Archive for Application Tips – Page 61

2011 Application Process Notes

Posted by Columbia SIPA 
· Monday, July 5th, 2010 
· No Comments

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.

No Comments
Categories : Admissions, Application Tips
Tags : , , , ,

The New GRE

Posted by Columbia SIPA 
· Wednesday, June 30th, 2010 
· No Comments

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.

__________________________

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:

___________________________

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.

___________________________

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.

No Comments
Categories : Admissions, Application Tips
Tags : ,

Spring 2011 and Fall 2011 Application Notes

Posted by Columbia SIPA 
· Friday, June 18th, 2010 
· No Comments

For those interested in applying to SIPA for coursework beginning in 2011, please note that our goal is to have the new application live on August 15th.  The deadline for spring 2011 consideration will be October 1st and the deadline for fall 2011 consideration will be January 5th.

Each summer we make some technical changes to the application as well as review the content of the application.  The Admissions Committee begins a series of meetings each June.  In these meetings we discuss everything from the review process to the questions or topics applicants will be asked to respond to on the application.  I am confident based on how the review process went  last year that the bulk of what we ask applicants to submit will be the same.  I am also confident that we will not be asking applicants to respond to the same essay questions/topics.

Although the application will not be live until August 15th,  I will provide updates throughout the summer on this blog.  For example, as soon as the committee determines what applicants will be asked to write on, I will make sure to post the information on the blog.

I would recommend that interested applicants review what we asked for last year.  You can review everything we asked for by clicking here.  There should be no major changes in our asking applicants to submit the application, fee, three recommendations, two résumés, transcripts, a personal statement composed of one or several questions/topics, and appropriate test scores.

It is entirely possible to start working on your application now by ordering transcripts, starting on your résumés, making contact with recommenders, and studying for appropriate tests (GRE, GMAT, TOEFL).  I will provide further guidance on the personal statement at a later time, but sufficed to say, it should incorporate what you wish to do in the future and how you see SIPA playing a role in your development.

No Comments
Categories : Admissions, Application Tips
Tags : , , ,

Upcoming Recruitment Events

Posted by Columbia SIPA 
· Wednesday, June 9th, 2010 
· No Comments

For prospective students there are a few opportunities next week to learn more about the MIA and MPA programs at SIPA.  As a follow up to a post from last week, SIPA will be participating in a group recruitment session with four other schools in Washington, D.C.  on Thursday, June 17th.  Those interested in attending must register and details can be found by clicking here.

SIPA will also be participating in two Idealist.org graduate school fairs.  Click on the links below for more information.  We hope to see you if you can make it.

New York City Idealist.org Graduate School Fair – June 15th from 5:00 to 8:00 P.M. at Fordham University

Washington, D.C. Idealist.org Graduate School Fair – June 16th from 5:00 to 8:00 P.M. at American University

No Comments
Categories : Admissions, Application Tips, News
Tags :

Different Scenery, Same Speed

Posted by Columbia SIPA 
· Thursday, May 13th, 2010 
· No Comments

I was asked today by a colleague if things were slowing down in the office.  I took a pause and thought about it, and responded by saying, “It’s still busy, just a different kind of busy.”  For me the entire year feels as if I am in a car traveling at the same speed, or in may case I really should say on a bike traveling at the same speed,  it is just that the scenery is constantly changing.

We definitely have seasons in the admissions office and although I am not spending hour after hour reading and deliberating on files, I am working on finalizing the fall class, preparing summer communications, ushering out our graduates, setting up summer and fall travel, and preparing to update our admission application for next year.  On top of that is the normal slew of end of year reports and wrapping up the fiscal year as well.  Anyway . . .

I just wanted to provide a quick update since the deposit deadline passed on May 3 and the proverbial dust is beginning to settle.  Our enrollment deposits are where I had hoped they would be and the Committee will not be making any more offers at the present time.  Each summer we do experience what is commonly called “melt” by admission directors.  This means applicants that have paid a deposit inform us that for some reason they will have to relinquish their seat in the fall class.  This may open up seats and I did recently send an email to those on the waitlist asking if they wished to continue to remain on the waitlist.  I will continue to send out updates to those on the waitlist as more information becomes available.

One topic that has been flooding our mailbox concerns the receipt of official transcripts and test scores.  We do not really start checking fastidiously for these documents until after the deposit deadline – the theory being that we do not need to be checking for documents for applicants that will not be enrolling.  Now that the deposit deadline has passed we are putting more effort into this process, however the staff member that directs this process is on leave and we are trying to organize ourselves to attack this process.

If you indicated our code when taking the GRE, GMAT, or TOEFL you should not worry.  We receive these records electronically but we have yet to import the majority of them into our system.  We  are working on this process now and it is going to take us a bit of time to track the scores as official.

As far as transcripts, we will be going through each individual file to double check, but if you did not send your original transcripts and have not ordered them yet, you should.  We do understand that some applicants will not have access to official transcripts until after the June 15 date we have specified for receipt in our office.  This is obviously understandable.  If you are in this situation, see to it that they are mailed as soon as possible after you complete your program.

Regarding both the transcripts and test scores, to be honest, there is no magic associated with the June 15 date.  The reality is that we need to set a date and that is the date we chose to ensure that we have the maximum amount of time to match the documents to the file to ensure that information was accurately reported when the application was submitted.  If documents are slightly late it is not a problem because we will still have time to finalize everything before classes start.  We appreciate your efforts to get things in by the June 15 deadline, but at the same time we are willing to work with those that face exceptional circumstances.

I thank you in advance for your patience and please do not panic or worry.  We will do our best to work as quickly as possible and we will also be forgiving if documents come to us late or are loaded in the system late.  The important thing is that you file is in order when classes start and we have a bit of time after June 15 to make sure everything is official and approved.  If you do need to send transcripts, here is the address to use:

Columbia University – SIPA

Office of Admissions

420 West 118th Street, Room 408

New York, NY  10027

No Comments
Categories : Admissions, Application Tips
Tags :
« Previous Page
Next Page »

"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

Boiler Image