pea-jay

rough hands

brave fool

I rented with trashed credit so it's possible, but tricky. As a rule the presumption is people will do whatever to make the rent FIRST then deal with the other bills. So landlords are looking to see if THEY can get paid (and not have you trash the place). In the OP case this wont work, but if you have a good landlord reference, that goes a long way. But documentation on how much you will bring in can go a long way to alleviating the fear that they wont get paid. Generally you shouldnt pay more than a third of your income in rent or it starts to raise red flags. You could also rent strictly through private parties that would find it inconvenient or a hassle to a credit check. I've done this more than once. Offering a larger security deposit can grease the wheels as well

dead man

tin can

tobacco farmer

Program Applied To: MPA/MPP Schools Applied To: CUNY-Baruch SPA, NYU-Wagner Schools Admitted To: NYU-Wagner, CUNY-Baruch SPA Schools Rejected From: None Undergraduate institution: Old Dominion University Undergraduate GPA:2.7something Last 60 hours of Undergraduate GPA (if applicable):3.2ish Undergraduate Major:B.A. Geography, Minors PoliSci and Economics Former Graduate institution: University of Illinois at Chicago Graduate GPA: 3.67 Program: Urban Planning (completed 20 of the 60 units), no degree GRE Quantitative Score: 470. eek GRE Verbal Score: 620 GRE AW Score: 4.5 Years Out of Undergrad (if applicable): 13 years Years of Work Experience: 12+, 8 relevant Describe Relevant Work Experience: Americorp Volunteer for one year, worked in the education and energy sectors until 2002. Wide array of planning, policy development and research work for several California jurisdictions, one Oregon county and the Census Bureau on virtually every topic under the sun. Progressively more responsible work assignments. Worked political campaigns, was campaign strategist/assistant Campaign manager on a race most recently in 2008. Advisor to a mayor on sustainability matters. Detailed research projects and computer modeling. Excellent computer skills. Strength of SOP (be honest, describe the process, etc): Average to maybe slightly above. Spent a lot of time on this, but NOT enough as I wanted due to other obligations. Had my essay edited by a former clerical staff person with editorial background. Strength of LOR's (be honest, describe the process, etc): Good to great. One is my current supervisor, the other my former one. Stature of LOR good, so to are the comments. No academic LOR due to my distance from UG Other: Non-traditional student in mid 30s trying to get a management degree and job connections to make the next step in my career. Masters are required for management level staff. Oddly enough, a Wagner advisor asked me if I had considered their XMPA program. I have not and will not due to a lack of managerial experience. (5 is required, I have less than one, not relevant to field.)

Congrats! And the unease level has just been ratcheted up... Thanks for the update Out of curiousity, what were your stats and intended subfield? Nevermind, saw the separate thread on stats

It's a little bit more inconvenient, but check out portions of Queens. Astoria particularly. Have a few friends of the family members that swear by the place, a couple of current NYU grad students that live there recommended it to me, and I enjoyed spending time there myself. A ton of good eats in that place. The N/W runs thru there which also runs by NYU (although the N doesnt stop weekdays by the university).

I didnt apply for the Reynolds but I did apply for the Bohnett fellowship which had the same deadline. I'm kinda wondering what's going on with that. Do (1) fellowship awardees get announced first or (2) does the school admit, then award the fellowship? I'm on the wrong coast so I cannot drop in easily so any info you get is welcome

Yes, me too! The school that is has a very late deadline, which can't help either.

cake mix

hmmm, I'm back on. But i took a two month hiatus in Dec and Jan...

Thanks for the update. Looking at the calendar...this will be the longest 2 weeks of my life. My other school is out too. To top it out, my work will look at layoffs in three weeks. AAAAAAAAHHHHHH!

Other factors to consider: -How old are you and where are you in your career? If you are in your 20s and just starting out in the field, your work experience is always going to be valuable to getting into grad school and the next job. So lets say you work 2 years then apply. You will then be an applicant with 2yrs of prof experience. This should give you a leg up and get you in if you were on the cusp of rejection or help secure a better $$ package if you already were qualified. Plus once you graduate, you'll be ahead of those without work experience. On the other hand if you are older and more experienced, then grad school might be more valuable. -How will "stiffing" your future employer play out? If yours is small field where everybody knows each other, maybe it's not a good idea to leave shortly after starting, lest you get blackballed in your future endeavors.

Yep, this is the position I find myself in. Waiting for word on admissions and keeping a nervous eye on the how we are going to pay for it/support ourselves issue.

stud muffin

This thread makes me giggle...it is funny. It certainly isnt poorly reflective of you, but that certainly isnt the image I have of a prof. All but one of my profs were professional, staid and sometimes outright boring individuals. The one that wasnt, well...he HOSTED the keggers. Go figure!

When I tell people I am an Urban planner, too often I will get this: 1) So when are we going to get that Costco? 2) Why on earth are you allowing that (INSERT WRONG DEVELOPMENT IN WRONG JURISDICTION) to occur. But my favorite was telling some I was in Grad school for Urban Planning and BEFORE I explained what one did, the person blurting out why on earth do you need so much schooling for that. I asked what do you mean and she said well arent you the guys that plant all those trees and mow the grass in the big cities? Urban PlanTing? hahahah....

I effectively gave 9 months notice as my boss was also my LOR. However, I have kept it quiet internally outside of management. I don't know how it all will play out but I could get cut earlier (by 1-2 months) if threatened job cuts are approved or leave on my own accord as planned (saving someone else's job). But this is all theoretical. I havent gotten notice yet and no budget decisions have been made.

I didnt have a formal interview, but took up both school's offers to visit and talk with admin staff and professors. I met two at each school and corresponded with a third at one. Even though none of this was formal, like PHD candidates, I still sent thank you's especially to the admin staff.

THIRD DOWN? That wasnt the last entry...

One of the RA questions asked what kind of research I have conducted either academically or professionally. I referenced some of my projects and then worked in "and despite what my Quantitative GRE score might indicate, I have a sound background in statistical methods including successful course work at both the UG and G level." That's it. No other GRE references were made

I'm not in a Science, Technology, Engineering or Math field, so the Q score matters less. Most of my work requires writing and the math that IS required is stats based and hey, I got an A in both times I took the course, once in my UG and once in an earlier Grad program. I dunno, I just test poorly in that subject. Got a 90% on the verbal though. So I'm not broken up about it and have a whatever attitude about it. Or as you put it, Meh...

eye witness