Graduate School candidate questions

Submitted by banter on Sun, 09/20/2009 - 17:37.

Hi all,

I'm a 24 year old, a graduate of U. Washington in Geography. Currently I am working for the SF Bay Area's MPO doing operational planning, analysis and program management. I think it is great experience right out of school, and I really like the regional, government focus of my work, but want to get a bit more into the details of regional and/or international economic development. So, in short, I'm applying to a number of Urban Planning programs in the US. Ideally, I'd love to be able to work abroad and in the US, be involved with some mid-high level politics, and get paid well. It's a lot to ask.

Considering that I had a 3.9gpa in college, extensive coursework in spatial and urban patterns, GIS, etc., studied abroad for a year in Spain, and have this good work experience... which planning schools would you recommend here in the US? I got a 1420 on the GRE, and expect good writing scores too (5-6).

I live in California, so will be applying to UCLA and Irvine, but I am not stuck on staying in California - I really want to go the planning school that will provide me with the most opportunities for career development and also perhaps a cross program in an MBA. I'm also pretty interested in MIT, U Penn, UNC, and U Wisconsin Madison. How would you rate these schools and my chances of getting in?

I know that this is pretty vague - but I am just hoping for some help in evaluating 1) myself as a candidate for these planning programs, and 2) your advice on which schools might help me achieve my goals. Thanks everyone!

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Admission to Doctoral course

Submitted by Madhubanti on Tue, 10/13/2009 - 14:29.

Hi!
I am a 25 year old graduate from India (School of Planning and Architecture,New Delhi) in Urban Planning and considering applying to a PhD course in the United States.I have also done a Master's in Geography prior to this.What I am concerned about is my GRE score.I got 1130 which I can understand is not very impressive.But I have good academic record so far and confident about the fact that I'll receive good recommendations too.

Can anyone suggest which schools should I consider applying?With my kind of score I am not aiming for the top ranked ones.I am interested in researching in the field of Community development in planning.It would be really nice if I get some suggestions from you.
Thank You.

Good Place to Be

Submitted by jacksfb on Wed, 09/30/2009 - 07:49.

Greetings,

Like Michael, I am a graduate of UW Madison's Planning Program. However, I have looked exenstively at other programs, both because I applied to several places for the Masters program, and also because I am contemplaing a PhD program sometime in the next 3 - 5 years.

Michael is right, Madison is very strong in the Land Use and Environmental Planning areas, as well Transportation Planning and Energy. The real strength of the program as compared to most others, is the ease of taking courses from other departments to customize your experience. Madison has a world class Engineering department, Environmental Studies school, and Natural Resources programs. Thus, if you are looking for a cross-disciplinary approach, Madison is a good place to be. Library resources and campus facilities are excellent. Masters International program with both planning faculty and faculty elsewhere on campus focusing on international issues is also a highlight. While there is not as much funding for students as there may be elsewhere, there are many programs that fund students engaging international study & travel.

Madison as a place is a great academic and social theme, which is also an important consideration. Many of the schools you have listed are also located in very engaging and unique places, so that would be up to your personal climate/urban tastes.

Your academic qualifications alone will probably get you into anywhere you want to go. I considered Cornell, Columbia, and Berkeley for Masters; and right now U Penn, Berkeley, Harvard, Oxford are were I am most interested in PhD (mostly due to concentrations and faculty who study my interests).

I also focused my study on regionalism, primarily from an institutional (governance) persepctive, comparing U.S. and EU paradims, and case study of regional/metropolitan stuctures in the U.S. I'm glad that you are interested in regionalism- in my perspective an under-studied topic.

Good luck on your search and decision. General advise I impart any perpsective planning students are:
- Programs and experiences are largely what you make of them - be proactive!
- If you have an idea of the specialization you are interested in, contact faculty to see what they are currently studied - you will likely spend a great deal of time learning from a small number of faculty in your area of interest.

Thanks for your insight

Submitted by banter on Tue, 09/29/2009 - 18:30.

Thanks for your insight Michael. I've looked at the planetizen guide extensively, but have never put much stock in numbers, and certainly don't want to count my chickens before they've hatched.

Madison definitely appeals to me because - 1) it seems like a broad, but precise and deep program, 2) the international stuff really does look great, 3) I think Madison and the midwest in general have some interesting planning issues at stake.

I'm planning to get recs from 2 professors, including one who I did my Honors thesis with, and also from my boss at my planning job. What are schools looking for in a rec? High praise and focus, or a distinguished recommend-er?

What do you advise for the personal statement? It is so vague - "why you would fit in at our planning program/school/city". I mean, I have dozens or hundreds of reasons why I want to study planning, but to weave that all in with relevant experiences and such.. I'm not certain where to start...

Thanks for all your help so far!

To touch on the

Submitted by jacksfb on Wed, 09/30/2009 - 07:58.

To touch on the recommendations, I would select the recommender who knows you best. I personal connection (like honors thesis) is probably better than a big hitter who you merely did well in their class.

Personal statements are indeed tough; for grad school, funding proposals, anything. Again, try to cut through the general things and spend most time on a specific item that you are hoping to get out of the experience (I want to go to U Penn to study with Professor X because he/she researches the niche I am most interested in). If you have contacted and communicated with faculty in the program that you are applying for, certainly use their insight in terms of what the program is about. Typically, admissions committees are made up of faculty who read and 'grade' your application- so if you have spoken or corresponded with them, it is a big plus.

Also, programs are much more (and/or different) than what is written on the website. Certainly a good/bad website can inform your decision, but look at it as the first step- the 'cliff notes' or brochure of the program. Talking to faculty/students is well worth the time to see what's really up.

UW - Madison

Submitted by Michael Rodriguez on Wed, 09/30/2009 - 12:37.

I'm going to go ahead and plug my Alma-mater here, primarily because you mentioned it. I'm glad to see a competitive student like yourself is considering UW-Madison among top schools like MIT, UPenn, and UNC. I think this is accurate, and I too would place UW-Madison among them.

The truth is, your background, grades, and GRE scores appear to make you highly competitive for any planning program. Your GRE scores alone place you above the median GRE in any planning program I can think of. Do look at the Planetizen Guide to graduate schools to double check that - but I'm pretty sure.

That being said, your main focus should be finding the school that's right for you. Frankly, don't worry about getting in. Of course, don't be TOO confident - always have backups.

So why Wisconsin? http://www.urpl.wisc.edu

First, you mentioned international work, and the UW-Madison is one of the few planning programs in the country to offer a Masters International program, allowing you to do Peace Corps work for two years and have that count towards your degree.
http://urpl.wisc.edu/academics/international.php

UW-Madison has top ranked programs in Land Use planning, and especially in Environmental Planning (a hot-button field right now). There is plenty of cross work to be had with the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies at Wisconsin.

You can earn a double-degree with many other areas, including an MPA from the top-ranked La Follette School of Public Affairs. http://www.lafollette.wisc.edu

Finally, our transportation program is to be noted (and it was my area of focus). You can earn a certificate in Transportation Management and Policy, and learn transportation methods from the Civil Engineering school. Graduates who earned the Transportation Management & Policy certificate from UW-Madison have had an astounding 100% placement rate within 6 months of graduation.

http://www.nelson.wisc.edu/education/programs/graduate-certificates/tmp/...

Do let me know if you have any questions at marodriguez6 (at) gmail.com.

- Michael