yes

Hey nice to meet you Rivo!

In a non-covid world - are classes in person or online?

The bridge courses would typically be in person

I studied Economics at my undergraduate. Now I've taken the intermediate programming, data structures, and discrete mathematics at a community college. Should I apply for this Bridge program or the regular MS program?

What is the acceptance rate of this program/range of GPAs for acceptance applicants?

Applicants who have taken the majority of the bridge program may want to consider applying to the regular MS instead, as you may be considered "overqualified" for the Bridge program.

Thanks for your information! I am curious about how many courses that we can wave for the brdige program, do I have the chance to waive three courses if I have a little technical background?

I don't believe we have compiled acceptance statistics just yet, but I believe we can look into getting some of those released this fall

Our current policy is to waive up to two courses, and if you have more than that you can take a similar CS courses to substitute for additional waivers

How heavily is the GRE weighed in comparison to other factors like GPA

Is there a preference for academic letters of rec vs. professional?

With a lot of schools choosing to make the GRE optional for this admissions cycle due to COVID-19, will we still need to take the GRE?

Is there rolling admissions or does it not matter when you apply as long as you apply by March?

Not a problem, just wanted to make sure that I schedule the test with enough time to spare

Do you not sponsor F-1 visa for this program?

Is there student housing available during the duration of the part-time portion of the program?

With the recommended course load (1/2 load), how much time should we expect to devote to our studies each week?

does getting into the bridge program guarantee entry into the M.S. program if you do well?

Is the bridge program favorable in acceptance to Columbia undergraduates (IE graduating seniors) with related BA degrees and career interests?

Is this program the right fit for students with technical undergrads seeking to move into data monetization strategy/technical project manager roles? Currently working in investment banking

Hi, I am working under OPT, could I apply to Bridge?

Hi, Following to the question of the courses already been taken, is the courses such as programming, data structure from any MOOC platform such as Coursera will take into account?

How big is the Bridge cohort each year?

If you have an electrical engineering bachelors but it was a long time ago - would you recommend applying for the bridge program

What is the contingency plan in the event of a COVID resurgence next summer? Will classes simply be fully online?

I am currently taking a bridge course at NYU Tandon. It is a single, extended non-credit program. However, I really would like to apply to Columbia. How will this experience be viewed by the admin committe?I am fully ready to take any courses in the Columbia program which I have already exposed to in my NYU bridge studies

where I can find tuition information about this bridge program?

Do you review applications before March 1 or do you wait for everything to come in before March1? Wondering if it’s worth it to submit the application earlier to be reviewed earlier

Do Coursera/edX courses count toward meeting bridge courses?

How about the TOEFL exam? Are there some chances for me to waive TOEFL exam,? My case is basically that I can't take TOEFL exam in my own country due to the virus but I will grauduate from a collge which exams and lectures are conduced in English there

Are there any TA positions available to bridge/MS students?

Does a 3.19 GPA take me out of the running for admission to the bridge program?

is this a good fit for someone who attended a coding bootcamp and wants to get a better cs foundation?

Will there be an info session for the MS program? Doesn’t seem to be one listed on the CS@CU events webpage as of now

Hi, I am an US Army officer transitioning this month and want to use my GI Bill. Unfortunately Columbia University is a private school and thus is not full covered by the GI Bill or the Yellow Ribbon scholarship program. Does Columbia and the Engineering department have any scholarship opportunities filling this funding gap?

What kinds of internship and post-graduate opportunities does Columbia connect students with? Does Columbia leverage connections with companies in the city as well as in other places around the US?

Since the Bridge is a part-time program, is the classes mostly will take in the workday evening?

With many schools allowing students accepted for fall 2020 programs to defer admission to fall 2021, is Columbia doing the same? If so, how would this impact admissions for fall'21?

For working students are most/all of the lectures recorded and available for download or viewing later?

Is there any restriction for current graduate students at other schools at Columbia?

When you apply do you specify your concentration/can you change once exposed to curriculum or it is set?

Can you give a "ballpark" estimate on the GPAs?

Sorry I just wanted to follow up on my above question in case you didn’t see it: I am currently taking a bridge course at NYU Tandon. It is a single, extended non-credit program. However, I really would like to apply to Columbia. How will this experience be viewed by the admin committe?I am fully ready to take any courses in the Columbia program which I have already exposed to in my NYU bridge studies

Is there a minimum amount of work experience needed for admission?

For Dr. Dear: how much interaction will students have with the instructors and teaching assistants? Will there be virtual office hours? Also, what tools are used for collaboration and doing your homework?

What kind of faculty recommendations should we get if we did not take a CS course in college?

Thomas: In general it is what the students make of it. Faculty and TAs typically hold office hours weekly, and it is up to students to make use of them. During COVID most if not all classes have been holding virtual office hours instead. Some examples of popular tools are Canvas, Piazza, and Gradescope.

Does a previous professional masters degree (specifically an MBA) help strengthen the admission application and if so, in what way?

are MS students allowed to supplement their learning with non-STEM courses offered by Columbia?

If I have taken several courses via the platform of MOOCs, can I waive the bridge courses with those courses taken online?

What does a strong applicant look like?

how many points taken from bridge program can be counted toward the 30 points requirement of MS program?

is the regular Graduate tuition rate applied to this Bridge program?

yes, thank you

What type of students are is this program looking for?

How many applicants do you get a yer?

Per cycle*

If I’ve taken most of the bridge courses with the exception of 2, am I eligible to be admitted?

You said interviews are optional. Is that typically for a weaker applicant or a stronger applicant

1. You mentioned that there are 8 MS tracks. When you apply to the MS program, do you apply for the specific track you’re interested in or do you apply for the program as a whole.

2. Are there limits to how many students can be in each of the 8 tracks?

How many people are admitted every year?

can you change concentrations part way through the ms?

I think you answered this but wanted clarification - I understand that the bridge portion may have classes during the day - For the masters portion - is most of the coursework during the day as well or are there options online through (CVN)?

Is there a higher chance of being admitted if we apply early (i.e. in October)

Following up with Tony just mentioned for overqualified for Bridge, if I apply to MS but the school thought I am not qualified, is there possible school will transfer me into the Bridge? Thanks!

is the regular Graduate tuition rate applied to this Bridge program?

Is the estimate 2.5 year timeline posted on your website assuming a part time bridge program (1.5 years) that turns into a full time masters program (1 year)?

Will you guys be handing out application fee waivers for info session attendees? :)

Sorry professor, I think I did't catch up with your previous points clearly, the requirement of entering into the normal MS prgram is that we have to complete those 5 required coureses with the minimum gpa 3.3 right?

Tairan: Yes

Thanks

If you do push an application to the MS admissions team, will the MS program only accept applicant who have completed a BS in Comp Sci

?

How many students in the last cohort of Bridge/MS program were international students?

*applicants

For Dr. Dear: A very specific question. I plan on eventually pursuing Ph.D research at Columbia but need the CS fundamentals first. Would the preferred track be Bridge + M.S. + apply to Ph.D program?

Is there optionality to do a full time course load during the bridge section?

Can the whole program be done in a year if someone takes it full time and are 110% dedicated to it?

Could I apply to the Bridge program and MS program at the same time?

Sorry Tony, I think my question is asking in the other way, if I apply to MS but not qualified, is there possible transfer me to Bridge instead just Rej. Thank you so much!

Xiao: Yes, we've also considered transfers from MS to bridge as well

Follow-up on “Push-to-MS” question: My degree is in Mid-East Studies and I’ve taken several comp sci courses. Would I then be in a mid-state of being over qualified for the bridge, but under-qualified for the MS program?

Thank you!

Got it.

When do summer classes start?

When will acceptance letter be sent out?

Sorry if I missed this but Can the whole program be done in a year if someone takes it full time and are 110% dedicated to it?

Thank you for the info session!

John: For the bridge portion, theoretically yes

Not sure if this can be answered, but is the general teaching philosophy of CS classes @ Columbia more practical or theory focused?

Thank you!

Thank you all so much for doing this, it was extremely helpful!

Thank you!!

You stated that your interest in a candidate that is looking to commit to a career in computing. Would that include starting a technology business or product management utilizing these skills?

Thank you Dr. Dear!

Thank you very much for the informative session

:)

Thank you!

Thank you both for answering our questions! very helpful

Thanks everyone!

Are most employers recruiting our students are in New York?

Thank you!

Thank you!

Thanks!

Thank you!! This was extremely helpful

Thanks!

Can the program be done remotely?

Who can we email for further questions?

One last question: do students who get hired get hired in jobs that are mainly entry level?

The avg GPA is noted as 3.7 on the bridge site but I heard on the zoom call that the stats have yet to be compiled?

Is it safe to assume the program can adapt to teach remotely if the university shuts down due to another covid spike?

Thanks!

Thanks!

Thanks!

Thank you

How can you get on the prospective applicant list?

Thank you!!

bye!

Thanks!