ir_gradstudent Posted March 11, 2015 Posted March 11, 2015 (edited) Hi had anyone heard about scholarships yet from SIPA? I know the admission letter states that in few weeks they will send information about financial aid. Today I also received an email about possible sources of scholarships to apply for. But no news of scholarships. Are scholarships announced in the admission letter itself? I emailed them about this. It would be attached to your admissions letter if you were getting anything. They have already offered all fellowships and funding sources, so if you didn't get an offer from Columbia yet (like me) then you won't be getting one. It means no funding. Edited March 11, 2015 by ir_gradstudent
Filmore22 Posted March 11, 2015 Posted March 11, 2015 hey in the same situation. So no funding in terms of money from SIPA but that doesn't include financial aid? I recieved an email from them this morning with a reminder to fill out a FAFSA and to enter in the Columbia Univ. Federal School Code.
Wiking13 Posted March 13, 2015 Posted March 13, 2015 I still haven't received a decision, and it's starting to make me a bit nervous. Assuming it's because my third recommendation wasn't turned in until late February (out of my control). Maybe I should contact admissions?
Gov2School Posted March 13, 2015 Posted March 13, 2015 hey in the same situation. So no funding in terms of money from SIPA but that doesn't include financial aid? I recieved an email from them this morning with a reminder to fill out a FAFSA and to enter in the Columbia Univ. Federal School Code. Filling out the FAFSA is to determine your eligibility for whatever federal financial assistance may be available from the U.S. government, such as federally subsidized student loans (which offer a low fixed interest rate, compared to private loans).
IRGradStudent Posted March 14, 2015 Posted March 14, 2015 Any veterans out there seriously considering attending for Fall of 2015? Does anyone know if the yellow ribbon award is a first come first serve award or is it given to everyone who is eligible? Any comments on adjusting to academic studies after a lengthy period of active duty would be greatly appreciated.
PolicyGrad92 Posted March 15, 2015 Author Posted March 15, 2015 Anyone here knows if the International Fellows Program decisions are out as well? There one guy on the results page who says he got "international fellow" - assuming it's the IFP.. anybody knows otherwise? Can anyone also explain this - so they give funding offers with a margin of how many will not come. So if a person with a funiding offer does not enroll, they cannot give those funds to someone else? Is that a myth?
ir_gradstudent Posted March 15, 2015 Posted March 15, 2015 (edited) Any veterans out there seriously considering attending for Fall of 2015? Does anyone know if the yellow ribbon award is a first come first serve award or is it given to everyone who is eligible? Any comments on adjusting to academic studies after a lengthy period of active duty would be greatly appreciated. I didn't get funding from SIPA this week, so I will probably end up turning down my admissions offer when all my results are in. For the yellow ribbon, you can read here about how they did the process last year: http://admissionsblog.sipa.columbia.edu/tag/yellow-ribbon-program/ It appears it's on a first-come, first-serve basis for the first 27 students according to http://veteranaffairs.columbia.edu/content/yellow-ribbon-program-1. I saw another school (forgot which one) who had a set pool of Yellow Ribbon money and it was distributed evenly between all those who applied. Columbia gives out $8,700 for their program... which would be matched with another $8,700 from the U.S. government. That's the largest Yellow Ribbon contribution I've seen from all of the schools in my signature below. Btw I was active duty for almost 8 years, then went home for a few months and then straight to undergraduate overseas. It was a piece of cake to adjust... Everything is way more laid back times 100. You will have no issues at all. Edited March 15, 2015 by ir_gradstudent
IRGradStudent Posted March 15, 2015 Posted March 15, 2015 I didn't get funding from SIPA this week, so I will probably end up turning down my admissions offer when all my results are in. For the yellow ribbon, you can read here about how they did the process last year: http://admissionsblog.sipa.columbia.edu/tag/yellow-ribbon-program/ It appears it's on a first-come, first-serve basis for the first 27 students according to http://veteranaffairs.columbia.edu/content/yellow-ribbon-program-1. I saw another school (forgot which one) who had a set pool of Yellow Ribbon money and it was distributed evenly between all those who applied. Columbia gives out $8,700 for their program... which would be matched with another $8,700 from the U.S. government. That's the largest Yellow Ribbon contribution I've seen from all of the schools in my signature below. Btw I was active duty for almost 8 years, then went home for a few months and then straight to undergraduate overseas. It was a piece of cake to adjust... Everything is way more laid back times 100. You will have no issues at all. Thanks for the information. The Yellow Ribbon contribution is a pretty good deal on top of the GI Bill when it comes to financially planning this out. I will be right around 8 years of active duty and I can't imagine a better spot to be in right now.
andl2ew Posted March 15, 2015 Posted March 15, 2015 Thanks for the information. The Yellow Ribbon contribution is a pretty good deal on top of the GI Bill when it comes to financially planning this out. I will be right around 8 years of active duty and I can't imagine a better spot to be in right now. I'm starting the MIA in the Fall. Just separated from active duty in Feb after 6.5 years, and I've already visited the VA rep and Financial Aid Office. Make sure you touch base with the VA on campus and get them your certificate of eligibility; I think there is a weird requirement where you need to qualify for the GI Bill before getting to the YRP. As far as details on YRP, the Financial Aid Office informed me that they won't have any until April. The YRP budget decisions won't be made till then, and once it's made, they will inform students and prospects via email. Hope this helped. Good luck!
IRGradStudent Posted March 15, 2015 Posted March 15, 2015 Thanks yeah I will reach out to them this week. I had taken the Loan Repayment Program which took care of my undergrad debt when I first joined. I should still be eligible for a 100% however the exact regulation regarding the GI Bill and YRP, I am not too clear on. I recently submitted to find out my eligibility for it and I think with 8 years I should be alright. I also had heard if you have a 20% disability rating or higher you may be eligible for full tuition? I am looking at around a 40% rating however I don't know what exactly the stipulations are for qualifying for that from the VA.
ir_gradstudent Posted March 15, 2015 Posted March 15, 2015 I had taken the Loan Repayment Program which took care of my undergrad debt when I first joined. I should still be eligible for a 100% however the exact regulation regarding the GI Bill and YRP, I am not too clear on. I recently submitted to find out my eligibility for it and I think with 8 years I should be alright. Doesn't taking the Loan Repayment Program negate your GI Bill eligibility? (I have no idea.) Also noticed we both chose the same incognito username... haha.
IRGradStudent Posted March 15, 2015 Posted March 15, 2015 From my understanding with the Post 9/11 GI Bill, if you had taken the LRP the first three years of service do not count towards education benefits since it is a period of repayment. You have to serve at least 3 years following completion of the last loan payment. That is what I have been told according to the VA. But regardless if I don't meet a 100% it could have a serious financial impact. Haha yeah I noticed that!
andl2ew Posted March 15, 2015 Posted March 15, 2015 (edited) Thanks yeah I will reach out to them this week. I had taken the Loan Repayment Program which took care of my undergrad debt when I first joined. I should still be eligible for a 100% however the exact regulation regarding the GI Bill and YRP, I am not too clear on. I recently submitted to find out my eligibility for it and I think with 8 years I should be alright. I also had heard if you have a 20% disability rating or higher you may be eligible for full tuition? I am looking at around a 40% rating however I don't know what exactly the stipulations are for qualifying for that from the VA. Definitely great question for admitted students day coming up. I'm also waiting on my disability rating. Edited March 15, 2015 by andl2ew
IRGradStudent Posted March 16, 2015 Posted March 16, 2015 Definitely great question for admitted students day coming up. I'm also waiting on my disability rating.
IRGradStudent Posted March 16, 2015 Posted March 16, 2015 Yeah absolutely... I am still waiting for orders to start clearing. Not sure if I will be on terminal leave by then or not.
Gradstudies_IA Posted March 16, 2015 Posted March 16, 2015 Hi, I have a few small questions: 1) Approximately what are the class sizes in introductory courses and in specific concentration / specialization courses? 2) How forthcoming are the alumini in terms of assisting for internships and jobs ?
PolicyGrad92 Posted March 17, 2015 Author Posted March 17, 2015 (edited) I would love answers to all 4 too, is there a current SIPA student here? There was one way back in December.. How many of you guys here are learning towards SIPA? Or have definitely made the decision to go to SIPA? I definitely want to, it's a great fit for me, but I have money on my mind (yes I'm singing the song in my head, except that I change the lyric) Edited March 17, 2015 by PolicyGrad92
oh chai oi Posted March 19, 2015 Posted March 19, 2015 Accepted into the MIA program with a $80,500 scholarship over two years. I'm still in disbelief Hey haupia, congrats on the acceptance and the unbelievable funding! I was wondering if you, or @Akueldo, @MsFutureDiplomat, @CantHardlyWait (or anyone else) would be willing to share your profiles to give an idea of what exactly it takes to get serious scholarship money from a program like this? I'm actually currently in the process of applying to Canadian programs (I'm Canadian), partly because I have not yet written the GRE and am working abroad so could not apply to the top American programs. At the moment, I'm trying to decide between just accepting here in Canada or taking a year to write the GRE, apply to American programs and see what comes up. That being said, if there is essentially zero chance of me getting even a solid amount of funding then I would rather not waste a year/money/my nerves on all the applications (I understand that either way there is a chance I won't get funding, but it is more about whether or not I even have a shot at it). Prior to perusing gradcafe I thought I had a pretty solid profile, but some people on here blow me out of the water, so I wanted to see if you are all also those people. Any feedback would be great, and congrats to all of you, i'm kicking myself for not having written the GRE right out of undergrad!
Policy Analyst Posted March 21, 2015 Posted March 21, 2015 Hi! I got admitted to the MPA- EPD Program with a 50,000 fellowship over two years. I do realise that SIPA is not very generous with fellowships so I am pleasantly surprised. Although I would still need a loan for the remaining cost of tuition+ living expenses in NYC. Hence I am on two minds. I have been doing a cost-benefit analysis and currently my opportunity cost seems high. Since some of the people here have been asking about the profile of students who get admitted with scholarships, here goes. Graduation: Economics graduate, First Class Post Graduation- Msc. from LSE with Distinction Work Experience: 2 years in Private sector, 2 years with United Nations as an intern and currently as a Consultant GRE scores: Do not remember the exact Verbal Score but Quant was 760/800. I guess only 5% of the the admitted students get funding and it is indeed very competitive but that should not make you write it off. Worse come to worse you won't get any but if you don't apply, you would never know. My two cents Hope this helps.
Secumax852 Posted March 25, 2015 Posted March 25, 2015 @IRGradStudent How's it going? I am also a veteran who got into SIPA. After I got the acceptance letter, the first thing I did was to call the financial center in regards to YRP. The manager at that time told me that each year every program is allocated a certain amount of YRP funding which is determined by a myriad of factors. When I asked him whether it is first come first serve, he told me that it doesn't matter, and it is allocated evenly according to the amount of veteran applicants in each program (which, is contradictory to what the website wrote). Nevertheless, he said that by mid-May, the official amount of YRP funding for SIPA will be revealed and that is when they will accept applications for YRP. I am rather dubious to his statements and I will provide further information when I am able to find out more.
IRGradStudent Posted March 25, 2015 Posted March 25, 2015 @IRGradStudent How's it going? I am also a veteran who got into SIPA. After I got the acceptance letter, the first thing I did was to call the financial center in regards to YRP. The manager at that time told me that each year every program is allocated a certain amount of YRP funding which is determined by a myriad of factors. When I asked him whether it is first come first serve, he told me that it doesn't matter, and it is allocated evenly according to the amount of veteran applicants in each program (which, is contradictory to what the website wrote). Nevertheless, he said that by mid-May, the official amount of YRP funding for SIPA will be revealed and that is when they will accept applications for YRP. I am rather dubious to his statements and I will provide further information when I am able to find out more. Thanks for the information! I have already decided, pending Georgetown SSP decisions, that I will attend SIPA regardless of the YRP outcome. I am willing to financially stretch it a bit there then other schools I have been admitted to where it would be easier to cover majority of costs with the benefits. However it will be interesting to see what they announce in mid-May since any amount would certainly help.
Secumax852 Posted March 25, 2015 Posted March 25, 2015 (edited) @IRGradStudent No problem bud. Once again when more info comes I'll post it up. There's an alumni and newcomer event tomorrow in Boston which I'll be attending. Hopefully I will be able to squeeze more information out. Nevertheless, I'm glad that another veteran is on board! Edited March 25, 2015 by Secumax852
Guest SIPA_MPA18 Posted March 26, 2015 Posted March 26, 2015 (edited) To the veterans admitted for this year, would you mind posting/private messaging some info about your work experience and GRE scores? I'm applying for 2016 and will have just over 8 years experience in (Army). I'm taking the GRE for the first time in April so just looking for something to compare to. Thanks a lot in advance! Edited March 26, 2015 by SIPA_MPA18
exnomial Posted April 2, 2015 Posted April 2, 2015 Sorry about the previous misleading answer. I found the CUID located at the top of the admission letter yup no worries. i managed to look mine up too! needed it to apply for housing haha. hope to see everyone here this fall!
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now