Archive for fall 2013

what does it all mean?

It’s Spring break at SIPA so students are out — some are working on their Capstone projects while others are recharging somewhere around the world.  Decisions went out this week — We have received quiet a few emails and calls about what it all means…

So we thought it might be helpful to provide a little insight…

If you have been admitted… CONGRATULATIONS!  We hope you choose to come to SIPA and join our diverse community.  There are several events coming up in the next few weeks to provide a little exposure to SIPA — check them out in the Welcome page, which was referenced in your admission letter.  You may participate in as many as you wish (at least physically since some may require you to be in two places at the same time); an RSVP is required for all of the events.  Information will be communicated through the Welcome page, email or on this blog. 

If you were one of the few who was put on the wait list… there’s still hope.  However, we will not begin reviewing the wait listed candidates until April (at the earliest).  If SIPA is one of your top choices and you can wait to hear, let us know.  If you are risk-averse and decide to enroll elsewhere, please let us know so we may remove you from consideration.   Other than informing us of your intentions, there is nothing else you need to do  — but wait.

If you were not offered admission to SIPA this year, we are happy to provide some feedback on your application.  However, at present time the focus of the Committee is to complete our final application review and provide information for our admitted candidates.  You are welcome to send our office an email in June requesting feedback.  On our website, we have put together some common reasons we are unable to offer admission to applicants, that may be a good place to start.  Unfortunately, there is no appeal process — the Admissions Committee reads each application thoroughly and considers all applicants seriously.

 

Are you a returned Peace Corps volunteer?

Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA) will waive the application fee for returned Peace Corps volunteers (RPCV) who apply for entry in fall 2013.

This trial arrangement will reinforce a long history of synergy between two longstanding institutions of international affairs: Over the years, many remarkable Americans who began careers of global service in the Peace Corps went on to pursue graduate education at SIPA.

As we have seen over the past decade, solving the world’s most difficult problems — public health, climate change, energy, development, global finance and economics, and sustainability — demands collective action in response to increasingly global challenges. It requires a new kind of education, one that combines traditional quantitative analysis and management training with a global perspective. SIPA, the world’s most global public policy school, is uniquely positioned to develop leaders who can solve these challenges.

SIPA embraces a vision of policy studies that crosses national boundaries. More than any peer institution, the School focuses on transnational policy areas, applying global best practices to local issues, and training leaders to engage multiple levels of governance to reach effective solutions.

After the initial admissions cycle, SIPA will explore whether there is support to continue a program of fee waivers for returned Peace Corps volunteers in future years.

If you have questions about the new arrangement and how it may impact your application, please contact SIPA’s admissions office at [email protected].

 

 

"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