Planning Admission 2021

[GreenerUtopia18]

Has anyone else admitted to USC gotten feedback from financial aid as to when the final financial aid package might be available?

[daxdim]

1 hour ago, GreenerUtopia18 said:

Has anyone else admitted to USC gotten feedback from financial aid as to when the final financial aid package might be available?

No, I messaged them earlier this week to ask some clarifying questions but haven't gotten a response yet.

[venkatsiva]

18 minutes ago, daxdim said:

No, I messaged them earlier this week to ask some clarifying questions but haven't gotten a response yet.

I have been writing to them for application status - - they said will take up to early May for notification. Looks like USC has waitlisted all by not sending rejects? Only admitted students seemed to have heard back. They are one of the few schools who are still accepting applications...

[PlanneDesign]

On 3/9/2021 at 7:33 PM, PlanneDesign said:

Have been lurking for quite a while, and now that we're getting close to the end of decision season I'd thought I'd add in. Not confident about UPenn or Columbia coming back positive for me, so starting to think about all the different things that would go into moving to the UK! Hopeful for a UT Austin or UW acceptance off of the waitlist, but we'll see!

Age/Gender/Citizenship

24/M/US

Undergraduate degree/School/Year graduated 

BA Urban Planning; BA International Studies  /  southern state school  /  2021

GPA - GRE  - TOEFL (for Int'l students) 

3.65 (4.0 last 60hr) - 158V  /  155Q  /  4.5AW

Work Experience:

1yr as research assistant; 3yrs as part-time graphic artist/website designer; 3yrs as HS teacher

Letter of recommendations: (from whom)

2 from undergraduate professors; 1 from work supervisor

Schools applied to: Harvard, UC Berkeley, UPenn, Columbia, UT Austin (MSCRP/MSUD), University of Washington, UCL (MSc Urban Design & City Planning), TU Delft (Urbanism), Liverpool

In: UCL, Liverpool (M/CD)

Out: Harvard, UPenn, UC Berkeley, TU Delft

Wait-list: UT Austin (MSCRP), University of Washington

Awaiting Columbia, UT Austin (MSUD)

In at Liverpool's Town and Regional Planning M/CD, out at UPenn 

[jbourne1]

2 hours ago, GreenerUtopia18 said:

Yeah, I was told that we won’t find out until after April 15th which is a bit excruciating. Also curious about the chances of still getting in.

I asked if there was a waitlist ranking and where I was at if so. Did you or anyone else here ask? I'm a bit surprised they didn't give any indication of that. You would think someone on the top end of the waitlist would be far more inclined to keep options open while those at the bottom could begin to look elsewhere.

[lululadybug]

51 minutes ago, jbourne1 said:

I asked if there was a waitlist ranking and where I was at if so. Did you or anyone else here ask? I'm a bit surprised they didn't give any indication of that. You would think someone on the top end of the waitlist would be far more inclined to keep options open while those at the bottom could begin to look elsewhere.

Some schools do not utilize ranked waitlists because they want a well-rounded class, meaning they take into consideration who has already accepted the offer when deciding who to admit from the waitlist. But you should certainly inquire since many do rank their waitlists. I know, being waitlisted must be so frustrating. If at April 15 you haven't been removed from the waitlist, you may want to enroll at another school and then withdraw if you do end up getting off the waitlist, this does happen fairly frequently. But still so hard to make decisions!

[McFrench]

On 3/1/2021 at 4:57 PM, McFrench said:

Hi,

Just joining the thread. Thought I would post what I've heard back. 

Age/Gender/Citizenship

28/F/US

Undergraduate degree/School/Year graduated 

BA in Growth and Structure of Cities / Liberal Arts College

GPA - GRE  - TOEFL (for Int'l students) 

3.49 BA - No GRE

Work Experience:

2 Years architecture, urban planning project management, 3+ Planning associate for a transit media street furniture company

Letter of recommendations: (from whom)

Current manager, Chair of Undergraduate Urban Studies Department, Former Boss

Schools applied to: The New School, PRATT, UC Berkeley, UC Boulder, UT Austin, USC, UNC Chapel Hill, UCLA, Columbia, CUNY - Hunter

In: UNC (no funding), UC Boulder (No info on funding), UT Austin (funding updates by end of March), USC (25% scholarship), CUNY - Hunter, UCLA

Out:

Wait-list: Berkeley - #4 on Urban Design concentration waitlist 

Awaiting: Columbia, New School, PRATT 

 

 

In at UCLA! Found out via email, no word on funding in the letter. Did anyone else get any funding news from them? 

[anxiousplanner]

21 minutes ago, McFrench said:

In at UCLA! Found out via email, no word on funding in the letter. Did anyone else get any funding news from them?

Seems like one or two people got small funding awards in the letter, most of us have not heard anything. I emailed to ask whether funding information was pending, or whether any funding would've been in the decision letter. 

[dvdvcd]

4 hours ago, cityplace_uptown said:

For everyone who has gotten funding or assistantship info from Rutgers so far, when did you get notified? Their admissions rep told me they started releasing this info in small batches on Wednesday without a particular order in mind.

Hey! So I got my update on March 6th via email.

[PlanneDesign]

Anybody have an idea about when Columbia might release their decisions?

[gardentomato]

I'm also coming from a career change without relevant planning background. My interests are in environmental justice and environmental planning.

I didn't think I was going to get into UCLA and due to the astronomical costs of other programs I was admitted to ($47k per year for Michigan not including books, fees, living costs, moving costs...omg. compared to UCLA $17k/year for in-state. I asked Michigan for more funding but got nothing), I was leaning towards not attending this year. I considered reapplying to schools next year that are cheaper and nearby (such as Cal Poly, UCI). I also started seriously thinking about a plan B because UCLA took so long and I started doubting my application and decided not to hold out hope on an acceptance! I'm still debating what to do but I'm glad to have options and closure now lol. 

I think not having previous planning-related experience affected the amount of funding I got, which was little or none. So for future applicants in a similar career change position, my advice would be to focus on schools with in-state tuition and schools that aren't as "highly ranked" because you'll be a stronger applicant. 

Here are my stats:

Age/Gender/Citizenship

29/F/US

Undergraduate degree/School/Year graduated 

BA Psychology, MS Design 

GPA - GRE  - TOEFL

3.6 / 3.7

Work Experience:

3 years in design and research, some work at a company focused on sustainability, various volunteering experience
Despite my non-planning background, my SOP highlighted how my past experiences brought me to urban planning and how my work related to it. I leaned hard on the SOP/PS.

Letter of recommendations: 

1 prof, 2 professional

Schools applied to:   Berkeley, UCLA, Michigan (dual degree with Env and Sustainability), Tufts

In: Michigan SEAS (no funding), Michigan MURP (no funding), Tufts ($14k funding)

Out: Berkeley

Wait-list: 

[dvdvcd]

4 hours ago, drew.m.b said:

For those waitlisted at UCLA: Does anyone have an idea as to what the chances are of being accepted from the waitlist? Or when we might know? I have offers from other schools, but UCLA has been my top choice for a while. I am especially worried, as I assume most waitlist decisions come out after April 15th, which is my deadline to notify most other schools and I wouldn't want to send in a deposit elsewhere only to find out I could be accepted into UCLA later. Any thoughts? 

I'm on the same boat and these are my exact thoughts! I read that there are chances of getting to know the decisions on April 14th (if we are lucky) but I'm not sure how much that applies to this year since many of those who have been given admission are possibly accepting and from what I see on gradcafe, UCLA has put several others on the wait-list. This worries me that the chances are slim but if its your top choice, waiting until the 11th hour could be worth it. And if you do get in after April 15th and choose to go to UCLA, you'll just have to go through the whole process of dropping the school you accepted before.

[aleman]

Has anyone who applied to UCLA just not received anything? I see people posting about being accepted/waitlisted but no rejections. I haven't received anything and am thinking it may mean I'm going to end up with a rejection. This is the only school I applied to so all my apples are in that basket. My undergrad degree is not completely related, but it led to me becoming interested in energy/environmental sustainability and environmental justice through my extracurriculars.

Here are my stats:

Age/Gender/Citizenship

25/M/US

Undergraduate degree/School/Year graduated 

BS Nuclear Engineering/Texas A&M University/2019 

GPA - GRE  - TOEFL

3.1/no GRE req

Work Experience:

1 year in environmental permitting for Texas oil/gas companies

Internship involving publishing a public policy paper concerning international energy security through energy assistance to developing countries

Letter of recommendations: 

1 prof, 2 professional

Schools applied to:   UCLA

In: 

Out: 

Wait-list: 

[GMK]

@aleman, my apples are also all in one basket: the PhD program at Ohio State (since I cannot move from Columbus at this point in my life) and my application still shows as "pending."  I understand your angst.  For me, I think it means a waitlist status, as I applied later in the application season and I know that they had very early, strong candidates.  My hope is that with other programs finishing up their decisions that candidates will start notifying schools of their final choices soon.

[cdnplanner]

19 hours ago, 24IQ said:

For anyone applying to Canadian planning programs, do you know if there are any schools that have particular strengths in transit planning? I applied for UofT, UBC, and Ryerson, and although I'm generally leaning more towards UofT right now I still haven't fully decided on where to go if I get accepted to all of them.

I know you didn't list it but McGill's MUP program has a concentration in transportation planning

[cigkofte92]

On 12/20/2020 at 11:43 AM, cigkofte92 said:

Age/Gender/Citizenship

28/F/US

Degree/School/Year graduated 

BA in History / smallish, underfunded, unranked state school / 2014
MA in Public History / unranked state school, but notable in my field / 2017

GPA - GRE  - TOEFL (for Int'l students) 

3.6 BA/3.8 MA - GRE was Q160/V162/W5, but I'm not submitting.

Work Experience:

3+ years in historical and environmental consulting as an analyst/planner; 4 internships in archives, museums, historic preservation planning, and cultural resources management

Letter of recommendations:

MA Thesis Advisor, MA professor of history and theory, and former boss as historical consulting firm

Schools applied to: Cornell is the only one for Planning. The others (MIT, UC Berkeley, BU, UW, UVA) are all architecture/built environment history.

In: UC Berkeley (PhD in Architecture, History Theory and Society); Cornell (PhD in City and Regional Planning); Boston University (PhD in Art and Architecture History)

Out:

Wait-list: University of Washington (PhD in Built Environment)

Awaiting: MIT (PhD in Architecture, History, Theory, and Criticism--pretty sure they notified everyone already. So I expect rejection)

Results:

Waitlisted at UW! I will choose UC Berkeley regardless of the outcome, but I'm currently trying to negotiate additional funding.

[takeitorleaveit97]

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 / 2021

GPA - 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! 

 

 

 

[nola360]

2 hours ago, aleman said:

Has anyone who applied to UCLA just not received anything? I see people posting about being accepted/waitlisted but no rejections. I haven't received anything and am thinking it may mean I'm going to end up with a rejection. This is the only school I applied to so all my apples are in that basket. My undergrad degree is not completely related, but it led to me becoming interested in energy/environmental sustainability and environmental justice through my extracurriculars.

Here are my stats:

Age/Gender/Citizenship

25/M/US

Undergraduate degree/School/Year graduated 

BS Nuclear Engineering/Texas A&M University/2019 

GPA - GRE  - TOEFL

3.1/no GRE req

Work Experience:

1 year in environmental permitting for Texas oil/gas companies

Internship involving publishing a public policy paper concerning international energy security through energy assistance to developing countries

Letter of recommendations: 

1 prof, 2 professional

Schools applied to:   UCLA

In: 

Out: 

Wait-list: 

I also haven't heard yet!!! 

[austinplanning256]

6 minutes ago, nola360 said:

I also haven't heard yet!!! 

I also have not heard anything. 

[cityplace_uptown]

...5 for 5! In at Columbia with $28k/year! Still gonna wait on all financial offers until deciding, but am psyched to end the admissions process on such a high note!

Edited March 12, 2021 by cityplace_uptown

[urbanplanning2021]

8 minutes ago, austinplanning256 said:

I also have not heard anything. 

Me neither! I'm not feeling super hopeful but not giving up totally yet.

[prospectiveplanner]

48 minutes ago, cityplace_uptown said:

...5 for 5! In at Columbia with $28k/year! Still gonna wait on all financial offers until deciding, but am psyched to end the admissions process on such a high note!

Good god, Columbia. What a dream!!! Congrats!!!! How hard was the application process with them? Did you have interviews?

[cityplace_uptown]

8 minutes ago, prospectiveplanner said:

Good god, Columbia. What a dream!!! Congrats!!!! How hard was the application process with them? Did you have interviews?

Thanks! ? 

The application itself was pretty standard, it was the same client that NYU and I'm sure lots of other schools use. But they did ask for a work sample so I included a short academic paper and a few products from my GIS and urban design classes (none of which I thought were particularly impressive). They also asked a few (rather intrusive) questions about financial status as a part of their scholarship application but from what I can tell my award is merit-based.

The Columbia name has "it-factor" for sure. But as a planning program I wasn't sold on them — you can see I even threw some shade over in the discussion thread for its cost-benefit. But I'd be lying if I said this offer isn't changing my mind fast!

[prospectiveplanner]

9 minutes ago, cityplace_uptown said:

Thanks! ? 

The application itself was pretty standard, it was the same client that NYU and I'm sure lots of other schools use. But they did ask for a work sample so I included a short academic paper and a few products from my GIS and urban design classes (none of which I thought were particularly impressive). They also asked a few (rather intrusive) questions about financial status as a part of their scholarship application but from what I can tell my award is merit-based.

The Columbia name has "it-factor" for sure. But as a planning program I wasn't sold on them — you can see I even threw some shade over in the discussion thread for its cost-benefit. But I'd be lying if I said this offer isn't changing my mind fast!

Oooh, much to think about, lol. How exciting though, even getting into an Ivy would make my entire life if I ended up going or not ? That must be so, so expensive without aid, I can't even imagine! 

[jgiara]

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.