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Posted

well, i didn't get in to SIPA so i don't want this to sound like sour grapes.  However, i too had nothing sent to me after my application.  i did ask them a question during the application phase via email and never got a reply.  nada.

 

i have a number of friends who did grad work at columbia all across the spectrum.  My law school friend didn't like the school, but did say the career services was awesome. 

 

My other 4 friends who went there dislike it from top to bottom.  My friend in the social work school asked about an alumni database to use for networking purposes. they told her it was on a card system (this was 2 years ago) and if she had a specific name she wanted to look up they could get back to her with the individual's information in a week to two.  now, obviously this isn't the same program, so grain of salt and all that, but it's stories like these that made me decide against columbia long before my decision letter arrived.  my undergraduate experience was the polar opposite of this, and so i'm definitely spoiled. But, while i'm more than capable of doing a lot of legwork on my own, if tuition is that high, i expect to see some return. 

 

congratulations to those who got in and i sincerly wish those of you who attend the best of luck.  ny is an amazing city full of opportunity and obviously SIPA has its great points.  hope to meet you in the field one of these days. 

Posted

Anyone who was accepted recieve any notice on the International Fellows Program?

 

I applied but didn't get any notice on it in the acceptance letter.. I'm assuming  I should take it as a no...

Posted

I applied but didn't get any notice on it in the acceptance letter.. I'm assuming  I should take it as a no...

 I'm also in!!! But with no funding... I also applied to the International Fellows Program and didnt hear anything... maybe it is a no?

Posted

Not so sure about that as a no, on the IFP website it states that the deadline for continuing students is March 15th and for non-Columbia students it is April 1st. So I'm assuming decisions will be made later once they have all the applications in. But I'm not positive...

Posted

I'm still waiting as well. Of course Wagner had to send me another webinar email today (how did they know I've been refreshing my email repeatedly?!) and give me a mini heart attack thinking it was SIPA. Applied for MPA program.

Posted

I'm sure that's true to a certain degree. Since Fletcher and SIPA are so closely ranked, I'm surprised I heard so much from one and not at all from the other, although SIPA did contact me and suggest I apply to a number of named fellowships. I just think, generally, SIPA has a reputation for being more hands off and impersonal with their MIA students...small fish in a big pond sort of scenario. That said, there's tons of opportunities in NYC and at SIPA, it just seems like you're more or less left on your own to figure those opportunities out.

 

 

Yeah I think Columbia in general has that reputation since that is a common complaint from undergrads as well. I think it's partly the nature of institutions in NYC, and partly the propensity of New Yorkers to complain about everything. 

Posted

I'm still waiting as well. Of course Wagner had to send me another webinar email today (how did they know I've been refreshing my email repeatedly?!) and give me a mini heart attack thinking it was SIPA. Applied for MPA program.

 

Exactly the same happened to me. I'm MPA too, with little hope left.

Posted (edited)

Yeah I think Columbia in general has that reputation since that is a common complaint from undergrads as well. I think it's partly the nature of institutions in NYC, and partly the propensity of New Yorkers to complain about everything. 

 

It does have this reputation, but having dealt with it personally, I'd put it in the positives column. I had a great period of personal growth during my four years in NYC and I'm thankful no one held my hand.

Edited by Goose1459
Posted

Yeah I think Columbia in general has that reputation since that is a common complaint from undergrads as well. I think it's partly the nature of institutions in NYC, and partly the propensity of New Yorkers to complain about everything. 

hahaha. fair enough!

Posted

I am still waiting too. However, I applied to the MPA-DP and I´ve noticed that in previous years they have taken longer to send notifications from that program. I´ve also noticed that with SIPA silence might mean that you´re being considered for a fellowship or something and not necessarily a rejection...

Posted (edited)

It does have this reputation, but having dealt with it personally, I'd put it in the positives column. I had a great period of personal growth during my four years in NYC and I'm thankful no one held my hand.

 

Having been an undergrad there, what is SIPA's reputation in your experience and what's your plan now that you've been accepted to SAIS and SIPA? I thought I wouldn't care about getting into SIPA and that I'd try again next year for HKS and maybe even WWS, but now that I'm actually accepted I feel tempted. I hated every moment of the application process and don't want to do it all again, and I love living in NYC (in fact, I live one block from the Columbia campus). It's a tougher call than I expected it to be.

Edited by soapwater
Posted

I am still waiting too. However, I applied to the MPA-DP and I´ve noticed that in previous years they have taken longer to send notifications from that program. I´ve also noticed that with SIPA silence might mean that you´re being considered for a fellowship or something and not necessarily a rejection...

hi, i also applied MDP. It's the thing i worry about most that they may put MDP the last to announce after MPA and MIA, since DP only admits very small number. Good luck for us!!!!!

Posted

hi, i also applied MDP. It's the thing i worry about most that they may put MDP the last to announce after MPA and MIA, since DP only admits very small number. Good luck for us!!!!!

 

Well I´m pretty certain we´ll be left till the end, but also on the admissions blog they said that they would try to have all the notifications sent by friday so let´s hope so... and yeah, good luck to us! :)

Posted

So I looked at last year's SIPA thread, and it sounds like notifications for IFP were included in the admissions letters... :/

Posted

Still waiting :( Applied for MIA. Guess this means rejection but I just want to see the decision with my own eyes. Then it ends and I make a final decision.

 

Very honestly, I know SIPA is a bit of reach for me and not even that great a fit. And I've been accepted to three other great schools so it's all good :) 

Posted (edited)

Having been an undergrad there, what is SIPA's reputation in your experience and what's your plan now that you've been accepted to SAIS and SIPA? 

 

 

Personally, I think SIPA's reputation on GradCafe is a little different than on campus.

 

Columbians have a bad habit of self-segregation (personally and within groups) due to the hustle that is required in NYC. While it may be a campus ethos to pursue ones interests fully, working an internship and staying in the library until midnight, I always saw SIPA students in the International Affairs Building (IAB) mingling after classes.

 

I'd say that the "Cash Cow" reputation may be a little overstated; I certainly never thought that while I was on campus and only heard out about it through GradCafe. My classmates and I weren't whispering "Oh, he/she goes to SIPA and must be paying top-dollar" to each other. Columbia's an expensive place to study, and I think that most everyone there recognizes that and the alternatives. That being said, I didn't receive any funding this time, which makes it harder to return given my other options.

 

The World Leaders Forum and other seminars and conferences were amazing experiences and a main reason of why I applied to return. I made some strong connections with a few of my professors (granted, during the summer when the majority of the campus was away) and had the opportunity to attend some private functions with high-level officials and even a head of state. Inaccessibility to a professor is true partly due their schedule and demeanor, but also if you only go to class, are silent and don't follow up during office hours.

 

The SIPA Alumni that I've interacted with at Alumni Association events are all accomplished, driven individuals. They are up to some interesting work and it's a benefit that the Alumni network is getting stronger due to increased interest in being involved with the Association. The university as a whole is going through a revival, in my opinion. If you look closely, I think one can recognize this. 

 

I'm still waiting for Georgetown MSFS and then my cycle will be over. I'll attend the admitted students days at each school to which I was accepted, and then try to make the most informed decision. That may require a few days hiatus from GradCafe. 

 

By the way, there are a lot of beautiful people at SIPA   :wub:  and I've heard they know how to throw a good party   B)!

Edited by Goose1459
Posted

Personally, I think SIPA's reputation on GradCafe is a little different than on campus.

 

Columbians a bad habit of self-segregation (personally and within groups) due to the hustle that is required in NYC. While it may be a campus ethos to pursue ones interests fully, working an internship and staying in the library until midnight, I always saw SIPA students in the International Affairs Building (IAB) mingling after classes. I wonder how much interaction one would have Law and Business students however, especially if a student was not cross-registered in those classes.

 

I'd say that the "Cash Cow" reputation may be a little overstated; I certainly never thought that while I was on campus and only heard out about it through GradCafe. My classmates and I weren't whispering "Oh, he/she goes to SIPA and must be paying top-dollar" to each other. Columbia's an expensive place to study, and I think that most everyone there recognizes that and the alternatives. That being said, I didn't receive any funding this time, which makes it harder to return given alternatives.

 

The World Leaders Forum and other seminars and conferences were amazing experiences and a main reason of why I applied to return. I made some strong connections with a few of my professors (granted, during the summer when the majority of the campus was away) and had the opportunity to attend some private functions with high-level officials and even a head of state. Inaccesibility to a professor is true partly on their schedule and demeanor, but also if you only go to class, are silent and don't follow up during office hours.

 

The SIPA Alumni that I've interacted with at Alumni Association events are all accomplished, driven individuals. They are up to some interesting work and it's a benefit that the Alumni network is getting stronger due to increased interest in being involved with the Association.

 

I'm still waiting for Georgetown MSFS and then my cycle will be over. I'll attend the admitted students days at each school to which I was accepted, and then try to make the most informed decision. That may require a few days hiatus from GradCafe. 

 

By the way, there are a lot of beautiful people at SIPA  :wub:  and I've heard they know how to throw a good party  B)!

 

Thank for the input! And I definitely agree with the "beautiful people" thing as far as it concerns Columbia (and New York). Morningside Heights in particular sometimes seems like it's populated by professional models. Not a trivial consideration for those of us with epicurean instincts. 

Posted (edited)

About 2-3 hours later than everyone else, I had given up. But I got in (no $, but I'm not surprised)!!!

So now have to add SIPA to my Fletcher ($) versus SAIS debate.

Edited by seekay22
Posted

About 2-3 hours later than everyone else, I had given up. But I got in (no $, but I'm not surprised)!!!

So now have to add SIPA to my Fletcher ($) versus SAIS debate.

 

Congrats! I'm still waiting...it's brutal. If I get in, it's going to be most likely SAIS versus SIPA debate for me.

Posted

Rejected.  But it's alright. Was expecting it. Now, I can finally make my decision.

Posted

Still waiting on MIA!

Still waiting as well, MPA though. I had thought for sure they would only release one "batch" of decisions per day.

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