[Columbia University Fall 2017]

On 3/30/2017 at 5:11 AM, troikaparallel said:

@CappucinnoEnthusiast: Anthropology, PhD.

Does anyone here know if there are any groups/communities based around figuring out housing, rent etc., with respect to NY? I'm an international student, so I won't be in the US until a little before term actually starts, so I was wondering if there was a way to figure this out online, and if so, how advisable that was. And otherwise, if anyone is taking housing provided by Columbia, are there any details on relative cost, availability etc. you would be willing to offer?

@troikaparallel I am currently at Columbia, Teachers College. Columbia's office of Off-Campus Housing Assistance is pretty good. They have a webinar on apartment hunting and provide access to a database of listings. This is also a place where potential students looking for roommates can post. You can call them for additional help too. 

http://facilities.columbia.edu/housing/intro-ocha-3

Alternatively, there are links to a number of websites on this page that Columbia University has organized. The websites include rental agencies, sites where individuals advertise their own properties/search for roommates and pages with statistics on average prices/cost of living in different parts of the city. 

https://gs.columbia.edu/apartment-hunting-resources#ocha

Feel free to message me if you have any questions. I'm not sure I can answer them all - personally, I live a little outside of NYC and commute in to save money - but I'm happy to give it a try! Congratulations on your acceptance to Columbia!

[Fall 2017 Applicants]

1 hour ago, rkstahl said:

Just notified CUNY (sociocultural) that I will be accepting an offer elsewhere - was a tough choice, to say the least.

I hope that helps folks on the waitlist, and best of luck!

Thanks for the update! Good luck with your future endeavors in the program you chose - and congratulations! 

[Fall 2017 Applicants]

On 3/27/2017 at 11:17 AM, schlechtdurchdacht said:

Any CUNY sociocultural admits planning on declining? I'm on the waitlist and curious if I have a chance...

Have you been communicating with the DGS regularly? I am currently in the same situation you are (Sociocultural - waitlisted). I've been speaking to people there for the last few weeks, waiting for updates and trying to get as much information as I can. You may be able to get a sense of your position on the waitlist if you directly ask. I was told that I am "very near the top," (though what that means, I cannot be sure). I was told that given my position on the list, and the typical number of first round acceptances, an offer is more likely than not, but it is of course not guaranteed. For all they know, this might be the year that most of their first round offers will be accepted.  Additionally, I know people who have been waitlisted there in previous years, and apparently it typically comes down to the very last moment - as in April 15th. It is definitely frustrating but if you are really hoping to attend CUNY, I'd recommend just keeping the lines of communication open and asking if they can give you any more specific information. 

[Fall 2017 Applicants]

4 hours ago, rkstahl said:

I would totally contact the admissions chair and ask for clarity. I have been in communication with them over the last couple of weeks and I was also notified via email of having made the second cut but without an offer to attend any colloquia. That said, I was interviewed and they did ask me at some point along the way if I was still interested in the program - I think this is to avoid investing energy/time/etc. in students who already know that they are definitely going somewhere else.

I have had candid conversations with faculty there, and they were fully aware that I had two other (very attractive) offers when they decided to offer me admission - was officially notified this morning. If CUNY is your top choice, tell them and start getting comfortable having frank discussions with them - you definitely won't hurt your chances by seeking clarity around a process that they readily admit is painful and sometime confusing so that you can mutually invest the next 7-9 years in each other. And, they know full well that if you're a strong enough candidate to make a second cut with them that you are likely to have multiple offers.

I hope that helps, and feel free to ask more questions of me too! Good luck!

Thank you so much, this is very helpful! At this point, I think attending the colloquia may be taking the place of an interview. I know one other person was also invited to attend, and both of us live in or around NYC. 

I agree that the questions concerning level of interest are intended to help them make their jobs easier by avoiding wasting time. So it does make sense to let them know that I have other offers and that I would still prefer to attend CUNY if possible. I suppose I was a little worried about coming across as someone who would need extra attention or hand-holding (not always attractive qualities in a student/advisee). On the other hand, I can see how asking these questions expresses my continued interest and ability to advocate for myself. I appreciate the push and support!

I contacted the admissions chair asking for clarification, updating him on my other offers, and reiterating that CUNY is my first choice. He responded that not everyone in the 2nd cut will be offered admission or waitlisted, that I am currently in the "mix" for admission with a possible fellowship, but that he won't be able to tell me definitively until next week. 

Congratulations on your admissions offers, and thank you once again! 

[Fall 2017 Applicants]

Hi everyone! I am new to the forum and was wondering if anyone here could provide me with a little advice. A couple of weeks ago I received an email from the admissions chair at CUNY, inviting me to attend one of their weekly colloquia and receptions on either March 3rd or March 10th. Due to my schedule being relatively packed at the moment, I chose to accept the invitation for the 10th. The email also stated that I had "made the second cut" out of their pool of applicants, that they were currently nominating people for fellowships and compiling wait lists and hoping to make decisions by the middle of March. I was then asked to let them know if I was still interested in CUNY or if I had made other plans.

Personally, I found this confusing. I am not certain whether this means they are compiling wait lists for fellowships or still deciding on admissions and compiling wait lists for that as well. I am planning on attending the colloquia on March 10th, but there is no actual interview set up to go along with this event. In fact, I have not been asked to interview with CUNY at all. The email simply said they would like to "get to know me better," since they know I live in the NYC area. This sounds relatively informal and is something I would have expected to occur either much earlier in the application process or after an offer of admission has been made.

Given all of that, here is my question: Do you think it would be worthwhile for me to contact the admissions chair and ask for clarity concerning the current status of my application? I should add that since I accepted the invitation to attend the colloquia, I have received two admission offers at other schools. As CUNY's admissions director asked what my current situation was in his original email, would it be a good idea for me to mention that as well? At the moment CUNY is my top choice and I would not want to hurt my chances for admission (if I'm not admitted yet? very confusing) by pumping people for information, especially when I am visiting next week anyway... At the same time, a couple of my friends have suggested that I should be leveraging my acceptances with CUNY and that this might actually increase my chance of being admitted rather than wait listed. 

I would sincerely appreciate hearing what anyone here thinks!