jgiara

I think they'll let us know sometime this week. I applied for/submitted my FAFSA some time ago and am eligible for award matching through the americorps fellowship I did, so really hoping this is all taken into account!

In at USC with what appears to be no funding (unless this is some kind of cruel joke). It looks like everyone else here got their funding notices in the initial letter, so it's tough to feel great about this outcome. Still awaiting UCLA. I'm absolutely certain a masters is urban planning is not worth $45k a year.

What? May? How is that even possible. I too was told March when I asked.

I too am in the waiting for USC and UCLA boat...although USC definitely hits different given how many others have already heard back. I heard a rumor that their central transcript processing office (one office for all grad programs at the university) got completely zerged this year, resulting in a messy, delayed process for more than a few of us. I sent in a few transcripts from different universities, so my hunch is that they may have had some admin issues tracking them all down for those of us with more than one to process. Who knows though....as for UCLA, early to mid-March is on target for when they usually release results. Thanks for posting your response! I'll for sure let you know when I hear back.

I might be completely off-base here, but I know many schools do not offer financial aid or funding to international students for professional masters programs like planning. This might be university-specific, though. I just know it's difficult/impossible to qualify as an international student for the sorts of federal loans most universities in the states tend to offer. Academic scholarships on the other hand might be more readily available.

A good friend of mine (in planning gschool currently) got a large merit package from a university. He used this as leverage to get money from the two other (higher ranked) schools where he was admitted and did not receive aid. He sent them proof of this package as requested, and his offers at those two schools increased significantly. I think if you have a good offer somewhere, but you'd ideally like to attend elsewhere, this strategy works. At the end of the day, all of these schools want us to attend, and if you were admitted, they absolutely want to do what they can to get you there (within reason). With the exception of a few schools (and PhD programs), masters in planning programs don't typically reserve a ton of available funding for their incoming cohort, most likely because these are technically 'professional' degrees.

How many of you fine folks are still awaiting USC results? Starting to get hyper anxious as it seems several dean's merit admissions have come out already. I just want to get a feel for how many of us have still yet to hear back. It's my first choice (one of only two schools I applied to) in the city I've been living and working in for five years now. I'm intimately familiar with the program, campus, and even have friends currently in the program (who were all very confident about my application). It seems like they were emailing instead of updating the portal, but there doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to the delay in these results given how early they've come in previous years. Thanks in advance! It's getting tough to focus on work for my job....haha. Why they gotta do us like this.

Very interesting and kind of irregular...in the past years, I believe they would email you to check the portal, then snail mail you any Dean's Merit info shortly thereafter. Was it from a Professor or Sarah Esquivel? I'm with planningfor2021 here, super anxious to hear back on USC as it's one of two schools I applied to, and my top choice. Thanks for the insight and huge congrats to you! I have a close friend in the program right now and he loves it. Hopefully the vaccine roll-out will happen in full by August so campus can re-open.

Posted in the wrong forum (public policy) months ago - finally found my people! Very anxiously awaiting my results, so posting here to help out my fellow neurotics. Good luck everyone!! Age/Gender/Citizenship: 29/M/US Undergraduate degree/School/Year graduated BA in IR from well-regarded private university in DC, 2014 GPA - GRE - TOEFL (for Int'l students) 3.2-3.3 cumulative (due to extenuating circumstances), depending on how they calculate it. Wrote a brief academic addendum to address this. GRE Score: waived this year Work Experience: ~8 years in sustainability and renewable energy (solar). Really banking on this to offset my poor gpa. I have been working in renewable energy and sustainability since a year into undergrad across all sectors, with internships and full-time positions with numerous prominent environmental non-profits, federal entities, and companies. Attended an international urban design workshop with a university in Europe two summers prior and found my passion. Currently a project manager at a promising solar company. Close to 1k volunteer hours with community development non-profits. Stoked to use my Americorps educational award! Broad experience in research, outreach, advocacy, design, and project management, domestically and abroad. Letter of recommendations: (from whom) Urban planning professor emeritus who I studied under in Europe, workforce dev. manager at local non-profit that I worked at, professor from undergrad. SOP (adding because this is the most important part of the application): Should be quite strong - addressed my interest in switching the focus of my career from renewable energy to urban climate resilience and mitigation, looking specifically at questions of environmental justice. Had alums of both programs review and they thought it was very strong, but we'll see. Schools applied to: USC, UCLA in: Out: Wait-list: Awaiting: USC, UCLA Results:

Hi folks, Just to be clear, I am applying to urban planning programs. Did not see any threads for planning, but since these programs are offered through the public policy schools of the universities I am applying to, I figured I might be in the right place. Feel free to set me straight. My anxiety is somewhat high, which is why I am sure most of us are here. Undergraduate institution: Well-regarded private university in Washington DC (studied IR)Undergraduate GPA: 3.18-3.3 cumulative, depending on how they calculate it. I had one semester of all A's from a summer term at UVA + my 3.8 gpa study abroad semester transcript didn't factor into my cumulative GPA, despite solid grades. With these added in, I'm at a 3.3. Additionally, my father had cancer throughout my undergrad and passed away midway in, and I plan to write a brief academic addendum as to how this affected my mental health and by extension by academic performance, and how I have since overcome it as evidenced by my professional career. Hoping this will help.GRE Score: N/A; waived at USC/made optional this year at UCLA. Quant Background: Minimal, but urban planning programs generally aren't as quant oriented as their cousins in the public policy arena.. Schools applying to: USC Price MUP, UCLA Luskin MURPYears Out of Undergrad (if applicable): 6Years of Work Experience: 7Describe Relevant Work Experience: I'll be concentrating in environmental policy/international planning so my experience is at least adjacent in terms of relevance. Numerous internships throughout undergrad, ranging from environmental organizing with major grassroots non-profits, an internship with a federal agency, one research fellowship, a summer teaching internship in Brazilian favelas, half year internship with a green building nonprofit, and 5 years progressive experience in the renewable energy industry. I did an Americorps fellowship and later worked for the same non-profit solar company, administered a major utility solar incentive program for cleantech non-profit consultancy, and have since been in a managerial position with a promising, well regarded renewables startup. I enrolled in a 2 week long summer urban design workshop in Portugal with the planning dept. of a University there (got to design a hypothetical mixed-use development), and have also installed off-grid solar in rural Nepal. Finally (and most importantly), I am a really nice guy. (I am seriously banking on this work experience). With the exception of my internships, all of my recent work experience has been in Los Angeles, which explains why I am limiting myself to the top two programs in the city. Strength of LORs: Likely strong. One from a manager at the non-profit I served under for my AmeriCorps term, one from the planning professor who oversaw the program I attended, and one from an undergrad professor who can speak to my academic abilities (in spite of my gpa). To be honest, my low gpa is the reason I'm on this website at all, as it's a real cause for concern without GRE scores. SOP should be solid as it'll be structured as an engaging narrative of my work and life experience up until this point, how they culminated in my interest in planning, and what I plan to do with the degree. It's also regarded as by far the most important part of the application for planning programs. Thank you for reading this!