Archive for application tips – Page 44

Go Live Date for Admission Application

I wanted to take an entry to provide a quick update regarding our spring 2011 and fall 2011 application for admission.  It was our goal to have the application live by August 15th, however we still have some testing that we need to complete this coming Monday so the “go live” date will be August 17th.

This slight delay in filling out the application should not delay you in learning about the requirements to apply. We have posted all of the details regarding what is required on this web site:

http://sipa.columbia.edu/resources_services/admissions/apply.html

You may get started on your responses to the personal statement topics/questions and compose the two required resume documents because you will be uploading these documents to your application. You can also start on requesting transcripts, contacting those that you will ask to write letters of recommendation, and study for the necessary standardized exams if you have not already taken them.

The process of filling out the application itself is relatively simple and should take no more than an hour, so it is not the “hard part.”  Filling out the application is easy and when it is live and ready to go I will post another announcement.

Thank you.

2011 Application Update

For readers of the blog that are interested in submitting an application for spring or fall of 2011 I want to provide a brief update on where we are in the process.  Each summer the Admissions Committee meets to review the most recent cycle and we discuss changes we would like to make to the application.  Over 6-8 weeks we then review and approve new questions, update fields, and make sure everything is mapped out correctly.

Not to get too detailed, but getting hundreds of fields of information from an online application to print on a form correctly can be a bit painstaking.  Some day we might have a paperless review process, but for now we print several thousand applications and they get passed around the building for review.

We are about 6 weeks into the process right now and have just under 2 weeks to hit our goal of having the application live for input starting on August 15th.  As soon as the application is live I will post a message to this blog.  For now we would ask that interested applicants hold off on starting an application.  If you have started an application that is fine, but we do not recommend continuing until after we post the updates we are working on.

There area a few details that I hope to release here on the blog prior to August 15th.  For example, the Admissions Committee is in the final stage of approving the personal statement questions/topics we will use for the coming year.  We will not be using the same set of questions that we used last year.  There will likely be three topics applicants will be asked to write on and the Committee is close to agreement.  I am hopeful that the personal statement topics will be approved soon and when I have final confirmation I will post details here on the blog.

Overall the changes to the application will not be major.  We will continue to ask for two résumés, three letters of recommendation, transcripts from all coursework completed after high school, GRE or GMAT scores, an English language exam if applicable, and a personal statement broken into three sections.

Also of note is that 100% of the application process can be completed online – we do not need to have a single document mailed to our office to review an application file.  All of the necessary information can be submitted on the application site via data entry or upload.  Further details on our process will be available here in the coming weeks.

I will spend some time over the next month providing advice on completing our requirements so stay tuned.  As a reminder the application deadline for spring 2011 is October 1st and the deadline for fall 2011 is January 5th.

2011 Application Process Notes

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.

The New GRE

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.

Spring 2011 and Fall 2011 Application Notes

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.

"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

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