Planning Admission 2021

[GMK]

$0 for a PhD; I guess that's a philosophical position, as I don't think people should pay for doctorates.  My MBA was about $60K.

[yellowsurf]

Probably anything over like $25-30k. 

[yungzuko]

On 12/6/2020 at 10:49 PM, yungzuko said:

Age/Gender/Citizenship

20/M/US

Undergraduate degree/School/Year graduated 

BA in Public Affairs (Urban Planning concentration) and Economics / Jesuit University / 2021

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

GPA: 3.44 / GRE: None

Work Experience:

- Research associate with a community organization doing work on placemaking and cultural asset mapping
- Senior thesis on ethnic enclaves
- Housing development internship with affordable housing nonprofit
- Advisory board member with an ethnic enclave organization doing preservation through community engagement and advocacy
- Started and manage an instagram account about ethnic communities and urban planning
- City planning intern with the city planning department
- Volunteer GIS tutor

Letter of recommendations: 

Public policy professor/thesis advisor, GIS professor, work supervisor/mentor

Schools applied to: UCLA, USC, UW, UPenn, PSU, Harvard

In: UPenn, USC (50% scholarship)

Out:

Wait-list: 

Awaiting: UCLA, USC, UW, UPenn, PSU, Harvard

Results:

In at USC with a half tuition scholarship!

[planningfor2021]

This is nerve-wrecking. I haven't received anything from USC. How did you find out? 

Edited February 18, 2021 by planningfor2021

[yungzuko]

1 minute ago, planningfor2021 said:

This is nerve-wrecking. I haven't received anything from USC. How did you find out? 

I received an e-mail from someone in the department. Portal isn't updated though.

[planningfor2021]

6 minutes ago, yungzuko said:

I received an e-mail from someone in the department. Portal isn't updated though.

Btw, congratulations. USC is a great program, I really hope I get in. 

[jgiara]

1 hour ago, yungzuko said:

I received an e-mail from someone in the department. Portal isn't updated though.

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.

[yungzuko]

22 minutes ago, jgiara said:

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.

Thanks! It was from Sarah. I think I may have heard back early because I was apart of PPIA if anyone knows what that it is. Because I see that I also got a scholarship from being in PPIA. 

[rogueginger]

just got rejected from berkeley. not surprised but still hurts. 

[cigkofte92]

29 minutes ago, rogueginger said:

just got rejected from berkeley. not surprised but still hurts. 

Sorry, friend! Keep moving forward, and you'll end up somewhere great !

[planningfor2021]

2 hours ago, rogueginger said:

just got rejected from berkeley. not surprised but still hurts. 

Keep your chin up. USC should be coming up next and it places way better than most schools and your stats look really competitive for USC! 

[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 Urban Planning. The others (MIT, UC Berkeley, BU, UW, UVA) are all architecture/built environment history.

In: UC Berkeley (Architecture PhD), Cornell (City and Regional Planning, PhD), BU (Art and Architecture History PhD [Architecture concentration])

Out: UVA (Constructed Environment PhD)

Wait-list:

Awaiting: MIT (History, Theory, and Criticism of Architecture PhD), UW (Built Environment PhD)

Results:

In at BU and rejected from UVA. Planning to turn down BU in favor of Cornell or Berkeley, but I am sad to do so because the POI I would work with is super nice and cool. Not mad about UVA since they were at the bottom of my preference list anyway.

[cityplace_uptown]

For those who have already gotten responses, did your application portals update as well? Or should we just be on the lookout for emails?

[jd212]

For the Cornell MRP, they sent out manual email decisions with a PDF offer letter (with funding info)  and then shortly thereafter updated ApplyWeb, though that portal letter is more generic and does not include funding info. 

[rogueginger]

10 minutes after Berkeley CP rejected me, I was emailed that I got into Masters of Landscape Architecture- Environmental Planning (I applied concurrently), so that made me feel a bit better. Thank you for your kind words @cigkofte92and @planningfor2021 

[rogueginger]

29 minutes ago, cityplace_uptown said:

For those who have already gotten responses, did your application portals update as well? Or should we just be on the lookout for emails?

all mine thus far have been via email (granted I've only heard from Berkeley and Penn) and have said that official notification will come later, or in Berkeley's case, that it is still pending graduate division confirmation. I think the only reason I heard from Berkeley this early is because I applied to concurrent degrees there, and one was releasing results. 

[cigkofte92]

10 minutes ago, rogueginger said:

10 minutes after Berkeley CP rejected me, I was emailed that I got into Masters of Landscape Architecture- Environmental Planning (I applied concurrently), so that made me feel a bit better. Thank you for your kind words @cigkofte92and @planningfor2021 

Yay, congrats! Sounds like they thought you'd be a better fit in that program. You'll do very well there, I'm sure!

[cigkofte92]

41 minutes ago, cityplace_uptown said:

For those who have already gotten responses, did your application portals update as well? Or should we just be on the lookout for emails?

I've had four decisions come in so far, and they have all come with an email or phone call. I check portals occassionally, but I think it's standard for departments to contact you directly about your decision to at least notify you of a change in the portal.

[rogueginger]

so someone just posted another USC acceptance... I'm skeptical bc it says S21... wouldn't that be this semester? Anyone heard anything?

[cityplace_uptown]

16 minutes ago, rogueginger said:

so someone just posted another USC acceptance... I'm skeptical bc it says S21... wouldn't that be this semester? Anyone heard anything?

Probably a misclick (if I had to guess).

Edited February 19, 2021 by cityplace_uptown

[anxiousplanner]

On 2/17/2021 at 10:10 AM, anxiousplanner said:

The wait is making me more than a little nutty, so I'm caving and posting here after trying unsuccessfully to stop checking this site. The fact that Berkeley and UIC (two of my top picks) have started sending acceptances is making me pretty nervous, but I'm trying to take solace in the fact that so many others also haven't heard anything. Maybe it's not bad news this year?

Age/Gender/Citizenship

28/F/US

Undergraduate degree/School/Year graduated 

BA in Geography / good state school / 2013

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

3.4 BA - No GRE

Work Experience:

7+ years total, tangentially related to planning. 3 years doing community organizing for a union, 3 years for a small business development program, 1.5 years for a company that builds innovation spaces. SOP tries to make the connection to planning (my interests are in economic development, inequality, & racial wealth gap), but I'm now doubting myself. 

Letter of recommendations: 

All former or current managers, no academic letters.

Schools applied to: UC Berkeley, UCLA, Rutgers (dual with MPP), UIC, USC (dual with MPP)

In: UIC

Out:

Wait-list: 

Awaiting: UC Berkeley, UCLA, Rutgers (dual with MPP), USC (dual with MPP)

Results:

In at UIC!!! Thrilled because I'm excited about the school, and was getting really nervous that so many others were hearing back about UIC & Berkeley while I hadn't heard anything. Nice to know I will at least go somewhere next year. 

[wwjanejacobsd]

On 1/26/2021 at 1:14 PM, wwjanejacobsd said:

Good luck to you all!!

Age/Gender/Citizenship

25/F/US

Undergraduate degree/School/Year graduated 

BA in Cultural Anthropology / top public school / 2017

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

3.8 GPA - No GRE

Work Experience:

3 years non-planning related international work experience; volunteer experience in community outreach and pedestrian & bicycle advocacy

Letter of recommendations: (from whom)

2 from undergrad professors, 1 from volunteer work supervisor

Schools applied to: Columbia, Cornell, Portland State, Pratt, UC Berkeley, UCLA, USC

In: Cornell, USC

Out:

Wait-list:

Awaiting: Columbia, Portland State, Pratt, UC Berkeley, UCLA

Results:

In at Cornell and USC! I was notified by email on the 17th and 19th, respectively.

[ameger]

On 11/23/2020 at 12:20 AM, ameger said:

Hi all! Just finished my last application this weekend- decisions can't come soon enough. Best of luck to everyone!

Age/Gender/Citizenship

22/M/US

Undergraduate degree/School/Year graduated 

BS in Economics / midsize jesuit university / 2020

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

GPA: 3.85 / GRE: 163V - 163Q - 4.5AW

Work Experience:

Internships in bicycle transportation outreach, transit agency operations, and public policy. Working since graduation in safety & security data analytics for a mid-sized transit agency.

Letter of recommendations: (from whom)

Economics professor, theology professor, mentor and internship supervisor

Schools applied to: UC Berkeley, UCLA, USC, Portland State, Univ of Washington, CU Denver (all MURP/MUP/MCP- no dual degrees)

In: USC

Out:

Wait-list: 

Awaiting: UC Berkeley, UCLA, Portland State, Univ of Washington, CU Denver

Results:

Just got the acceptance email from USC! So excited!!

[urbanplanning2021]

Hi everyone! I'm applying for masters programs and hoping to focus in the intersection of housing, data, and equity. Best of luck! ?

Age/Gender/Citizenship

25/F/US

Undergraduate degree/School/Year graduated 

BS in Biology and Environmental Science from competitive New England liberal arts school in 2017

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

GPA: 3.62, GRE: 167V, 167Q, 5.5W

Work Experience:

2.5 years at urban planning data internship in city government, recently started as a research assistant at an affordable housing tech startup/non-profit, 4 semesters as a TA for a course in R at a local university, 1 year at a food justice org.

Research Experience:

N/A

Letter of recommendations: (from whom)

Internship supervisor, undergrad biology professor, and the professor that I'm TAing for.

Schools applied to: USC, Berkeley, UCLA, UPenn, UIC, Rutgers, Harvard

In: USC

Out:

Wait-list:

Awaiting: Berkeley, UCLA, UPenn, UIC, Rutgers, Harvard

Results:

Edited February 20, 2021 by urbanplanning2021

[Guest]

Ah I got an email earlier today from Taubman/UMich thinking it was an admission notification, but it was an invitation to a sustainability panel with alumni (As an applicant to Taubman College, you are invited to this upcoming event. 
Participation in this event will not advantage your admission application nor will not attending hinder the status of your admission application.) ?

Congrats to all those who've received acceptances thus far! Fingers crossed more notifications will come out next week, I can't bear to wait this long!