Information for Accepted Participants
Accommodations
As a reminder, accommodations in all program locations are included in your ECLA program fee, so participants will not be responsible for arranging or covering the costs of lodging. Lodging in all program locations will be double occupancy, so you will be sharing rooms with another program participant.During Module One at Columbia Business School in New York City, all participants in the ECLA program are part of a group hotel booking at the Hotel Newton for 12 nights (Sunday, January 3 – Friday, January 15). The Hotel Newton is located at 2528 Broadway in the Upper West Side of Manhattan, only three subway stops or a 25-minute walk to Columbia Business School.
Check-in will take place anytime after 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, January 3
Check-out is before 12:00 p.m. on Friday, January 15
All participants will be placed in double occupancy rooms with two double beds, flat-screen televisions, mini-refrigerators, microwaves, and coffee makers. Additionally, WiFi access will be included with the room, so all participants will be able to connect to the internet with their laptops at the hotel.
Please note that the October 2 deadline for making changes to the rooming list has passed. Click here for an updated rooming list. No changes to the rooming list will be permitted for any reason after October 31, 2009, so if you have any concerns, please notify us at ecla@gsb.columbia.edu as soon as possible and no later than October 31.
If you are planning to come to New York early to celebrate the holiday season or the New Year and would like to stay a few extra nights at the Hotel Newton, you are welcome to contact the hotel directly at +1-212-678-6500 or make a separate reservation through their online reservation system. Currently, the hotel is sold out on December 31, 2009, so we recommend that you contact them or any other New York City hotel early to ensure availability.
Travel
New York City has three major airports that are served by most of the world’s major airlines: John F. Kennedy International (JFK), LaGuardia, and Newark Liberty. JFK is approximately 25 miles from Columbia University and the Hotel Newton; LaGuardia is approximately 15 miles away; and Newark is about 20 miles away. Most nonstop international flights will arrive at JFK.You are responsible for arranging your own flights and covering your airfare to and from New York City. If you have not booked your flights yet, we would recommend that you do so shortly, as availability around the New Year can be difficult.
Please keep in mind that the ECLA program will start at 9:00 a.m. on Monday, January 4, so we recommend that you plan to arrive on Sunday, January 3. The program will end no later than 12:00 p.m. on Friday, January 15, so you can plan your return trips for that evening.
Information about ground transportation options from the airport to the Hotel Newton and Columbia Business School will be forthcoming.
Visas
If you require a visa, we recommend the B1 business visa for our programs. Note that some embassies may ask that you apply for a student visa (F) or an exchange visitor visa (J). However, since our programs are nondegree and you will be visiting the United States for business purposes, the B1 is the appropriate visa. Columbia University will not provide sponsorship for F or J visas for the ECLA program.We follow U.S. State Department guidelines. It is against university policy for a representative to contact the embassy directly for a participant. However, we do have a standard letter that we can send to you to present to the embassy, if needed. If you would like to request this letter, please contact us at ecla@gsb.columbia.edu.
If you do not have a visa and have not yet initiated the process for obtaining a B1 visa, you should do so immediately.
ECLA Program Handbook
Click here to access the ECLA Program Handbook. This will be a useful resource for navigating the ECLA program.
