CreamTea
-
Posts
94 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Posts posted by CreamTea
-
-
Guys crazy stuff is happening. I excluded Georgetown from consideration and was deciding between SIPA and Fletcher (leaning toward Fletcher) when I got an email from SIPA sweeting the total funding for the first year to $28,500. As far as I can tell, this is a crazily high amount of funding for this program and along with being offered admission to IFP, it seems like I would be a fool if I gave this up - unless Fletcher matched or exceeded which I have asked them to do (although they have told me repeatedly that there is no more money for me).
I will be honest: My key problem with SIPA is the language issue and this is why up until now I was seemingly trying to find a way to exclude it. I seriously doubt that I will be able to get started on Turkish there - you can only get credit for languages at intermediate and above. And although it is theoretically possible to audit beginning languages, their intensity seems incompatible with the rigors of the MIA program. Has anyone had any experience with this?
I feel that grad school is one of my last chances to learn a new language because there are all these scholarships like Boren and the critical language scholarship that fund these endeavors (but they generally want people who already have some language experience) so I really fear that I am giving up this dream by going to SIPA. At the same time, the offer is almost too good to be true.
If anyone could assuage my fears, it would make the decision a lot easier. I am still tempted to take Fletcher just because it is a lot easier to get credit for beginning languages.
Do you mind if I ask how you got SIPA to sweeten the offer? Did they do it so close to the deadline to get you to go on their own or did you ask them to match funding at SFS?
I don't know if it helps but i am in the same boat as you. I plan to start learning Spanish from scratch but the situation does not bother me at all. I kind of agree with soaps, I don't see what the concern is with taking a 5th course if you don't have to work. Also, if you audit the class (is that possible?) and don't do so well in it because the workload is too heavy (I don't think it will be), then at least it won't count towards your GPA.
Why don't you call one of the profs and see if it can work with the Turkish classes? They might be able to assuage your concerns
-
I've had this situation but with another school. I had a nice conversation with the admissions director and she was the one who recommended I decline their offer instead of defering (because I wasn't sure if I would go the next year and she did not want me to lose the deposit). Two years later, I was admitted again with the same scholarship
-
Got the news last night at 9:30pm Singapore time
I got full tuition plus stipend but I can't figure out exactly how much the stipend is because it doesn't say. I called Dr. lee because I cannot open any of the attachments (my computer's fault) and he says it is SGD 1,000 plus housing allowance.
-
I noticed that Fletcher's enrollment form lists the following schools when asking students where they intend to enroll instead of Fletcher:
SIPAElliotMSFSKennedySAISWWSYale Center for Intl and Area studiesOtherAre you surprised that AU isn't up there with GWU? Maryland SPP is not on the list either.I just wanted to point it out since I found it interesting.In my case, I applied to 6 schools and 5 are from this list. The only one that isn't is LKY school in Singapore. -
I'm speaking purely from my own bias. I'd take the WWS offer. I don't focus on domestic policy so I can't comment on it but usually, people have a choice between lots of $$ from 2nd tier school and no money from top tier. Your choice is full ride (and more) from top tier and some money from top tier. Also, even if WWS had fewer urban policy profs (don't they have a certificate in that?), they'd be able to spend far more time with you because of the small cohort size and that might make up for the lack of variety
-
hmmm thanks for letting me know guys!!
... i changed my preference... What are your views about the I house??... i think the north building is a better bet then the south building but it is expensive so i guess it will only fall in budget if you have room mates splitting the bill... someone i know is sharing a studio apartment in i house and ends up paying total 1050 per month which sounds ok... the challenge will be to find someone you can share the place with :s...so currently all hopes for geting a university housing apartment room!!
Hi, from what I've heard, I house is okay if you don't mind living in a very small room (in the dorms) and not being able to cook. I asked a SIPA student. She said one friend hated it so much she moved it out and the other ended up loving it.
For the apartments, I-house is more expensive than university housing. In fact, someone said that the apartments are unreasonably expensive. I think you have a good shot at university housing- my international SIPA friends got it with no problem.
What do you mean sharing a studio? Two people living in one studio?
-
Hi, I talked to one of the SIPA students who lived in a private dorm room and she said it was awful.
It's co-ed. Their definition of "dorm" is odd. She said that the floor is divided up into 4 sections and each section is enclosed. In her case, her section had 10 rooms with 4 bathrooms. She said that the men (ahem, sorry, I am just repeating) kept the kitchen messy and the sinks clogged. She could her people vomitting in the bathroom all the time after parties.
She recommended I apply for a room in an apartment and everyone else I talked to lived in the apartments. Besides, some of the apartments are less than a minute away from SIPA.
I was glad I talked to this student as I was planning to apply for dorm too. I lived in a dorm as an undergrad and it was the standard dorm- two rows of rooms with bathrooms at the end and they were super clean, single sex, and housekeeping cleaned the kitchen regularly.
Just search SIPA 2013-2015
I am in China so it's hard for me to send a fb link.
-
What do ENT J and SP mean?
-
Thanks Fenderpete
Everyone, this is from Fletcher. I found it super useful. I hope you do too.
http://sites.tufts.edu/fletcheradmissions/2013/04/17/roxanne-explains-the-summer-internship-process/
-
I've talked to 2 SIPA professors so far and they've been great. On the other hand, every time I call the academic affairs, admissions, student affairs office, I get frustrated because no one seems to know the right answer and will just give you a generic answer like: search the website or "I think xxx"
my theory is that these are mostly graduate assistants who are tasked with manning the phone. Oh, and asst. Dean Nguyen was not helpful when I was trying to decide whether to do a dual degree or not. It's like he wants to give as little info as possible.
I've had contact with the Columbia Center in Jordan. I was working on a project in Jordan at the time. I called the center to find out about their projects and they weren't that impressive.
-
Hey CreamTea,
did you hear from Ms Tan (that they will write this week) sometime recently or was this something she said around the time of tests??
She told me around April 9 that the will write to applicants this week (April 15-19) about the decisions. she wrote to me because they lost some of my documents and asked me to resubmit
-
Ooo i forgot SIPAs decision time is till 19th... most of my other unis needed decisions by 15th so that was my deadline for deciding.
I've talked to people who lived in the SIPA apartments and most recommend them. If you are international, you have a good shot of getting housing so you should try that
-
I haven't heard either. Good grief! They must know that people are deciding this week on whether to accept offers. Ms. Tan says they'll write this week
-
I think soaps makes a good point. I've never looked into how strong SIPA is at labor and welfare but I doubt it is stronger than HKS. If HKS tends to be strong in that field, you should go there.
-
Yes, from what I remember, that concentration requires the higher econ track. My understanding is that the higher-level econ uses calc, and the lower track doesn't (or it uses less). The core quant. analysis course isn't what people usually complain about... it's the econ.
Thanks a lot! I better find out what text the higher econ class uses and start practicing over the summer.
I am not saying Fletcher is less quantitative. If I went to Fletcher, I'd do development economics which is plenty of quant. I am just saying that my small sample size (one HKS and one SIPA grad who both worked/working for a development bank) think that it isn't quantitative enough so that it will be harder to get over this misperception
Getting over all the bad things written about SIPA (though same are not completely unfounded) is tough even with a partial fellowship. Supbla20- I was also hoping to get into IFP to have more personal attention. When I was an undergrad, I was in a similar program and it made a huge difference. It's a pity you couldn't attend admitted students day so you can get a better impression outside these boards but you should still watch the videos.
Meanwhile, I think that SFS is a good choice if you don't go to to SIPA. My own professor wants me to go there. He won't say it flat out but it's clear to me that he thinks I will get more personal attention there and he probably likes the Jesuit thing.
-
DaniCM got a reply from admissions implying that there is a second round
-
IFP at SIPA is a big deal, in my opinion. Take a look at this video if you haven't already: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hrCO5KQTtso.
As for it being "insanely impersonal," I think that's a huge exaggeration and I haven't seen any evidence for it, especially after the open house day. The SIPA community is very socially integrated and the professors make themselves available. The quant emphasis is also on two tracks: one that's quant. heavy and the other not as much. Despite the competition you can probably count on getting the average second-year fellowship award, which is comparable to the first year award you'd be receiving.
I can't speak for the other programs but IFP is an amazing opportunity and you should consider it seriously.
(Didn't mean to embed the video)
Do students specializing in Advanced Policy and Economic Analysis have to take the quant heavy track and how many courses are we talking about? Is it just the 1 econ and 1 quant course? I looked at the syllabus for one of the quant core courses (I guess it might be the non-quant heavy) and was surprised that the assume students don't have Math background past high school algebra.
-
unnecessarily competitive? do you mean because of the second year funding?
I talked to two students- one former, one current and they both say people are not competitive
wow! we are choosing from the exact three schools
In my case, I am probably going to SIPA but if the GHD program at Gtown offered me funding then I might have to think about it. I do have the "pigeonhole" concern that you have but can't beat studying DC.
I worked in development finance so quantitative skills are really important (though I don't like Math) and I've had two colleagues who are/did policy school express concerns about how "soft" Fletcher's program is.
Fletcher offered me the most funding but because I want the option to return to said development finance organization and would prefer to avoid the perception that I might not have gotten enough quant training in grad school, I made my peace with doing more Math than the SIPA core curriculum even requires. If I go to Fletcher, I'd do development econ but i still have to overcome the preconceived notion that some people have.
SInce I assume you won't need a lot of quant for your intended career, the DC location will probably help you out a lot. One of the members here did SIPA and landed a job at state department by making many bus trips to DC- you can avoid that!
I'd say go to DC. The chances of additional funding are uncertain.
-
Yeah, I'll probably call the financial aid office to ask. I was just asking in case they were really specific about it
Anyway, just to clarify:
Is it an open race for scholarship funding (endowed scholarship) the second year for all students or do the students who got them the first year get priority? (i.e. are they just "renewing" the scholarship)- i.e. the kind you don't have to do any work for
if you get an endowed scholarship, can you turn down the TA/RA/reader job later- if you get a scholarship that has no work component, can you turn down the job so somebody else can benefit later
I've seen a PPT that SIPA shows to first years and they use "scholarship" to refer to free money and "assistantship" to refer to the jobs.
Some first years get a scholarship but it's just a one year award so I was wondering if these students get priority for these scholarships the second year . would they be renewing or reapplying
-
actually, I don't find the fees onerous so that's why i didn't mention them. i think the poster was whining too much
I asked a SIPA grad and she said Columbia housing (apartments) had roaches too. yes, there is a university service that treats for roaches- I think you sign up your dorm room on some board and they will come.
uh, I lived in places where roaches are huge and can fly but i just prefer to avoid them if I can. i am from a humid developing country and baygon is very popular on tv commercials. however, it has a lot to do with the setting/construction of the house and you can avoid them if lucky
I'm an international student but I lived in NY (Chelsea) and there were mice all the time. I've seen them- they don't seem to be afraid of people. People were putting door guards in their dorm rooms. City never did anything about it- not when I was there or before. Never saw roaches but I figured if mice were common in that building maybe some other buildings have roaches.
these are old but it's from a columbia site: http://goaskalice.columbia.edu/do-cockroaches-carry-contagion
http://goaskalice.columbia.edu/safe-non-toxic-way-get-rid-roaches
Roaches are not that easy to get rid of especially in old houses/humid conditions. i-house can try to get garbage out asap
no worries, it's the first time I've used yelp for anything since I am not familiar with it but yahoo mentions it too.
Now, the upside is that I think some (maybe a third) of the dorm rooms were renovated recently. i think that people who lived there post renovation have found it to be much cleaner. someone specifically told me that her floor was clean and i found it interesting that she wouldn't vouch for the whole building but just said that her floor's RAs do a really good job keeping it clean.
-
Hi I am also a recent admiited student to these two programs who is struggling so hard between them.
I am an international student who wants to foucs on international development and policy.
Although I really want to go to NYC to study, I heard so many opinions about the high reputation of GPPI and how important the location of DC is.
(for students who want to work for NGOs or international organizations like me)
In my situation, is GPPI the top choice?
(Since there are more private sectors and less international NGOs in NYC)
Although my preference for life in NYC is obvious, I don't want to let it take over in my concerns for choosing the right school.
Thank you for any opinions:))))
I am not sure how large Georgetown's program is, but at Wagner, you will have a huge cohort. This means actively seeking out faculty. I have also found the staff pompous and rude. From a friend currently attending, it is a bit cookie-cutter and the caliber of your peers is meh (from someone who attended an Ivy for undergrad).
imceiling, I was accepted to Georgetown's GHD program and I worked for one of the multilateral orgs that you might be interested in,
I can tell you that I really wish that I were going to DC (I am going to SIPA- I wish that there way a subway from Columbia to DC). P.S. Gtown offered no funding so it made the choice but I actually have a professor and two former colleagues who prefer I take Gtown's offer
I am an international student like you but I did live in NYC for a year but I actually prefer DC but it's more international (and cleaner). NYC is great though.
I didn't apply to Wagner because their staff weren't helpful.
-
what is the time commitment for readers and RAs?
Is it possible to apply as an RA for one semester and as a reader for another?
Does getting a scholarship hurt your chances for getting an RA position?
Can you turn down an assistantship position if you get a SIPA scholarship? I mean, do you find out about the scholarship first before you have to accept the job?
Is it an open race for scholarship funding the second year for all students or do the students who got them the first year get priority? (i.e. are they just "renewing" the scholarship)
how hard does it seem like to get a 3.4 GPA. people have told me it is pretty easy so far
-
Everyone is on a first name basis with Ann. A typical first year meeting goes like this:
1) Explain to Ann what you want to do/where you want to work
2) Ann searches her mental rolodex and gives you the names/contact details of about 5-6 alumni doing similar work
3) You email them, they get back to you, good things result.
There's also a lot of professional development stuff, like interview techniques, building an effective network, salary negotiation etc.
Brilliant
What does: good things result mean? Do they actually go so far as to help you get internships/positions in their organization or do they just inform you of what is available? If it is the former, how do they help? Do they ask HR to look at your application?
This is really helpful for me as I would like to know what to discuss with SIPA alumni. What's okay to ask and not
What about Cherena? Aside from the proffesional development stuff, is she able to help students get their resumes looked at by the right organizations?
-
Hi, I am also an international student and please take my advice. Use the Cornell or Harvard Kennedy scholarship database, spend several hours going through the scholarships you are qualified for and apply individually. Good luck!
Lee Kuan Yew School (LKY School), National University of Singapore (NUS)
in Government Affairs Forum
Posted
I called Dr. Lee and discussed the specifics with him and for now, I might do the dual degree (SIPA then LKY) or SIPA all the way. I will revisit after a semester.