passionate peers, with a world-class faculty that was committed to encouraging and motivating me? It was a reach, at best. Probably too far of a reach. And to tell the truth, I didn't think I deserved to be a student at Columbia…but that was in high school.

At 17, as a way to put off having to make decisions about my future, I enlisted in the United States Air Force. I served for seven years, working in a number of different jobs across the country and across the world: Texas, California, Utah, Nebraska, and Maryland in the U.S., plus Asia and Europe. 

The Air Force taught me how to take apart a C-130 T56 and AE2100D engine, how to decode and encrypt messages of the utmost national security, and the beautiful languages of Arabic and Russian. I learned the ropes of being an engine mechanic, administrative assistant, cryptographer, interpreter, and leader. Those seven years gave me the opportunities to pursue things that both challenged me and expanded my understanding of the world. I found the motivation that I lacked in high school. I became someone who understood that so long as they worked for it, they deserved the best.

As my time in the military was coming to an end, I started pursuing the next chapter of my life. In contrast to my previous (and oddly similar feeling) dilemma of what to do after leaving high school, I felt pretty confident that I was ready to study and pursue higher education.

I worked with an organization that helps veterans get into highly-regarded universities called Service2School, and in no time I was paired up with a mentor who was an alumnus of Columbia's School of General Studies. I had not heard of GS at that point, and was looking for pointers on how to apply to Columbia College. However, when my mentor talked me through the background of GS, it felt like a perfect fit. The combination of GS's history, mission, and student body seemed ideal for me.

I worried that being a bit older than the standard college student and coming from a military background would be a pair of challenges that I would have to overcome sans institutional support. GS addresses and excels in tackling just those challenges, and I was encouraged that perhaps my dream of attending Columbia wasn't a reach. From that moment on, it felt like a dream come true.

Outside of looking for an institution that would support a student like me, and that also offered my niche program of study—Ukrainian history and language—I knew that I wanted to live in New York City. There are so many deeply personal factors that have drawn me to this place, but to sum it up: there's no other place like it, and that appealed to me. The richness of this urban environment, its diversity and openness, connection to the arts, sciences, the world... It was another dream I had coddled in my heart for years and years, and I jumped at the opportunity to actualize it.

This may be the pessimism of a first-generation student, or perhaps the learned attitude of cautiousness imbibed through my years of service, but I still didn't fully expect to be admitted. When I received my acceptance email, I just so happened to be in New York City with a plan to meet with a member of the Ukrainian Studies Program at Columbia's Harriman Institute. The stars had aligned, and I felt a wave of relief crash over me and swallow me up. So much anxiety for the future left me, and I felt so excited, armed with the knowledge that I had such a wonderful path ahead of me: all of that thanks to GS.

The best piece of advice I received that helped me through my journey to GS, and generally through my life, came from my dad. I've carried it around with me for the majority of my life, but long story short, I was around four years old and I was stung by a jellyfish. At that tender and early age, I had never experienced a pain that lingered in such a way and it understandably upset me. My dad sat down with me on the sand, put a hand on my shoulder and told me: “In life, you gotta stay calm, cool, and collected."

Staying calm, cool, and collected has been invaluable in handling stress, failure, disappointment, and struggles in my life. It's centering yourself in the moment, staying present, and reducing the friction you build up in yourself. It's the key to bouncing back and staying persistent in the face of setbacks. It's my best tool in a world of chaos and uncertainty.

Hailing from Gainesville, Florida, U.S. Air Force veteran and first-generation student Jay Jacobson is one of hundreds of new GS’ers Columbia is excited to welcome to campus this fall! At GS, he plans to major in political science and Slavic studies.