General Advising
Fellowship advisers are your source of support and advice throughout the entire application process. You can schedule an appointment with them to talk about which opportunities can help you meet your goals and how to prepare a strong application.
Appointments open each month. Scroll down to the bottom of this page to book an appointment. Because appointments are in high demand, please only sign up for one appointment at a time. After you have had your advising meeting, you are welcome to sign up for another appointment. If you have any questions about advising or scheduling, please do not hesitate to email an adviser directly.
URF advising is only open to current Columbia undergraduates (CC, SEAS and GS) and alumni of these undergraduate divisions. If you are a current graduate student at Columbia, please reach out to your program's Office of Academic Affairs or Office of Student Affairs.
Please note: advisors no longer read work in advance of scheduled sessions. You should thus bring a copy of any written materials that you would like reviewed with you to your appointment.
For additional information about in person advising and electronic feedback, please click on the below FAQs.
'Walk-in Advising': Virtual Walk - In Advising
URF Advisors provide walk-in advising throughout the summer, every Wednesday and Friday, from 12-1pm to chat with research and fellowship candidates. During this time, walk-ins will be held virtually on Zoom.
For virtual walk-ins, advisors are available for conversations surrounding programs of interest, to answer questions, and/or address general queries related to research and/or fellowship opportunities, application processes, and provide you with additional resources regarding next steps.
Please keep in mind that these meetings are brief, and last about 10 minutes each. These walk-in appointments are offered on a first-come, first serve basis. You cannot sign up in advance, and you will be placed in a Zoom waiting room if the URF advisor is meeting with someone else.
- Wednesday Walk-Ins: Every Wednesday from 12 - 1pm EST (use link above). Please keep in mind that these meetings are meant to be brief (approximately 10 minutes each) and are offered on a first-come, first serve basis. You cannot sign up in advance, and you may be placed and remain in this Zoom waiting room if the URF advisor is meeting with someone else.
- Friday Walk-Ins: Every Friday from 12 - 1pm EST (use link above). Please keep in mind that these meetings are meant to be brief (approximately 10 minutes each) and are offered on a first-come, first serve basis. You cannot sign up in advance, and you may be placed and remain in this Zoom waiting room if the URF advisor is meeting with someone else.
Please note that we will not hold walk-in advising on university holidays.
Electronic Advising
You can e-mail us one draft of your materials, and we will provide feedback in electronic (i.e. e-mailed) form for application materials. You will receive feedback within one week of submission of your materials. You should thus plan to submit materials no less than two weeks prior to a fellowship deadline. Do not submit materials for electronic review if the application deadline is less than 2 weeks away. Please note that due to high demand, we can only provide electronic feedback on one draft of an application. Because we believe that feedback is more productive when it is part of a conversation with you about your candidacy, you should sign up for an appointment for follow up review should you wish additional feedback, or a later draft of your application materials to be read.
Please note that URF will only provide electronic advising for non-Columbia funded opportunities. If you would like to review a draft for a Columbia funded fellowship, please make an appointment with a URF advisor and bring your draft with you to that meeting.
Rose Research Ambassadors and Near Peer Advisors
The CC Research Ambassadors blog is a space where students write about topics related to research and the Core. In so doing, students demystify the research process; they consider how research might strengthen the skills they developed in the Core; and they encourage a culture of critical analysis and undergraduate research.
Research Ambassadors also serve as Near Peer Advisors whereby student advisers supporting fellow undergraduate community members in putting their strongest, most authentic candidacy forward within a fellowship or research endeavor. Near Peer Advisors provide a supportive, safe, creative, and encouraging space for students to brainstorm ideas, receive feedback, and think about how to best articulate and genuinely present themselves, their research ideas, and/or their professional aspirations and community engagement on paper. Near Peer Advisors are eager to support Undergraduate Research & Fellowships through facilitating individual advising sessions, and look forward to connecting with their peers.
If you would like to be connected with a Near Peer Advisor, you can find their bios, including their areas of interest and areas of growing expertise here. If you'd like to connect with a Near Peer Advisor, feel free to sign up for a meeting with them below. If you have any questions, please reach out to URF at ugrad-urf@columbia.edu.
Host a URF Information Session
Would you like URF to hold an information session for your student group or department? Contact URF at ugrad-urf@columbia.edu to discuss available options during the academic year.
Please note: Barnard College students should visit Beyond Barnard for information on opportunities and advising.
Frequently Asked questions about URF advising
Who can visit URF?
Any undergraduate or alumni of Columbia College, SEAS, or the School of General Studies is welcome.
What happens during an advising session?
Our 30-minute, one-on-one sessions can cover any of a variety of topics related to the application process including: identifying research and fellowship opportunities; providing feedback on written materials; discussing the interview process for an opportunity; conducting a mock interview; identifying mentors and affiliates. We cover many of these topics in walk-in advising hours, but, because walk-in meetings are about 10-15 minutes in length, you should come in with a specific question, and expect to cover fewer materials/topics.
What kind of materials can I bring in for review?
Bring in any part of your application, or any materials related to an application, from a brainstorm to a rough draft to a polished copy. You can also bring in questions of any sort related to fellowships or research (or both!). Unfortunately advisors can no longer read work in advance of scheduled sessions; you should thus plan to bring a hard copy of any written materials that you would like reviewed with you to your appointment.
How much can I expect to cover in a session?
Expect to focus on 2 or 3 areas of concern during one visit. Unfortunately advisors can no longer read work in advance of scheduled sessions; you should thus plan to bring a hard copy of any written materials that you would like reviewed with you to your appointment.
Do you give electronic feedback on written materials?
Yes. You can e-mail us a draft of your materials, and we will provide feedback in electronic (i.e. e-mailed) form for application materials. You will receive feedback within one week of submission of your materials. You should thus plan to submit materials no less than two weeks prior to a fellowship deadline. Do not submit materials for electronic review if the application deadline is less than 2 weeks away. Please note that due to high demand, we can only provide electronic feedback on one draft of an application. Because we believe that feedback is more productive when it is part of a conversation with you about your candidacy, you should sign up for an appointment for follow up review should you wish additional feedback, or a later draft of your application materials to be read.
Do you work with students over winter break?
Yes! You can e-mail us to set up an appointment over winter break. We are happy to conduct the meeting in person or by phone/Skype. If your meeting is remote and you would like to review materials, please send them to us prior to the scheduled meeting. (Please note, these materials will not be reviewed prior to the meeting, but we will discuss them with you during our conversation.) We can also provide electronic feedback (i.e. e-mailed) for application materials. Please note that due to high demand, we can only provide such feedback once, on one set of application materials. You will receive feedback about one week after submission of your materials. You should thus plan to submit materials no less than two weeks prior to a fellowship deadline. Do not submit materials for electronic review if the application deadline is less than 2 weeks away. Because we believe that feedback is more productive when it is part of a conversation with you about your candidacy, you should sign up for an appointment for follow up review should you wish additional feedback regarding your application materials.
Do you work with students over the summer?
Yes! You can sign up for an appointment as you would during the academic year. If you are not on campus, we are happy to conduct the meeting by phone or via Skype. If your meeting is remote and you would like to review materials, please send them to us prior to the scheduled meeting. (Please note, these materials will not be reviewed prior to the meeting, but we will discuss them with you during our conversation.) We can also provide electronic feedback (i.e. e-mailed) for application materials. Please note that due to high demand, we can only provide such feedback on one draft. You will receive feedback within one week of submission of your materials. You will receive feedback about one week after submission of your materials. You should thus plan to submit materials no less than two weeks prior to a fellowship deadline. Do not submit materials for electronic review if the application deadline is less than 2 weeks away. Because we believe that feedback is more productive when it is part of a conversation with you about your candidacy, you should sign up for an appointment for follow up review should you wish additional feedback regarding your application materials.
How do I make an appointment?
You can sign up on the below link, or come to walk-in hours, which (unless otherwise indicated) occur daily from 12-1pm via Zoom (see link above).
How often can I sign up for appointments?
Sign-up appointments are available below. Appointments open up weekly, 3 weeks in advance. You can always come to walk-in hours which occur daily, from 12-1pm (unless otherwise noted). Because appointments are in high demand, please only sign up for one appointment at a time. After you have had your advising meeting, you are welcome to sign up for another appointment.
What should I do if I need to cancel an appointment?
Please try to cancel as soon as you know you can’t make it to your appointment so that someone else can take the session in your place. If you cancel last minute (i.e. within 2 hours of your meeting), we reserve the right to mark your cancelation as a "no-show."
What happens if I do not show up or I am late for my appointment?
If you are more than ten minutes late, you risk losing your appointment. If you miss two appointments without canceling at least two hours in advance, you will not be allowed to make further appointments for the remainder of the semester. You are always welcome to come to walk-in hours.
What should I do if no appointments are available?
You do not need an appointment to come to walk-in hours, so think of this as a regular resource. You should also check URF advisors' calendars regularly for updates, new appointments, orto see if anyone cancelled their appointment.