SIPA: School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University

Message Board for SIPA

Please Read All of the Content on this Page Prior to Logging In

Welcome to the SIPA message board for admitted students.  The main purpose of this board is to give you the opportunity to interact with current SIPA students.  With this in mind, please understand that SIPA students are not responsible for SIPA policy and regulations.  Please do not ask students to interpret policy or institutional regulations.  We hope that your interaction will give you a chance to find out what SIPA is like from a student’s perspective.

You of course will also have the opportunity to interact with other admitted applicants.

Some administrators will also be participating on the message board.  If your question involves policy or regulations, an administrator will try to answer it or may ask that you send an email to the appropriate office.

We ask that you adhere to the following:

1. SIPA students are quite busy but will do their best to check the board as frequently as possible.  If there is not an immediate response to your question, please be patient and someone will try to answer your question as soon as possible.
2. Please try to read as much of the board as possible before posting your question.  In reading and frequently checking the board, you may find that your question has already been answered. 
3. Please use good judgment when using the message board.  The “honor” system is in effect.  If an administrator deems content to be inappropriate, messages can be removed and users can have their privileges revoked. 
4. If a string of messages becomes too long, it may be removed.  If this takes place, we will make an attempt to post a transcript so others may view the string at a later time.
5. SPAM, advertising, chain letters, etc. are not allowed. 
6. Please avoid “cross posting.”  In other words, do not post the same question on multiple boards.
7. In some cases it may be appropriate to communicate with a participant via email rather than on the message board.  Feel free to send individual emails if you deem it appropriate. 
8. If you do reply to someone, please try to quote the appropriate content you are responding to. 

Instructions for Logging in to the Message Board

It will benefit you greatly to read these instructions in their entirety before attempting to log in.

1. Before you can participate in the message board you must Register.  Click on the Register tab at the top of the Message Board to begin, not the Login button.  In subsequent visits, you will use the Login tab.  Until you register you cannot read or participate.

2. Please be aware that a user name cannot have any spaces or symbols.  Please use the following convention for your user name: First name, starting with a capital, no space, last name, starting with a capital letter.  Please use this format:

               For example:  Joe Smith would have a user name of JoeSmith

               For example:  Mary Robinson would have a user name of MaryRobinson

3. When filling out your profile, please follow this convention for your signature so that users will immediately know more about you:  Use the word “Admitted” followed by degree program and concentration.

               For Example:  Admitted MIA – Economic and Political Development

4. After you have registered you will receive an email.  You will not be able to participate until you check your email to confirm your registration. 

5. Once you have received a confirmation message in your email in box, click on the link that will take you to the site where you will log on.

Thank you and enjoy the board. You may log in by clicking on the “Login to Message Board Link” above in the right menu.  If you have questions concerning the board, please send a message to sipa_new@columbia.edu with the heading, “Message Board.”