Next week I will be traveling to colleges and universities throughout New York State to speak with students about our programs. Four other schools will also be at these information sessions. You can register for one of these events by visiting our registration page.
This is the fifth entry in our “Top 10″ list for you to consider when communicating with our office and applying.
Number 5 – When leaving a voice mail message speak slowly, clearly, and state your telephone number twice.
As much as we would like to answer every call someone makes to our office, sometimes all of our lines are in use and you will be put through to voice mail. Sometimes there is static or background noise when leaving your message and we may not be able to clearly hear your message.
Speaking slowly and stating your telephone number twice will help ensure that we can get back you. Our recommendation is actually to email our office rather than leave a voice mail. We can check email much more quickly and can provide very detailed information in email messages. And we do not have to worry about time zones (see bonus tip below).
Also, if you are a current or incoming student, please give all identifying information, especially your University ID (UNI) or CUID. It is difficult to follow up on a financial aid query that is specific to you without this information.
It is also helpful to compile a list of questions prior to calling our office and after checking the Web site. We can work with you to answer all of your questions but the process is often more streamlined if you know beforehand what information you are looking for.
Bonus Tip: If leaving a voice mail message, also state your city and country (for time zone purposes). We get applications from over 100 countries each year and people call from all over the world. Stating your location will assist us, however this is another reason we recommend email – we can respond any time and possibly will not wake you when calling at what may be business hours for us, and sleeping hours for you.
This is the fourth entry in our “Top 10″ list for you to consider when communicating with our office and applying.
Number 4 – Thoroughly review our FAQ Page
When it doubt about something my recommendation is first to check out our admission FAQ page. Don’t get me wrong, we love to answer email and help people out, but we also feel bad when we get backlogged and are not able to respond within the time frame we would like, and the question is clearly answered on the FAQ page.
Thus it is a great idea to familiarize yourself with the FAQ page. I recommend setting aside some time to try and read the whole page in one sitting. Also, we try to update the FAQ page frequently. If we find that lots of people have the same question, we try to add it to the FAQ page. Thus don’t be surprised if we direct you to the FAQ page when you email us with a question.
While we do answer all emails sent to our office, you might find the answer more quickly if you perform some quick searches (CTRL-F in most browsers) on the FAQ page.
This is the second entry in our “Top 10″ list for you to consider when communicating with our office and applying.
Number 2 – Avoid Creating a Duplicate Online Application
It is bound to happen, you are going to create an online application and somewhere along the line you are going to lose the user name or password. Please do not follow the temptation to simply create a new application. Having multiple applications in the system can lead to problems with tracking documents.
Perhaps you have one “active” application in the system and one that is “hibernating” (you lost the user name or password) and will never be used. Our office does not know which is the “real” application and this may lead to our office tracking different documents to different applications and therefore neither of the applications may reach complete status. Please contact technical support (see instructions on the application site) if you lose your user name or password and do not succumb to the temptation to create a new application.
There is one important footnote. In some cases SIPA does allow for applications to more than one program. In this case, applicants will want to create more than one application in the online system and inform our office that they are applying to two different programs by sending an email to [email protected]. Here are some important details. In examples 2 and 3 below, the same application system is used, but two separate applications must be created.
1. An applicant may not apply to both the MIA and MPA program.
2. An applicant may apply to the MIA or the MPA and to any of the following programs: PEPM, PESP, MPA-DP, EMPA.
3. Applicants can also apply for either the MIA or MPA and any one of the international dual degree programs listed here: an MPA with the London School of Economics, an MPA with Sciences Po, an MPP with Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, an MPP with the Hertie School of Governance.
4. The dual degree MIA program with Sciences Po requires that an application be submitted only through the Sciences Po application site. If an applicant wishes to apply for the dual MIA degree with Sciences Po and to SIPA, that is fine and would require two applications: 1) one for the dual degree program through the Sciences Po Web site 2) One for the stand alone program at SIPA through our online system.
For details on all of our international dual degree programs, visit our international dual degree page. If applying to a Columbia University dual degree program, you must submit separate applications to each school. For a list of Columbia dual degree programs click here.
"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
