According to the admissions office, there is very little leeway in the interviews as the interview slots by program and by if the student lives in Europe (in which case they were given slots for Paris). Usually two issues come up: the student can’t do any of the days allotted because of extenuating circumstances, or the student is fine with the days given but cannot find any more slots for their preferred method (whether virtual or in-person). For the first issue, if there are extreme extenuating circumstances (e.g. completing military service in Singapore) then they can email spo-dualba@columbia.edu and they will do their best to try and accommodate. For the second issue, that’s much easier to fix; they should register for whatever remaining slot works for them whether it is virtual or in-person, and if they want to switch the method from virtual to in-person or vice versa they should email spo-dualba@columbia.edu and let them know the day and time they’ve registered for, and that they’d like to switch the method.
If you haven’t seen an email, you should check your spam folder. Everybody who applied to the program received an email on Friday with either an invitation for an interview or a notification to check their application status online (in which case they have unfortunately not received an interview).
No decisions have been made yet. So yes, everybody is on the same “starting line” for the interview round, and admissions decisions will be made after the interviews.
Everybody who applied to the program received an email on Friday with either an invitation for an interview or a notification to check their application status online (in which case they have unfortunately not received an interview).
Does anyone know how one should prepare for the interview? It says current affairs – do they expect us to know loads about our region? The interview is said to last 30 minutes and I was wondering if there would be some sort of oral presentation with regards to some articles they give us. Thank you in advance
While an oral presentation based on an article is the normal interview procedure for the three-year Sciences Po program, this is not the case for the Columbia Dual BA interview. So no need to worry about a formal presentation.
While they won’t expect you to be an expert on your region of focus, they will want to see that you have some demonstrated interest in the region and some knowledge of current events there. For example, maybe you’ve taken a class or have been studying a language from that region, or you’ve attended educational events about the region or something like this. During my interview, they asked some questions about major events happening in Asia at the time (since I applied to the Le Havre campus) like the South China Sea dispute and also probed my interest in Chinese history. So to prepare you could read the news in the region of focus and maybe relations between your own country and the region of focus (for instance, US-China relations would be relevant for the Euro-Asian program).
More generally we tend to describe the Dual BA interviews as being a sort of hybrid American- and French-style interview. The Columbia representative will ask you questions typical of other American university programs, e.g. Why are you interested in this program? Why do you want to study X? How do you see yourself getting involved in student life? The Sciences Po representative will be the one analyzing your critical thinking skills and knowledge of the region. I think many of us have gotten “grilled” a little bit, as they might ask you questions on the spot to see how you react or how quickly you think on your feet. This can be a bit intimidating, but don’t take it personally, as many of us get interview questions like this. They don’t expect you to know everything, but they do expect some degree of demonstrated interest/knowledge and that you have potential to learn. The interview is more of a conversation, not an interrogation
Overall, I would say the best ways to prepare for the interview are to read the news and also to spend time reflecting on your interest in the program and what you’re hoping to get out of it.
@GSTourGuides will there be research opportunities available at both Sciences po and columbia university for the dual ba program students? I assume we get to work with the professors just like the other undergraduate students there but just want to make sure :))
The research opportunities will mostly be at Columbia; at Sciences Po, the research center is mostly concentrated at the Paris campus and is for post-grad students. Also, because at Sciences Po you spend much more time in class than you do at Columbia, it’s hard to fit things like research or part-time jobs into your schedule.
But at Columbia, there are definitely a lot of research opportunities to take advantage of, depending on your major department. A couple of my friends work as research assistants. One friend worked in the economics department on a project studying the effect of this property tax exemption on the NYC housing market; another friend majoring in urban studies is working on a project to map historical demographic and structural shifts in NYC.
In terms of life in general, when the students go to Columbia for their last two years of the program, do we stay in the dorms with other columbia college students?
No, Dual BA students live in General Studies housing. Typically GS housing is located within a few blocks of campus and is apartment style. So you will share your apartment with one or two roommates, and usually everybody has their own room with a shared living room, kitchen, and bathroom. Most of the apartments are furnished.
I think most of us feel lucky to live GS housing as opposed to cramped dorm rooms or suites shared with a lot of people. They also try to put Dual BA students together in the same units, and a lot of us apply to live with our Dual BA friends, so it’s nice to live with some familiar faces or people that are going through the same transition process. Considering rent in the neighborhood, we also definitely save a lot by living in Columbia apartment housing. The lease is also a year long and can be renewed for a second year, so you can stay there over the summer (or choose to sublet your room to somebody else if you’re not in NYC).
I personally live with two Dual BA friends - all of us are from the Le Havre campus and requested to live together. We live in a three-bedroom apartment two blocks away from campus.
