March :: 2011 :: Page 4 :: COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY

Archive for March 2011 – Page 4

$22,500 Conflict Resolution Fellowship

Posted by Matt Clemons

· Thursday, March 10th, 2011

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I will have another update on the release of decisions soon, but I thought I would take a minor break on “decision only” entries and offer something for admitted candidates to consider. I will note that just as the decisions that have already been released belong to the three categories (admitted, waitlist, not admitted) the decisions yet to be released will also include these three categories.

I am excited to share the following scholarship information partly because an admitted student to SIPA in the past was selected as a recipient. Details of the fellowship along with the link to the application page are below.

The Empedocle Maffia Fellowship (EM Fellowship) for Masters students will be awarded to two graduate students from the School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA) at Columbia University who have demonstrated excellence in the fields of conflict prevention, conflict resolution, post-conflict reconstruction, sustainable development, natural resource management, security and the global environment.

The EM Fellowship is designed to foster new scholarly experts in the following countries or regions: Italy, the Balkans, Iraq, Afghanistan, Peru, Colombia, China, the Middle East and North Africa; therefore, preference will be given to applicants from these countries and regions.

The EM Fellowship is open to incoming and current (first-year) SIPA students; it is awarded for two, consecutive semesters. Selected EM Fellows will be expected to undertake 10-15 hours of work per week at CICR. The work will involve supporting CICR generally – especially in terms of events and communications – and supporting aspects of The Fund for Global Environment and Conflict Resolution, specifically as it relates to research and events concerning:

Fragile states and the field of conflict prevention – specifically in China, the Middle East and North Africa with respect to conflicts or potential conflicts fuelled by natural resources, deforestation, and the role of renewable energy within these frameworks;
Conflict resolution and post-conflict reconstruction – specifically the Balkans, Iraq, Afghanistan, Peru and Colombia, looking specifically at environmental solutions and sustainable development policies;
International security and climate change, in general, taking into consideration the impact of the current financial crisis and potential consequences on the field, with particular attention on water scarcity.

The Fellows will be awarded $9,000 toward their university fees each semester and a stipend of $500 per month over the course of the academic year (nine months).

All applicants should submit their candidature by April 15, 2011. The decision will be undertaken by a selection committee at CICR, and will be announced in July. All decisions are final, and applications received after the April 15, 2011 deadline will not be accepted.

For more information and details on how to apply please click here.

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Categories : Paying for SIPA

Tags : conflict resolution, fellowship, Financial Aid, scholarship

Decision Follow Up Notes

Posted by Matt Clemons

· Tuesday, March 8th, 2011

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A few questions have come in since we started to release decisions yesterday and I wanted to take an entry to address some of the common inquiries. Many of the questions have had to do with whether the decisions we sent out in the first batch were limited to a particular category of admission status. The answer to this question is both yes and no.

The first batch of decisions we sent out included MIA and MPA applicants from all three categories that I commented on in recent posts: waitlist candidates, admitted candidates, and candidates not admitted to the program. It is true however that the Admissions Committee is still meeting to discuss scholarship offers and thus the first batch of decisions did not include any candidates offered a first-year scholarship award.

I should also note that no MPA-DP decisions have been posted yet. The Committee that reviews MPA-DP candidates is still meeting but decisions should go out very soon.

Related to the topic of scholarships, some have asked how we will notify candidates that applied for the International Fellows Program (IFP) if they were selected. If a candidate has been chosen as an International Fellow this information will be included in the admission letter. To say it another way, if no information about the IFP program is present in the admission letter this means a candidate has not been chosen for the program.

Some questions asked were also about whether the decisions sent in the first batch were related to country of origin or citizenship. The answer to that question is no. The decisions we sent or will send in the future are not divided by country of origin or citizenship.

The question was also posed of whether decisions are released in alphabetical order. The answer to that is most definitely no.

For those waiting, I know it is hard, but again our process is a bit complex and the availability of Committee members has a direct impact on how fast we can make final decisions. We appreciate your patience as we work as quickly as we are able to make final decisions. When decisions are made we will post them to the system and an email will be sent to the email address listed on the application.

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Categories : Admissions

Tags : Application, decision, waitlist

Admission Decisions Update – Read Carefully

Posted by Columbia SIPA

· Monday, March 7th, 2011

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As the title of this entry indicates, I hope you will read this message carefully as I explain where we are in the application review process. My goal is to answer questions you might have, assuage any fears, and give you the detailed information you need regarding the release of decisions.

First, as I have stated before on the blog, we do not publish all of our admission decisions on a single day. We would love to be able to publish all decisions at the same time, however the structure of our Committee and the coordination involved causes us to spend more time on some applications than others. How long it takes to review a file is largely dependent upon scheduling and coordination among the Committee members and it should not be a cause of concern if you have to wait longer than some other individuals to receive a decision.

I know this is easy for me to say since I am not the one waiting to receive a decision, however because of the coordination required, neither I nor my staff can tell you the exact date when you will receive your decision. Our goal is to release decisions as soon as possible, but if you email or call with this question, our answer will be that we are working as quickly as we are able and you will be notified by email once a decision has been posted.

I am happy to share that the Committee has finalized decisions for approximately 65% of those in the applicant pool.

Decisions for this group will be posted between 6:00 PM and 7:00 PM today (New York City Time) – March 7th.

As stated in a recent post, you will know that your decision is ready to view when you receive an email with the following subject heading: SIPA Admissions Decision Notification

The process of releasing decisions can now be described as “rolling” in the sense that as decisions are finalized and approved by the Committee, we will post them and send out email notifications each day. There will be no standard time window like the one mentioned above, the emails will be sent based on when decisions are posted and ready. As hard as it is to wait, we kindly ask for your patience as we work as quickly as we are able.

If your admission decision is favorable, I ask that you pay special attention to the Welcome Page that is referenced in the admission letter. Admitted applicants are likely to have many, many questions and the purpose of the Welcome Page is to provide answers.

The Welcome Page contains information on a variety of topics including, but not limited to: housing, Admitted Student Day, Orientation, visa processing for international students, and happy hours/events taking place for admitted candidates in various cities around the world.

Thank you for your attention and we look forward to rolling decisions out as they are finalized.

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Categories : Application Tips

Tags : Application, application tips, decision

Feedburner Update

Posted by Columbia SIPA

· Saturday, March 5th, 2011

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It has come to my attention that we have experienced some issues recently with our Feedburner service. If in the past you have entered your email over there on the right in the box with “Subscribe” written beneath it you should receive an automated email letting you know when a post has been added to the blog. Although we have been posting almost every day on the blog, the emails noting such stopped going out recently.

The “back end” of this blog is handled by a centralized department and sometimes upgrades are made that impact functionality. I was recently made aware of this issue and have been told that service should be restored soon. In the meantime, those who have applied are likely checking the blog on a daily basis to learn more about when decisions will be released. I would encourage you to continue to do so. Decisions have not started to go out yet, but when they do you can count on this blog for details.

The topic of emails and admission decisions has come up recently when more than one candidate has expressed that their heart skips a beat each time an email from SIPA is received (thinking that the email will be related to their decision). The last thing I want candidates to do is suffer in this way and I can let you know exactly what you can expect in terms of an email subject heading when your decision has been published on the application site for you to view.

The email noting that your decision has been posted will still come from [email protected] (like most of our emails) but the subject heading will be:

SIPA Admissions Decision Notification

So, any other email you receive could be considered general business and there is no need for any heart skipping. Thank you for your patience as we do our best to communicate clearly all of the aspects of the admission review process.

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Categories : Admissions, Application Tips

Tags : application tips, decision letter, decision notification

Borrowing Part 3 – International Students

Posted by Matt Clemons

· Friday, March 4th, 2011

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The following post is part of a three part series written by a member of the admissions and financial aid staff, Colin Sullivan.

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If students from overseas (or across great lands) require additional funding to supplement any fellowships, sponsorships, or grants they may receive, they can apply for the very same private loans as their American compatriots, but they must have a US citizen or permanent resident willing to cosign.

We also advise that our international students contact banks in their home countries to research the possibility of education or personal loan opportunities to help cover the full cost of attendance. Something as simple as a Google search with various applicable keywords (i.e., “student”, “loan”, “international”, etc) can often yield a deep well from which you can siphon exactly the type of financing you may require.

International Applicant Frequently Asked Questions:

Question: I’m an international applicant. Can SIPA or any SIPA employees cosign on my private education loan for me, or can Columbia University provide me with a cosigner?

Answer: SIPA cannot serve as a cosigner on any loans, nor can we refer a cosigner. A cosigner should primarily be an individual with whom you share a personal relationship, and someone who would be willing to assume responsibility for the loan should you become unable to pay.

Question: I’m an international applicant, and my uncle is a wealthy banker in my home country. Would he be able to cosign on my loan?

Answer: Unfortunately at this time, US private education lending institutions require that either a US citizen or permanent resident cosign on your loan, with no exceptions.

Question: Would I be able to use my personal assets as collateral in the absence of a US cosigner?

Answer: At one time, private education loan lenders were willing to accept collateral, but due to the recent “credit crunch” in the US, they have since discontinued this practice. However, a bank in your home country may be able to provide funding for you in a similar manner.

Question: I have been unable to find a cosigner. Is there any additional financial aid available to me, and does SIPA offer any school-originated loans or financing that I can utilize?

Answer: At this time, Columbia University offers no such programs for either domestic or international students, as we do not operate as a lender.

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Categories : Paying for SIPA

Tags : borrowing, Financial Aid, loans