This is the ninth entry in our “Top 10″ list for you to consider when communicating with our office and applying.

Number 9 – Attend an information session or recruitment event.

While I realize not everyone can make it to New York, if you can the best way to obtain information is to attend an information session.  If you live nearby or are visiting New York this is probably the best way to learn about our programs and how to put together a competitive application.  Due to the large number of visitors and our small staff we are unable to arrange walk in appointments.  You are always welcome to visit and someone will assist you, however we are rarely able to provide extensive individual counseling appointments.

If you would like to schedule an information session, which are held every Monday at 6pm and every Friday at 12pm excluding holidays, it is best to send an email to sipa_admission@columbia.edu and then we can confirm the session with you.

We also attend recruitment events in the U.S. and abroad.  You can view our fall 2010 recruitment schedule by clicking here.  However, you are always welcome to come to the office during business hours and ask a few questions or obtain information.

Next week the APSIA Western Europe Graduate School Circuit takes place, giving those living in or around Berlin, London, and Paris the opportunity to speak with admission representatives.

I hope to meet you if you are able to make it.  If you are going to attend, complete the free registration process and obtain the specific location of the events by clicking the links below.

Berlin: Monday, November 16th from 6:00 – 8:00 P.M. at the Hertie School of Governance

London:  Wednesday, November 18th from 6:00 – 8:00 P.M. at the Holiday Inn London Bloomsbury

Paris:  Thursday, November 19th from 5:00 – 8:00 P.M. at Sciences Po – Institut d’Etudes Politiques

Next week a representative of SIPA will be traveling to colleges and universities throughout North Carolina and Virginia to speak with students about our programs.  Four other schools will also be at these information sessions.  You can register for one of these events by visiting our registration page.  We hope to see you there!

Next week I will be traveling to colleges and universities throughout Colorado and Wyoming to speak with students about our programs.  Four other schools will also be at these information sessions.  You can register for one of these events by visiting our registration page.

The Senior Associate Dean of SIPA, Rob Garris, recently informed me that he will be visiting Cairo and wishes to meet with those in the area that are interested in learning more about SIPA.  An RSVP is required and if you are able to attend, please send an email with the subject heading “Cairo Visit” to  sipa_admission@columbia.edu.

The meeting will take place at 7:00 P.M. on Thursday, October 15th.  The event will be held at the following hotel:

CAIRO SEMIRAMIS
CORNICHE EL NIL, GARDEN CITY • CAIRO, 11511 • EGYPT

Hotel Contact Information

Front Desk: +20-2-27957171

The room location has yet to be set so those who RSVP will need to check with the front desk or concierge for the specific room location.  We apologize for the short notice but if you will be able to attend please RSVP to sipa_admission@columbia.edu.

Next week I will be traveling to Chicago and Atlanta as part of the APSIA recruitment tour.  If you are in the area is would be wonderful to meet you.  Full details, including free registration are available via the links below.

Chicago APSIA Fair – Tuesday, September 29th

Atlanta APSIA Fair – Wednesday, September 30th

SIPA will have a table at the Washington, D.C. Idealist.org graduate school fair scheduled for Monday, September 21st.   There is no fee to attend but you must register on the Idealist.org site.  We hope to see you there.

Just a quick reminder that the Idealist.org Graduate School Fair in Boston is scheduled for next Tuesday, September 15th at 5:00 PM on the campus of Boston University.  I will be representing SIPA and would be happy to meet you.  Who am I?  You can visit this past entry composed last winter for more information.

As a reminder, you can view our full travel schedule for the fall by visiting our recruitment schedule page.

Registration is required for the Boston Fair but there is no cost to attend.  Register by using the following link -

Boston Idealist.org Graduate School Fair Registration Page

This message serves two purposes.  One is to remind you to check out our travel schedule to see if a representative from SIPA will be in your area this fall.  Two is to announce that this coming week the first few recruiting events of the fall will take place.  Alumni from SIPA will be attending recruitment fairs in Bogota, Colombia and San Jose, Costa Rica this coming week.

Both fairs are sponsored by the Association of Professional Schools of International Affairs (APSIA).  Registration is required but there is no cost to attend.  Please see the links below for details:

Bogota, Colombia Fair Details (September 9th)

San Jose, Costa Rica Fair Details (September 10th)

SIPA will also take part in the New York City Idealist.org Graduate School fair on September 10th.  Once again, registration is required but there is no cost to attend.

New York City Idealist.org Graduate School Fair Registration Page

Each fall representatives of SIPA attend various events so that prospective students can gather more information about our programs.  Generally each event is attended by a staff member from the Office of Admissions and in some cases current students and/or alumni will attend.  There are two types of events we typically participate in.

First, we attend recruitment fairs.  Two associations that sponsor recruitment fairs are APSIA and idealist.org.  APSIA stands for the Association of Professional Schools of International Affairs.  Registration for APSIA fairs is required but there is no fee to attend.  You can register by visiting the APSIA site.

idealist.org states their mission as:

Idealist is a project of Action Without Borders, a nonprofit organization founded in 1995 with offices in the United States and Argentina. Idealist is an interactive site where people and organizations can exchange resources and ideas, locate opportunities and supporters, and take steps toward building a world where all people can lead free and dignified lives.

Each year idealist.org sponsors graduate school fairs and SIPA will be attending some of their fairs this fall.  Registration for these fairs is also free.

Second, SIPA travels with other policy schools to visit college and university campuses.  We are working on a registration page for our college/university visits and expect that it will be available in early September.  No fees are charged for attending our college/university visits.

While our travel schedule still is a work in progress, I wanted to go ahead and post it to provide advanced notice on the areas we are likely to visit in the next few months.  Events that are listed in black text have been finalized and if a time or location is listed in red text we are still working on the final details.  You can access the proposed travel schedule by visiting our recruiting schedule page.

Please also note that SIPA does host information sessions each Monday at 6:00 P.M. and each Friday at Noon.  Registration is required and in some cases (i.e. holidays) the sessions may be subject to cancellation so please register as far ahead as possible.  To register simply send an email to sipa_admission@columbia.edu.

Each fall representatives of SIPA spend time traveling to colleges and universities to speak to those interested in graduate degrees and career opportunities related to international and public affairs. From November 17-20 SIPA, along with representatives of four other schools, will be visiting several schools in the Northeast. The other schools traveling with SIPA are:

• Georgetown University: The Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service
• Johns Hopkins University: The School of Advanced International Studies
• Princeton University: The Woodrow Wilson School
• Tufts University: The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy

Below is the schedule. No registration for the events is required. We look forward to seeing those who can join.