Close to 50% of the students who enroll at SIPA each year are international students (not U.S. Citizens or Permanent Residents). For some international students the transition to New York City can be a challenging one. To help incoming international students make the adjustment to life in New York City the Columbia University International Students and Scholars Office (ISSO) provides support and assistance.
One of the things that ISSO does prior to school starting is to host a series of events on campus and around the city to help make the transition to graduate study a smooth one. There is an orientation for all new international graduate students across the university as well as a series of city tours, events, and dinners to help familiarize new students with the city and to start to develop a network of support.
To explore the events the ISSO is providing this year, please feel free to visit the ISSO activities page.
One highlight of last week was a talk by Muhammad Yunus, founder of the Grameen movement and 2006 Nobel Peace Prize recipient. He is considered a pioneer in the field of microcredit, which provides “micro” loans to the poor to serve as a catalyst for improving their socioeconomic status.
