LazarusRises

Mine was "What is the most important thing an elementary education can teach?" My answer was about a basic understanding of the scientific method & the ability to assess evidence & admit when you're wrong. Accepted with $60k total funding.

No word, but I think you hit it dead on. I'm not risking an extra semester of deferral unless they give us assurance that our funding will be preserved (which I think is very unlikely to happen). EDIT: I misread your post, I thought you were talking about deferring. You may as well apply, but I agree that it will likely be a more competitive pool than usual.

I was admitted to Columbia SIPA for this fall, but deferred a semester to let things settle. I would probably defer even longer and just keep working, but if I did I would lose the $3k in tuition deposits I've already submitted as well as the financial aid I was awarded. Since I'm certain that Columbia will have less money to hand out for merit-based aid come next fall, I'm not going to risk losing that cushion. If it ends up being fully virtual next semester then so be it, I can deal with a few months of virtual classes. Very much hoping that I can have a traditional grad school experience for at least 2-3 of the 5 semesters. It would really suck to miss out on all that good good networking & friendmaking.

I'm sorry to hear you're frustrated, but honestly, giving the active pursuit of romance a rest might be a good idea. Not only is pandemic dating a terrible situation, but often these things happen when you least expect them--a truism I know, but it has validity. If you're focused on other things, then you won't be disappointed when romance fails to materialize (because you weren't expecting it to), and if you do meet someone it'll be a nice surprise. I know that on the other side of this, a guy who is clearly desperate for love or sex is a huge turn-off. The #1 piece of advice given to guys asking how they get a girlfriend is "Stop trying to get a girlfriend." I don't know how much this applies to women, since as far as I know most guys tend to like forwardness in ladies, but the same principle probably applies. Someone who's unconcerned with their sexual prospects & confident in themselves absent romantic validation is way more attractive than someone obviously craving companionship. Not intending to apply any of the above characterizations to you specifically, by the way. These are just general observations.

I've been admitted to a Masters of Public Administration program for Energy & Environment with a Management concentration. Does that count?

Seems like not much--I've been told repeatedly by both students and faculty that there are J-termers every year, and that the program is well set-up to accommodate both starting points. If anything matriculating in spring 2021 might give us a bigger & more diverse cohort, as it'll give some international folks the time to sort out their visas.

This is an odd survey. First of all, YouTube is not social media, it's a content platform; including it is like including Netflix in your list. Secondly, when you ask "Who do you go to when feeling distressed," there is no "Friends" option (and you misspelled the word "Guardian"). Thirdly, there's nowhere for a respondent to indicate that they don't use social media at all.

Frankly there's not much you can do about the GPA, but your GRE scores are solid and it sounds like you have good professional experience. Especially if you're planning on waiting 4-5 years before applying to grad programs, I wouldn't let your GPA bother you too much; that far out of undergrad it's probably the least important part of your application. Just focus on building valuable skills and making the connections necessary for great references and you should be fine.

That may be true of some extremely competitive programs, but if the admissions page doesn't list a minimum GRE score it's very unlikely that you'll be rejected immediately just for that. Of course, having a low score will never help your application, but if you have great recommendations/professional experience/publications etc. then you definitely stand a chance. Also, more and more schools are waiving the GRE requirement altogether. If your score is really bad, you might consider looking into those programs.

At this point I'm about 90% sure I'll be deferring. Everything I've read & heard from the admissions office suggests that they will be very lenient & flexible with one-semester deferrals. It certainly can't hurt to ask.

For anyone wondering, I got in touch with admissions and learned that the official deadline for COVID-19 deferrals is August 1st, but they'll consider deferral requests up until classes start. Nice to have some flexibility.

I was gung-ho about being on campus in the fall in whatever form I could get, but given the events of the past week I'm going to defer to Spring 2021 and continue working for the remainder of the year. I don't think NYC's going to be a very nice place to live over the next few months. As for next year's admits, I'm sorry to say that I don't think there are happy answers there. Graduate school is often a refuge for those seeking to ride out economic instability; combine that with the financial gut-punch of reduced matriculation this fall, next year's cycle will likely be very competitive and not very well-funded. Good luck with whatever you decide!

All the programs I applied to suggested coming in with at least some background in statistics and micro & macroeconomics. Duke's Masters of Environmental Management required one of each of those courses in order to matriculate; the brief environmental economics course I took in undergrad did not fulfill those requirements (though an intro-level "quantitative methods" class counted for the stats req). Columbia SIPA asked for a quantitative resume listing the relevant skills I've built in academic and professional work; that plus my 160 quant score on the GRE were enough for them, as they didn't ask me to take any additional courses before enrolling. If you're concerned about quant stuff, I recommend taking either an online class in these areas or just finding a good textbook and doing some self-study if that works for you. Many professional programs are geared towards folks who haven't been in school for a while or who are shifting tracks in their careers, so their quant progression is likely to be more gentle than i.e. an econ degree, but it can't hurt to get ahead early

Probably not, if only because a full year deferral would mean I can't bring my funding with me. And speaking of funding--I got an email last night saying they had updated my decision on the portal. Got an extra $10k/year of funding from my appeal, bringing total tuition coverage to ~50%. Still planning on deferring for a semester if fall goes virtual, but either way this is nice to have!

Just strongly hoping it gets lifted by September if on-campus classes have resumed this fall, and by January if they haven't. Grad school without international students sounds awful (especially in international development).

Just logged into the Admitted Students' Portal and saw the update below. If classes don't resume in person by fall, I'll seriously consider applying for a deferral until spring. What are folks thinking? - Deferrals: Master of International Affairs, Master of Public Affairs, and MPA in Development Practice candidates may submit a request to defer enrollment for one semester or one year with the permission of the Admissions Committee. Generally, requests are granted only for very compelling reasons. Reasons the Admissions Committee may consider include medical or family emergencies, or extraordinary professional opportunities. We will also consider deferral requests due to the COVID-19 pandemic. These deferrals requests will be considered later in the summer and are related to students’ ability to obtain a visa to enter the United States, their ability to exit their home country, and if SIPA is unable to resume course instruction in-person, on-campus this fall. The Committee does not consider requests from candidates who wish to postpone their enrollment at SIPA in order to attend another academic program prior to enrolling at SIPA. Requests are also not granted if based solely on financial considerations. Please also note that at SIPA, deferred students are not able to carry over SIPA scholarships awarded, nor are they eligible for fellowship consideration. However, students granted a deferral due to COVID-19 reasons mentioned above will be allowed to carry their SIPA scholarship to the Spring (January 2021) term. Candidates who defer to the fall will not have that option. In order to be considered for a deferral, accepted applicants must first accept their offer of admission, and then email the Admissions Committee at sipa_admission@columbia.edu outlining their reasons for seeking a deferral. You will be asked to submit a deferral request form that will be sent via email. The submitted request will then be brought before the Admissions Committee for deliberation. If approved, a $1,000 USD deferral deposit is required to secure a space in a future term. The deferral deposit fee of $1,000 USD will be added to the enrollment deposit fee for a total deposit of $3,000 USD. The $3,000 USD combination of nonrefundable enrollment and deferral deposit is credited to the student's account and will be applied toward tuition if the student enrolls at the expected time. If the candidate does not enroll for the term agreed upon, the admission offer and deposits are forfeited.

@Florentina Pruteanu I recommend looking into online community college classes. This is what I've been advised to do by multiple parties for any brushing up I decide to undertake. If you find a CC in your area you might qualify for cheaper tuition. It looks like the Community College of Philadelphia is offering 3-unit courses (including their econ courses) for $579 total.

If you've put down a deposit, you won't get it back. Otherwise there are no consequences besides ruffling a few feathers on the admissions team, and/or any professors you've contacted at the school you're pulling out of.

@nadine! I ended up going with SIPA! Cal was never a realistic option for me, as they gave me much less funding (about 25% of SIPA's offer) and even if I hadn't gotten any funding from Columbia, I would have accepted my offer from the Duke Nicholas School. Furthermore, I have family that I can live with in NYC, significantly reducing cost of living. That said, I did go to UC Berkeley for undergrad, and I can attest that the culture and weather in the Bay Area is fantastic! It's a truly exceptional place to live, but it sounds like all other indicators are pointing you towards NY. (Which is also a pretty excellent place to live--I grew up in New York State and have spent a lot of time in the city). Let me know when you make your decision, and good luck!

Well, the deed is done! I've submitted my deposit to Columbia SIPA, will be moving back home to NY in the fall (assuming that's allowed). Very excited. If Columbia is still running virtually, I'll be disappointed but not terribly surprised. I figure getting a bunch of the core econ/stats classes out of the way via Zoom is fine, and then I can get into the real meat of grad school come spring.

Unless I'm missing something, the NASA offer seems strictly better. 34k + 12k * 3yrs = 70k, while NASA is paying out 320k total. Easy choice! Even if I misunderstood and the NSF award is 56k * 3yrs, the NASA award is almost double.

Popping in to provide my little contribution of data. The Nicholas School at Duke extended their deadline from April 17 to June 1. I sent that information to Columbia SIPA and asked them for an extension as well, and got a response that seemed to say "We're not offering an official extension, but you won't be booted from the program because you submit your deposit late."

You're right, in your situation most people would have committed to Waterloo immediately! Unless you can put your finger on what's keeping you from doing so, I say pull the trigger. If you can't identify any specific negative factors, it's more than likely just general anxiety about taking such a big step, so just send the deposit and enjoy your freedom from worry! Not to mention, your parents will be thrilled. You could even consider asking them to set aside the money you'll save by attending Waterloo for i.e. your future kids' college funds, or the deposit on the first house/apartment you buy. Something to consider. Congratulations, and good luck with your decision!

@Yass Oh I see, that's good to know. I'm pretty set on Columbia by this point, though I'm trying to finagle a bit of extra aid based on other offers, and obviously would love for a later deadline just to have more information about how things will stand come fall. If I need to put down the $2k next week, then so be it.

Stumbled upon something odd, hoping to get everyone's input. Item 1: The latest post on the SIPA Admissions Blog makes an oblique reference to a deposit deadline of May 1. I haven't received any notification regarding a change to the stated deadline of April 15, but this is straight from the horse's mouth, so maybe it counts? Item 2: Hoping for some clarity, I signed into the Admitted Students' Portal and clicked the "Accept Your Offer" link at the right of the page, but it just brought me to https://apply.sipa.columbia.edu/apply/. I expanded the "Accept the Offer of Admission" section in the portal and clicked the "Enrollment Response Form" link, which brought me to an "Accept Your Offer" page, but the "Respond To Your Offer Now" link also leads to the /apply/ page. Very confusing! Has anyone successfully responded to their offer, and/or does anyone have any info on what the deposit deadline actually is? Thanks crew.