The earliest memory I can seem to muster of the idiom, “That is like comparing apples to oranges” is from high school. I can not remember if it was my personal finance teacher or my cross country coach, but it was one of the two (and comparing those two certainly is like comparing apples to oranges).
I remember being stumped by the idiom at first. I did not understand the context and asked around until some other examples finally brought the point home to me.
While Wikipedia delves into the validity of the usefulness of the idiom, to me the admission decision season provides a scenario where the idiom makes perfect sense. Most applicants apply to several different schools and it is only natural not only to compare the characteristics of those schools, but the admission decisions of those schools.
When decisions go out each year applicants will often contact our office to discuss their SIPA admission decision. Statements and questions like the following are not uncommon:
From an administrators point of view statements and questions like these are, well, like comparing apples to oranges.
If it were an apples to apples comparison, every single applicant would have had to apply to the same exact schools, have been read by the exact same committee, and the committees would need to share the exact same budget. Obviously this is not what happens.
Sure policy schools are similar in many ways. We have similar core classes, faculty that study, teach, and practice common subjects, and we seek to prepare students for similar careers. However, each school is quite different in many ways when it comes to shaping an incoming class.
Each school has its own unique Admissions Committee structure. Each school has its own unique applicant pool. Each school has a different fellowship endowment and can choose to use it in different ways. Each school has different donors who set different criteria for awards. Each school has its own time lines.
I am not going to pretend that by reading this entry all of your questions or concerns about admission decisions will be put at ease, but I hope it does provide insight into “the big picture.” Each policy school is different in its own way and will make decisions based on its history, goals, preferences and yes, limitations.
Thus, comparing a decision from one school to another is often like comparing apples to oranges. I will attempt to address many of the questions posted in future entries, but for now I just wanted to provide a bit brief insight into the process from the prospective of someone on the other side of the process.
I will have another update on the release of decisions soon, but I thought I would take a minor break on “decision only” entries and offer something for admitted candidates to consider. I will note that just as the decisions that have already been released belong to the three categories (admitted, waitlist, not admitted) the decisions yet to be released will also include these three categories.
I am excited to share the following scholarship information partly because an admitted student to SIPA in the past was selected as a recipient. Details of the fellowship along with the link to the application page are below.
The Empedocle Maffia Fellowship (EM Fellowship) for Masters students will be awarded to two graduate students from the School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA) at Columbia University who have demonstrated excellence in the fields of conflict prevention, conflict resolution, post-conflict reconstruction, sustainable development, natural resource management, security and the global environment.
The EM Fellowship is designed to foster new scholarly experts in the following countries or regions: Italy, the Balkans, Iraq, Afghanistan, Peru, Colombia, China, the Middle East and North Africa; therefore, preference will be given to applicants from these countries and regions.
The EM Fellowship is open to incoming and current (first-year) SIPA students; it is awarded for two, consecutive semesters. Selected EM Fellows will be expected to undertake 10-15 hours of work per week at CICR. The work will involve supporting CICR generally – especially in terms of events and communications – and supporting aspects of The Fund for Global Environment and Conflict Resolution, specifically as it relates to research and events concerning:
The Fellows will be awarded $9,000 toward their university fees each semester and a stipend of $500 per month over the course of the academic year (nine months).
All applicants should submit their candidature by April 15, 2011. The decision will be undertaken by a selection committee at CICR, and will be announced in July. All decisions are final, and applications received after the April 15, 2011 deadline will not be accepted.
For more information and details on how to apply please click here.
"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
