FAQ
When is the application due?
Who can apply to CUE?
When does CUE actually happen?
Where do CUE participants sleep?
What do CUE participants eat?
What kind of service do CUE participants do?
How much does CUE cost?
What are “night activities”?
And of course parents/guardians always ask: Will my child be safe?
When is the application due?
All applications MUST have arrived at CUE headquarters by Wednesday, JUNE 10, 2009. Applications can be emailed to columbiaurbanexperience@columbia.edu or mailed to:
Columbia Urban Experience
515 Lerner Hall
2920 Broadway
New York, NY 10027
Who can apply to CUE?
All incoming first-years from Columbia College, School of Engineering and Applied Science, Barnard College, Jewish Theological Seminary and General Studies are encouraged to apply. At this time, we are not accepting transfer students.
When does CUE actually happen?
CUE participants must arrive one week before the New Student Orientation Program on Sunday August 23rd. CUE ends on the following Sunday, August 30th
Where do CUE participants sleep?CUE participants will receive upper-class housing for the week of CUE. However, on move-in day, students are given the opportunity to move into both their permanent and week-long dorm rooms. They then officially move-in to their permanent rooms on Sunday August 30th.
What do CUE participants eat?Breakfasts, lunches and dinners during CUE are provided by Barnard College’s Hewitt Dining Services.
What kind of service do CUE participants do?CUE participants spend the week with a team of four to seven other participants, working at one of our ten available sites. CUE-ers volunteer about 5-6 hours a day. CUE participants select their preferred site on the first day of the program. Participants are sent descriptions of the 2008 site options during the summer prior to their arrival at CUE. CUE-ers volunteer with 3-5 other first-years and one leader.
How much does CUE cost?The program fee for CUE is $300.00. That fee covers housing, food, transportation, and the cost of night activities during the week of CUE. We do offer partial and full financial aid. Our application process is completely need-blind.
What are “night activities”?Every evening, CUE participants are taken out to free night activities throughout New York City. Each night, CUE-ers select their preferred activity from four amazing options. Past activities have included outdoor movies at Bryant Park, Harlem Bowling Lanes, the Nuyorican Poets Café, Yankees Games, the Brooklyn Bridge, the Seaport Music Festival, and walking tours of Times Square, the West Village, Chinatown and so many more!
And of course parents/guardians always ask: Will my child be safe?You betcha. Your child, who we already like very much simply because of his/her dedication to service, will be with a CUE leader at all times: at the service sites, at meals, and at all night activities. Additionally, getting in contact with your child will be very easy because he/she will have not only a phone line in his/her dorm room for the week but also access to e-mail.