What to do now that decisions are live COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY - SIPA Admissions Blog

What to do now that decisions are live COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY - SIPA Admissions Blog Hi everyone, As you may already be aware, decisions rolled out Monday afternoon. While the majority of decisions have already gone out, we plan to release the remainder over the next few days.  It hasnt been easy issuing a mix of decisions to hundreds of qualified candidates, but the Admissions Committee has done  a fantastic job nonetheless. While not all decision letters have brought happy news, I know you have questions about what to do next.  Thus,  I thought this would be a good time to recap what it all means; from  waitlists to appeals, and everything in between. The  Waitlist If youve be waitlisted the news  can be difficult to handle  but that doesnt mean its the end of the line. Your application showed a lot of promise, but there were more highly  competitive candidates than we have seats for at SIPA. The good news is that we will move some candidates from the waitlist to the admit list;  it just takes time. The waitlist is lengthy, and its not ranked, so theres no way for us to tell your odds of being moved up the list. The Admissions Committee typically reviews the waitlist in June, and all final decisions will be released later this summer. If space becomes available, the Admissions Committee will again review your application, so no additional documentation is required. However, if youve retaken the GRE/GMAT or TOEFL/IELTS or have taken additional quantitative coursework to support your application, the committee will  consider it as part of your application. (We cannot accept things like updated essays, resumes, award announcements or supplemental reference letters.) Just email us the documents, your name and application number to sipa_admission@columbia.edu with Supplemental Waitlist Materials from Your Name in the subject line. Conversely,  if you decide you no longer want to be considered for admission to SIPA, just send us an email to sipa_admission@columbia.edu with your name, application number and reason for removal from the waitlist. Please keep in mind that  we cannot provide periodic updates on your standing. So I  only encourage you to email us if you have a specific request regarding your waitlisted application  (to update your application or remove it for consideration). Reapply To SIPA I  welcome you to reapply to SIPA, regardless of the outcome of your first application.  All re-applicants are subject to the same deadlines, fees and regulations as first-time applicants. As a benefit, you may reapply using the personal statement, reference letters, test scores and transcripts from this years application. When next years application goes live in the  fall, just email us at sipa_admission@columbia.edu with Reapplicant Request To Use Past Materials for  Your Name in the subject line and specify which of these materials you want to reuse. For details on materials you must resubmit, visit our Reapplication page. Appeal An Admissions  Decision The Admissions Committee reviews each application thoroughly and with great care. All decisions are final, so there isnt an appeal process. Saying Goodbye On behalf of the entire Admissions Committee I want to thank you for your effort. We got to know you through your application and it was honor to read your story. If you ultimately decide to decline your admissions offer, remove yourself from the waitlist or  wont  reapply next year, I just want to let you know that  we hope youll continue to develop your academic and professional experience for whatever your future might hold. Thank Your Recommenders Its an obvious thing to do, but  many applicants forget this step. No matter if youve been admitted, waitlisted or encouraged to reapply next year, its still important to thank your recommenders one more time for their help. They took the time to write you an outstanding letter, so thank them and feel free to share your decision news with them (good or bad). This could also be a great opportunity to ask them for suggestions on strengthening your application for next year. Next Steps for Admitted Students Lastly, congratulations to those of you who were admitted! SIPA has much to offer, and we hope you will be joining us in the fall. Please review the Welcome Portal  to learn more about Admitted Students Day in April, register for a coffee chat with a current student over Spring Break, and explore the many benefits of being a Columbia University student. After youre finished, dont forget to accept your admissions offer by April 15/May 1, depending on what your admission letter says! (Log-in details for the Welcome Portal may be found in your admissions letter.) I also invite you to follow us on Instagram  (@Columbia.SIPA) and share your admissions story with us using #IGotIntoSIPA. Financial Aid Fellowships If you received a scholarship or fellowship, your award is mentioned in your  admissions letter. For domestic students, well also communicate student loans and work-study details in award letters, but youll only receive that letter after youve submitted a FAFSA at www.fafsa.ed.gov,  using school code 002707.  In order to be considered for financial aid, its important that you submit your FAFSA as soon as possible. The sooner you submit it, the sooner the Office of Financial Aid can issue your award letter. Most financial-aid packages are released two to four weeks after your FAFSA is received. All students, whether funded their  first year or not, will be able to apply for second-year funding. Most of this funding is in the form of assistantships for  second-year student who succeeded in their first year of studies. (Youll learn more about these opportunities during the spring semester of your first year.) We also encourage you to visit https://new.sipa.columbia.edu/financial-aid  for more information about funding your education, which includes  a database of external funding opportunities. Dual-Degree Funding If youve been admitted to SIPA as a dual-degree student and were offered funding,  the first year of funding is for 2015/16 and the second year of funding is for 2016/17. So if a dual-degree student starts at SIPA and spends Year 2 elsewhere, they get their first-year award, but  not their second-year award from SIPA. (The same holds true in reverse.) We cant extend any part of your second-year award beyond the spring semester of 2017, so you really have to complete your studies at SIPA prior to moving on to the next institution. Why? Well, in order to receive four semesters worth of aid from SIPA, you have to attend SIPA all four semesters. So if you decide to start your studies at another Columbia graduate school, then you actually become one of their students, and not ours, so funding and tuition payments become your responsibility with the other school. And keep in mind if you  decide to defer your admission, you forfeit all of your funding because we awarded you merit-based aid  on the condition you start at SIPA in the 2015 academic year. Additionally,  if any admitted students have any specific financial-aid inquiries, please email them with a descriptive and informative subject line to sipa_findaid@columbia.edu.