YellowOrange

Hi! Here are my two cents. (I have a disability but of a different kind - I am visually impaired). Your first point of contact will be the disability services office at your university. You will have to submit your medical documentation and the accommodation you have received previously (if any). In my experience, the disability services office representatives are extremely nice, understanding and supportive. Request to meet with them and you can discuss the possible accommodations that will manage your disability in the best way possible. Once they decide on that, they will send letters to your professors. In my experience, it is very helpful to be open about your disability and not to hesitate to ask for help that you are entitled to. It is always good to have a one to one meeting with the professors to explain your disability, symptoms and how it can affect your academic performance, in detail. Mostly professors are understanding, at least in my experience but it really depends on the college you are going to. Do ask the disability services office to connect you with a current student or alumni who has the same disability as yours - it is always good to know about other people's experiences and how they managed things.

Hi! So urban planning programs are usually very flexible - you need to find out what areas of urban planning you are really interested in. I applied to 4 schools and got into 3 of them. If you are looking at US schools, then MIT, UIUC, UC Berkeley, UCLA, Rutgers are pretty good. If you are interested in Environment and Sustainability side then you might like Berkeley's program (it doesn't have an international focus though and it is very California-centric). Rutger is good for transportation planning. MIT also has a concentration in Environmental Policy and Planning. UIUC's Community Development for Social Justice concentration is pretty good, if you are interested in marginalization, displacement issues in cities. Similarly, MIT's International Development Group is pretty good if you are interested in urban issues of the Global South. There is a lot of work being done in sanitation, water, health, climate change, spatial analysis, urban information system at MIT. If you are interested in urban theory then MIT might not be the best fit for you. I also applied to UCL and LSE in London. Check out UCL's Bartlett School of Planning - you might find something that interests you. LSE's program of City Design and Social Science is more sociology plus urban design oriented. Do look at the subjects offered and thesis of current students or alumni for the schools you shortlist. It will give you a good idea of what the program is all about. Also look at research interests of professors. (If you go to MIT, you can take courses from all over Harvard and Tufts as well!) I don't know anything about Canadian schools, though

Hi everyone! I will be joining MIT's City Planning program this fall. I am an international student who has never lived independently before and have never been to Boston but I have heard amazing things about it. I think on-campus graduate housing will be the most convenient for me, at least for the first year, because I am legally blind and I use a cane so I need to live somewhere that is very accessible and super close to the campus - this will minimize the hassle of commute. (I still haven't received my MIT ID or the web certificate, my department said they will be sending out these details in early April so I am still waiting - is there anyone else who still haven't received them?!) I have some questions about on campus housing though: which building has really good lighting - in the kitchen, bathroom and the room, and in the surrounding area as well? The orientation is on 28th August and I want to move in by 1st August so I have plenty of time to get familiar with the area. When are we allowed to start moving in the on campus housing? I am looking for an efficiency/1 bedroom apartment on campus (I have heard really good things about Sidney Pacific and Ashdown) because my mom is going to stay with me for the first few months till I settle in and an apartment mate(s) in a 2/3 bedroom apartment might not be cool with that. But an efficiency apartment is definitely more expensive than a 2/3 bedroom apartment on campus. Do I have any other options? Any idea if an off campus arrangement would be convenient for a person with low vision? I am really tight on the budget and it would be great if I could cut down on any expense! Also, how long can a visitor stay with me? I am in touch with the MIT Disability Service Office and they have forwarded my case to the housing office so that they can permit my mom to stay with me for the first few months but I haven't heard back from them yet. I haven't really heard good things about Tang Hall but it is the cheapest option on campus. Can anybody tell me how bad it is? Would really appreciate your suggestions! And if anyone on here or knows of any student with a disability who has gone to MIT, let me know! I would love to hear their experience.

Yes, I am! Going for a Master in City Planning though