Well, as proof that the Internet moves quickly, right after I posted about a Facebook group started by a new student and started promoting it, I was informed that another admitted applicant had already started a group and it has accumulated over 150 members already.
So, it appears that it would be a more wise course of action to visit this Facebook Group page instead.
Carry on.
There are many communication channels available to incoming students and after some deliberation I am passing on yet another. In the digital world there are lots of opportunities to network and share information, and as a reminder we definitely want admitted applicants to be checking this blog and the admitted student message board. Also please pay attention to email messages from our office. We will be communicating very important information through these channels.
However, an enterprising admitted applicant contacted us letting us know he created a Facebook Group for newly admitted students and asked if we would help to promote it as a networking tool. We know that Facebook is a very useful tool and thus we offer encouragement for those interested to join. Click here for a link to the Columbia SIPA 2012 Facebook Group.
I keep telling myself that one day I am going to take a photography class. I have always enjoyed taking photos, and my enjoyment spiked with the digital camera revolution that took place a few years back. I still remember the days of dropping my canisters of film off and coming back a few days later to pick up the physical photos. This includes when I lived in Korea, before the digital camera became mainstream, and before the Internet became mainstream for that matter, and I would develop the photos to send them home to my family. And yes, the walk to the photo lab was uphill both ways too, in a driving monsoon or snowstorm depending on the season.
This has obviously all changed and now we possess the ability to send pictures to relatives and friends around the world mere seconds after we take them. I cannot actually remember the last time I had a photograph developed at a traditional photo lab.
Each year students from close to 100 different countries enroll at SIPA. I thought that a good way to spice the blog up over the summer would be to welcome photo submissions from our incoming students. The photos can be related to anything you wish. Travel photos, artistic photos, event photos, family and friends photos . . . anything you wish to share. I will then post them to this blog for all to enjoy.
I have Photoshop so I can re-size the photos as necessary so you don’t have to worry about size. So if you are an incoming student and you want to participate, simply send along your photos to this address: [email protected]. Do note that it can take a while for us to post them so we appreciate your patience.
Please include the following:
I’ll get the process started with a few of my own. This photo was taken in the summer of 1994 in Pusan, South Korea. I liked the juxtaposition of the modern, plastic, corporate icon Ronald McDonald and the older gentleman in traditional Korea garb.
This picture was taken in the 50th Street Subway station of the A-C-E line in Manhattan in October of 2004. For a period of months I did a series on discarded coffee cups around the city. I entitled this one, “Separation Anxiety.”
This is not a picture I took, but rather a picture taken of me a few years ago. When I am not reading admission applications sometimes I like to test gravity. The older I get, the more gravity exerts its dominance over me but it is fun to keep trying.
Hopefully this gives you incoming students out there some inspiration and I look forward to receiving your photos so I can post them to the blog for all to see. Once again, send them to [email protected] with the details listed above.
I just wanted to let admitted students know that we have been working hard to start our summer communication series but getting everyone together at the end of a busy school year has been a challenge.
We are extremely close to distributing summer math tutorial information so please hang tight and we will have the information for you soon. I will post a message here when it is ready and you can expect to receive an email as well if you are an admitted student that has paid your deposit.
We are also dedicating more time to tracking official test scores and transcripts and as I have stated before, we will be flexible with the stated June 15th deadline. Test scores come to us in encrypted files and now that we have passed the enrollment deadline and graduation we are now beginning to unlock the majority of the files for importing into our system.
Thank you always for your patience.
So far on the admitted student Message Board people are interested in meeting up in the following places. Be sure to check the board for these opportunities and more over time. Also, do not hesitate to post your own places to possibly meet up this summer.
"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
