Dual degree Tel Aviv and Columbia

Has anyone applied to this brand new dual degree program between Columbia General Studies and Tel Aviv University?
It was just announced in December 2019 so the application deadline was Feb 3, 2020. They said an interview would be needed but no communication yet regarding scheduling.
Because this is the inaugural year, I don’t think they know who will apply. I believe they expect about 150 applicants, of which about 50 will be accepted and about 36 will enroll. At the information session they made it clear that while it is not binding of course, they only wanted students who were really serious about attending to apply.

As this Dual program is brand new maybe someone from one of the other dual degree programs can offer insight?

Has anyone received an interview yet?

It’s difficult for me to comment on the new Tel Aviv Dual BA because, as you point out, it’s a brand new program. I can, however, speak to the Columbia side of things. Because we have had success with all of the other international dual-degree programs (Sciences Po, Trinity, CityU Hong Kong), there are well-established practices and resources catered to these students to support them during their time at the partner university and in their preparation for and transition to Columbia. So this will help make the program a bit more formalized rather than a total guinea pig batch for the first year.

If anybody has any specific questions, I can ask around and get some clarification!

I also applied but I am unsure on when the admissions office will start giving interviews. Does anyone know? I am also wondering whether there are internationals applying to this program because I am from Latin America but unsure if there will be other internationals.

@GSTourGuides I’ve heard that applicants in the Sciences Po program received an interview notification around February 15. By any chance, do you know when the admissions office for the Tel Aviv program will start giving out interviews or have they already been sent through email?

According to the website, you will find out whether you have been invited to interview by early March: “Applicants will receive an update on their application status in late February-early March. Those invited for an interview will be prompted to schedule a time to meet with the admissions committee either in person or via teleconference in New York or Tel Aviv. Interviews are typically 30 minutes in length and are conducted by a joint interview panel comprised of representatives from both Columbia and TAU.” (https://tau.gs.columbia.edu/admissions)

I don’t have any information on who ended up applying, but the international dual-degree programs at Columbia do tend to receive a fair share of international students, including those from the United States, those from the country of the partner university (so likely those from Israel for the Tel Aviv program), and other international students.

Has anyone received an update to their application? I’ve been checking my portal and nothing new

I called the main GS number at 9 am today, thinking it couldn’t hurt to ask on an anonymous basis. The admissions woman who answered the phone said that they had not decided on interviews yet and hope to decide by “late February or early March”. I pointed out that tomorrow is the last business day in February and then she said maybe tomorrow or next week. I then said that Ivy day tended to be March 28 or so, and that didn’t give much time to schedule interviews, conduct them in person of via Skype and then make admissions decisions. She agreed but had no other information.

She did say that applicants will be sent an email either way: whether they were granted an interview or not. So that’s kind of a No News Is Good News thing, I guess.

Best of luck to all applying!

@emmahouston I haven’t received any updates on my application or any emails regarding the interview. I don’t know anyone else who applied either to ask. I’m just anxious for a response.

Bad news here for my daughter. At 10:18 am today - a Sunday morning - she gets an email to check the portal. Has to login and click thru to get to a letter that says she is rejected. No interview, no explanation. Just the typical BS “we had so many well qualified candidates for a limited spot in this new program.”

I feel worse than she does, I think, because I got excited about this program. And I feel stupid spending $80 and sending in all my tax documents. If they weren’t even going to give her an interview, they could have been clearer in the promotional materials and in the information session we attended. Something like, don’t even bother applying if your scores are less than X.

Here’s the stupid letter. I doubt they even read the applications. They just had to get a bunch of kids to apply because they announced this program so late in the season.

“ On behalf of the Committee on Admissions, we regret to inform you that, after a careful and thorough review of your candidacy, we are unable to offer you a place in the Dual Degree Program between Tel Aviv University and Columbia University.”

We truly appreciate the thought and effort you put into your application and in selecting the Dual Degree Program as one of your college choices. We want you to know that this decision was an extremely difficult one because of the high number of well qualified applicants we had for the limited number of places in this new program.

We are sorry to share this disappointment with you. We thank you for your interest in Columbia University and Tel Aviv University and wish you success in your future academic endeavors.

I was able to get an invitation to interview! Does anyone know the percentage of applicants who get accepted into the program from this group? I know it was mentioned in an online information session but I can’t remember the exact figure.

@GSTourGuides By any chance, do you know how the interview is structured and how we can prepare for it? Also is there a dress code for a virtual interview?

I don’t know any specifics about what the interview will look like. Most likely they want to assess your motivation for why you are interested in Tel Aviv University AND Columbia University AND this program in particular, your long-term goals, etc. It may be helpful to do some research on what the “typical” interview is like for applying directly to Tel Aviv University (rather than to this dual-degree program). I can’t be sure, but at least from the other dual-degree programs, the interviews can often be like a hybrid typical American style college interview/typical university x style interview.

As far as dress code, there isn’t anything specific, but it’s always better to overdress than underdress. And I would advise dressing the same as how you would dress for an in-person interview.For boys, perhaps a button-down shirt with a blazer; for girls, maybe a professional (office-appropriate) dress. But it’s up to you and what you’re comfortable with!

Does anyone know when decisions come out?

Admissions decisions are expected to go out around April 1st (https://tau.gs.columbia.edu/application-timeline). While COVID-19 has affected all campus activity, the admissions office is still projected to release decisions roughly on time.

@GSTourGuides Thank you. However, do you know if these could go out on Ivy Day?

It’s possible, but the dual-degree admissions team is separate (in a sense) from the other admissions offices on campus. So decisions being released for Columbia College (or any other Ivy League school for that matter) doesn’t necessarily have any bearing on the dual-degree program decisions being released. However, as I mentioned above, the decisions are expected to come out roughly on time around April 1st.

It could come sooner than that, but I urge you to be patient especially since COVID-19 is affecting all operations (including admissions) on campus. They are doing their best and are on target to release decisions roughly on time. I know the wait is tough - I recall checking my emails and College Confidential constantly. Hang in there!

Hello all! Some of you might be wondering how the ongoing COVID-19 situation could affect the Dual BA Program; there have been questions about this on the threads for the other international dual-degree programs.

I’ve been notified that questions about COVID-19 and its effects on enrollment decisions can be directed towards the admissions office. There will be an opportunity to have phone or virtual appointments with one of the Dual BA admissions managers (more information to come once this is set up). This would also be a great opportunity to ask any questions you might have about the ongoing COVID-19 situation or anything else relating to the program.

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