Archive for March 2010 – Page 2

State of the Planet 2010 Conference

Professor Jeff Sachs has helped organize a conference on many of the challenges currently facing our population and planet.  Climate change, poverty, economic recovery, and international systems are topics of the State of the Planet 2010 Conference taking place on the Columbia University campus on March 25th.  The following is noted on the Web site:

Around the world, people will be able to participate via webcast and interactive elements. And at event sites in Beijing, New Delhi, London and Nairobi, speakers and attendees will be directly linked to the international debate, moderated from New York.

An introductory video can be viewed on the conference Web site.

stateoftheplanet

Transcripts and Test Scores

We have started to get some emails about receipt of official transcripts and test scores so let me provide a bit of guidance.  We receive some test reports electronically and others via mail.  The vast majority are sent to us as electronic files and they are downloaded into a centralized Columbia University computer system.  We then have to sync that system with our admission software.  As you know, applicants self report test scores on the admission application and these are the scores we use for the review – not the official reports.

The process of getting official test scores into our system can take some time and we are still busy wrapping up the admission review process, managing the message board, preparing for Admitted Student Day, and responding to a flurry of emails on a variety of topics.  If you choose to enroll at SIPA we will need to confirm receipt of official test scores by June 15 so we have plenty of time.  We really do not actively start to undertake this process until after the date to pay a deposit passes (May 3rd).

I will provide some updates on the process in the near future and for now, if you feel you have submitted your official test scores and/or transcripts, we would just ask for your patience while we work on integrating this information into our system.

The process of submitting official transcripts is straightforward.  If you submitted official transcripts with your admission application rest assured we will be tracking them as official.  If you uploaded unofficial copies of your transcripts to our application Web site, then you will need to send official transcripts to our office by June 15th.  The address to send them to is:

Columbia SIPA – Office of Admissions and Financial Aid
420 West 118th Street
Room 408 – International Affairs Building
New York, NY 10027

Thanks again for your patience and if you asked that your test scores be reported to SIPA they are likely loaded into our campus mainframe, waiting patiently for us to sync them with our system.

Review Update

For those of you that have applied and have yet to hear from us, thank you in advance for your patience.  We are creeping toward the 95% completion mark and as decision are made, emails are sent to the email address you listed on your application.

Message Board and Admitted Student Day

The admitted student Message Board is now live.  Today I 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 to the Message Board 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.

Also, as a reminder, admitted applicants can also register for Admitted Student Day scheduled for Tuesday, April 13th.  Information on registration is contained in Welcome Page referenced in admission letters.  Admitted Student Day is open to admitted students (we are unable to accommodate guests) and registration is required.

I'm Admitted, Now What?

I wanted to take an entry to touch on a few details for admitted students.   My first encouragement is to keep reading this blog.  I will continue to post information that is relevant to enrollment, financial aid, and a host of other topics.

Second is to thoroughly review the Welcome Page noted in your admission letter.  The Welcome Page contains important information about your offer and detailed information on a number of topics that you are likely to have question about.

Admitted Student Day will take place on Tuesday, April 13th.  It will be a full day program starting at 9 AM and ending around 7 PM.  One of the highlights will be a presentation by Jeff Sachs during the lunch portion of the program.  Details regarding Admitted Student Day are on the Welcome Page and a draft schedule will be posted soon.  The Welcome Page also contains a link directing you to the registration page, and this page also contains travel information.

This week the Admissions Office will open an Internet Message Board where admitted students can exchange information with one another and with current students.  You will receive an email invitation if you have been admitted and an announcement will be posted here when the Message Board goes live.

The Admissions Office is regularly sending out email messages from faculty, administrators, alumni, and students so make sure to keep an eye out for these in your email in box.

Our Financial Aid Staff will be working on sending out award letters.  The University has moved to a new software system recently and we are in the final rounds of testing.  If you have been awarded a SIPA fellowship, this will be indicated in the admission letter.  The financial aid letter will contain information about programs costs and other possible sources of financial aid.  We send out an unofficial financial aid letter shortly after admission decisions go out to provide a preview of what you might expect.

Finally, we will be mailing admit letters via postal mail however in an effort to reduce the impact mailing materials has on the environment and on our budget, we do not mail welcome packets via postal mail.  Instead we utilize the welcome page, email, and this blog to communicate important details concerning enrollment.  Information that you will need to submit to enroll can be found through our on line resources and we will be happy to work with you to make sure you complete everything that is necessary to confirm your enrollment.

Thank you for your attention and we continue to process the final group of applications still under review.

"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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