Archive for March 2009 – Page 2

Admitted Student Message Board is Live

Posted by Columbia SIPA 
· Tuesday, March 24th, 2009 
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The admitted student Message Board is now live.  We just sent all admitted applicants an email with details and the same information is also detailed on the Welcome Page referenced in the admission letter.  Applicants who receive an admission letter going forward will be able to view the instructions for logging in on the Welcome Page.

I do wish to stress the importance of reading the instructions carefully prior to registering.  You will need to register and once you have, you will receive an email message with a confirmation link.  You will not be able to participate until you have checked your email and clicked on the confirmation link.  All of this is detailed in the instructions.

Enjoy!

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Categories : Admissions, Application Tips
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Open House and Message Board

Posted by Columbia SIPA 
· Monday, March 23rd, 2009 
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This post is just a reminder to admitted applicants concerning two opportunities to gather more information about SIPA.  First, SIPA will be hosting an Open House on Tuesday, April 14th.  The Open House will start at 9:00 A.M. (we recommend an 8:30 A.M. arrival) and full instructions on how to register are available on the Welcome Page referenced in the admission letter.  The Open House is open to admitted students (we are unable to accommodate guests) and registration is required so please visit the Welcome Page for instructions should you be interested in attending.

Second, this week we will provide admitted applicants with access to a Web based message board that will give admitted applicants the opportunity to interact with one another, and with current SIPA students via a digital forum.  Admitted applicants will be sent an announcement when the board goes live.

97% of admission decisions have been sent out and for those of you who have yet to hear, we appreciate your patience as we wrap up the final few details.

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Categories : Admissions, Application Tips
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Welcome Page – Please Read Carefully

Posted by Matt Clemons 
· Friday, March 20th, 2009 
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I want to pass on some important advice to applicants who are admitted to SIPA.  In the admission letter you are provided with instructions on how to visit our Welcome Page.  There is a hyperlink as well as a username and password listed in your admission letter that will give you entry to the Welcome Page.

Why is the Welcome Page so important?  Well, it provides answers to the most frequently asked questions newly admitted applicants typically have.  We want you to be able to get answers and instructions quickly, hopefully without a lot of runaround.

Lately many admitted applicants have been emailing us questions that are answered on the Welcome Page.  Questions such as the following have recently been sent to our email accounts and information and specific email addresses are provided on the Welcome Page to put you on the right track:

  • How do I register for the admitted student Open House?
  • How do I apply for housing?
  • When do I have to report to campus?
  • How can I start my Visa application process?
  • Is there any academic work you recommend I complete this summer?

So please reference your admission letter and for the Welcome Page information and read it carefully . . . there is lots of good stuff there.

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Categories : Admissions
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SIPA Pan-African Network

Posted by Matt Clemons 
· Thursday, March 19th, 2009 
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Students at SIPA certainly play a large role in directing policy discussion.  A great example of this is the SIPA Pan-African Network (SPAN).  Each spring SPAN sponsors a forum and a brief description of the event this year is below.  For more information please visit the SPAN Web site as well as the African Economic Forum Web site.

From a modest beginning in 2004, the annual African Economic Forum (AEF) has grown to become the largest Africa-focused event at Columbia University. Originally conceived of and organized by the SIPA Pan-African Network (SPAN), a graduate student organization, AEF is a two-day event featuring expert panels and keynote speakers. The students’ intent is to foster a public discussion on the core issues of African development by having experts of various, and sometimes opposing, perspectives openly debate the merits of different approaches and policies.

Speakers at the conference will include Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala (World Bank, Managing Director – pictured to left ) William Kamkwamba (African Leadership Academy, student) and George Ayittey (Free Africa Foundation, President / Economist / Activist).

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Categories : News
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80% +

Posted by Columbia SIPA 
· Tuesday, March 17th, 2009 
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Just a quick update on decisions . . .

We have published just over 80% of our decisions to date.  Please note that when an admission file is read has no bearing upon the final decision.  We are looking for qualified candidates and the qualities we look for and the evaluation system we use does not change over time.

I will say that some files do take longer to review than others.  This can be for a variety of reasons including flagging a candidate for fellowship (which results in an additional meeting) or asking for further review by a Senior Member of the Admissions Committee.

As stated in a previous entry, we cannot provide estimates on when individual decisions will be published but rest assured that we are working as quickly as possibly.  I know that many applicants who have not heard are anxious, but I think you would agree that having the Committee spend quality time reviewing your application is preferable to rushing through the process.

Hang in there if you have yet to hear, an email will be coming your way soon.

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Categories : Admissions, Application Tips
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"The most global public policy school, where an international community of students and faculty address world challenges."

—Merit E. Janow, Dean, SIPA, Professor of Practice, International and Economic Law and International Affairs

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