We love this photo of the SIPA Class of 2018 at the university-wide commencement on Wednesday (photo credit to recent grad Yashshri Soman!). Each school has their own graduation ceremony throughout Commencement Week, and on Wednesday all of the schools gathered on Columbia’s South Lawn. For SIPA, 736 students from 68 countries earned degrees across all of our programs.
For those of you who can see yourself in the sea of blue in a few years, the Fall 2019 application will go live in August. The application itself is a whole process, and we know that many of you are preparing for it now. To help you think through it, here’s a roundup of posts to help you as you approach the written portions of the application:
- What’s in an App: Personal Statement – For some in the Admissions Committee, the personal statement sets the tone for the rest of the application – it’s your SIPA raison d’etre. But, the personal statement has a 400-word limit – how do you get all that important information down in a limited capacity? (We actually advise applicants not to waste words quoting others, but I think French philosopher Blaise Pascal’s quote is pretty apt: “I would have written a shorter letter, but I did not have the time.”)
- How to plan for your recommendation letters – This is difficult to tackle last minute, so get some info on who you should ask, how you should ask them, and what should go into a letter.
- What’s in an App: Optional Essay – Is the optional essay really worth doing? This post covers specific ways in how this essay can further your application.
- Some advice on the optional essay prompt – I’ve seen some skeptical quizzical expressions when I tell applicants that the optional essay truly is optional. Here’s some more general information on common questions we get about the optional essay.
For those of you thinking about applying for the Fall 2019 cycle (or beyond!), I hope that this gives you a good foundation as you start getting your materials together. We’ll notify y’all when the application goes live in August.
And a few reminders before we sign off:
- A reminder to our Fall 2018 waitlisted candidates that final decisions will roll out by mid-July. Candidates will receive an email as soon as there is an update.
- The Yellow Ribbon Program Scholarship application opened on Monday, May 14th. You can learn more about eligibility and requirements here – we encourage you to apply soon, as funding is given on a first-come, first-serve basis.
- Make sure you stay involved with us before the application cycle opens in August 2018 – our information session calendar will list on-campus and virtual sessions, and we’ll add more off-campus events here throughout the summer and fall.
