SIPA

[soaps]

There are definitely research assistant positions available (they're Departmental Research Assistants), or individual ones with professors if they have funds. Financial aid said that even if you don't maintain a 3.4 your first semester, there's still a possibility you can get funding by reapplying with a higher second semester GPA since they give out fellowships up until the start of the school year. It's not guaranteed and it might not be much, but... 

[Kadisha]

Thoughts on today's open house? I was super impressed with a lot of things but was turned off by a couple things as well. First: I was really impressed with all the admits I talked to today. Second: Very pleased with the ISP, human rights, and (especially) the conflict resolution plenaries. The faculty and current students I talked to were remarkably well-spoken and completely honest/genuine.

 

That's actually kind of comforting for me. Right now I'm tossing around the idea of switching to International Finance since I'm trying to avoid the public sector, if possible to be honest. Four years working for the federal government are enough for me. My only issue is that their ISP and CF classes are just so damn interesting. I find counter-terrorism to be a thrill.

 

I'm getting into too much detail here, but either way I'm meeting up with Ms. Jessica Baen, whose the coordinator of the program tomorrow, I'll post my thoughts here for anyone that's interested. 

[DaniCM]

I went to the financial aid session at the admitted students day yesterday. The director spoke in detail about the 2nd year awards, and 70% of those students who apply usually get awards. It seems there are three types-- teaching assitantships, research/program assistants, and readers. TAs typically get 20k per semester, RA/PA positions get about 10.5k per semester, and I think readers get 6k per semester. The average award is 10.5k because there are many more RA positions available.

Hope this helps!

 

Thanks to everyone! All very useful information! So, if you don't get funding your first year, but manage to get a TA spot for your second year, you essentially have half of your overall tuition covered. Do they award these TA positions based solely on meritt as judged by your GPA your first year?

 

Also, can you apply for endowed/named fellowships and scholarships specific to SIPA your second year?

[Denisse]

Ha, for some reason I totally associated RA with Resident Advisor! 

 

Did anyone who attend get a sense of the EDP concentration or IFEP? I'm interested in both!

[gatsby8724]

DaniCM, a TA position would be $20K per semester -- if you can hold a position both semesters, that's $40K or nearly full tuition.

 

Denisse, I didn't necessarily learn anything about EPD that I wasn't able to find out on SIPA's website.  The one item of note that I wrote down is that EPD students travel overseas (1-2 weeks) to consult with their capstone client.  This is unique to EPD and funded through a combination of SIPA/the client/the student. 

[Kadisha]

Ha, for some reason I totally associated RA with Resident Advisor! 

 

Did anyone who attend get a sense of the EDP concentration or IFEP? I'm interested in both!

 

http://new.sipa.columbia.edu/experience-sipa/news/sipa-live

 

This probably doesn't help you much but there's video of the Q&A session I believe.

 

They're also suppose to provide a Youtube playlist of the plenary sessions at some point. 

[Denisse]

Thanks for that info. I think you most definitely are considered for the fellowships, etc. for SIPA during your 2nd year. The application seems to be separate and due in February. There are also so many other scholarships people can apply to that are not SIPA-specific.

 

The TA thing seems to be very competitive. Does anyone know if they look for people with experience teaching or do they just base it on who has done well in the class?

[are we there yet?]

 Do they award these TA positions based solely on meritt as judged by your GPA your first year?

All students who have a 3.4+ are eligible for TAs so it is up to the discretion of the professor requesting assistance (i.e. a 3.41 can get one and a 4.0 can be shut out).  Also, TAs are subject to the availability of classes, thus only a semester appointment which could possibly be renewed if the class is offered both semesters.

Edited April 10, 2013 by kingofqueens

[are we there yet?]

The TA thing seems to be very competitive. Does anyone know if they look for people with experience teaching or do they just base it on who has done well in the class?

 

It is really up to the discretion of the professor.  Some conduct interviews to find the right fit, others may just base it off class performance/teaching experience.

 

***Just basing this off from my talks with financial aid.  I'm just an admit still pondering my choices

Edited April 10, 2013 by kingofqueens

[gatsby8724]

Thanks for that info. I think you most definitely are considered for the fellowships, etc. for SIPA during your 2nd year. The application seems to be separate and due in February. There are also so many other scholarships people can apply to that are not SIPA-specific.

 

The TA thing seems to be very competitive. Does anyone know if they look for people with experience teaching or do they just base it on who has done well in the class?

 

They did emphasize the importance of networking -- if you want to work with a professor, start talking to him/her ASAP.

 

On our campus tour, a current student mentioned that you need to graduate in the top 5 of a class in order to be a competitive TA candidate for it, but I'm not sure whether that's based on fact or just perception. 

[gatsby8724]

Did anyone go to the regional specialization sessions?  I opted to do Financial Aid and the Student Panel instead, but I'm curious how folks feel about the quality of these vs the functional specializations (particularly African Studies).

[Denisse]

Again, I didn't go, but I've done a ton of research due to wanting to specialize in Latin America. I think it depends on how clear your career goals are. For example, I want to do economic development work in emerging markets/Latin America, so I think an EDP/IFEP concentration w/ a regional specialization will be extremely beneficial. 

 

But, I've noticed that most of the regional courses can count as something else (EDP, IFEP, etc.) so if you're interested in taking some regional courses but still want a fundamental understanding in another discipline than you could probably take some as the electives in your concentration.  

[cunninlynguist]

For those of you mulling over the potential TA positions for your second year, the finances still seem (to me, at least) dubious. Best-case scenario, if you didn't get funding in the first year (which seems typical) and land a two-semester TA spot for 40K, the COA is still around 100K. I didn't apply to SIPA so this isn't something I'm personally grappling with, but I'm just curious on how heavy a loan burden is what you guys determine as your threshold.

[Denisse]

Does your 100K refer to total COA for two years, or just for one year? Because SIPA estimates the total COA as 71K for 1 year HOWEVER, I've realized that those numbers are inflated. They seem to take into account a higher rent, personal expenses, etc. than would seem realistic for a student on a budget trying not to take out too much.

 

I think my threshold for opportunity is high (probably higher than most here).

 

I didn't get funding for my 1st year so everything is being covered by federal loans (unsubsidized and Grad Plus) and my own personal savings and a couple of smaller outside scholarships. I assume this is the case for most people attending who didn't receive funding. If you plan on working throughout the year for personal expenses, as well as during the summer to save money for your 2nd semester than the scenario I envision for the 2nd semester is:

 

Some kind of funding that hits around 1/2 tuition so around 20K with the potential for even more funding through fellowships/scholarships both SIPA related and outside related. (especially if you take the time to research etc. and actually apply). At worse, only 20K gets covered, and once again federal loans would cover the rest (in this case probably only the unsubsidized and potentially a small Direct Loan Plus, if you haven't been frugal and saving money to cover the rest of the personal expenses).

 

I mean, SIPA estimated that I would need to take out around 51,000 to cover all the tuition + fees + living costs and that wasn't the case at all.

 

I figured it's a high price at the end of the day. But so was undergrad and I wouldn't be where I am now without it. I'm assuming the same for SIPA at the end of the day.

[soaps]

It's unlikely you'll be able to work for any substantial sum of money the summer in-between first/second years given the internship requirement.

 

NYC does provide flexibility in how much indirect expenses you'll incur. If you really want to live frugally, the COA isn't as high as SIPA advertises. They're assuming most people will want to live in or around Morningside Heights, which will be more expensive than somewhere else in Harlem, or one of the other boroughs. Many students live in Queens/Brooklyn... wouldn't be surprised if many commuted from Jersey.

 

Edit: And regarding the internship requirement, financial aid said either SIPA or some other Columbia department has $1700 it can allot to each student to help fund internships, but not nearly everyone takes advantage of it. From my understanding, if you get into a practicum for your concentration or specialization, your travel/living expenses are covered as well (in addition to its fulfilling the summer internship requirement). 

I don't see any other school offering the practicum or capstone opportunities SIPA has. It should really be making this a selling point, rather than letting everyone know the specifics after they're admitted. 

Edited April 10, 2013 by soaps

[Denisse]

The internship requirement though could be paid. Also, you can do an unpaid internship at any other point as well. It's a small thing, but if you are able to figure it out correctly. I don't believe the internship has to be done over the summer, or does it?

 

I agree that the capstone or practicum is a HUGE selling point. Not just for the experience, but the networking/connections you can make with the organization you do it for.

[CreamTea]

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

[Kadisha]

Those are a lot of specific questions CreamTea. 

 

You might have better luck by just asking current students. 

[soaps]

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

 

What do you mean by SIPA scholarships? I think you're confusing fellowships for free money. The fellowships are awarded as TAships, RAships, etc. That means you are working in order to get a combination of tuition awards, stipend, whatever. I don't know what you mean by SIPA scholarships.

[DaniCM]

There are some named/endowed scholarships specific to SIPA that you can apply for by writing essays.

 

But, in terms of funding directly from SIPA, that comes in the form of TA and RA positions. You compete for those with all the second year students who have above a 3.4 GPA. They don't just give these positions to the highest GPA people, as professors get to voice who their choice in TA or RA, so networking with professors is just as important as the GPA requirement

[CreamTea]

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

[soaps]

For people receiving scholarships the first year, if they're renewable, I think they're dependent on the 3.4 GPA. I could be wrong but I don't think those scholarships are even available for second-year students since financial aid only talks about fellowships the second year.

[are we there yet?]

did anyone get funding in the first round?  Or is there a 2nd round coming up?

[CreamTea]

DaniCM got a reply from admissions implying that there is a second round

[newdisplayname]

I was told that there is no second round:

 

One group member asked if scholarships and fellowships are freed up when a funded student declines their offer.  Like most schools, SIPA admits more students than we anticipate enrolling; we know that not all admitted students are going to decide to attend, and that includes students who have received offers of funding.  So when one student declines a scholarship or fellowship, it does not directly open up funding for another candidate. 

 

We do have some awards with very specific eligibility criteria set forth by the donor for which only a small number of students may qualify.  When those awards are offered to newly admitted students who have not yet committed to SIPA, the Admissions Committee has typically already identified an alternate recipient.  These represent a very small number of the awards we make, and no action is necessary on the part of any student in order to be considered.