FAQ

1. I am an undergraduate doing research in X. Do you have a short-term research project I could work on?
   
   1. what subjects are you interested in and
   2. what languages are you most comfortable in and
   3. what research have you done and
   4. has any of it been published?
   
   
2. I am an undergraduate doing research in X. Would you fund my PhD?
   
   that's great that you've done research.
   
   i encourage you to apply but usually don't answer questions about i would accept a student into my group until i have worked with them in person for several weeks or months and have some sense for whether their research strengths are commensurate with my research interests. Also, if the student is not funded by fellowship, i need to have some sense for whether resources are likely to be available to support the student for the next several years until completion of the PhD.
   
   i hope that you will apply for admission to Columbia university. I've taken students from several departments, including physics, BME, chemistry, neuroscience, electrical engineering, and of course my own department: the department of applied physics and applied mathematics. I've also had students work with me through the medical school's integrative program as part of the c2b2 track. i encourage you to apply to whichever programs you think have the most interesting or least uninteresting graduation requirements and whose subject areas are close to your research background.
   the following links should provide all the information you need on admission. good luck:
   
   1. graduate admission at SEAS: http://tinyurl.com/5v76nm (including my department as well as BME, electrical engineering)
   2. graduate admissions at GSAS: http://tinyurl.com/5q9tn2 (including physics, biology, chemistry, statistics)
   3. graduate admissions at the CUMC integrated program: http://tinyurl.com/5qzzz9 (including c2b2)
   4. graduate admissions at the CUMC coordinated program: http://tinyurl.com/56epyb
   
   please also investigate relevant graduate fellowships, including those listed under "fellowships" on my advising page, http://www.columbia.edu/~chw2/advising.html
   
   
3. I am an undergraduate at IIT. Will you host me for the summer?
   
   thanks for your email.
   
   owing to the finiteness of time however i can't make time commitments to students I've never met or worked with. unfortunately i get many emails such as yours, even many emails from IIT's, and it's simply not possible for me to commit time to host students i don't know.
   
   
4. I'm interested in any opening for your summer projects
   
   thanks for your email.
   
   1. please send CV
   2. are you looking for $, course credit, or experience?
   3. when do you need an answer?
   4. generally i do research with someone for a month before committing financially.
   5. please send copies of any writeups or publications
      
   
   
5. Does columbia have a job placement office?
   • here
6. I want to sign up for 3900 (supervised research). How many credits will you give me?
   
   If you want to take 3900 with me, we need to come to a contract, and this contract needs to be closed before the start of the semester. The contract will stipulate:
   • Who is the scientific advisor (if not me)
   • What is the deliverable (e.g., technical report, oral report)
   • Deadline for the deliverable
   • How often will you update me on progress of the research and in what form
   • How many points of credit will be awarded
   The scientific advisor, me, and you must all come to agreement on the contract, and the scientific advisor must agree to email me a review of your work by a deadline stated in the contract. Example contract: write an email like this

   Dear Professor Wiggins
   
   I propose to study {A} under the scientific direction of {B}.  I will update you each {C} with an email between {D} and {E} words in length.  On or before {F}, I will {deliver a talk of no less than {G} minutes, hand in a formal writeup of my results of no less than {H} pages}, for {I} credits.
   
   Please approve
   
   -{name}