The Bwog
The Armed Forces in General Studies

Current-founder Bari Weiss, CC '07, writes in the (possibly ill-fated) New York Sun today about the 19 incoming Columbia GS first-years who had previously served in the Armed Forces.

(According to Weiss, GS was created in 1947 partly as a response to the high number of ex-soldiers returning from WWII.)

Weiss spoke to a number of the 19 first-years about the differences between military life and academic life, and reactions range from confident about success ("You sit down next to these girls who are 18 years old and they've got plastic jewelry from Claire's and they're trying to understand the rise and fall of the USSR. They can do it; but we've seen dictators rise and fall") to thankful for the ability to appreciate the civilian life: "I'm just happy to be alive. I'm ecstatic here."


Posted by the current gi bill: #1 · reply · track
September 5, 2008 at 5:21 PM (from campus)
is fucking embarrassing
Posted by cool article: #2 · reply · track
September 5, 2008 at 5:30 PM
these people sound like a great addition to columbia

you would think that the GI bill would reward them even more if they made it into a Columbia, and especially if they planned to re-enlist eventually

also it would suck if the SUN went out of circulation--not only does their editorial page provide a counterpoint to other papers but they actually do journalism well without falling into the easy trap of sensationalism like a certain paper which rhymes with 'ny toast'
Posted by Anonymous: #3 · reply · track
September 5, 2008 at 6:07 PM
Lol, wow. That's some pretty self-righteous shit right there.

I wish these assholes would be a little more Kerouac a little less McCain when it came to discussing their service. But I guess in the modern era we have to reward whiney babies of every kind.
Posted by EAL: #4 (in reply to #2) · reply · track
September 5, 2008 at 6:08 PM (from campus)
Personally, I'd rather bring back the worldly yet conservative reporting of the New York World-Telegram, but that's just me. Or the original New York Sun, for that matter, which was a literary gem. It would be nice to have a more reasonable intellectual counterpoint to the NYT without having to turn to the rag that is the Post.
Posted by man.: #5 (in reply to #3) · reply · track
September 5, 2008 at 6:09 PM
the irony in your post is brilliant

"a little more Kerouac a little less McCain"

haha
Posted by i'm sorry: #6 (in reply to #5) · reply · track
September 5, 2008 at 6:54 PM
but i'm not sure you know what irony the way you used it in that sentence.

do you perhaps mean 'humor' instead? because while irony is a subset of humor, not all humor is 'irony.'
Posted by random: #7 (in reply to #6) · reply · track
September 5, 2008 at 7:09 PM (from campus)
holy shit, get that stick out of your ass.
Posted by holy shit: #8 (in reply to #7) · reply · track
September 5, 2008 at 8:27 PM
learn some fucking definitions.
Posted by ...: #9 (in reply to #2) · reply · track
September 5, 2008 at 8:29 PM (from campus)
college is supposed to be about opening new doors. gs is about sealing existing doors shut with debt.

it's kinda disgraceful if you ask me.
Posted by hmm: #10 · reply · track
September 5, 2008 at 11:26 PM (from campus)
there are also quite a lot of international students in CC who served in the military before coming to Columbia. Singaporeans, Germans, Israelis...Don't forget that ;)
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