DanioMasher Posted March 17, 2015 Posted March 17, 2015 Who else is attending Columbia this fall? I'll be in the Pathobiology and Molecular Medicine program!
doobiebrothers Posted March 20, 2015 Posted March 20, 2015 hi! PhD in Islamic Studies, nice to meet you all brown_eyed_girl 1
Secumax852 Posted March 20, 2015 Posted March 20, 2015 Howdy folks! I also got into Columbia. SIPA Masters program for international affairs. Now let the dreaded apartment hunting begin...
Lycaon Posted March 22, 2015 Posted March 22, 2015 Now let the dreaded apartment hunting begin... Right? I've heard many a sad story about apartment hunting, NYC prices, new roommate drama--the works. Surprisingly, they haven't dampered my excitement. I've already sent in my UAH application since it seems to be super competitive for Master's students. What boroughs, UAH communities, etc are you guys looking at/favoring? I really like International House (if I could get in). The Arbor also looks good. But if UAH housing didn't work out, I'd probably be open to most boroughs. Washington Heights is pretty attractive to me as well. Also, has anyone gotten their UNI yet?
caitylaurel Posted March 23, 2015 Posted March 23, 2015 I'm going for East Asian Languages and Cultures MA -- for Chinese! God I hope I can get something with UAH...
Secumax852 Posted March 23, 2015 Posted March 23, 2015 @Lycaon - I've been looking into living in the Upper West Side and the surrounding area. The Arbor does look amazing, however I am also trying to experience a little of Manhattan during my graduate studies. One redemption I have is that the G.I. Bill, does provide me a monthly housing allowance, so that takes a lot of the burden off of my shoulder.
doobiebrothers Posted March 23, 2015 Posted March 23, 2015 if anybody here is Jewish, the Jewish housing coop is wonderful and very affordable. Also the union theological seminary has joint columbia housing that is very nice!
Lycaon Posted March 25, 2015 Posted March 25, 2015 (edited) @DanioMasher- Pathobiology sounds cool! Do you already know what you focus is going to be? Global health is interesting to me and I'm hoping to be able to work on mosquito vector related side projects if my time allows me. @doobiebrothers- Did you get to visit the Jewish and seminary housing units? I wish I would have visited some of the housing areas while I was in NYC. That's one of my only regrets hahaha. Granted, at that point I was dubious about the probability of acceptance @caitylaurel- One of my former roommates specialized in Chinese! She actually inspired me to start seriously learning Japanese on my own. What inspired you to pursue East Asian Languages and Cultures, if you don't mind my asking? @Secumax852- Yeah, I see what you mean. I'm pretty open to wherever at this point only because I've been living on the West Coast all my life haha. But that's awesome that the G.I. Bill will give you some good housing coverage! Thanks for your (your family's?) service! Edited March 25, 2015 by Lycaon
Secumax852 Posted March 25, 2015 Posted March 25, 2015 (edited) @Lycaon Thanks, that means a lot to me. But yes, living around the UWS area will be ideal for me. I've been looking into Harlem also, and it is not as bad as as a lot of people think it is, especially since ex-mayor Bloomberg started his gentrifying project (whether it is good or bad, it's debatable). Nevertheless, living in New York will be an adventure itself. @caitylaurel That is awesome that you are going for Chinese culture and language. Are you going to be in WEAI? My program requires a specialization, which I choose East Asia. I am also trying to attain a certificate in Chinese studies. I've been tutoring middle-school kids in Mandarin since I got out of the military, so I hope attaining an advance certificate in conjunction with my MA degree will help in my future endeavors. Edited March 25, 2015 by Secumax852
statsgirl4 Posted March 26, 2015 Posted March 26, 2015 Hey, I'm actually a post-bacc at Columbia now (won't be there in the fall, as I will be attending a different program), but I wanted to suggest Manhattan Valley as a neighborhood- it's the area between 96th st and 110th st on the West Side, sometimes getting lumped in with UWS, as well as Inwood (residential and quiet) and Washington/Hamilton Heights (more lively) if you don't mind getting on the subway. Nakedapartments is a pretty good resource. I've heard really mixed things about The Arbor- the building is very nice, but the area around it is really sketchy. If you are only going to be taking the shuttle and doing errands near Columbia it's fine, but I know someone who was robbed at gunpoint in the park near the building. They transferred to different Columbia housing after the incident. I would avoid living there if you are planning on traveling without the shuttle at night, but I guess it depends how risk-averse you are- plenty of people don't have problems with it. Lycaon 1
Lycaon Posted March 28, 2015 Posted March 28, 2015 Thanks for the information statsgirl4! Did you live in Manhattan valley? Are there any tips that you would give us about Columbia in general?
caitylaurel Posted March 28, 2015 Posted March 28, 2015 @lyacon well, I guess in high school I knew I wanted to do history, but I got really tired of Europe and the U.S. so I started some reading and Chinese history really stuck with me. So I started Mandarin in undergrad (and then Japanese as well. And then French because I needed more credits, and I'm trying to teach myself Cantonese now) @secumax852 , No, EALAC, but there's a bit of faculty crossover. I've also done a bit of tutoring as well, though privately. Lycaon 1
statsgirl4 Posted March 29, 2015 Posted March 29, 2015 Thanks for the information statsgirl4! Did you live in Manhattan valley? Are there any tips that you would give us about Columbia in general? No problem, I'm in Manhattan Valley around 107th st. I really like the neighborhood. If you get into Columbia Housing near campus, the buildings vary a lot so it's kind of luck of the draw, but some are super nice and a good rate for the area for a 1br. The bureaucracy can be a little ridiculous (I know some people who have had some crazy problems with getting paid! Don't be afraid to be a squeaky wheel, be friendly with the admin staff, it'll work itself out but be prepared for occasional bumps). The school will most likely try to nickel and dime you if you're paying your way. But honestly, your experiences will probably vary a lot depending on the school/department. Try not to be one of those students who only stays between 110th st and 120th st and Morningside Park- there's a lot to enjoy in the area beyond these super arbitrary bounds that people seem to stay in unless they're going downtown. Falafel on Broadway is the best lunch under $6 imo. Your ID gets you into a ton of museums for free, and there are a lot of shows and stores that give very good discounts so be sure to ask. I've enjoyed my time at Columbia, as have my friends there- best of luck to all of you, and be sure to take advantage of living in the city! Lycaon 1
neuro_engineer Posted March 29, 2015 Posted March 29, 2015 PhD in Bioengineering - how long after accepting the offer did it take to get the login info for housing apps?
Lycaon Posted March 30, 2015 Posted March 30, 2015 (edited) PhD in Bioengineering - how long after accepting the offer did it take to get the login info for housing apps? Hi neuro_engineer! I think your official acceptance letter from GSAS should give you a sign-up code (starts with uah) and your Personal Identification Number, PID, that starts with C00. Edited March 30, 2015 by Lycaon
neuro_engineer Posted April 1, 2015 Posted April 1, 2015 Thanks for the reply!! Hm, is the acceptance letter from the GSAS different from the offer letter from my department? My offer letter had no such information in it.
Lycaon Posted April 1, 2015 Posted April 1, 2015 Thanks for the reply!! Hm, is the acceptance letter from the GSAS different from the offer letter from my department? My offer letter had no such information in it. Huh... I'm not sure. Your area of study is part of GSAS right? I just got one official letter from GSAS telling me that info and offering me a small scholarship. Maybe Ph. D letters are different. It is possible you may not need that info since Ph. D students should be guaranteed housing. I would suggest emailing GSAS or your department for more info.
brown_eyed_girl Posted April 8, 2015 Posted April 8, 2015 I'm excited to be coming to Columbia for a PhD in Art History this fall Lovely to meet you all!
brown_eyed_girl Posted April 8, 2015 Posted April 8, 2015 (edited) Thanks for the reply!! Hm, is the acceptance letter from the GSAS different from the offer letter from my department? My offer letter had no such information in it. Yes, I got an "official" GSAS letter with final funding info, housing info, UID, etc. about three weeks after I got my departmental acceptance letter. If it's been longer than that you can always call GSAS to check in or check your spam folder to make sure it didn't get lost. Not sure if it's the same for all departments, but in my case the GSAS letter showed up in the application portal and I received an email notifying me that the "official" decision was ready, though I'd already been admitted to the dept and attended an admitted students' open house. Edited April 8, 2015 by brown_eyed_girl
neuro_engineer Posted April 9, 2015 Posted April 9, 2015 Yes, I got an "official" GSAS letter with final funding info, housing info, UID, etc. about three weeks after I got my departmental acceptance letter. If it's been longer than that you can always call GSAS to check in or check your spam folder to make sure it didn't get lost. Not sure if it's the same for all departments, but in my case the GSAS letter showed up in the application portal and I received an email notifying me that the "official" decision was ready, though I'd already been admitted to the dept and attended an admitted students' open house.
neuro_engineer Posted April 9, 2015 Posted April 9, 2015 Ok sounds good! I just dont want to miss out on housing is all
DavidYu Posted April 14, 2015 Posted April 14, 2015 Got an offer from electrical engineering but still thinking, just wondering how do you guys find or plan to find roomates? I thought about renting a 1 bedroom but i will be new in the city and probably going to feel lonely living alone. On the other hand if roomate doesn't get along and it happens it will suck so much
DanioMasher Posted April 15, 2015 Author Posted April 15, 2015 Got an offer from electrical engineering but still thinking, just wondering how do you guys find or plan to find roomates? I thought about renting a 1 bedroom but i will be new in the city and probably going to feel lonely living alone. On the other hand if roomate doesn't get along and it happens it will suck so much I'm just applying for the grad housing and hoping I get good roommates. I don't really see myself sticking around in the grad housing for more than a semester or two though. Hopefully living there will allow me to find some people who want to move out together to a better place. Really hoping I don't end up in a shared bedroom though. I want people to share a place with, but there's no way I could go back to sharing a room. Unfortunately there doesn't seem to be a way to ensure that doesn't happen. If that happens, I'd probably just reject the housing offer. Hopefully that doesn't happen, because I don't really have an alternate plan to find roommates. I guess talking to people within this thread might be a decent start?
InTheory Posted April 15, 2015 Posted April 15, 2015 Just accepted my offer yesterday. Does anyone know what the chances are of landing the grad housing?
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