Seeples Spotlight Nick Calbos COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY - SIPA Admissions Blog

Seeples Spotlight Nick Calbos COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY - SIPA Admissions Blog And finally, our fourth new PA for this semester is Nick Calbos. He is studying Energy and Environment/International Security Policy.  After commissioning as an Infantry Officer in the United States Army, Nick was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment, leading soldiers in a variety of challenging assignments on the Korean Peninsula.  From 2012-2013 he was deployed to Afghanistan as a combat advisor to an Afghan National Army infantry battalion in Kandahar province.  Following his service in the military, Nick participated in a specialized internship at Goldman Sachs, working primarily in sales and trading. He earned his undergraduate degree at the United States Military Academy at West Point, graduating in 2009. What attracted you to SIPA and Columbia University? I first visited Columbia while I was completing my undergraduate degree at West Point. The vibrant academic community in the heart of New York City was a stark change from the cloistered military environment in the Hudson River Valley. I always had in the back of my mind that I might one day be lucky enough to attend Columbia for graduate school. Fast forward several years, and I was completing an internship in New York, a few months from leaving the Army. I came back to the campus for a visit and was not only struck with the same feeling I had years prior, but discovered the uniquely international student body at SIPA. As a third culture kid I knew that it was the right fit for me. What experiences do you think prepared you to  attend SIPA? The academic rigor of SIPA is not to be taken lightly. Certainly the rigors of my undergraduate  and the Army helped prepare me for SIPA. Additionally, growing up overseas and attending international schools gave me the right perspective to appreciate the varied backgrounds of the student body which makes our school so special. What has been the best part of your SIPA experience? I remember a specific day my first year at SIPA in which I started the day by listening to a world renowned economist lecture, followed by a lively academic debate on the future of the energy industry in one of my smaller seminar classes, and then ended the day telling the best stories from summers around the world with some of my SIPA classmates. I remember walking home along Morningside Park, looking out across one of the greatest cities in the world, and feeling like my time at SIPA was set to be an amazing experience. Can you comment on the quantitative rigor in the curriculum? I attended a school for my undergrad that was traditionally an engineering school. Needless to say, there was quite a bit of quantitatively heavy courses involved. SIPA is as much, or more quantitatively focused. To be honest, it is not enjoyable if you are not quantitatively inclined. However I feel as though it is necessary to give SIPA graduates the reputation for technical skill that is so desirable in the work force. What’s your internship experience been like? I interned this summer at Moodys Investors Service here in New York. It was exhilarating to be at the cross roads of International Affairs and Finance, and to see the workings of a critical piece of the global capital markets. How did you obtain your internship? I went through the traditional channels at the SIPA Office of Career Services. I have found that if utilized effectively, OCS is a fantastic resource, with dedicated professionals who are committed to finding you employment and furthering the SIPA reputation in the work force. I think it also helped that Moodys is FILLED with SIPA graduates, further affirmation of the quality and desirability of SIPA grads. Photo Courtesy of Nick Calbos