Planning Admissions 2021: Discussion Thread

[jd212]

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. 

 

Edited February 25, 2021 by jsm94

[takeitorleaveit97]

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. 

[yungzuko]

Does anyone know when UW Seattle is coming out? I noticed that most MUP students hear back on the last half of the last week of February so I'm either hoping it is today or tomorrow. It also seems like a PhD student was accepted today!

[anxiousplanner]

Anyone have bets on whether we get UCLA results next week? Historically it seems like they've come out the first week of March, but who knows what that means for this year. I can't handle the wait!! Especially since I'm still also waiting on USC.

 

And to all the posters on debt...it's definitely something I'm weighing carefully, as a planning degree isn't hugely likely to increase my earning potential - if that was my only factor, I'd probably go for an MPP or MBA. But for me, a big part of the calculation is around job satisfaction and potential impact, and doing a pivot into a line of work that I think will ultimately be more meaningful for me. I'm still weighing a few dual degree options (accepted to Rutgers MPP/MURP dual, waiting on USC results), which is more debt but also maybe higher earning potential. 

[yellowsurf]

7 minutes ago, anxiousplanner said:

Anyone have bets on whether we get UCLA results next week? Historically it seems like they've come out the first week of March, but who knows what that means for this year. I can't handle the wait!! Especially since I'm still also waiting on USC.

 

And to all the posters on debt...it's definitely something I'm weighing carefully, as a planning degree isn't hugely likely to increase my earning potential - if that was my only factor, I'd probably go for an MPP or MBA. But for me, a big part of the calculation is around job satisfaction and potential impact, and doing a pivot into a line of work that I think will ultimately be more meaningful for me. I'm still weighing a few dual degree options (accepted to Rutgers MPP/MURP dual, waiting on USC results), which is more debt but also maybe higher earning potential. 

Yep, I’m betting we’re hear from them next week. If Berkeley already came out and probably received even more applications, then I’m sure UCLA is not far behind... I also wonder about UNC and UCI...

Edited February 26, 2021 by yellowsurf

[austinplanning256]

Do y'all think we will still hear back from NYU by March 1st? 

[drew.m.b]

2 hours ago, austinplanning256 said:

Do y'all think we will still hear back from NYU by March 1st? 

It looks like last year, results were generally posted on the Friday afternoon before March 1st (the 28th last year). If that timeline holds this year, we may see some postings today. Many last year seemed to see updates to their portal without official admissions emails, so I've been refreshing my portal every 10 mins ?

If not today, then I'd imagine Monday, but then again I question if they gain much in waiting until Monday to send notifications. I don't imagine them working over the weekend. Fingers crossed we hear today! 

Edited February 26, 2021 by drew.m.b

[venkatsiva]

I had not applied to UCI and asked them if I can still apply, they said they had already made decisions but I can still apply

3 hours ago, yellowsurf said:

Yep, I’m betting we’re hear from them next week. If Berkeley already came out and probably received even more applications, then I’m sure UCLA is not far behind... I also wonder about UNC and UCI...

 

[venkatsiva]

3 hours ago, anxiousplanner said:

Anyone have bets on whether we get UCLA results next week? Historically it seems like they've come out the first week of March, but who knows what that means for this year. I can't handle the wait!! Especially since I'm still also waiting on USC.

 

And to all the posters on debt...it's definitely something I'm weighing carefully, as a planning degree isn't hugely likely to increase my earning potential - if that was my only factor, I'd probably go for an MPP or MBA. But for me, a big part of the calculation is around job satisfaction and potential impact, and doing a pivot into a line of work that I think will ultimately be more meaningful for me. I'm still weighing a few dual degree options (accepted to Rutgers MPP/MURP dual, waiting on USC results), which is more debt but also maybe higher earning potential. 

Has anyone got rejection from USC yet? I am so anxious about getting into the Cal universities. Waiting for USC and UCLA and hoping to send my application soon for UCI!

[drew.m.b]

4 minutes ago, venkatsiva said:

Has anyone got rejection from USC yet? I am so anxious about getting into the Cal universities. Waiting for USC and UCLA and hoping to send my application soon for UCI!

I am still waiting on USC. Simply going off of what I have read from this and other forums, some USC professors have notified some students that they will be accepted (with official admissions emails to all applicants likely in the next couple of weeks). It seems that these professors are emailing some students in small batches. I do not imagine that individual professors will send individual emails to applicants letting them know that they've been denied... so, due to the lack of an official applicant-wide email, I presume there have been no notices of rejection sent from USC thus far.

[venkatsiva]

Is it common that Professors send out personal emails welcoming students (and to attend classes?). I got these from Illinois, felt too weird, they did not offer any funding or assistant-ship either and said they cannot review when I asked them again. 

[venkatsiva]

On 2/26/2021 at 1:26 AM, 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. 

 

I would like to know some perspectives for a student direct from Undergraduate in a developing country to go on a full debt. Is it advisable?  How can the employment post or during the program impact? I have offers at Cornell and UIUC as of now without any funding. Cost might be something like $60K per year! 

[yellowsurf]

3 hours ago, venkatsiva said:

I would like to know some perspectives for a student direct from Undergraduate in a developing country to go on a full debt. Is it advisable?  How can the employment post or during the program impact? I have offers at Cornell and UIUC as of now without any funding. Cost might be something like $60K per year! 

I personally don't have a response to your question, sorry. But if you don't get a response here, I would recommend asking your question at https://www.reddit.com/r/urbanplanning/ -- you might get more responses there.

[jbourne1]

22 hours ago, anxiousplanner said:

Anyone have bets on whether we get UCLA results next week? Historically it seems like they've come out the first week of March, but who knows what that means for this year.

I spoke to one of the MURP Grad Advisors back in August or September of last year and I got the impression from him that the Admissions Office was not having the easiest time working virtually. They deal with a lot of physical mail so I think they hadn't quite had a system in place to run as smoothly as they liked. He didn't really confirm whether this would delay decisions, but since then I've always just figured I'd hear sometime by around mid/end of March.

Similarly, after I sent in my department application to the Cal Poly Pomona Admissions Committee I asked when to expect a decision (this was early November) and they said to expect it mid-Feb. Well here we are in late Feb so I asked the Grad Advisor for an update and she said they're targeting mid-March. They don't have a timeline on their website though so I guess that leaves them more wiggle room.

Long story short I feel like this year some of the expected timelines are just a suggestion haha

Edited February 27, 2021 by jbourne1

[annawwwwwwww]

Has anyone received decisions from USC's MVA in Visual Anthropology program? ...Or any other grad programs in University of Southern California Dornsife College?

[yellowsurf]

42 minutes ago, annawwwwwwww said:

Has anyone received decisions from USC's MVA in Visual Anthropology program? ...Or any other grad programs in University of Southern California Dornsife College?

@annawwwwwwww You might have more luck posting on the Anthropology forum https://forum.thegradcafe.com/forum/45-anthropology-forum/ or even the Film Studies thread https://forum.thegradcafe.com/topic/127255-2021-application-discussion-film-media-studies-cinema-studies/

[futureplanner]

UCLA takes a bit longer than other schools to release admission decisions because of their process (they have faculty + current students review applications)

[babyurbanist]

Has anyone heard from the University of Washington yet? I've seen some admissions on the results page but haven't seen anyone talk about them. I'm pretty excited to hear from them since they're probably my first choice. Hopefully they'll be releasing more admissions soon ? ?

[yellowsurf]

Just got my official letter with funding from UMich. OOS tuition is $50k a year, and the funding they gave me barely even scrapes the surface of it. That’s too bad... I was really excited to be accepted, but there is absolutely no way I can afford that. Anyone else in a similar situation?

[nycplanner2be]

Hi all - congrats on admissions received so far + good luck to those still waiting!

Aside from price, does anyone have insight into the pros/cons of different programs near NYC - specifically NYU, Rutgers, Columbia and Hunter?

[plannerd97]

3 minutes ago, yellowsurf said:

Just got my official letter with funding from UMich. OOS tuition is $50k a year, and the funding they gave me barely even scrapes the surface of it. That’s too bad... I was really excited to be accepted, but there is absolutely no way I can afford that. Anyone else in a similar situation?

Exact same here. Making me nervous for other funding offers since the two I've gotten so far have been pretty low. 

[yungzuko]

51 minutes ago, babyurbanist said:

Has anyone heard from the University of Washington yet? I've seen some admissions on the results page but haven't seen anyone talk about them. I'm pretty excited to hear from them since they're probably my first choice. Hopefully they'll be releasing more admissions soon ? ?

Hey! I haven't heard anything yet either. UW is also my first choice. I don't know why they haven't released everything yet haha looking at the past they are all sent on Feb 25-26 so this is gonna be super late.

[cityplace_uptown]

36 minutes ago, nycplanner2be said:

Hi all - congrats on admissions received so far + good luck to those still waiting!

Aside from price, does anyone have insight into the pros/cons of different programs near NYC - specifically NYU, Rutgers, Columbia and Hunter?

Hey! I'm in the same boat, I've targeted those places as I would like to work in the NYC area (and applied to UT as an instate alternative). Can't say anything too definitive because I'm just a fellow applicant but here are my impressions:

• Rutgers is probably my top choice. Bloustein seems to have a ton of resources for a planning school and according to Planetizen guide they are able to fund a lot of students. They have a strong concentration and research center for transportation, a robust professional network in the region, and overall very strong job outlook. The main potential "con" is location compared to the actual NYC schools, but that's not even much of a con because NJ cost of living will be a bit cheaper and it's easy to access the city from New Brunswick (with Philly not being too much further!)
• NYU (unsurprisingly at Wagner) is heavily policy-oriented but seems to also have plenty of resources for students and concentration coursework/research. I've heard Wagner has a great network as well for those interested in policy roles. The main issue is cost, scholarships/assistantships/aid doesn't appear to be so abundant according to Planetizen guide, but that may be a consequence of their two-deadline system and the demographics the NYU brand tends to attract.
• Hunter is very solid for the price and has a good professional network within NYC. That said the program doesn't appear to have the resources of Rutgers or NYU so facilities aren't as nice and I'm not sure how it translates into funding (no mention of it on acceptance email). 
• Columbia I applied to, but I'm not too high on. It's tied to an excellent design school in GSAPP but I can't shake the feeling that their MS-UP is a cash-cow type of program. They do have accomplished faculty and research centers so it may be a great option if you're looking for design or if you want to go into academia. I wouldn't be surprised with a rejection from there as I'm just not a great fit honestly.

This is just based on short visits (right before the world ended), their websites and the 2017 Planetizen info, I'm by no means an authority.  (Edit: I have discussed this with a few professionals in the area and they've generally agreed with these sentiments.) 

Best of luck, wherever you end up choosing!

Edited March 1, 2021 by cityplace_uptown

[earlpe]

1 hour ago, yellowsurf said:

Just got my official letter with funding from UMich. OOS tuition is $50k a year, and the funding they gave me barely even scrapes the surface of it. That’s too bad... I was really excited to be accepted, but there is absolutely no way I can afford that. Anyone else in a similar situation?

Just had the same experience--their estimated cost of attendance for out-of-state students is $70,970/year and what they offered me amounts to 3.5% of what the degree would cost.  Not super optimistic that need-based aid is going to make up anywhere close to the other 96.5% so Michigan is not looking like a financially viable option right now.

Hoping that funding offers from the other two schools I'm into so far will be FAR better (and that the three I'm waiting on will bring good news as well).

[yellowsurf]

20 minutes ago, earlpe said:

Just had the same experience--their estimated cost of attendance for out-of-state students is $70,970/year and what they offered me amounts to 3.5% of what the degree would cost.  Not super optimistic that need-based aid is going to make up anywhere close to the other 96.5% so Michigan is not looking like a financially viable option right now.

Hoping that funding offers from the other two schools I'm into so far will be FAR better (and that the three I'm waiting on will bring good news as well).

That’s disappointing. I’m sorry that you didn’t get enough and hope your other schools will be better.

UNC also gave me very little money — just barely enough to cover books! I guess out of state was never meant to be. Best of luck to everyone else!