Colleen Brasser will walk across the Bellarmine stage on May 22 to receive her Fairfield degree, but she will not be done with her undergraduate studies.
She has not even attended a single class here at Fairfield this year. Brasser is an engineering student participating in the 3/2 program Fairfield offers in junction with Columbia University in New York.
“The 3/2 program is certainly worthwhile for students who can afford a fifth year of college,” said Dean E. Vagos Hadjimichael, of the School of Engineering.
The 3/2 program is an opportunity for engineering students to take classes at Fairfield for three years and then transfer to Columbia for two more years.
“You have so much opportunity being at an Ivy League school and living in New York City,” said program participant Jarrett LiBuono.
When students complete the program they are qualified to compete for some of the most competitive jobs as they have a Bachelor of Arts degree from Fairfield and a Bachelor of Science degree from Columbia.
“After graduation I am planning on going into the energy sector to work as a chemical engineer, then probably getting my MBA,” said former Fairfield student Jeffrey Dunn.
In addition to Fairfield, such feeder programs exist at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, the University of Connecticut, and Stevens Institute of Technology as well. These students then join Columbia’s undergraduate engineering students for their last two years.
The goal of the program is to offer more choices for students who wish to pursue engineering, but also wish to get a liberal arts education.
When asked about the difficulty of keeping ties with Fairfield friends Jason Lambert said it wasnt.
“I go back to FU every once in a while. It is only a Metro North ride away,” said Lambert.
Mike Gentile ’06 is just finishing his third year here at Fairfield now. He is a mechanical engineering major, and is excited for the transition to Columbia.
“I’ve had so many amazing experiences at Fairfield. I have done everything from townhouse living to RA-ing,” said Gentile. “I really see New York as a ‘big pond’ that I can explore.”
The classes at Columbia are much larger and all students interviewed for this article agreed that they were harder.
“Classes were definitely an adjustment. I went from barely studying to that [studying] being a full time job for me. I used to study an hour or two for a big exam and do fine, now I’ll study 30 hours and maybe just scrape by,” said Dunn.
Alison Mackey ’05 felt well prepared by Fairfield.
“Coming to Columbia made me realize how much I actually learned at Fairfield. Fairfiled was the stepping stone I needed to make the transition from high school to ivy league,” she said.
All third year engineering students with a 3.0 GPA are eligible to apply, and Fairfield has sent about 15 to 20 students per year for the past few years.
“Living in NY is great. My only complaint is that I don’t get to experience it enough because I spend so much time studying. It can be expensive at times,” said Brasser.
LiBuono agreed that the decision was worthwhile.
“It’s a whole different environment than Fairfield. It gives us a chance to experience two different ends of the college experience with a great group of people,” said LiBuono.
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