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2011 Application Process Notes

Posted by Columbia SIPA

· Monday, July 5th, 2010

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I wanted to take a moment to provide some insight to those that plan on applying for a future semester. While it is possible to log in to our application at the current time to create an account, it is not yet possible to apply for the spring 2011 or fall 2011 semesters. Our goal is to have the application live and running by August 15th. I will keep you updated on our progress on this blog.

At this point we recommend that you wait to log in to create an account as we will be making some changes to the application in July and August. It is fine if you have already created an account, however after the new application goes up you will want to make sure to start at the beginning of the application and review any information you filled in as some of the required fields might change.

The deadline for spring 2011 admission will be October 1st and the deadline for fall 2011 admission will be January 5th.

We will be taking the application down for a few weeks to implement the technical changes for the coming year. This will likely occur during the first two weeks of August so we can test the system. Our changes should not stop you from starting to work on your application materials. Many of things we ask for will remain constant. For example:

We will still require transcripts from all schools attended since graduating from high school. Thus you can start accumulating copies of your transcripts for submission. We do allow applicants to scan copies and upload them to our application site. This is the recommended method.

We will still require two résumés. A full description of this requirement can be found by clicking here.

We will still require either the GRE or the GMAT, and for those that speak English as a second language, the TOEFL or IELTS.

We will still require three recommendations. These should be academic or professional, in other words, individuals that have supervised you in the classroom or in the work place.

We will most likely be making some changes to the personal statement so that is something at this point in time that is not decided. The Admissions Committee hopes to have the final questions/statements ready by the end of July and I will post them to this site as soon as they are finalized.

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Categories : Admissions, Application Tips

Tags : Application, application tips, deadline, resume, test scores

New Student Photo Series 2010 – Entry #11

Posted by Matt Clemons

· Friday, July 2nd, 2010

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I continue to be amazed by the photos submitted by incoming students. They are fabulous and I would love to continue to post pictures all the way up to Orientation. So dig through your archives you incoming students and send us your pictures as described here.

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The first photos were submitted by Jennifer Wilmore, an incoming MIA student.

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Mursi Boy – This photo was taken in 2009 near a Mursi village in the Omo valley of southwestern Ethiopia. Just as I was leaving, the boy in the foreground asked me to take his picture. I think it turned out to be an interesting shot because beyond the boy’s face in the mirror you can also see the reflection of a woman whose lower lip is cut in order to wear the pottery lip-plate characteristic of Mursi women.

Boys in Window – This photo was taken in 2008 during play time at a primary school in the Pallisa district of northeastern Uganda.

“Me in Kichwamba” – My friend took this photo of me in 2009 during a visit to a primary school in the village of Kichwamba in the mountains of western Uganda.

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The second set of pictures was submitted by Fabian Suwanprateep, see below for details on degree program.

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Attached three pictures which I have taken during my internship with the UN World Food Programme in 2007/2008 in Madagascar. I am German-Thai dual degree student from the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy and I am will do my MIA at SIPA.

Little boy: in Madagascar’s capital Antananarivo, malnourished children receive food aid in a supplementary feeding center.

Group of villagers: In Manakara, a group of people who participate in the “Food for Work” project are gathering at a food distribution side to receive their rations.

Old Couple: I took this picture in Tangainony, at the South East coast of Madagascar. The people in this remote town are facing tuberculosis and leprosy. Supplementary to government sponsored medical treatment, WFP is providing them with food aid.

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Categories : Admissions, Columbia University

Tags : art, culture, photography, Travel

New Student Photo Series 2010 – Entry #10

Posted by Matt Clemons

· Thursday, July 1st, 2010

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Thank you to all of the new students that have been sending in photos. I know that I really enjoy learning more about those that will join us very soon. For new students that want to contribute, please see this entry for instructions on how to submit your own photos for posting.

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The first set of photos was contributed by Marcelo Ballvé, an incoming dual degree student (MPA) spending the first year at SIPA and the second year at FGV-EAESP-São Paulo.

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The first photo was taken in Tegucigalpa, Honduras last year during protests following the June 2009 coup that ousted President Manuel Zelaya. I was there as a reporter, so I spent a lot of time mingling with protesters in the streets. I thought this shot conveyed the intense mix political engagement and anxiety Hondurans were experiencing at the time. The fellow to the right is trying on a homemade gas mask, since many protests were being dispersed with tear gas.

I was in Tegucigalpa to cover the politics, but also happened to be present when Honduras qualified for the World Cup. Once the game ended, the politically divided country briefly came together in a spontaneous outburst of joy. I had left my hotel to see the celebrations and was standing on a corner below a street light when this kid began twirling his shirt around.

The last photo was taken in Santiago, Cuba, right around the time of the 50th anniversary of the Cuban Revolution early in 2009. Santiago is the city in far-eastern Cuba where rebels began their cross-country blitz to take control of the island in the first days of 1959. Now the city is as frozen in time as the rest of the island, but the “ciudad rebelde” hosted Raúl Castro’s anniversary commemoration.

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The second set of photos come from Madeline Knaup, an incoming MIA student.

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Madrid, Spain: The church of San Antón, a patron saint of animals, celebrates “Las Fiestas de San Antón” where people bring their pets from all over the region to have them blessed.

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Categories : Admissions, Columbia University

Tags : art, culture, photography, Travel

The New GRE

Posted by Columbia SIPA

· Wednesday, June 30th, 2010

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A reader adroitly pointed out that in my original post I mentioned 2010 below, when in actuality the changes will be made in 2011. This does not change our policy of accepting unofficial scores for admission consideration.

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If you have not heard yet, the Educational Testing Service (ETS) is making some changes to the GRE test and to the scoring system in the near future. The changes will go into effect in August 1st, 2011. For applicants to SIPA there are a few important pieces of information to consider.

First let me state that SIPA does allow applicants to submit unofficial scores achieved on the GRE on the admission application. Let me repeat, we do not have to have an official score report on file by the admission deadline. We are fine with applicants self reporting their GRE scores by the admission deadline. If an applicant is admitted to SIPA, we then will ask that official scores be sent to us. We do recommend that you include our score code when taking the GRE, it is 2161. We need the official scores for your permanent academic record if you are admitted and decide to enroll.

Second, SIPA will take either the new or old GRE scores, as long as the scores are less than five years old.

Third, for an application to be complete, we need both the scores and percentages for each section of the test (verbal, quantitative, and analytical writing). Each score and percentage must be entered in order to submit your application. We do not require a GRE subject test.

Fourth, we also accept GMAT scores and the same applies. We need both the scores and percentages achieved self reported on the admission application by the deadline and the scores can be no more than five years old.

So as long as you are able to receive your unofficial GRE or GMAT scores by the admission deadline you can meet our application requirements.

The following text appears on the ETS Web site in the FAQ section:

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Can I view scores online?

Yes. You can now view your scores online free of charge. You will need to create or have a My GRE Account to use this service.

For computer-based General Test takers, the View Scores Online service is available approximately 15 days after your test date.
For paper-based General Test takers, the View Scores Online service is available approximately six weeks after your test date.

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For applicants applying for spring admission the deadline is October 1st. Therefore, if you have not taken the GRE and plan on doing so in the future, it is important that you give yourself enough time to get your scores and self report them on your admission application. The fall 2011 admission deadline is January 5, 2011.

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Categories : Admissions, Application Tips

Tags : application tips, standardized tests

New Student Photo Series 2010 – Entry #9

Posted by Matt Clemons

· Monday, June 28th, 2010

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Thank you to all of the new students that have been sending in photos. It can take me a bit to catch up as they come in so thanks for your patience. For new students that want to contribute, please see this entry for instructions.

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The first set of photos were submitted by Fabiano Silva, an incoming MIA student.

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All pictures were taken this year at Unini River (1˚ 40’ 25.80’’ S, 61˚ 31’ 35.25’’ W / Amazonas State), a tributary of the Rio Negro in the Brazilian Amazon rainforest. Rio Negro is not only the largest black water river basin in the world but also one of the most biodiverse places in the planet. I have been working in the region for 5 years with social-economic development projects and these are some of the great moments I would like to share with my SIPA colleagues.

UapéAçu is a research boat from Fundação Vitória Amazonica, the place I work at. It’s our home during the 20 to 30 day expeditions we go on every 2 or 3 months. This picture was taken at Floresta 2 community in Jaú National Park.

While I was distracting kids away from a meeting about Community based Tourism at Lago das Pombas Community in Jaú National Park.

This was a night meeting with community leaders at Patauá Community in Unini Multiple-use Extractive Reserve. We were working on a participatory tourism diagnosis in order to plan community based initiatives and income generation projects.

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The second set of photos come from Michelle Chahine, an incoming MIA student.

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I’ll be starting the MIA program in the fall, most likely concentrating in Urban and Social Policy and definitely specializing in International Media, Advocacy and Communications. Below are descriptions of the photos that match the titles of the files attached.

I took these photos in 2007 and 2008, right around the big shift to digital, with a film camera and developed them in a dark room. I scanned them recently to share them online.

Carving Cedar: This photograph was taken near the Cedars Forest in the mountains of Lebanon. Locals in villages near the Cedars Nature Reserves and mountain resort carve cedar wood, that can be up to 2000 years old, and sell their crafts at stands. The logs they carve have usually fallen naturally or were trimmed strategically. No trees are cut down anymore.

Fifth Avenue: I took this photograph on Fifth Avenue. I love the contrast of the old and the new in Manhattan.

The Women of New York City 3: During a trip to New York City, I photographed the extravagant window displays on Fifth Avenue and at Macy’s. I titled the series “The Women of New York City.” This is my favorite one.