I am currently planning to apply to UIC, Georgia Tech, and Cal Poly Pomona for Fall 2013. I am hoping to get full funding either for UIC, or Georgia Tech with Cal Poly as my local backup.
Is there any other grad programs that are known for providing funding, for I would prefer to go to a school outside of California, but I will only be able to afford it if I get full funding.
I'd check out Clemson then. They tend to off a good number of assistantships that completely take care of tuition and then some.
I'd guess most private schools would provide more funding than state schools
UMass, and it's one hell of a deal.
One semester's tuition and fees for out-of-state students: 14,446.00
One semester's tuition and fees with an assistantship: 699.72
(These numbers include the cost of the school's health insurance plan, since you're required to have health insurance in MA. Assistants get a 95 percent discount on insurance.)
About half (maybe more) of the students in the MRP program have assistantships. These positions are ten hours/week for the semester, and pay about $4100, pre-tax, in that period. They aren't guaranteed beyond one semester, but they're yours to lose. Acquit yourself well and it'll work out. Another quarter (or thereabouts) of the planners are on work-study externships, which don't pay as well but in most cases will reduce your tuition and fees by about 90 percent.
There's good stuff happening here and the program's connections to practitioners and municipal offices throughout the northeast are rock-solid.
Sorry if my "Straight Talk Express" moment seemed gauche, but I was just trying to put some actual numbers on the table. To make clear that none of the above data was privileged information, please see the following link to a pdf on the school's website ("Eligible GEO Employee" is the UMass term for assistantships). http://www.umass.edu/gradschool/site...012%20vf_0.pdf
Unfortunately, the program doesn't seem to offer people these positions at the time of admission. "We are hopeful for funding in your case" shows up in a lot of people's admission letters/phone calls. This is a big drawback, as admitted students will often be comparing offers from different programs at that point. By the time students have to make up their minds, UMass funding is often still a question mark.
I don't recall reading about this sort of situation in the admissions stories people often post here, but perhaps that's because a disproportionately large percentage of the admissions stories posted here involve heavyweight programs with more established funding arrangements. Perhaps I was also a bit farther down on the list for a position, and lucked out as other admitted students enrolled elsewhere.
Does anyone else have a story like this? A program that is able to support a large number of its students very generously, but unable to formally offer that support until after enrollment deadlines have passed?
The "free ride" seems to be relatively rare, I just know of Clemson who fund most people. Rutgers gave me substantially, I think about half of tuition.
Thanks everyone!
I am strongly considering applying to Clemson now along with the other schools I planned on applying for. Is it more of a design oriented school or policy oriented school? I have done research on the school, but I can not find anything that touches on that question.
@csld09: Thanks for your detailed posts on Umass, but I am not interested in going there after doing some research.
You're very welcome. I hope you find a good spot for your interests and needs!
It's a more generalist practitioner-oriented program. You'll get a bit of exposure to everything but you may not be able to focus on certain things to the degree you would at other schools.Originally posted by theonlyone
Thanks! I will definitely be applying to Clemson then.
Does anyone know what other schools are a generalist or just a practitioner-oriented program?
Last edited by theonlyone; 18 Sep 2012 at 11:46 AM.
That one is hard to answer. Personally I think there are too many variables to say anything definitively one way or the other. I think it's likely most people hiring will not be aware of a program's focus so they'll instead will be looking to things like internships.
I will say a school's reputation and alumni connections can be a big deal if you decide to stay in the area though. In Clemson's case, it is the only planning program in the state. So if you want to find a job in South Carolina, you'll likely have a significant advantage seeing as how almost every planning department in the state is full of Clemson alum. The school has a good reputation and the graduates are a known quantity within the state.
Oh ok, so it is more about your experience and network most significantly probably then?
Does Clemson have a good reputation outside of South Carolina in the region. Like in Atlanta, Charlotte, etc?
Yeah but you'll just be up against stiffer competition from graduates out of UNC and Georgia Tech which also have strong planning programs. Clemson is only ~2 hours from Atlanta and Charlotte.
Oh ok, thanks!
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