Happy Friday!
If you are thinking about going back to school for your Master’s, specifically in international affairs or public policy/ public administration but can’t get to the Columbia campus. Join us for a one-hour online information session about the SIPA MIA & MPA programs on Wednesday, June 5th at 10:00 am EDT (New York).
To register, click here. You may also find out about future information sessions (both on campus and off campus) on our website under VISIT SIPA.
Applications for 2013-14 Interschool Fellowships are now available. To see if you may meet the eligibility criteria required to apply, please review: http://sfs.columbia.edu/grad-institutional-aid. To apply please click here. The deadline to submit your application to the SIPA Financial Aid Office is Monday, June 10th. Please contact SIPA Financial Aid at [email protected] or 212-854-6216 with questions.
At this point most prospective students have already accepted their offers. If you are an incoming student, Mazel Tov! After the long application and decision-making process I remember how good it felt to have a decision. There are still a few folks who have gotten decision extensions or who have (against protocol and inter-institutional agreement) put down deposits at more than one school. Here are a couple of tips to help make it easier to decide:
Go where your heart is. I know that is an extremely cheesy thing to say and I of all people am not sentimental about grad school, but you should go where you feel you belong. Sure SIPA has superior faculty, the largest course selection, Ivy League name recognition and access to the resources of New York City, but we want people here who will take advantage of these things. If (what I somewhat biasedly would deem) the obvious superiority of SIPA doesn’t do it for you the last thing we want is for you to come here and be unhappy. On the flip side, if you feel SIPA is the right place for you but external pressures like family or a slight difference in funding are making you hesitate, I would encourage you to bite the bullet and come to Columbia. I will tell you that I am financing my entire SIPA education myself, save for my job in the admissions office, and I have not regretted it for one moment.
Plan your life here. Go on our course catalog and compare it to others. What classes would you take? What skills do you need to propel you forward? What kind of clubs would you join? Where do you want to go home to an apartment at night? What special programs stand out that you would like to take advantage of? You can check out career service histories and see where students have gotten internships. Envision your full life, academic, social, extracurricular at both schools and see which future feels brightest to you.
Talk to current students. I talked to students at the two schools I was deciding between when I chose SIPA and it was a huge part of what sealed the deal for why I’m here. I am AT the admissions office and I would love to talk to you about my SIPA experience, the good, the bad and the ugly. Seriously I have a lot of work study hours to work off and it beats the heck out of filing things. I have seen a lot of rumors floating around about our accepted students’ google group, some of which I can corroborate and most of which I can dispel. I sincerely think that SIPA is the best foreign policy education you can get and will provide you with the most opportunity, but I also recognize that it’s not the best fit for everyone and I promise to be very honest in talking that through with you. You can email [email protected] to find a time to coordinate with a current student or you can just call the office, we are around most days.
However you make your decision, it is important that you make it soon. Schools are waiting on decisions about funding so that they can make sure scholarships are allocated to students who truly want to be here. You also will need to start looking for apartments, filling out your FAFSA and planning your move for this exciting next chapter! When it comes to choosing between top tier public policy schools there is no bad decisions. (There are only better decisions, and that’s SIPA.)
In all sincerity promising to give you my unbiased opinions if you call,
Nancy
If you are an international student (or will be), you may be faced with some challenges in identifying funding sources available for studying in the US. But each year, approximately half of SIPA’s students are international, and each of them has found their own way to meet the costs associated with furthering their education overseas.
As you are probably aware, SIPA offers a number of scholarships for first year students, and scholarships and assistantships for students in their second year of study. All of these awards are available to international students. All applicants for admission are automatically considered for funding during their first year, and all interested students should apply for second year funding during the application period (typically early in the spring semester). Some international students borrow students loans from private lenders while studying here (loans from the US Government are not available to international students). For more information and a list of lenders that international students at Columbia University have had success with, click here. Please note lenders require international students to have a US citizen or permanent resident as a co-signer.
We certainly recommend that students thoroughly investigate all forms of assistance from government or private sources in their own countries. Many international students at SIPA have been supported by their governments, employers or other agencies while studying here. There are also resources available from entities in the United States and elsewhere that may be helpful, and we have compiled a list of websites that contain information that may be of use to international students seeking funding:
http://www.foreignborn.com/study_in_us/8-paying4school.htm
http://www.intlstudent.org/scholarships.html
http://scholarships.berkeley.edu/main_content/schol_details/pdf/int_student_opportunities.pdf
http://www.edupass.org/finaid/
http://www.fundingusstudy.org/StateSearch.asp
SIPA’s Financial Aid Office also has a database of external funding opportunities; although it is not specifically for international students (and admittedly has some dead links that we will soon be in the process of cleaning up as SIPA transitions to a new website), we encourage you to visit that site as well. Click here for details.
Applying for financial aid doesn’t involve too many steps.
Some of you may want to consider financing part of your costs through student loans or work study. If so, you will need to complete the 2013/14 Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly known as the FAFSA. To do so, go to www.fafsa.gov. The information collected on the FAFSA will be used by the SIPA Financial Aid Office to determine your eligibility for student loans available from the federal government and possible work study jobs.
If you completed the FAFSA as an undergraduate, you’ll be familiar with the process, although as a graduate student, no parental information is necessary. If you have a PIN number that you used as an undergraduate, use the same one. If have never completed a FAFSA before, you will need a PIN in order to complete the FAFSA; you must go to www.pin.ed.gov, which is linked from www.fafsa.gov.
When you complete the FAFSA, designate Columbia University as the recipient with our school code number, 002707, in Step 6 of the FAFSA.
Do not wait until you have received an admission decision to complete your FAFSA. While there is no absolute deadline approaching, you should complete the FAFSA as soon as possible; we recommend that you do so by March 1 for a timely review. Also be aware that this is an annual form, and you will need to complete the 2014/15 FAFSA for your second year should you wish to borrow or be considered for a work study position. If you are only interested in SIPA scholarships or assistantships and do not wish to borrow loans, you do not need to complete the FAFSA.
The FAFSA is a lengthy form that collects a lot of information. If you are completing the FAFSA for the first time, it can be confusing. If you have any questions or need any assistance, contact us at 212-854-6216 or email us at [email protected].
Note: Do not complete a FAFSA if you are an international student; it is only used to determine eligibility for student loans and Work Study available to US citizens, permanent residents and political refugees.
"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
Office of Admissions & Financial Aid
514 West 113th Street, New York, NY 10025
Main: 212.854-6216
Fax: 212.854.3010
[email protected]
[email protected]