Planning Admissions 2019

[poimai19]

Accepted into Columbia GSAPP, rejected from MIT and on the waitlist for UCLA. Did anyone else apply to UCLA?

[davidd]

Accepted to Penn, Georgia Tech, UNC, UW, and UCLA, with no $$$. Rejected from MIT ?

Trying to make a decision weighing strength of program versus location. I'd like to be somewhere interesting enough, since my partner will join wherever we end up, but also I imagine there's an impact to job opportunities and focus of the program depending on where it's located. How are you guys taking location into account? Is this a big factor in your decisions? 

[planner2234]

1 hour ago, poimai19 said:

I also got into Columbia but with no funding. Other forums I read said it's not worth the hefty price tag if you're taking out loans, but I'm curious about the overall experience as well.

I’ve had some people tell me that the alumni network at an ivy league may be worth the hefty price tag, especially if you plan to continue living in NYC. I personally really like the companies that their students have worked at after graduation so I think I’m going to go to the open house and make up my mind there

[extravaganzta]

5 hours ago, planner2234 said:

I’ve had some people tell me that the alumni network at an ivy league may be worth the hefty price tag, especially if you plan to continue living in NYC. I personally really like the companies that their students have worked at after graduation so I think I’m going to go to the open house and make up my mind there

I currently live in NYC (and work for a City Agency) and have spoken with planners in the area, and they said that if you want to work in planning in NYC, your best bet is to go to NYU. Anecdotally, I would say that CUNY - Hunter College is also a great option. I haven't met anyone that has gone to Columbia and currently works in planning. 

[planner2234]

19 minutes ago, extravaganzta said:

I currently live in NYC (and work for a City Agency) and have spoken with planners in the area, and they said that if you want to work in planning in NYC, your best bet is to go to NYU. Anecdotally, I would say that CUNY - Hunter College is also a great option. I haven't met anyone that has gone to Columbia and currently works in planning. 

I appreciate the advice! I know NYU and Columbia have a similar price tag, so I’m curious of the main benefits of one or the other aside from price. I know Columbia posted a list of where many of their alumni work, having most of the city agencies listed as well as many other private organizations in NYC— so I find it interesting that you were told NYU > Columbia. I will definitely look into it more!

[extravaganzta]

5 hours ago, davidd said:

Accepted to Penn, Georgia Tech, UNC, UW, and UCLA, with no $$$. Rejected from MIT ?

Trying to make a decision weighing strength of program versus location. I'd like to be somewhere interesting enough, since my partner will join wherever we end up, but also I imagine there's an impact to job opportunities and focus of the program depending on where it's located. How are you guys taking location into account? Is this a big factor in your decisions? 

That's a great slew of schools! The advice I've been given regarding any option is take out the least amount of debt as possible. However, I'm from the south, currently working in NYC -- incidentally under a manager who went to Georgia Tech for her MCRP. She advised that I do NOT go to Georgia Tech, and that it was really hard to find a job coming out of the program. She mentioned that UNC was the best option for the Southeast in general. 

I read recently that the state of Washington has the best market for Urban Planners, with the average rate being $30/hr? Perhaps UW is a really great option, again depending on how much it would cost to go. Are any of these schools in-state for you? 

 

[extravaganzta]

17 minutes ago, planner2234 said:

I appreciate the advice! I know NYU and Columbia have a similar price tag, so I’m curious of the main benefits of one or the other aside from price. I know Columbia posted a list of where many of their alumni work, having most of the city agencies listed as well as many other private organizations in NYC— so I find it interesting that you were told NYU > Columbia. I will definitely look into it more!

Right - as far as I can tell, NYU has more of a policy focus. NYU houses also the Furman Center and various other labs that work with the city directly regarding social public policy. I'm not really to familiar with either program. 

All that's to say, if I were to stay in NYC this coming year for a program with the hopes of obtaining a job in the NYC area, based on what I've gathered and advice I've been explicitly given, I would go to the following schools (in order of preference): 

1) NYU

2) Rutgers  

3.) CUNY - Hunter College/City College

4) Pratt Institute

5) Columbia 

6) New School

Again, that's just what I would do based on my own experience and anecdotes. This is not at all an informed or substantiated ranking or list that is representative of anything beyond myself or those around me. 

[planner2234]

8 minutes ago, extravaganzta said:

Right - as far as I can tell, NYU has more of a policy focus. NYU houses also the Furman Center and various other labs that work with the city directly regarding social public policy. I'm not really to familiar with either program. 

All that's to say, if I were to stay in NYC this coming year for a program with the hopes of obtaining a job in the NYC area, based on what I've gathered and advice I've been explicitly given, I would go to the following schools (in order of preference): 

1) NYU

2) Rutgers  

3.) CUNY - Hunter College/City College

4) Pratt Institute

5) Columbia 

6) New School

Again, that's just what I would do based on my own experience and anecdotes. This is not at all an informed or substantiated ranking or list that is representative of anything beyond myself or those around me. 

Do you think this varies heavily with wanting to work more in the public sector versus the private sector? I noticed that NYU has listed where their alumni have been employed, with 95% or so being public organizations. Ive enjoyed my work with public organizations however I personally want to go into the private sector and work more with development as that is my personal experience I have enjoyed most. I also want to work with successful public/private partnerships. I am under the impression that Columbia may be best for maneuvering the private sector but again, I’m not sure. 

[extravaganzta]

1 hour ago, planner2234 said:

Do you think this varies heavily with wanting to work more in the public sector versus the private sector? I noticed that NYU has listed where their alumni have been employed, with 95% or so being public organizations. Ive enjoyed my work with public organizations however I personally want to go into the private sector and work more with development as that is my personal experience I have enjoyed most. I also want to work with successful public/private partnerships. I am under the impression that Columbia may be best for maneuvering the private sector but again, I’m not sure. 

Perhaps. That would make sense. By private sector, do you mean non-profit or otherwise? 

I'm currently working for a public-private partnership in the city, which is where my perspective is coming from. I hear - primarily online and on forums - that having an Ivy name helps with going into, say CRE/RED. But, to be fair, when I think CRE/RED, I think Penn/MIT/Cornell. 

FWIW, my SO and everyone else that I work with with Columbia degrees (3 people, albeit not in planning) told me that Columbia is NOT worth sticker price, especially if you're going into public interest work. Private sector work in RED but want to study in the city? I'd still say NYU personally.

Edited March 16, 2019 by extravaganzta

[planner2234]

1 hour ago, extravaganzta said:

Perhaps. That would make sense. By private sector, do you mean non-profit or otherwise? 

I'm currently working for a public-private partnership in the city, which is where my perspective is coming from. I hear - primarily online and on forums - that having an Ivy name helps with going into, say CRE/RED. But, to be fair, when I think CRE/RED, I think Harvard/MIT/Cornell. 

FWIW, my SO and everyone else that I work with with Columbia degrees (3 people, albeit not in planning) told me that Columbia is NOT worth sticker price, especially if you're going into public interest work. Private sector work in RED but want to study in the city? I'd still say NYU personally.

Thank you! This is helpful. When looking at NYU, I personal found the concentrations to be more policy focused than what I am interested in as I want to focus more on development of the built environment. However, I only applied to Penn and Columbia and was admitted into Columbia (very shocked about Penn as my current university has a strong relationship with them).

I am coming directly out of undergrad loan free, and am debating going to Columbia now. I have wonderful undergraduate experience however I am struggling to find any opportunities in the field without a masters. The only ones available seem to be low paying internships. I am wondering if it’s best for me to bite the bullet now, get my masters, and get into the work force as soon as possible. Otherwise, I’m not sure if it’s worse financially for me to spend another year or two working low paying internships only for me to go and get my masters in a few years anyway.  

[davidd]

On 3/15/2019 at 3:59 PM, extravaganzta said:

That's a great slew of schools! The advice I've been given regarding any option is take out the least amount of debt as possible. However, I'm from the south, currently working in NYC -- incidentally under a manager who went to Georgia Tech for her MCRP. She advised that I do NOT go to Georgia Tech, and that it was really hard to find a job coming out of the program. She mentioned that UNC was the best option for the Southeast in general. 

I read recently that the state of Washington has the best market for Urban Planners, with the average rate being $30/hr? Perhaps UW is a really great option, again depending on how much it would cost to go. Are any of these schools in-state for you? 

 

Thanks for the advice, and helpful tip on Georgia Tech! Luckily, UW is in-state for me, which makes the tuition difference between UW and UNC pretty much a wash when you consider cost of living...

From what I've gathered so far, it seems like UNC grads are pretty mobile and spread across the country (my guess is this is due to the strength of the program?), while most UW grads stay in the Seattle area (but maybe just because it's a good market and the PNW is nice...). Any thoughts or experiences with that?

[Brandon_S]

On 3/15/2019 at 4:59 PM, extravaganzta said:

That's a great slew of schools! The advice I've been given regarding any option is take out the least amount of debt as possible. However, I'm from the south, currently working in NYC -- incidentally under a manager who went to Georgia Tech for her MCRP. She advised that I do NOT go to Georgia Tech, and that it was really hard to find a job coming out of the program. She mentioned that UNC was the best option for the Southeast in general. 

I read recently that the state of Washington has the best market for Urban Planners, with the average rate being $30/hr? Perhaps UW is a really great option, again depending on how much it would cost to go. Are any of these schools in-state for you? 

 

Really?  I got the sense through interactions with a student and faculty member that Georgia Tech is great as far as finding a job goes...Atlanta area is growing rapidly and the demand for planners should be high.  The professor also told me that the Atlanta area consistently has more planning internships available than there are students to fill them.  

[Brandon_S]

Here's what I have so far:

Accepted

• University of Minnesota--out of state tuition waiver plus $20,000 fellowship
• University of Utah--half time teaching assistantship and half fellowship through National Institute for Transportation and Communities (full tuition covered plus ~$12k stipend and health insurance option)
• Georgia Tech--still awaiting financial info; hoping for something decent since this is my dream school
• University of Washington--still awaiting financial info

Deferred from Last Year

• Saint Louis University--$7k scholarship spread over two years, applied for assistantship and awaiting reply
• University of Nebraska--in state tuition so not too much $$$, plus last year I was offered a full assistantship as campus recycling coordinator but turned it down to take a year off from school

Awaiting Decision

• UCLA

Anyone know what's up with UCLA?  I've seen several posts about acceptances and also several saying they haven't heard anything from them yet.  Am I to assume I'll be rejected?  It doesn't concern me too much since I have some other good offers.

I will very likely not attend SLU or Nebraska even though I deferred.  I just wanted to make sure I had the option this year without re-applying, in case my other applications were a bust.  Minnesota's offer is pretty decent for such a good program.  The Utah offer is tempting, I'm just not sure that's where I want to spend the next 2+ years.  Anyone know anything about Utah's program and its reputation?  Job placement?  Etc.?

Edited March 18, 2019 by Brandon_S

[davidd]

@Brandon_S

Congrats on your acceptances! Regarding Georgia Tech, I spoke with a professor there, and it does seem like a good program. They definitely tout the "Atlanta Laboratory" as one of their strong points. I inquired about financial packages, too, and the professor told me if it wasn't listed in your initial acceptance letter, don't wait up... However, he did mention that based on who accepts their offers, they may extend some additional aid packages after the April 15th deadline. Check in with the MCRP program director to be considered for the second round of financial aid.

On UCLA, I got word of acceptance this past Friday. Based on the other results, it seems like they may have issued acceptances, but not waitlist or rejections.

And regarding University of Utah, I can't speak much to the program, but Salt Lake City is great, low cost of living, great skiing and other outdoor activities. Plus, it's a growing area in desperate need of some good planners. The downside is that Salt Lake isn't a very dense city, is very car-oriented, and lacking the diversity of many other locations you're looking at.

[Brandon_S]

2 minutes ago, davidd said:

@Brandon_S

Congrats on your acceptances! Regarding Georgia Tech, I spoke with a professor there, and it does seem like a good program. They definitely tout the "Atlanta Laboratory" as one of their strong points. I inquired about financial packages, too, and the professor told me if it wasn't listed in your initial acceptance letter, don't wait up... However, he did mention that based on who accepts their offers, they may extend some additional aid packages after the April 15th deadline. Check in with the MCRP program director to be considered for the second round of financial aid.

On UCLA, I got word of acceptance this past Friday. Based on the other results, it seems like they may have issued acceptances, but not waitlist or rejections.

And regarding University of Utah, I can't speak much to the program, but Salt Lake City is great, low cost of living, great skiing and other outdoor activities. Plus, it's a growing area in desperate need of some good planners. The downside is that Salt Lake isn't a very dense city, is very car-oriented, and lacking the diversity of many other locations you're looking at.

My Georgia Tech admission letter said that financial awards were in the process of being finalized and notifications would be sent out "in the coming weeks."  Last year they tried to entice me to enroll by offering me an in-state tuition waiver in the first week of April or so, but I applied again this year with a beefed up resume and better references so maybe that'll count for something.  It's a very competitive program though so who knows.  

As for SLC, it seems like a great location with the mountains and all.  They seem to care about sustainability a lot, which I really value.  I get the impression that it's growing pretty steadily right now, which would be a nice change compared to the struggling rust belt city I live in currently.  The diversity aspect does concern me to some degree for sure.  The density issue doesn't worry me too much because I think the numbers may be artificially low...the city limits include a big area of uninhabited land in the west as well as a good chunk of the Wasatch mountains in the northeast.  I'm visiting next week though, so I'll be able to get a better feel of it when I'm there.  FWIW Atlanta is also very car oriented, less dense than my current city and not too much denser than my hometown (Omaha).

[avatarsenpai]

So I am choosing between two programs, University of California, Irvine MURP and Cal Poly Pomona MURP. UCI costs about ~$45k and CPP costs about ~$20k (CPP also offers nighttime classes so I would be able to work 30-40 hours a week). Which school should I choose? On one hand, UCI is higher ranked, seems to be more organized and appears to have a better alumni network. On the other hand, CPP offers more financial/career flexibility, cheaper and focuses more on "hands on learning", which I feel would prepare me better for the professional world. 

Does anyone have suggestions or thoughts? Appreciate any help.

[Brandon_S]

@avatarsenpai

If UCI costs $45k per year and you don't have any funding to offset that, I would think it's not worth it to potentially come out of a two year program with $90k in debt.  Seriously, that's a lot of f***ing money.  Given that CPP is much cheaper AND offers night classes, I think it's your best option.  If you can work a full time job during the day, you might have the opportunity to get involved in a potential career before you graduate (I'm an intern at a planning firm right now and one of the full time people in my office was hired as a student and is still finishing up his last semester in SLU's planning program, which only offers night classes).  You could also work more to offset cost of living and maybe some tuition.  The "hands on learning" aspect and career flexibility is also a major plus.

But before you make a decision, maybe reach out to admissions or a faculty member at UC Irvine and see what types of funding opportunities may become available later on, if any.  I've noticed a lot of schools do this irritating thing where funding becomes available in like July or August or even after the semester has begun, way after you're supposed to make your enrollment decision.  If there are a good amount of opportunities that typically become available later on and you think you'd be a good candidate for one of them, you could take your chances on UC Irvine.  Benefits would be like you said, better alumni network (and these connections are probably valuable).  UC Irvine also has better name recognition and reputation in my opinion, which may be helpful if you're wanting to find a job outside the Irvine/Orange County/Los Angeles area shortly after graduation.

But ultimately your education is really what you make of it.  I think whichever program you choose, you'll definitely be able to find a job at the end of it all.  Especially since you're in the LA area, which I imagine is a hot job market for planners.  If it comes down to financing at the end of the day like it does for many of us, I don't think CPP is a bad choice at all.  Just put in the work and you'll open up so many opportunities for yourself.  Best of luck with your decision

Edited March 21, 2019 by Brandon_S

[Doegirl]

22 hours ago, avatarsenpai said:

So I am choosing between two programs, University of California, Irvine MURP and Cal Poly Pomona MURP. UCI costs about ~$45k and CPP costs about ~$20k (CPP also offers nighttime classes so I would be able to work 30-40 hours a week). Which school should I choose? On one hand, UCI is higher ranked, seems to be more organized and appears to have a better alumni network. On the other hand, CPP offers more financial/career flexibility, cheaper and focuses more on "hands on learning", which I feel would prepare me better for the professional world. 

Does anyone have suggestions or thoughts? Appreciate any help.

I applied to CPP but haven't got a reply yet. When did you receive an acceptance notification? I'm assuming I didn't get in.

[avatarsenpai]

@Doegirl I haven't heard back from them yet, I am just assuming I will get in (I know, a tad bit haughty). I heard from the Department that we should hear back in the next 1-2 weeks.

[avatarsenpai]

@Brandon_S thanks for your well thought out reply. it is actually 46k vs 20k total for the two years (I got 6.5k from UCI so its actually 40k now). Do you think this changes things?

[mukam5]

Hello! Happy to see everyone's acceptances! What are people's thoughts about the UCLA MURP program and the USC MUP program. I know both are really good programs when it comes to urban planning. I have been accepted to both and both offered me funding (of similar amount). I'm waiting to go to their open house before I make a final decision but I kinda wanted to hear the peoples impressions of those schools for planning. I also got accepted to Berkeley and UCI, but UCLA and USC are the ones I'm seriously considering because of funding. 

[Brandon_S]

@avatarsenpai

That's definitely a much less mind blowing price tag haha.  UCI is still double the price at the end of the day so it really comes down to are you willing to spend that much money on a two year degree?  If you think UCI will open up more and/or better opportunities for you it may very well be worth it.  There's still pros and cons for both programs, though.  Have you tried getting in contact with current students or alumni or attending an open house if possible?  Hearing from people who've been directly in the program might help your decision.  I know the University of Minnesota was more than willing to connect me with an alum who was willing to schedule a phone call since I can't attend their open house.  Perhaps UCI and CPP could do the same.  Then you can ask questions to non-admissions folks and get real answers about the programs lol.

[Brandon_S]

18 hours ago, mukam5 said:

Hello! Happy to see everyone's acceptances! What are people's thoughts about the UCLA MURP program and the USC MUP program. I know both are really good programs when it comes to urban planning. I have been accepted to both and both offered me funding (of similar amount). I'm waiting to go to their open house before I make a final decision but I kinda wanted to hear the peoples impressions of those schools for planning. I also got accepted to Berkeley and UCI, but UCLA and USC are the ones I'm seriously considering because of funding. 

I may be biased because I'm still salty that UCLA hasn't made a decision on my application yet (at least according to their online system) but that makes me think the program and/or university itself is disorganized and bureaucratic.  It's probably a rejection or waitlist at best for me, but I would think it's not hard to notify me of that at the same time acceptances are sent out.  I mean, it's been a full week since acceptances were first announced and it's still radio silence on my end.  I know a guy in USC's planning program though and he loves it, so if anecdotal evidence means anything to you...

[gonzoo]

Hi all!

I only applied to 3 programs all in LA. 

UCLA -- Accepted directly via e-mail on March 14th (graduate division status has not changed)

CPP -- pending

USC -- pending

Has anyone heard back from Cal Poly Pomona or USC?

Thank you and good luck!

[planner2234]

Has anyone here read the Planetizen 5th edition guide to planning programs? It’s leaving me a bit confused as it shows acceptance rates. What’s odd is some of the most well ranked schools have such high acceptance rates — Rutgers, Penn, USC, Columbia, NYU all having between 60-70% acceptance. It even showed Georgetown as having a 95% acceptance rate. While MIT, Harvard, and Berkeley are all roughly 20-30%. This almost makes me feel like I’ve accomplished very little getting into some of these programs ? these numbers were all from 2015 as well. 

Edited March 22, 2019 by planner2234