The Daily Plan-it / Dean of Students Blog, Columbia J-school

Part-Time May 2008 Orientation
Friday, May 23rd, 2008

8:30 am:

• Pick up name tags and Orientation Folders: Lobby
• Coffee and pastries: World Room

9:00 am - Welcome: World Room

• Prof. Laura Muha, Director of the Part-Time Program
• Leon Braswell, Director of Admissions & Financial Aid
• Melanie Huff, Assistant Dean of Students
• Ernest Sotomayor, Assistant Dean of Career Services

10:00 am: Break

10:15 am: Computer Activation

• Cabral 501A Lab
• Whitehouse 601A Lab
• Reisig 607C Lab

11:00 am: World Room

• Prof. Sree Sreenivasan, Dean of Student Affairs
• Student Panel led by David Ressel, J’07 “Succeeding as a Part-Time Student”
  A group of part-time students discuss life at the J-school

12:00 pm: Box lunch, World Room

12:30 - 1:30pm:

• Pick up your Columbia University ID
• Financial Aid: 202 Kent Hall

2:00 pm-4:00 pm: First session with Professors

• Beth Whitehouse, Room 607A
• Roberta Reisig, Room 602
• Maria Elena Cabral, Room 501A

4-5:30 pm: Talk by Brian McDonald followed by a Reception: Student Center
hosted by the Dean of Student Affairs

Brian McDonald alumni of the PT program and author of four books in 10 years, will discuss his new book, “Last Call at Elaine’s: A Journey From One Side Of The Bar To The Other” and what he learned at Columbia Journalism School.

Saturday, May 24, 2008

Beth Whitehouse - 10:30 am – 1:30pm: Walking Tour
In front of the Starbucks on Allen & Delancey St. (80 Delancey St.)

Roberta Reisig & Maria Elana Cabral - 8:15am - 5:30pm:
Meet 116th & Amsterdam
All Day Bus Trip to Brooklyn, Red Hook, Gowanus & more

Tuesday, May 27, 2008 - First Class
Roberta Reisig: 7 pm - 10 pm - 601C
Maria Elana Cabral: 7 pm - 9 pm - 607A

Saturday, May 31, 2008 - First ClassBeth Whitehouse: 10:00 am - 3:00 pm - 302 Hamilton

**Our building is closed that day for electrical repairs, so Beth’s class will be held in

302 Hamilton (parallel to our building, on the other side of campus)**

The Daily Plan-it asked recent alumni to share tips about preparing for the school. Responses (some of them contradicting each other, some of them repetitive) are continuing to trickle in and will be added here throughout the semester, lightly edited for clarity. You’ll find them below, with the latest ones being added to the top. You can bookmark this posting separately by clicking on http://deanstudents.blogsome.com/2008/04/20/tips-in-the-months-before-school-i-wish-i-had/ and adding it to your favorites/bookmarks.
Send us your tips to ss221@columbia.edu (subject line = school tips)

“In the months BEFORE school, I wish I had…
(more…)

Here are some of the postings about surviving & thriving at the J-school.

1. TIPS: “In the months BEFORE J-school I wish I had…”
   Tips from alumni about preparing better for the school.
2. TIPS: Surviving the Fall Semester
   More than 75 tips from alumni about doing well in the Fall.
3. TIPS: Surviving the Spring Semester
   More than 75 tips from alumni about doing well in the Spring.
4. ESSAYS: “If I Could Tell Myself in August What I Know Now, It Would Be…”
   Two essays from J2006 with tips everyone can use.