January :: 2010 :: Page 4 :: COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY

Archive for January 2010 – Page 4

Status Report

Posted by Columbia SIPA

· Tuesday, January 12th, 2010

· No Comments

This is an update on where we are in the process of completing fall 2010 applications for review. This picture shows how busy our printer has been in the past few days. It has basically been going nonstop as we have printed several thousand applications that can range from 10-20 pages each. And this picture only shows the applications printed, not the thousands of letters of recommendation we have received as well.

pilesfiles

The process of manually reviewing files and matching them to letters of recommendation (which live in a separate module of the same system) moves a little faster for applicants that chose to submit everything on line. If documents have been mailed (or letters of recommendation for that matter) the process takes a while longer because we must search for the documents missed during our print cycles.

In rare cases we are unable to read the transcripts uploaded to the site and for me I would say this represents only 5% of the applications I have reviewed so far. If we are unable to read a document we will contact you. As a reminder, if you uploaded your test scores and/or transcript(s) and they are showing as not received this is normal. There is no need to email us concerning receipt. We manually check to make sure the information was submitted and and then will check it off as “Received – Not Official.”

As a reminder, when we complete your file for review you will receive an email from our office. In the meantime, we ask for your patience as we work as quickly as we can. There is really no reason to worry, if there is an issue we will contact you.

As stated in previous entries, it can take us up to 10-15 days to go through the process of completing files. When a file is completed has no bearing upon an admission decision. As of today we have completed about 30% of the applications submitted and the more time we spend, the faster things move along. Phone calls and emails have also started to subside which will help us to move more quickly.

I hope this window into our world helps you to understand the processing in our office.

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Categories : Admissions, Application Tips

Capstone Workshops at SIPA

Posted by Matt Clemons

· Tuesday, January 12th, 2010

· 1 Comment

The following was composed by John Hughes, a second year MIA student studying Political and Economic Risk Analysis. Please note that in the past, only MPA students were required to complete a workshop. Starting with the fall of 2010, all MPA and MIA students will be required to complete a workshop to graduate.

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This year SIPA has doubled the number of Capstone workshops available to students to 32, assuring that a wide range of students will be able to take a workshop this spring. MPA students are required to take a workshop as part of their degree, as are concentrators in Economic and Political Development and Energy and Environmental Policy. With so many workshops on offer this year, however, many students not in one of these groups should also have a chance to participate.

The workshops range from one implementing global food security priorities with Booz Allen Hamilton to one looking at how America should deal with non-state terrorist groups for the Center for American Progress. Each workshop gives students the chance to work directly with a real-world client, is limited to six students, and is assigned a faculty advisor to help facilitate interaction between the group and the client. Thus, students have an amazing opportunity to work on a real project for a client in an intimate setting, ensuring that each has a chance to interact with the sponsor. For a list of this year’s workshops check out this link:

http://sipa.columbia.edu/academics/workshops/projects.html#core

The Economic and Political Development (EPD) and Energy and Environmental Policy (EEP) concentrations, as mentioned, have their own set of workshops, separate from the list above. This gives students in these concentrations the opportunity to choose from a number of workshops directly related to their field.

The EPD workshops, in particular, are always highly regarded, as they give EPD students the opportunity to go abroad for a couple weeks to work in the field. Many EPD students cite the workshop as the highlight of their SIPA education, providing them with valuable field experience that gives them a leg up when applying for development positions. For more information on the EPD workshops check out this link:

http://sipa.columbia.edu/academics/concentrations/epd/workshop.html

1 Comment

Categories : Columbia University, News

Tags : capstone, career development, experience, workshop

World Bank Graduate Scholarship Program

Posted by Columbia SIPA

· Monday, January 11th, 2010

· No Comments

As shared in a previous entry SIPA does partner with a number of organizations to provide scholarship funding. The process is always competitive and we cannot guarantee funding to all applicants who are affiliated with partner organizations or specific scholarship programs.

We identify most candidates through a mechanism on the the admission application. In the fellowship portion of the application each applicant has the chance to choose from a drop down list of organizations or scholarship programs they might be affiliated with or for which they have submitted an application for funding.

SIPA does partner with the World Bank to provide scholarships and we highly encourage eligible applicants to apply. The scholarship selection process involves both an application to SIPA and an application for the World Bank scholarship program. Below is a brief description of the program from their Web site:

The Joint Japan/ World Bank Graduate Scholarship Program (JJ/WBGSP), is in its 23d year. The Program awards scholarships to individuals from World Bank member countries to undertake graduate studies at universities renowned for their development research and teaching. In its Regular Program, the JJ/WBGSP has awarded scholarships to 3,153 scholars chosen from a total of 58,944 applicants.

To apply for a JJ/WBGSP scholarship under the Regular Program, an applicant must:
* Be a national of a World Bank member country eligible to borrow.
* Be born after March 31, 1970.
* Have, by March 31, 2010, at least 2, preferably 4 to 5, years of recent full time professional experience acquired after a university degree, in the applicant’s home country or in another developing country.
* Hold a bachelor’s degree or its equivalent.
* Be in good health.
* Be of good character.
* Not be a permanent resident or a national of any industrialized country.
* Not be residing in an industrialized country for more than one year.
* Not be an Executive Director, his/her alternate, staff of the World Bank Group (the World Bank, International Finance Corporation, International Development Association, Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency, and International Center for Settlement of Investment Disputes), consultant, or relative of the aforementioned.

Full details and the application can be found by clicking here. The deadline to apply is March 31st, 2010. Again, to be considered an admission application to SIPA must be submitted and a separate application for the World Bank Fellowship must be submitted. After admission selections are made SIPA then works with the World Bank to review qualified candidates for consideration.

Good luck and please remember that the SIPA Fellowship Database is a great place to look for additional funding opportunities.

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Categories : Admissions, Application Tips, Paying for SIPA

Tags : application tips, fellowship, Financial Aid, grant, scholarship

Iran: After the Election

Posted by Matt Clemons

· Sunday, January 10th, 2010

· No Comments

The following was posted to our Web site and I thought I would re-post it here in case you missed it. The links below will take you to the videos of the panels referenced and all of the videos, plus the Q and A links can be found here.

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The recent elections in Iran, and subsequent challenges to their legitimacy, have been a matter of enormous internal conflict in Iran, and of seemingly endless debate in the rest of the world. As protesters continue to take to the Iranian street to voice their opposition to the elections, fault-lines are emerging amongst the ruling elite. These momentous events constitute a significant challenge to the legitimacy of the Iranian regime and the future of the Islamic Republic.

In a conference co-hosted by SIPA and the Middle East Institute in December 2009, leading Iranian scholars and analysts discuss the impact of the recent elections, Iran’s relationship with the international community and the theocratic foundations of the Islamic Republic.

The Aftermath of the Election

Richard Bulliet, Columbia University
Hamid Dabashi, Columbia University
Asef Bayat, Leiden University
Shahla Talebi, Arizona State University
Ervand Abrahamian, Baruch College

International Challenges

Gary Sick, Columbia University
Farideh Farhi, University of Hawaii
Judith Yaphe, The National Defense University

Appraising the Life of the Islamic Republic of Iran

Hossein Kamaly, Barnard College
Mansour Farhang, Bennington College
Firoozeh Kashani-Sabet, University of Pennsylvania
Houchang Chehabi, Boston University
Richard Bulliet, Columbia University

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Categories : Columbia University, News

Tags : iran, middle east, panel

Fall 2010 Applicant Facts Post #1

Posted by Columbia SIPA

· Saturday, January 9th, 2010

· No Comments

I thought I might flavor the blog over the next few weeks with a few entries based on facts about our applicant pool for fall 2010. It is hard to find a university with more international students than Columbia, and a graduate school more international than SIPA. Columbia University ranks third in the United States in terms of international enrollment and SIPA commonly enrolls students from more than 100 countries per year.

This year applicants hail from 99 different countries. Also not separated out are Permanent Residents. Many Permanent Residents represent countries not counted in the 99 you see reflected below. The only reason the U.S. is blue is because the program I used categorized it as my home country – no political undertones are implied =)

Fall 2010 Applicant Map 01-07-2010