10 reasons you shouldnt attend SIPA COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY - SIPA Admissions Blog

10 reasons you shouldnt attend SIPA COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY - SIPA Admissions Blog Are you on the fence about joining SIPA in the fall? This list should make it easier for you to decide. 1. THE CAMPUS IS A REAL EYESORE Seriously. Dont even bother taking a campus tour. The grass is lush and beautiful for half of the year, then its blanketed in the fluffiest white snow you only thought you could find in your Winter Wonderland dreams. 2. THE CLASSES ARE SMALL Its graduate school. How are you ever going to learn anything if youre in a classroom with just a dozen other students? Better yet, how can you take a nap in the back of the room without getting noticed? Sadly, you cant do that at SIPA. THIS is what your average classroom looks like. 3. THE CLASSES ARE ALSO B O R I N G In addition to being stuck in a classroom with less students, youre also not going to enjoy any of the classes you take next year. For example, the United Nations Studies specialization offers A Day at the United Nations: A View from the Inside. Students spend at least two days accompanying UN staffers to work at headquarters. Then our Seeples and their UN hosts (pictured above) share what the experience was like in a panel presentation at SIPA. Last year, speakers included Claudia Banz (third from right), a senior political affairs officer at United Nations, Department of Peacekeeping Operations and Jo Scheuer (second from left), the Director of Climate Change and Disaster Risk Reduction with the UNDP. What a snooze fest. 4. THERES NEVER ANYTHING TO DO IN THIS PLACE This is what the average hallway looks like at SIPA. Its plastered in flyers for social receptions, student organization meetings, and random events on and off campus. Among the 42 SIPA student groups, they host 12-15 events each week. With so many choices, its no wonder students cant make time to attend the events and are left with nothing to do except explore the Big Apple. 5. AND THEY KEEP YOU TRAPPED ON THE GROUNDS At SIPA, on the grounds can mean anything from taking a class in a Columbia University classroom to being forced onto a plane halfway around the world just to help bring an end to extreme poverty. Thats what Molly Powers, MPA-DP 2012, had to do as part of her Summer Field Placement when she interned with the Millennium Villages Project. Its obvious by the photo she didnt volunteer for the gig. 6. THE PROFESSORS ARE MEH SIPA has more than 70 full-time faculty members and 200 adjunct faculty, professional practitioners and visiting scholars on staff. With so many experts to learn from, youre hard pressed to find anyone whos notable among the bunch. (Remember the saying about quality vs quantity?) David Dinkins is the former mayor of the City of New York; Claudia Dreifus writes Conversation with in the  New York Times’Tuesday science section; Paola Valenti consulted with World Banks Human Development Network and Social Protection Group; and Jason Bordoff joined SIPA after serving as the Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Energy and Climate Change on the Staff of the National Security Council for four years. Sorry, but thats not an all-star lineup. 7. YOULL NEVER MAKE ANY FRIENDS Last month, these three spent their Spring Break in Peru as part of their second-year capstone project. Theres nothing more awkward than spending time with other Seeples in a foreign country and then asking them to  pose with  you and  pretend like youre all actually having a good timewhile jumping near the ledge of a cliff.  Youre bound to fear for your safety, thinking that at any moment one of these two will push you  over the edgeliterally. With thoughts like those racing through your mind, can you ever really become friends? (Note: At the request of a student, a previous entry  featuring students at the Dead Sea  has been removed.) 8. YOU WONT FIND A *STELLAR* JOB AFTER GRADUATE SCHOOL Last year, our graduating Seeples worked in the private, public and nonprofit sectors. But they were working for some less-than desirable organizations. Brookings Institution, Clinton Foundation, Federal Reserve Bank of New York, Kofi Annan Foundation, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, PricewaterhouseCoopers and the United Nations Development Program were just a few of the terrible places our graduates ended up. Clearly, all of your hard work and the SIPA brand dont get you anywhere these days. 9. THERES NOTHING WORSE THAN A SEA OF COLUMBIA BLUE There are shades of blue everywhere you turn on campus. From Admitted Students Day and  orientation week to sporting events and  graduation. Blue, blue, blue, blue, blue. What kind of school has this much pride for a cool color palette? 10. SORRY, BUT ITS JUST NOT WORTH IT LISTING ANOTHER REASON I  warned you there were reasons you shouldnt attend SIPA this fall. But dont take my  word for it.  Confirm your enrollment today so you can see things for yourself.