takeitorleaveit97
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Posts posted by takeitorleaveit97
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Has anyone heard back about the YSE open house that’s supposed to be in early Feb? (PhD)
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On 2/11/2021 at 7:23 PM, takeitorleaveit97 said:
For future lurkers:
Age/Gender/Citizenship
24/F/US
Undergraduate degree/School/Year graduated
BA in an Interdisciplinary Degree private university in NYC / 2019
MSc / UK top school / 2021GPA - GRE - TOEFL (for Int'l students)
3.68 BA/ still in MSc program - No GRE
Work Experience:
Lots of random research experience + year working abroad
Letter of recommendations: (from whom)
All from undergrad professors (I was close to all of them and so I know they have a lot to say)
Schools applied to: Berkeley, Harvard, UPenn, Cornell, UMich, Columbia
In: Berkeley (no funding bc told them in advance that I couldn't attend), Harvard (37k), UPenn (53k), Cornell (28k), UMich (22k), Columbia (28k)
Out: N/A
Wait-list: N/A
Awaiting: N/A
Results: I unfortunately will have to decline all my offers as I have found another opportunity for the next year. This means I will probably have to go through this process again next year smh and possibly have to take the GRE :/. Keeping my fingers crossed for that. Hope you all have a great first year in grad school!
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1 hour ago, acardigan said:
I'm primarily stuck between Harvard and Berkeley. However, UPenn's program seems delightful and has a strong real estate/design focus which I find personally fascinating. I will likely make up my mind when the funding totals are all reported.
Secretly, I wish Harvard/MIT/Berkeley would just announce a joint three year program so that us aspiring planners could be whisked away to a permanent nirvana. Er, for free of course ?
Haha yes definitely agree on the joint three year bit. MIT's program was my favorite of the bunch. I was so upset they weren't accepting MCP students this cycle.
Did Harvard give you funding? (if you don't mind me asking) I know Berkeley's isn't out yet.
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9 hours ago, acardigan said:
Just updating to reflect my acceptances; including Harvard! It seems that @takeitorleaveit97 and I submitted our applications to the (almost same!) schools at the same time! Congrats!
Also, a note on funding: Money is definitely scarce this year. I'll update my funding totals once they're all received as a future reference to aspiring applicants (and to any admissions folks, I am grateful for what I've received!)
For those that did not receive admission to their dream schools, do not fret. I have noticed that many applicants try again successfully a following year or two and are selected just due to the increased level of professional exposure. If you have a high GPA (>3.5) I would highly recommend waiting it out if you're not satisfied with your results. This is coming from someone with 8+ years after debating whether to even apply!
Hi @acardigan! Great minds eh? ? Where are you most leaning toward?
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Just now, urbanplanning2021 said:
Congrats! Did you get an email or did you just check the portal?
i got an email to check the portal!
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On 2/11/2021 at 7:23 PM, takeitorleaveit97 said:
Age/Gender/Citizenship
24/F/US
Undergraduate degree/School/Year graduated
BA in an Interdisciplinary Degree + minor in French / 2019
MSc / UK top school / 2021GPA - GRE - TOEFL (for Int'l students)
3.68 BA/ still in MSc program - No GRE
Work Experience:
Lots of random research experience + year working abroad
Letter of recommendations: (from whom)
All from undergrad professors (I was close to all of them and so I know they have a lot to say)
Schools applied to: Berkeley, Harvard, UPenn, Cornell, UMich, Columbia
In: Berkeley, UPenn, Harvard, Cornell, UMich
Out:
Wait-list:
Awaiting: Columbia
Results:
In at Harvard
- ojireojire, nola360, JSW_Planning and 5 others
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8
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2 hours ago, jsm94 said:
This topic was addressed earlier in the results thread, but I'm having a tough time figuring out how much debt is justifiable for pursuing a MUP. I went into this understanding that as a professional degree is not going to be fully covered like a PhD, but now that I have offers, I'm finally confronting how expensive a prospect it really is. Do any of you have a calculation / viability threshold for this?
Personally a career in planning would be more rewarding for me, but pay in the field would be roughly comparable to what I'm currently making now in a perfectly dull but stable job with good benefits. When I factor in the opportunity cost of two years of lost wages, retirement savings, robust healthcare coverage for my chronic illness etc, it seems almost irrational to pursue.
I have offers at Cornell ($40K Tuition) [12k merit, $8k 5/hr week assistantship] and SUNY Buffalo ($14K In-State Tuition/Fees) [$6k merit, $5k 10/hr week assistantship], but they're only valid for full time attendance. When I look at what I'd need to cover a frugal cost of living, I'm likely beyond the $20k/yr federal loan limit.
I realize that grad school is an investment in myself and I'm not expecting a full ride, but it's a prospect with real material tradeoffs (health coverage, standard of living) beyond the psychic impact of a future student debt burden. I'm wondering if waiting this cycle out and pursuing a MUP part time is a sounder move.
If anyone is willing to share how they're weighing their decision to attend, I'd love to hear your perspectives.
This is a valid concern. Do you watch the Dave Ramsey show on YouTube? I’m extremely terrified of student loan debt especially when I’m not quite sure just how much money I can expect to make after getting an MUP.
Considering that I don’t plan on spending the rest of my twenties paying of debt, I am limiting myself to $20k in loans. It sounds impossible but I really don’t think it makes sense that a graduate program that really wants me to be part of their cohort wouldn’t fund my studies. Once they’ve accepted you, it means they want you and so I think you should consider some hardcore negotiating in March. (Eg: Cornell can afford to offer way more than they gave you)
In my case, if I’m unable to get proper funding this cycle, I don’t think I will attend grad school this year. I’ll wait another year and reapply when I have more money saved (also I heard MIT is really good at giving scholarships but they weren’t accepting any students this year.)
Yeah, I wanna be an urban planner but I also don’t want to spend the rest of my twenties paying of debt. I’ll stick to sims city if that’s the case.
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On 2/11/2021 at 7:23 PM, takeitorleaveit97 said:
Age/Gender/Citizenship
24/F/US
Undergraduate degree/School/Year graduated
BA in an Interdisciplinary Degree + minor in French/ private university / 2019
MSc / UK top school / 2021GPA - GRE - TOEFL (for Int'l students)
3.68 BA/ still in MSc program - No GRE
Work Experience:
Lots of random research experience + year working abroad
Letter of recommendations: (from whom)
All from undergrad professors (I was close to all of them and so I know they have a lot to say)
Schools applied to: Berkeley, Harvard, UPenn, Cornell, UMich, Columbia
In: Berkeley, UPenn, Cornell, UMich
Out:
Wait-list:
Awaiting: Harvard, Columbia
Results:
In at Michigan (no email, just checked portal)
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On 2/11/2021 at 7:23 PM, takeitorleaveit97 said:
Age/Gender/Citizenship
24/F/US
Undergraduate degree/School/Year graduated
BA in an Interdisciplinary Degree + minor in French/ private university in NYC / 2019
MSc / UK top school / 2021GPA - GRE - TOEFL (for Int'l students)
3.68 BA/ still in MSc program - No GRE
Work Experience:
Lots of random research experience + year working abroad
Letter of recommendations: (from whom)
All from undergrad professors (I was close to all of them and so I know they have a lot to say)
Schools applied to: Berkeley, Harvard, UPenn, Cornell, UMich, Columbia
In: Berkeley, Cornell, UPenn
Out:
Wait-list:
Awaiting: Harvard, UMich, Columbia
Results:
In at UPenn
- numenor and cityplace_uptown
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2
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4 minutes ago, michells said:
Congrats! Same here! Im having trouble finding the actual offer letter though. I logged into the CollegeNet ApplyWEb online app system and could only find a letter from the Graduate School Dean under the "View Your Decision Letter" button.
Congrats! I received an email that had an attached pdf with all the information. I actually haven’t checked the portal since then.
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39 minutes ago, austinplanning256 said:
Anything over 40K for a Master's Program I would have to think really hard about.
100% agree. Even the 40k is a little iffy for me. The job market right now is looking extremely tough.
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Can we chat a little about finances while we wait? What is the highest amount per year you would take out in loans for a grad program?
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On 2/11/2021 at 7:23 PM, takeitorleaveit97 said:
Age/Gender/Citizenship
24/F/US
Undergraduate degree/School/Year graduated
BA in an Interdisciplinary Degree + minor in French/ private university in NYC / 2019
MSc in Environment and Development / UK top school / 2021GPA - GRE - TOEFL (for Int'l students)
3.68 BA/ still in MSc program - No GRE
Work Experience:
Lots of random research experience + year working abroad
Letter of recommendations: (from whom)
All from undergrad professors (I was close to all of them and so I know they have a lot to say)
Schools applied to: Berkeley, Harvard, UPenn, Cornell, UMich, Columbia
In: Berkeley (awaiting funding), Cornell (28k funding)
Out:
Wait-list:
Awaiting: Harvard, UPenn, UMich, Columbia
Results:
Just heard from Cornell!
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Does anyone know if covid will be a valid reason to defer acceptance this cycle? I have a feeling that the fall might be blended and I am not interested in doing online grad school again. I’ve had my fill ?
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Age/Gender/Citizenship
24/F/US
Undergraduate degree/School/Year graduated
BA in an Interdisciplinary Degree + minor in French/ private university in NYC / 2019
MSc in Environment and Development / UK top school / 2021GPA - GRE - TOEFL (for Int'l students)
3.68 BA/ still in MSc program - No GRE
Work Experience:
Lots of random research experience + year working abroad
Letter of recommendations: (from whom)
All from undergrad professors (I was close to all of them and so I know they have a lot to say)
Schools applied to: Berkeley, Harvard, UPenn, Cornell, UMich, Columbia
In: Berkeley
Out:
Wait-list:
Awaiting: Harvard, UPenn, Cornell, UMich, Columbia
Results:
Planning Admissions 2022
in Architecture and Planning Forum
Posted
Hi all! Congrats to everyone who has had good news so far.
Are there any phd applicants on this thread? Has anyone heard back yet?
I applied to: MIT, Cornell, Columbia, and Harvard.
Would love to hear from folks in the same boat!