n_eb_2020

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! 

Not yet...I think I read on the student admit portal that if we were to hear anything, it'd happen by the 27th. I am curious to know if their extended deadline for Peace Corps members (May 15?) will affect the availability of scholarships for the rest of us. I also wonder if that's indicative of an enrollment mitigation plan - an attempt to increase the size of their incoming class. Fingers crossed that we hear some good news by next week! Let us know if you hear anything.
As an aside, I've been really struggling to make an informed decision on my offer by next Friday. Has anyone found the school to be helpful in answering / clarifying their plans for the Fall? Or even ramifications of deferring 1 year or a semester (in terms of housing, expected graduated date, etc.)?  I feel like I've been getting a lot of canned / vague answers whenever I email them, and it's leaving quite the sour taste in my mouth. I'd be curious to know how other schools fare in proactively reaching out to admitted students.
For those who have a May 1 deadline, what are you all thinking of doing? For those who had an April 15 deadline, what did you decide?

I’m guessing all programs are preparing for a likely remote Fall semester — but know yields would plummet once confirmed. They’re probably also keeping an eye out for a likely second COVID-19 wave — stronger than the first — this winter.
 
It’s also difficult to answer these questions with accuracy, as I am sure that each University’s Administration will ultimately have a say on how each of its graduate programs operate next year. SIPA — and other similar programs — will probably not have a confirmed approach until June/July.

I am not a SIPA-admit but curious to understand this policy, as I think other universities may be considering it too. Have a few doubts. From the wording of this letter, it appears that students would have a choice whether to enrol in Fall and take classes possibly remotely, or defer to Jan 2021. Suppose in-person classes do not resume in the Fall due to covid-
Does that mean that some people in the batch would start the degree over Zoom and others would start in Spring? How would that even work, as people within the same batch would have done different amounts of coursework in the first year. Would spring starts in a 2-year program get 2 summer breaks? Basically, i would think that either the course itself starts in Jan 2021 for everyone or that people defer to the next academic year. Managing two groups of Fall and Spring students within the same batch seems quite strange. Or maybe I'm missing something here. 
 
 

The advantage that SIPA has over other schools in this respect, is that it grants students higher levels of flexibility to complete core courses. It does not have the rigid first year core curriculum sequence of some its peer institutions. It also has a “J Term”, a small cohort of students that start in the Spring term each year. They already seem to have a system in place for students entering in the Spring so I am guessing it’ll be easier to adapt to this uncertainty.

@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! 

Check DM

Hey Yass,
Think both schools offer great options and finances should definitely be considered when choosing.
As to why I chose SIPA over Harris:
1) I have 4 years of work experience and 40% of Harris students have between 0-1 years. SIPA students are more seasoned and I want to surround myself with individuals — of varied backgrounds — that can illustrate classroom dialogue with unique personal case studies that come from work experience.
2) My interests lie squarely within the field of international affairs and SIPA clearly wins in this area. I thought of also applying to SAIS and SFS as well, but chose not to given that I much prefer NY as a setting and both have a smaller international student body than SIPA. As someone that has lived in several countries and continents, I value SIPA’s high % of international students.
3) The Columbia brand has a slight edge over The University of Chicago internationally and SIPA has a much larger edge over Harris internationally. I value this greatly — albeit may not be important for most applicants. I would venture to say that only HKS has as strong a brand as SIPA internationally but its MPP is very domestic-focused — as reflected by its 30% international student %.
4) The alums I have met from SIPA — primarily U.S. diplomats — are people I look up to. Individuals that are less focused on drafting white papers/the minutiae of policy and more focused on project management/pushing work forward in a crisis. They are all people with incredible interpersonal skills, leadership and high levels of emotional intelligence — people I aspire to be like.
These are a few reasons I am heading to SIPA but please feel free to PM if you want a thought partner as you make a decision!
 

HI fshopeful!
Your decision-making insights were very useful! I'm currently deciding between SAIS (20k per year) and SIPA (no aid) and debating whether I should still apply to Harris. As an international applicant from Europe, the international reputation of the program/uni is quite important to me so reading your points definitely made SIPA's strength clearer to me. I'll PM you

First thing I would say: the only leverage you have is a competing offer from another school. There is really no reason for them to increase your funding if you don't have a better offer on the table. Also, it's still worth asking even if you think the schools are of different ranks. You'll never get extra funding if you don't ask! Finally, I wouldn't recommend asking unless you're seriously considering the school - i.e., don't ask every program that accepted you to match the offer. I'd limit it to 1-2 schools you're trying to decide between. 
With that in mind, here is the letter I used to the Director of the Program and my POI; they matched my competing offer by requesting extra funds from the Grad Department and I accepted the program. Check your offer letter as they may specify in there who you should contact with questions or competing offers. 
"Dear Dr. Director and Dr. POI, 
Thank you again for your offer of admission to Program A at University ABC. I am reaching out because I will be making a decision on which school to accept this month and I wanted to touch base about funding.    I received an offer of admission from Program B at University XYZ for $XX,XXX per year in guaranteed funding for 2 years ($XX,XXX total). The offer I received for University A is for $XX,XXX per year in guaranteed funding for 2 years ($XX,XXX total).This leaves a gap of approximately $XX,XXX.    I remain very excited about University ABC and the prospect of working with Dr. POI in Program A, but was hoping that something could be done to close the funding gap as $XX,XXX would have a significant impact on my finances over the course of the program. Thank you in advance for your consideration, and please let me know if I can provide any further details to assist at this stage.   Warmly, Applicant"

Now my experience is all of one school, but I would imagine your only real lever is your offers from superior or equal schools as far as rankings.
 
Your email can be something along the lines of, "Thank you for your generous offer, but the scholarship isn't enough to make the cost feasible for me. Especially when I have an offer of X% from school X and Y% from school Y, bringing my total cost to about Z. Is there any way I can get my offer reevaluated to get closer to Z? If so, what are the next steps? If not, I completely understand."
 
Then they'll ask from the offer letters from school X and Y and see what they can do

@Sigaba Thanks for the link, definitely useful information on the basics! I think that I have been able to answer many of my questions through this thread:
Hopefully that is helpful to others. If anyone has any input on my specific situation based on how the schools mentioned have handled funding in the past it would be much appreciated!

Other Columbia grad programs have been sending out decisions all week, so im assuming SIPA admissions should be able to release their decisions as well. I find it hard to believe they wouldn't have had the majority of decisions finalized before this week... plus, the notification system should be mostly automated. 

@GradSchoolGrad That's pretty insightful Thanks for the information. I have received an admit from all three programs and am in the middle of the decision making process. CMU's aid is the most competitive but I have read and heard that Harris is a better school. Your two cents on this situation?
 
@nadine_eb STEM programs allow you to extend your OPT by 2 years (1+2). As a consequence you can sit for the H1B lottery thrice, and are a safer bet for employers in general, because they wouldn't want to hire someone who might not be able to work for more than a year. 

Okay! Gear up folks and let's begin another wait...Today is Friday 13th...Amen!

ugh good data point. likely tomorrow then.

Not SIPA, but I was just accepted to the QMSS program in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. News from SIPA must shortly ensue!

hey everyone--
I was accepted into the MPA-DP during the early admission round. Good luck with everyone in this group waiting-- im hopeful for all of you! 

A friend currently at SIPA sent me this email. Looks like decisions are still on track to come out before Monday!

I love the solidarity! We're not even officially students together but still supporting eachother through some trying times :') lol 

I recently applied for STEM Policy Programs only. In my opinion, for an international student, the risks associated with a non STEM degree far outweigh the benefits.
I would suggest the same to you. However,  at the end of the day this is an intensely personal decision, and one you should take keeping in mind the career outcomes of the various degrees, and their alignment with your career goals.
 
Edit: I’m an international student as well.

Guys, I got to know that admission results of MPA-EPM (SIPA)  have already been declared yesterday. It is confirmed and I have seen result of a close friend myself. So, in all likelihood, expect the MPA results today at its regular time.  

I think all SIPA results are going to be released at once. 

What do you mean by "down"? You mean less than usual?

SIPA AdCom says-
“Thank you for your message. When a decision has been made, your application portal will reflect the decision. You should expect to hear back by mid-March.”

Hi guys, just continuing this thread for those that applied later since this is the only thread I found for SIPA. Congrats to the early applicants who have already been accepted!