I am looking at taking the May 2011 AICP exam and am wondering if anyone else is too. Also what study material is currently recommended? After reading over past AICP threads, I am thinking of the Planetizen course, going over APA ethics, and lots of flashcards from various readings. Any other suggestions? Also, anyone want to sell any useful study materials?
Seriously, no one? Thousands of planners with nothing better to do than drown all those brain cells with cheap wine or moderately priced microbrew, and no one has at least an application I can look at before attempting my own.
elf, if you intend to stay in California, why do you want to join the AICP and pay the exorbitant membership fees when you know it's not such a big deal in the Golden State?
s / RJ who passed the test when he lived in California.
A nuisance may be merely a right thing in the wrong place — like a pig in the parlor instead of the barnyard.
Yes, exactly. When you leave CA, you will already have a leg up.Originally posted by RichmondJake
It is meaningful enough.
The good one or the bad one?
"This is great, honey. What's the crunchy stuff?"
"M&Ms. I ran out of paprika."
Family Guy
I would want to take the exam and achieve AICP status, but I simply can't justify the membership fees.
It's going to cost you...big time. And then there's the CM's to maintain your accreditation. Be careful what you ask for.
I'll say it again, if you intend to stay in CA, being AICP is not a big deal.
A nuisance may be merely a right thing in the wrong place — like a pig in the parlor instead of the barnyard.
Thanks for the words of warning RJ. This is something I have put off for a while now and am entering into fully aware of what I will get out of it, and what I have to put into it. There are a number of reasons this makes sense right now, not the least of which is to salvage my own morale - we have suffered some serious hits, and not just economic, within our department. I need to feel good about what I am doing, and somewhat in control of my own destiny, and this seems like a positive route to achieve that.
So anyway, back to my request, I am suffering through this application process. Can we just choose a few items and focus on them, or is the intent to somehow try and incorporate as many items as possible?
No, sorry. Look at your post count? Why would i share my dated application. Contribute someone and build up a presence, then we can talk about sharing.
Suffering, how hard can it be? Simply follow the directions (they provide max word counts) and answer the silly questions. Work experience, comprehensive planning, blah blah blah. How hard is that?
As for being AICP certified, i probably would have never had done if not for a) my previous employer reimbursing me, b) giving me a bonus to pass and c) my current employer picking up my yearly dues.
Honestly, the only thing i would pay for is a membership to ULI. That is where all the cool kids are now
Brotip #2418 - know when it's time to switch from being "the little engine that could" to the "little engine that said, 'f*ck it'"
How many times has this been said before.
Souldn't this or similar comments have become a sticky by now ?
Last edited by JNA; 04 Dec 2010 at 9:03 PM.
Oddball
Why don't you knock it off with them negative waves?
Why don't you dig how beautiful it is out here?
Why don't you say something righteous and hopeful for a change?
From Kelly's Heroes (1970)
Are you sure you're not hurt ?
No. Just some parts wake up faster than others.
Broke parts take a little longer, though.
From Electric Horseman (1979)
Yeah you are right. I just needed to quit procrastinating and get down to it. I was just having a tough time figuring out what the heck kind of format they wanted, and what they are really after (ie how well one can follow convoluted directions, what sort of experience one actually has, writing skills, creativity). I think I stopped caring.
The AICP materials are pretty straight forward. Anything you aren't sure of, email or call AICP. You really just need to talk about your experiences and how they relate to what they require.
Take a look at the past AICP threads - there is a ton of information available. Maybe we can create a single post with all the AICP threads within it. I still think we should do a master sticky with FAQ for each sub-forum.
A common mistake people make when trying to design something completely foolproof is to underestimate the ingenuity of complete fools. -Douglas Adams
Thanks - I did spend some time looking at past AICP posts which is how I became acquainted with cyburbia in the first place.
You have the best signature ever.
Out of curiosity, are you in the public sector?
Why yes i am.
Brotip #2418 - know when it's time to switch from being "the little engine that could" to the "little engine that said, 'f*ck it'"
clear process should be evident in the quality of research, analysis in the app
I'm just getting my application done. I was an English major in undergrad and for some reason this exam application is making me feel like an idiot. I think it is a combination that they have some really funky wording and that most people aren't very comfortable writing about themselves in such a format.
I agree with jshuston - "for some reason this exam application is making me feel like an idiot." I've worked on NEPA documents that made more sense than this! Maybe it's hard because you actually have to think of your work as accomplishments and not just part of a process as most of us planners do.
Whatever the reason, if you are like me you've procrastinating, I have a gift for you... my research to help you complete your AICP application (but you are going to have to read).
Employment Verification Letter: Download a sample, straight from the AICP Gods! If this does not work for you, take a look at this nugget given to you by Suburb Repairman!
Education Verification: At this point, unless you have a close and personal relationship with the dean of the college you attended (or blackmail someone in the transcript office), you will need to take the diploma off your office wall and get a copy notarized. It cost me $1.50 at the local copy hut, I had my secretary notarize, and plopped it in the mail along with my Employment Verification Letter. Took me all of 15 minutes.
AICP Professional Experience Criteria: If you were like me, the first place you went was to Google and search for an example of an application... No luck? Me neither! That's how I actually came across the Cyburbia forum and this closed thread that had useful information, such as:
nrschmid's tip to look in the AICP FAQ - duh! Here is his copy and paste from AICP FAQ in 2008. I checked today and the information in FAQ is slightly different, this helped me so much, I'm going to post it in its entirety:
Can you provide additional information on AICP's professional planning experience criteria?
The following should help clarify AICP's four professional planning experience criteria. We understand that the planning field is very diverse and given to a wide range of job descriptions. Therefore, you must fit your particular experience to the four criteria and provide concrete examples with substantive support. Your responses to each of the four criteria should be between 250 and 500 words in length.
Please note: This summary serves only to offer additional information and does not replace the AICP Definition of Professional Planning Experience.
CRITERION A: Applying a planning process appropriate to the situation
Were you directly involved in two or more of the following planning process techniques:
• Public Opinion Surveys (evaluated community services, needs, and desires)?
• Technical Interviews (gathered information from community experts)?
• Inventory and Surveys (land uses, conflicts, traffic patterns, etc.)?
• Citizens Participation (presented plans, conducted "vision" workshops, prepared plan summary handouts)?
• Official Representatives Meetings (group or one-on-one meetings with public and private officials)?
• Draft Plan/Project Review (grassroots/informal feedback from public)?
• Public Hearings (formal feedback with elected officials and public for project/plan approval)?
CRITERION B: Employing an appropriately comprehensive point of view
Have you:
• Worked on a project, say for downtown development, where you had to review several factors such as: traffic patterns, environmental concerns, economic impact, residential concerns, demographic considerations? or
• Worked on a project such as a proposed transportation system where considerations such as traffic patterns, highway/rail construction, commercial/residential proximity, pollution concerns, noise abatement, cost projections, community input, etc. were investigated?
CRITERION C: Involving a professional level of responsibility and resourcefulness
Have you done one or more of the following:
• Supervised a project?
• Presented a proposal/plan before a decision making body?
• Provided significant input in one or more facets of a project (i.e., conducted research, managed staff, given technical expertise in areas such as computer application, strategy development, impact analysis, etc.)?
CRITERION D: Influencing public decision making in the public interest
Have you, for example:
• Presented planning proposals before an elected/appointed body such as the city council, planning commission/board, citizens' advisory board, state/federal officials?
• Worked on a project, in a significant capacity, that was later presented to such a body?
• Recommended strategies based on research of past/current laws/ordinances or zoning proposals, etc.?
Whatever your reasons for getting your AICP certification is, make sure you want to do it for yourself. Because it is f'n expensive and time consuming to get and keep!
One last tip from transguy.
Yes, I just joined today - but I've been reading the posts on this forum for about 2 years. This is my first post and probably last. I like reading and absorbing - which I recommend for all freshman planners. Its the best way to avoid the rampant planner disease "foot in mouth".
If you find the application to be confusing or burdensome, the exam is really going to send you into outer space.
Dedicate a few hours, be honest, cover your work (the real goal of the application is to determine that you're a planner, not a chef) and tell yourself that this is actually the EASY part of the process (the exam and then paying the fees/dues offering increasing difficulty, respectively).
I don't know. I found the application - including writing an essay for every job and then getting all the required employer certifications - to be a lot more annoying than exam prep.
I didn't mind the exam prep. I actually enjoyed it. Brought me back a little to my student days, and I learned some neat things I didn't already know. It was the exam itself that I found boggling (which doesn't necessarily translate to difficult). I won't take up space here, but I wrote my review up on my thoughts of the exam under the nov 09 thread.
I am planning to take the May 2011 Exam
Does anyone have the AICP study guide CD-Rom they'd be willing to sell me or let me borrow? please email me a umar_jk@yahoo.com
Does anyone know how to get Michael Waiczis's preparation material? I heard that's the best so far. I tried to send him an email to mrw36@cvip.net. But it is not valid. Thanks.
I've tried mrw36@csufresno.edu as well and it didn't work for me, either. Does anyone have an answer to cdboy's question?
"We are not going to have public meetings to review architecture. Public input ruins the idea of professional review." -Design Review Committee Chairman, 11/04/09
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