[Columbia SIPA MPA 2020]

On 4/15/2020 at 7:15 PM, LazarusRises said:

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? 

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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. 

 

 

@LazarusRisesWell, if I do go with SIPA then I will consider deferring to Spring as classes probably won't start on campus in August and I would feel like missing out on the experience by starting remotely.

However, I'm also worried about the community feel in the Spring cohort...not sure if everyone will go for this option...Also, as MPA DP student, not sure how they faculty will accommodate the summer placement which usually takes place after one year and if some of us choose to start in Spring, then how will they make it work after just one semester!?

So, it depends a lot on faculty communication and how they will go about it. But, I would seriously consider it.

Would you consider deferring for a full year?

[Columbia SIPA MPA 2020]

Hey, I got accepted into the MPA DP at SIPA and UC Berkeley's MDP. I'm leaning more towards SIPA given the location and access to resources in addition to the brand name. I'm still confused given the research strength and potential at Berkeley's in addition to its focus on development econ. Berkeley's program is run by the school of natural resources which makes me wonder if there will be a slight emphasis on natural resources topics and this inclination towards those topics in their capstone workshops or practicums...

After graduating, I'm looking to work in international entities in Africa and in the US. I'd like to have the west coast option open as well to the east coast and from what people are saying that the brand name does not weigh as heavily as it does on the east coast. So, what would be my job prospects in the west coast? Any insights in general between both programs? Thanks!

[Masters in Development Practice!]

5 hours ago, policywonk12 said:

@nadine! @Mr. Jameson I finalized Berkeley MDP! Sent my SIR. What about you guys?

@policywonk12Congrats! It must be a relief! I have not finalized my choice yet! My deadline is at the end of the month. What made you choose Berkeley's MDP over the other many programs you were admitted to? specifically MPA DP at SIPA?

Also, did they provide a fellowship offer or how are you funding your education at Berkeley if you don't mind me asking?

[Masters in Development Practice!]

On 3/16/2020 at 2:38 AM, Mr. Jameson said:

Hello! I was accepted into the MDP at Berkeley and the MPA-DP at Columbia too. 
 

im actually leaning towards Berkeley (not only because financial reasons) because It seems to me their curriculum is a little more academic focused. The mpa-dp seems to be a little more management focused. I like that the MDP at Berkeley has a thesis and a little more broad with the amount of classes you can take and subject you specialize in. I’m also from California and have been looking for a reason to move back to the Bay Area. Because I want to leave the option open for a phd later down the line, I like the Berkeley academic focus and research potential. 

@Mr. Jameson Congrats! Yes, that is one of the reasons I'm leaning towards SIPA, the practical and management-focused aspect because it aligns with my interests. 

Berkeley seems to be indeed more academic focused and I hear has some of the best if not the best PHD in Economics in the US given its strength in research.

[Masters in Development Practice!]

On 3/16/2020 at 12:40 AM, LazarusRises said:

Hi nadine! I was also accepted to Berkeley's MDP and SIPA's MPA (not the -DP variety), as well as Duke Nicholas' Masters of Environmental Management. I'm pretty sure I'm going to go with SIPA, as they gave me a pretty good chunk of funding, though I'm also going to negotiate with them if Duke gives me a better offer. 

For these kinds of programs, I honestly don't think there's a better place in the world than NYC. Combined with SIPA's excellent reputation and all-star faculty/alumni, it makes a pretty compelling case for itself. Cal was tempting because I'm interested in energy access & DER, so working with ERG and RAEL would have been great, but I know that SIPA's energy & environment curriculum is rock solid and there's plenty of sustainability work that goes on in NYC. Plus the Earth Institute is an extraordinary resource that Berkeley can't match. 

When it comes down to it, even if Columbia hadn't given me any funding, I'd probably pick it over Berkeley. Similar costs for non-Californians, similar costs of living, but one is in the center of the world. 

Personal considerations also applied for me. I'm from NY state and would love to be home; I also moved across the country twice in the past year and the idea of doing that again is totally exhausting.

I hope this was of some help! Let me know your thoughts, I'm curious what other admits have to say. 

 

@LazarusRisesHey, thanks for your comment! Sorry for my very late reply but things have been crazy lately! So, I still haven't made a decision between SIPA and Berkeley. My deadline for both is by the end of this month. It is a very tough decision as Berkeley has provided me with some funding around 16% of the total fees which does not suffice in my case! 

I'm leaning more towards Columbia given its location in NYC and the access to resources one would get there! Given that I have to apply for external funding, Columbia's name go a long way in my country in addition to being an ivy league! It will definitely give weight to my case. Another reason is that Columbia's focus areas and the faculty are very much within the areas of my interest which are Tech, Entrepreneurship and sustainability. When it comes down to the cost, they are both almost the same to me since I'm not a CA resident. 

Summer placement at Berkeley is a bit shorter than Columbia's which is a factor as the field experience is crucial for me so the longer, the better. Columbia seems to me more practice focused and there will be opportunities to intern or part-time work.

Of course if I will think about weather and a more relaxed environment, I would choose CA but I took those factors out of the equation

Anyways, let me know what did you settle on if you did?

[Masters in Development Practice!]

Hi, due to the lack of consolidated info regarding Development Practice, I thought to create this topic to discuss and compare Development Practice programs! 

I recently got accepted in UC Berkeley's MDP and Columbia SIPA MPA-DP and would like to discuss which do you think is better, in what aspect and why? as well as employment opportunities? networking? Financial Aid options?

[Coronavirus & Academia 2020]

Yes, I was wondering about the same thing. I'm an international student, does that mean I will be placed in quarantine for 14 days so I should account for that time and schedule early flights?

[STEM vs non-STEM for international policy student]

@ma1919Could you elaborate please on the risks and benefits regarding STEM/non-STEM degrees? Thanks!

[Columbia SIPA MPA 2020]

@thedieselNo idea, but I know it's throughout the month of March. I applied to Columbia's SIPA MPA DP program. Anybody else?

Also, when does SIPA usually reply? Do dates differ if accepted or rejected?

[SIPA Video Response]

My prompt was "Describe a volunteering experience you participated in the past."

I am applying for the MPA DP Program at SIPA.

Thanks for the prompts! Keep them coming for other students! It was very useful for me! Cheers!  

[Reading Materials ( Magazines )]

Hello,

I think reading the editorials is important for the writing and the essays. About the topics, I'm not sure but I believe whatever is of interest or relevant to your program. But, I also believe that any readings will be helpful as you will grab new words for vocabulary in addition to sentence construction too.

[Has anyone else in the '20 application cycle not started studying for the GRE?]

Yup, same boat as well!