Archive for December 2010 – Page 4

The Joys of Applying to Graduate School

Posted by Columbia SIPA 
· Friday, December 10th, 2010 
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The following entry was written by Beatriz Guillén, a second year student concentrating in Economic and Political Development.

_____________________

Applying to SIPA was challenging. I remember trying to confront the long list of things I had to do. First, it was the tests. It took me a long time to prepare for the GRE. I remember struggling with questions such as “Is malinger to duty the same as recluse is to humanity or is it scholar to pedantry?” “What is the area of the square inscribed in the circle of radius a?” I also had to take the TOEFL, because I am an international student, and needed a score of at least 100!

At the same time I had to figure out who was going to write my recommendations. My boss? One of my former professors? How am I going to contact them?  And of course, the essays… Thinking of my life goals, my quantitative experience… (That was a tough one… I had to study macro and micro economics in a community college because I hadn’t enough quantitative experience.)

But, in the midst of all this excitement and stress, the admissions blog helped me through the whole process. I realized I wasn’t the only one with these problems and questions and that many people had done it before me, so I could do it. And after everything, here I am, in my second year at SIPA, experiencing one of the best stages in my life.

I strongly encourage all of you struggling with your application or in need of inspiration for your essays to come and visit the campus in the coming weeks. I love Columbia University during the winter time, especially when they turn on the holiday lights around campus. It is very inspiring to walk through the main campus. And if you cannot come to New York, follow what is going on at SIPA through the website, the blog, or watching conferences and lectures by SIPA professors  here. We have interesting events and remarkable speakers visiting school every day.

All of this will give you courage and the motivation to re-take your tests if you didn’t get the score you wanted, or the inspiration and vision to finish your statement of purpose.

Good luck!  All the hard work is worth it!

Beatriz

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Top 10 Application Tips #6 – Transcripts

Posted by Columbia SIPA 
· Thursday, December 9th, 2010 
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This is the sixth entry in our “Top 10″ list to assist you with understanding the process of submitting your admission application to SIPA.  This entry is focused on advice regarding the submission of transcripts.  I have tried to break the entry into categories based on our process/requirements and common questions we receive.

Official vs. Unofficial

At SIPA we will accept unofficial transcripts for application review.  If an applicant is admitted to our program and chooses to attend, we will require official transcripts at a later time.  We feel that the submission of unofficial transcripts makes the process easier for applicants and allows us to process applications more quickly.  Therefore we prefer that you upload transcripts to our application site (by definition these will be unofficial because they will be coming directly from you and not directly from the school).

No matter what, we do need the grading legend included.  The grading legend shows information about the grading system used and often includes other information related to abbreviations that are used on transcripts.

You can find an example of what I mean by a grading legend by clicking here.  Most universities will include this automatically when you request a transcript, however please make sure to ask for it.

What Transcripts Are Needed?

Our general response is – we need transcripts for all coursework completed since graduation from high school.  We do not need high school transcripts.  For those that received college credit for coursework completed in high school, this information is typically listed on the college/university transcript.  If there are no grades but only credits for your high school coursework, this is acceptable.

Let’s say for example that an applicant attended UCLA for two years and then transferred to Michigan and completed his/her degree.  We would need a transcript from both UCLA and Michigan – not a single transcript from Michigan showing the courses that were transferred in. In this example, both schools have their own grading systems and codes, and we need to see the codes for each individual school.

Grades, Grades, Grades

The general rule regarding whether multiple transcripts completed toward a single degree are required is – we need grades for all courses completed.  However, we do not need the grades translated or converted to “American” grades.  What is very important is that a grading legend or key be included when you submit your transcript(s).

If your school used a 1-20 scale, that is fine, you do not need to convert into a 4.0 scale.  On a 20 point scale, Is 1 good?  Is 20 good?  We will not know unless the transcript legend is included.  Each year we receive transcripts from over 1,000 different colleges/universities and we want to look no further than your file for what we need.  Related to this . . . .

Question: I completed a study abroad program while in college, do I need to request a separate transcript for the classes I completed abroad?

The answer is, “it depends.”  Ultimately we need the grades received for all coursework completed.  So, if the grading system used at the study abroad school was different and there are no grades on your home school transcript, then the answer is “Yes, we need the study abroad transcript.”

In this example, if we simply saw the title of the class and a number of credits on your home school transcript but no grade, it is not acceptable – we would need a transcript from the study abroad school with the grades and legend explaining the grades.

However, if you took classes abroad and the grades for these courses are reported on your home school transcript according the grading scale used by your home school, we would not need a separate transcript.

Question:  Help!  I cannot get my transcript to upload, what should I do!?

First, there are four places available on the site for uploading transcripts.  They are labeled as follows:

  • Primary Bachelor Degree
  • Additional Degree
  • Further Degree
  • Non-Degree Coursework/Continuing Education

Each section will accept a file up to 1000kb(1mb) in size.  If you try to upload a file larger than 1mb to an individual section you will receive an error message.

Referring back to the example above, let us say that you attended both UCLA and Michigan.  If you try to combine the two transcript files and they exceed 1mb, it is fine to upload two separate files.  If you received your degree from Michigan, upload that in the Primary Bachelor degree section and then upload the UCLA transcript under Additional Degree and put “UCLA Coursework” in the description box.

If your primary degree file is from one school but exceeds 1mb in size, you can break it into two files and when you upload the second part in the Additional Degree section put “Second Part of Transcript” in the description box.

In an extreme example, if one transcript is a total of 3mb you can break it into three files and upload in the first three categories (Primary, Additional, Further).

As far as the scanning process is concerned, we offer advice on the application web site and I think it is well written so I will just repost it here.  If you are having trouble with file size, please consider the following:

  • Scan a copy at the lowest dpi that still results in a legible document (we recommend to use under 200 dpi whenever possible).
  • Scan in “gray scale” or black and white.
  • Try making a photocopy first (experiment with different settings until you find one that results in the smallest file size) then scan the photocopy.

Question:  I completed a few classes on my own since graduating from college, do I need to submit transcripts for these courses?

Answer:  Yes, we need transcripts for all coursework completed since graduating from high school.  Let’s say you took two classes at two different schools after graduating for college – it would be fine to combine these transcripts into one file and upload the file to the Non-Degree Coursework/Continuing Education section.  Even if you took these classes Pass/Fail we still need the transcript.

Advice – Print and Review Before Submitting

We will be printing the transcripts you upload and if you cannot read them when printed, we will not be able to read them either.  We highly recommend printing a copy of what you are uploading to the site before submitting your application.  If we print your application and cannot read your transcripts, there will be significant delays in processing your application.

GPA Reporting

We understand that not all grades are reported on a 4.0 scale.  If you were not graded on a 4.0 scale, in the Previous Education Section of the application, simply put 0.0 for your GPA.  This alerts us that your grades were not reported on a 4.0 scale.

Question:  What if I am still in school and I have not completed my degree?  My coursework is in progress so what should I do?

It is fine for applicants that are still in college to apply.  Simply request a transcript that reflects your most up-to-date grades.  If this means you do not have grades for the fall semester you are currently enrolled in, that is fine.   If we need more information, we will let you know.

For example, if we do not see fall grades reported on your transcript, we may contact you and ask for the results.  We also may not feel the need to contact you.  There is no need for you to submit additional grade information after our deadline passes unless we specifically ask for it.

Question:  What if I completed my degree and am taking a continuing education class but the grade will not be available until after the admissions deadline?

First, please upload a  file showing your registration in the course in the “Non-Degree Coursework/Continuing Education Section.”  We do not need to see a grading legend, a simple screen shot from a course registration web site would suffice (many schools offer this however if not, ask the registrar to print a copy for you).

We would also like to see this information in the second résumé.  You can enter the name of the class, where you are taking it, post the class description, and list it as “In Progress.”

Question:  What if I plan on taking a class but it does not start until after the admission deadline passes?

Please report such information in the second résumé.  For example, if you plan on taking a microeconomics class that starts in February, you can list the class and school you plan on taking the course at in your second résumé.  If there is a description for the class available on the web or via a catalog, please list the description as well. For details on the second résumé, see this entry.

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Not Your “Average” Profile: Things to Consider as a Young Applicant to SIPA

Posted by Matt Clemons 
· Wednesday, December 8th, 2010 
· No Comments

The following post was submitted by Brittney Bailey.  Brittney is working in our office this year and she, along with several other students, are contributing posts throughout the year.  Another helpful entry on this topic written from an administrator standpoint can be found here.

_____________________

One of the most common questions we at admissions are asked is:

“What are my chances of getting into SIPA if I am a younger applicant?  Do I even stand a chance?”

Usually these questions come from prospective students who have been out of school for 1 or 2 years or those who are in their final year of their undergraduate program and want to transition straight into graduate school.  And many times, these specific questions are deferred to me.

I entered SIPA one year after graduating from undergrad and was commonly marked as the “baby” of every group assignment or SIPA bonding-experience.  The reality is that SIPA does lend itself to students who exude a certain clarity and confidence in what they want to do and know how their degree program will specifically fit into their career goals. Of course, this isn’t always the case, but older students with more professional experience generally fall into this category.

So, from one “young” student to another, I wanted to list a few key tips to keep in mind when approaching the admissions process to professional schools like SIPA.

Be aware of the statistics

  • About 5%-10% of accepted students come directly from undergrad each year. These students tend to have extraordinary academic records, significant internship and/or study abroad experience and a fairly clear idea of what career path they want to head on.   Note, the more substantive the internship experience, the better. Yes, having lots of internships at big name organizations can look good on your resume.  But keep in mind that the Admissions Committee does more than glance at this section.  They expect to see a CV longer than one-page (see resume entry here), unlike a typical job resume, and are really looking at content.  So, making sure that even a few internships, fellowships or part-time jobs can better demonstrate your ability to handle relevant and substantive work is vital.
  • In many cases though, students with very strong academic backgrounds are not offered admission but are in fact, encouraged to reapply after gaining a year or two of relevant work experience.  Applying for competitive or prestigious short-stint programs like Teach for America, the Peace Corps or Fulbright and Luce Scholarships are a good stepping stone into graduate programs that can further give you the hard skills, connections and credentials you need to advance in an international affairs career.

Think Quant!

  • I could not stress enough the need to familiarize yourself with quantitative analysis before applying to SIPA.  Honestly, I avoided quant classes like the plague during my undergraduate career, even though basic economics courses were required as part of my international relations degree.  This was definitely to my detriment! Although I ended up loving my economics courses at SIPA, especially those that applied to development, I have always felt as if I were playing “catch up”.  Having a few courses in Micro and Macroeconomics, statistics, and mathematics under your belt are incredibly important tools for the SIPA experience and any international affairs or policy career.  Not only do they make your transition into graduate school much easier, but they serve as a form of “leverage” in the application process when being benchmarked against many students who have years of applied, practical knowledge.

Be clear about career objectives

  • As a young student, you inevitably have less “tools” to work with.  Your CV will most likely have less pages than an average SIPA student who was the Director of an NGO on the Thai/Burma border working with refugees for five years or who moved up the ranks as a Senior Analyst at Citibank in New York, Hong Kong and New Delhi offices.  Not to worry! Even if your goal is to essentially become one of your peers, a SIPA degree can very well enhance these career paths. Being as clear as possible in your personal statement about how to achieve this path is imperative.  Ask yourself regularly: What do I think I want to do? Have I already taken all of the basic steps to get there?  And how will this degree at SIPA and many of its components – from the concentration, specialization, professors, locale to the potential student body – help me to get to this goal?It’s not a simple question to answer at whatever age.  But, it’s an imperative one to address and drive home in your personal statement, particularly as a student with limited professional experience.

Don’t be afraid to “stay out of the game” (for a bit)

  • I know that this is usually not the answer people want to hear.  But speaking from personal experience, had I gone through the admissions process all over again I would have spent another year or two working in international development.  In fact, after my first year at SIPA, I took off some time, in part, to do just that. Gaining the additional professional experience helped me to really refine my objectives at SIPA.  I am much more confident in what I have to offer to a future employer and what I need to take from the program here.  Staying out of the SIPA game for just a few years can really enhance how well you play once you’re in it.

Having said all this, it is possible to be a young student at SIPA and make the most of your experience.  I hope these tips, at the very least, help out some of you who have asked this common question.

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Categories : Admissions, Meet Seeples
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Advice to Avoid Panic

Posted by Columbia SIPA 
· Tuesday, December 7th, 2010 
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As easy as we try to make the application process, I understand that there can be complications and questions.  Each year we receive panicked emails around the admissions deadline and no matter how easy we try to make the process, I am sure we will never eliminate every possible issue.  I thought I would highlight some examples of emails from the past in the hope that you can learn from others that have applied before you.  Names/data/etc. have been changed from the original emails.

Do note that we will work with applicants if we believe a good faith effort has been made to submit documents by the deadline and there is a complication of some sort.

In addition, many of the common questions we receive are answered in the online instructions so you can save yourself time and stress by carefully reading the instructions.

Check the Appropriate Boxes/Links/Menu Items

Email: I am writing to inform you that I unfortunately checked the wrong concentration in my application for the MIA program which I just submitted online. My apologies! In the first part of the application I checked “Human Rights”. Instead it should read: “Urban and Social Policy.”  Can you please make this change for me?

Email: My name is Sally Applicant.  On the application I mistakenly entered “Spanish” as my undergraduate language of instruction.  The correct answer is “English”.  I would very much appreciate it if someone in the SIPA Admissions office would update my file accordingly.

Advice/Answer: As you might imagine, it can be disruptive to our processing when we receive requests to amend information submitted in the application.  Make sure you pay close attention when clicking the options that are a part of the application.  Having to make manual changes slows the process down and may delay the processing of your application.

Understand our Process

Email: My name is Jon Applicant and I wonder if you could tell me if you have received a copy of my GRE report?

Advice/Answer: At SIPA GRE scores are self reported on the admission application, we do not look for official test reports until after applicants have been admitted and paid a deposit.  For a dedicated entry on this topic, click here.

Email: My name is Cinderella and I am concerned that my online application does not reflect that GRE scores were submitted.  I entered the scores on the application but the status reads “Not Received.” Why is this since I self reported the scores?

Advice/Answer: We must print each application submitted and manually check it for accuracy and completion.  As you might imagine, with thousands of applications this can take a number of weeks.  We appreciate your patience and each applicant will receive an email when the completed application has been forwarded to the Committee for review.  Rest assured that we will work with applicants if there is an issue but we feel a good faith effort was made to get all of the required documents in on time.

Respect the Deadline

Email: My name is Peter Piper and I am a prospective student applying to your MIA program.  I will have all of the elements of my application completed and submitted by the deadline except for one letter of recommendation.  I had asked one of my professors on December 19 to write a letter of recommendation for me and he responded that he would be able to do this by the deadlines that I had given him.  Yesterday I wrote reminding him of the deadline, and I received a response this morning saying that he is traveling in Wonderland and would not be able to complete the letter of recommendation until he returns to the US next week.

Advice/Answer: Make sure to communicate with those writing letters on your behalf well before the deadline.  Starting your application early is recommended because our system will allow you to send out reminders to your recommendation letter writers.  For instructions on how to send reminders, click here.

Email: I have been unable to obtain my transcripts from my undergraduate institution because I contacted them and they are closed for the holidays.  What can I do?

Advice/Answer: Applicants should contact the schools they have attended well in advance of the deadline to make sure transcripts on time.  Please respect that it can take schools some time to process transcript requests.

Document Tracking

Email: I submitted my application but mailed my transcripts.  It is one day after the deadline but my transcripts show as not received.  Please check and get back to me as soon as possible.

Advice/Answer: During the busy portion of the application process (both before and after the deadline) we are unable to respond to each individual email we receive.  We have a process in our office and part of this process is to print a file, check to see if all of the documents/information were submitted online and if not, to match documents to the file.

In order to process files as quickly as possible, we first seek to complete applications that were submitted 100% online.

If an application is incomplete after we print it, we will set it aside and seek to match related documents after we have gone through all of the applications submitted.  It is therefore in your best interest if you can submit 100% of your documents on line.  If for some reason a document was mailed, we appreciate your patience as we complete the processing of files in our office.  As soon as a file is complete, we will notify you via email.

Also note, we do not track documents submitted to our office prior to an application being submitted.  We will seek to match documents sent to our office after an application has been submitted.

Status of Recommendation Letters

Email: Can I submit my application if one of my referees has not yet uploaded their recommendation letter? I have been waiting for the letter to be uploaded before I submit and don’t want to “cut it to close.” Will my referee be able to upload their letter if my application is already submitted (even if the letter is uploaded before the deadline)?

Advice/Answer: The status of recommendation letters should not impact the submission of your application.  Recommendation letters are tracked in a different application module.  We link information in the two modules and thus submission of your application should be completed when you are ready.  Do not let the fact that recommendation letters have not been received stop you from submitting your application.

Double Check Documents Prior to Uploading

Email: My name is Ted Typo. I was checking the résumé I uploaded and realize I uploaded a draft copy with many misspellings and typos.  I know you are so busy now, but can I replace them?

Advice/Answer: There are times when we may be able to add documents to a file after the deadline, however this is not always possible. Once a file is complete and printed, it makes a journey to several Committee members.  We cannot spend our time trying to track down files once they have been sent out for reading so make sure the documents you upload are complete and correct as of the deadline.

We Accept only What We Ask For

Email: My name is Extra Effort and I submitted an on-line application yesterday. I looked for a place to upload an addendum to my application but could not find a place to do so.  Can I email it to you?

Advice/Answer: Applicants to SIPA should only submit the information we request.  If you wish to include an addendum of any kind, there are two possible places to do this.  First, we are not concerned with the length of the résumé submitted.  If you wish to include information you believe is important for the Committee to be aware of, you may include such information in your résumé.

Also, if you feel the need you can use part 3 of the personal statement to include information you wish for the Admissions Committee to be aware of.  We do not allow for the submission of any documents beyond what we ask for on the application.

If You Mail Something, Use a Tracking Number

Email: Hello, my name is Porter Postal and I mailed my transcript to your address about a week ago.  It has not been tracked yet, can you tell me if you have received it?

Advice/Answer: First, we prefer that 100% of your documents be uploaded to our application site.  If this is not possible and a document does need to be mailed, we highly recommend sending the document via a mail courier that provides a tracking number.

We can receive hundreds of documents around the deadline and it takes a great deal of time to process and track.  If you ask for a tracking number, as soon as we sign for it the courier will provide you with notice that the document has been delivered and you only need to wait for us to track the document in our system.  For a dedicated entry on this topic, click here.

Updating Application Files

Email: My name is Sally Suspense and I just learned that I won a fellowship.  I know it is 5 days after the deadline but can I send you a new résumé to show this?

Advice/Answer: Similar to the text above regarding double checking your documents before uploading them, it is not always possible to update a file once the deadline passes. Once a file is complete and printed, it makes a journey to several Committee members.  Unfortunately we cannot spend our time trying to track down files once they have been sent out for reading so while you are welcome to ask if we can update a file, understand that we might not be able to do so.

_________________

My final piece of advice in this entry is this . . .

Each year close to half of our applicants submit an application within 72 hours the deadline.  I understand human nature and that it is often common for people to wait until the last minute, but my advice is to submit your application a few days before the deadline.  Getting your application in early likely will keep you from last minute issues that have caused problems for others in the past.

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Categories : Academics, Admissions, Application Tips
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Top 10 Application Tips #5 – Submission of Documents

Posted by Columbia SIPA 
· Monday, December 6th, 2010 
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This is the fifth entry in our “Top 10″ list to assist you with understanding the process of submitting your admission application to SIPA.  This tip is closely tied to one that appeared in our other Top 10 Series focused on communicating with our office.  This important tip directly relates to the application process so I am including it in this list as well, along with some additional important insights.

I want to emphasize once again that our preference is that all applicants submit 100% of the documents and information required to apply via our web site.  In a “perfect world” if all of your information and associated documents are submitted online, they will print out in order all at one time and we can review your application for completion without having to look for documents that have been mailed.  This is the fastest and most efficient way for us to process applications.  Remember that we ask applicants to self report test scores on the application and we accept/prefer uploaded copies of transcripts.  We also encourage letters of recommendation to be submitted online.

We do understand that some applicants will have to mail transcripts or that letters of recommendation may come in via mail.  Some schools will only mail transcripts and some individuals are not comfortable with technology and wish to mail letters of recommendation.

If something does need to be mailed we highly recommend using a private mail courier.  Columbia is a huge university with one central mail room.  All “standard” mail is funneled to the main mail room and it can take a week or more for mail to be sorted and sent on to us.

By utilizing a private mail carrier the parcel will be sent directly to our office, avoiding delays.  Also, we highly recommend getting a tracking number whenever something is mailed to our office.  This way, the moment we sign for the package the courier will log delivery and you will be notified if you have signed up for email notification.

If you know that a letter or transcript will be mailed to our office, I offer the following advice – provide the recommender or school with a prepaid envelope for mailing.  For example, if a recommender tells you that s/he will not be uploading their letter, visit a mail carrier and prepay for an envelop addressed to our office with a tracking number.  Then give this envelop to the recommender or school that is going to mail the document.  This simplifies the process for the recommender or school and provides you with a tracking number so that as soon as we sign for it, you will know.

Question:  If all of my documents are not submitted online, will my application review be impacted in any way?

Answer: The answer is both yes and no to this question.  First the “No.”  How documents are submitted has no impact upon the decision the Committee makes.  So although we prefer that documents be submitted online, we do not penalize applicants in any way if a document is received by mail.

Now the “Yes.”  If documents are mailed to our office it will take us longer to track them in our system.  Again, when we complete an application has no impact on the ultimate decision, as long as all of your documents/information is submitted by the deadline.  However, if documents are mailed it will likely take us longer to complete the tracking process.  This means that you will likely have to wait longer for us to confirm that all of your documents have been received.

In summary, how documents are submitted has no impact on the admission decision, however it can impact how long it takes us to inform you that your application has been completed.

Question:  Is it okay if I mail my personal statement and résumé in addition to submitting them on line?

Answer:  No. Please upload your two résumé documents and your responses to the personal statement.  Do not send paper copies of these documents to our office.

Question:  Can I mail other documents to your office?  For example, a copy of my undergraduate thesis or a policy memo I composed?

Answer:  No. Please only submit the documents we ask for on the application site.  I know this may sound harsh, but we want treat all applicants the same and we only have roughly six weeks to review several thousand applications.

However, we do encourage applicants to list relevant skills/experience/projects in the résumé, and if this means your résumé is longer than a “typical” résumé that is fine.

So for example, if you completed a thesis would like to provide a brief synopsis in your résumé, that would be completely acceptable.  For full details on our résumé preferences, see this entry.

On a final note for this entry, even if 100% of the documents/information required to apply are submitted online, it can take us up to two weeks to send out a confirmation message stating that an application is complete.  We appreciate your patience as we work as quickly as possible to make sure all of the information submitted is readable and complete.  When a file has been certified as complete, we will send an email message.

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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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