Rutgers Bloustein School Admitted Student Open House 2013

[BlousteinOpenHouse]

Hello Future Bloustein Students!


My name is Jorge Santos and I am currently a student at Bloustein (MCRP/MPP ’13). My colleague Katherine Centore (MPP '13) and I have started this thread to help welcome the incoming class of Fall 2013.


We hope that this can be a way for incoming students to get to know their future colleagues, friends, and roommates. In years past, Cyburbia has helped connect incoming students with each other and has been responsible for many a roommate success story. We hope you’ll use this space to get to know each other and, of course, post any questions you may have about the program, open house, life in New Brunswick, apartments, or whatever really. We’re excited to meet next year’s cohort and are eager to bring you guys into the Bloustein community.


Katherine and I will be checking in here to see if there’s anything we can help with. Or if you want to get in touch with us directly, feel free to drop us a line at openhouse@policy.rutgers.edu .

We looking forward to meeting all of you here at our open house on April 5th!


See you soon,

Jorge & Katherine

[Queenducky21]

When are admissions decisions expected, so that we can know if we should be thinking of attending?

[BlousteinOpenHouse]

When are admissions decisions expected, so that we can know if we should be thinking of attending?

Notifications of acceptance should start to arrive in early March. You should have plenty of time between your notice and the Open House to make arrangements for attending.

Jorge

[urbbabz]

I am an international student applied to the PhD program at Rutgers. I recently heard that international students stand a little chance to be admitted to the doctoral program of Bloustein school if their research interests are applicable to areas outside the U.S. or even New Jersey. I was wondering if this rumor is scurrilous. Any comments?

[BlousteinOpenHouse]

I am an international student applied to the PhD program at Rutgers. I recently heard that international students stand a little chance to be admitted to the doctoral program of Bloustein school if their research interests are applicable to areas outside the U.S. or even New Jersey. I was wondering if this rumor is scurrilous. Any comments?

You should direct your question to Dr. Lake, the head the head of the doctorate program here. All I can say for certain is that Bloustein has a focus on domestic policy. Please email us at recruit@policy.rutgers.edu or email Dr. Lake directly at rlake@rutgers.edu.

Jorge

[urbpol]

I am an international student applied to the PhD program at Rutgers. I recently heard that international students stand a little chance to be admitted to the doctoral program of Bloustein school if their research interests are applicable to areas outside the U.S. or even New Jersey. I was wondering if this rumor is scurrilous. Any comments?

Hi urbbabz,

I applied to the PhD program at Rutgers despite the fact that it does seem to have a US focus. My work is mostly on mid-income countries. I figured there are a good number of faculty working on the topics I am interested in so for me their interests, philosophical stance, and expertise weighted more than their geographical interests. That said, I was accepted to the PhD program so I am sure that in one way or another there is an interest in student's whose research is outside the U.S.

[kjel]

Hi urbbabz,

I applied to the PhD program at Rutgers despite the fact that it does seem to have a US focus. My work is mostly on mid-income countries. I figured there are a good number of faculty working on the topics I am interested in so for me their interests, philosophical stance, and expertise weighted more than their geographical interests. That said, I was accepted to the PhD program so I am sure that in one way or another there is an interest in student's whose research is outside the U.S.

I am an alumni (2010) of the program and there are a number of professors that do have substantial experience and research interests outside the U.S. and often do use their experiences both in their personal research and teaching. The school, overall, is focused primarily on domestic issues.

[zimzolla]

Hi Jorge,

Just wanted to let you know that there is a lot of conflicting information on the date of the Rutgers Open House. You said it was Friday April 5th. The website says it is Tuesday April 2nd http://policy.rutgers.edu/prospective/openhouse.php. My admissions letter also said Tuesday April 2nd. Finally to top it all off, this RSVP form https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1AOr...viewform?pli=1 says thursday April 5 (which isn't even a real date).

Could you please clarify when the open house is?

Thanks!

[sdhbiz30]

Hi zimzolla,

Congrats!!
I noticed those discrepancies as well....
I'm sure it will get cleared up.

Which program did you apply for, if you don't mind me asking.

Hi Jorge,

Just wanted to let you know that there is a lot of conflicting information on the date of the Rutgers Open House. You said it was Friday April 5th. The website says it is Tuesday April 2nd http://policy.rutgers.edu/prospective/openhouse.php. My admissions letter also said Tuesday April 2nd. Finally to top it all off, this RSVP form https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1AOr...viewform?pli=1 says thursday April 5 (which isn't even a real date).

Could you please clarify when the open house is?

Thanks!

[sdhbiz30]

Hi zimzolla,

I noticed those discrepancies too, I think the "Thursday, April 5th" date was from last year's, judging by the 2012 thread regarding the Open House.
I'm sure it will get straightened out...

For which program were you accepted? (If you dont' mind me asking)

[BlousteinOpenHouse]

Hi Jorge,

Just wanted to let you know that there is a lot of conflicting information on the date of the Rutgers Open House. You said it was Friday April 5th. The website says it is Tuesday April 2nd http://policy.rutgers.edu/prospective/openhouse.php. My admissions letter also said Tuesday April 2nd. Finally to top it all off, this RSVP form https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1AOr...viewform?pli=1 says thursday April 5 (which isn't even a real date).

Could you please clarify when the open house is?

Thanks!

Our apologies. The date of the Open House is in fact Tuesday, April 2nd!

http://policy.rutgers.edu/prospective/openhouse.php

Thanks for catching that!

Jorge

[BlousteinOpenHouse]

Hi Jorge,

Just wanted to let you know that there is a lot of conflicting information on the date of the Rutgers Open House. You said it was Friday April 5th. The website says it is Tuesday April 2nd http://policy.rutgers.edu/prospective/openhouse.php. My admissions letter also said Tuesday April 2nd. Finally to top it all off, this RSVP form https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1AOr...viewform?pli=1 says thursday April 5 (which isn't even a real date).

Could you please clarify when the open house is?

Thanks!

The correct date is Tuesday, April 2nd. We'll correct the mistake on the form that went out. Thanks for catching it!

Jorge

[zimzolla]

I applied to the MCRP program. Looking at Transportation planning. Rutgers is among my top 3 favorite programs so I am super excited. I am also excited that I can attend the Rutgers open house, most of the schools I was accepted to also had open houses on the 5th, so now it will be easier to decide which to attend and which to miss. Rutgers is a definite attend!

[myh5015]

Our apologies. The date of the Open House is in fact Tuesday, April 2nd!

http://policy.rutgers.edu/prospective/openhouse.php

Thanks for catching that!

Jorge

Hi Jorge,

I have two questions:

1 - I did not receive a letter or e-mail concerning my acceptance but saw that I was accepted online. When could I expect to receive more detailed correspondence?

2 - I saw that the Open House is just for admitted students. If my parents wanted to attend the event with me, is that permissible? Or is it strictly for just admitted students?

Thank you in advance for your help!

[kjel]

Hi Jorge,

I have two questions:

1 - I did not receive a letter or e-mail concerning my acceptance but saw that I was accepted online. When could I expect to receive more detailed correspondence?

2 - I saw that the Open House is just for admitted students. If my parents wanted to attend the event with me, is that permissible? Or is it strictly for just admitted students?

Thank you in advance for your help!

For Question #1: A copy of the correspondence and RSVP info can be found here: http://policy.rutgers.edu/prospective/openhouse.php

For Question #2: Open House is typically for admitted students only as space is at a premium and you will be moving around throughout the day doing different things. Oftentimes students will bring family or significant others to explore the area around the university though but they do not attend the actual event and will be on their own for the day.

[Queenducky21]

I am an alumni (2010) of the program and there are a number of professors that do have substantial experience and research interests outside the U.S. and often do use their experiences both in their personal research and teaching. The school, overall, is focused primarily on domestic issues.

Is the international development concentration worth anything if the schools focus is on domestic issues?

[BlousteinOpenHouse]

Hi Jorge,

I have two questions:

1 - I did not receive a letter or e-mail concerning my acceptance but saw that I was accepted online. When could I expect to receive more detailed correspondence?

2 - I saw that the Open House is just for admitted students. If my parents wanted to attend the event with me, is that permissible? Or is it strictly for just admitted students?

Thank you in advance for your help!

#1 You should get an email and a physical letter shortly after you the online system notifies you of your acceptance. Information regarding merit-based financial aid will take longer but should become known well before the Open House on April 2nd.

#2 Parents and others are welcome to attend the Open House but it's not really structured for them. The events are designed for the admitted students to meet each other, faculty and current students and get a sense of the community here at Bloustein. As user kjel wrote, parents or significant others tend to explore downtown New Brunswick and the main Rutgers campus on College Ave.

[BlousteinOpenHouse]

Is the international development concentration worth anything if the schools focus is on domestic issues?

International development is an official concentration at Bloustein. Most internationally-minded students end up combining it with another subject area such as international transport or international environmental planning. This provides crucial depth to a concentration area within a specific subject. In addition, students at Bloustein can take some courses in other Rutgers graduate departments if it appears it can help aid their concentration.

We also have a student organization named IDIG. (International Development Interest Group) If anyone is interested, I can put you in touch with current international development concentration students and members of IDIG so they can answer more specific questions about their experience here. Please email me at recruit@policy.rutgers.edu and I can put you in touch with them.

We also have a career management specialist in Hillary Bardwell (h.bardwell@rutgers.edu). Hillary has been fantastic at bringing back alumni and developing workshops for all of our concentrations including international development. You can get a feel for the types of events available to students by looking at our student calendar here: http://www.policy.rutgers.edu/studen...ntcalendar.php. The week of February 11th in particular had some internationally focused events.

Jorge

[BlousteinOpenHouse]

Hi everyone!

We wanted to share some exciting news with you as you're making your graduate school decisions. The Bloustein School is proud to announce the hiring of Dr. Michael Smart as our latest tenure-track transportation professor! You can read more about Dr. Smart here: http://blousteinschool.wordpress.com...ant-professor/

Dr. Smart will be joining Drs. Noland and Pucher in the fall. Unfortunately, Dr. Pucher is currently on sabbatical so you won't get a chance to meet him during the Open House on April 2nd. He will be back to teaching his regular courses for the 2013-2014 academic year.

And for those of you looking to concentrate in transportation, please take a look at our transportation certificate which we offer in conjunction with the School of Engineering: http://policy.rutgers.edu/academics/uppd/tsc.php

Jorge

[BobMosesStoleMyBike]

Looking forward to attending this in 2 weeks! I just got accepted into the dual MCRP/MPP program, and will definitely be headed to New Brunswick in the fall.

I'm coming from a background of working in public education, and though I'll still maintain an interest in that subject, I'm really hoping to spend a good amount of time studying up and coming transportation technologies (autonomous/self-driving vehicles) and walkability in urban planning...

-Daniel

[ssmaples]

Hello Jorge and everybody,

So I had just a couple quick questions: 1) Is there anything we should bring with us (documents, money, notebook, etc), and 2) what is the recommended dress for the day?

Thanks so much!!

Stephen

[BlousteinOpenHouse]

Hello Jorge and everybody,

So I had just a couple quick questions: 1) Is there anything we should bring with us (documents, money, notebook, etc), and 2) what is the recommended dress for the day?

Thanks so much!!

Stephen

Hi Stephen,

You don't need to bring any documents or really much of anything. Lunch will be served but there will be a get together later in the day at Tumulty's Pub so you might want to bring some money for that. Some prospective students also like to take notes during their info sessions but it's by no means expected that you do.

There is also no official dress code. Most students tend to dress business casual.

Jorge

[thillman]

I'm very excited for the opportunity to attend the Bloustein School's open house on April 2. I look forward to learning more about the school and meeting current students, faculty, and staff.

Thomas

[cc002005]

Hi Jorge,
I had RSVP'ed for the Open House last week, and had also marked down that I would be interested in staying with a student for at least one night. I didn't receive an email confirmation of my RSVP; is there a way our attendance will be confirmed? What about confirming staying over with students? Thank you!

[BlousteinOpenHouse]

Hi Jorge,
I had RSVP'ed for the Open House last week, and had also marked down that I would be interested in staying with a student for at least one night. I didn't receive an email confirmation of my RSVP; is there a way our attendance will be confirmed? What about confirming staying over with students? Thank you!

If you RSVP'ed on the Google form and got to the thank you page, we should have your information. Confirmation emails go out every few days as we get a new batch.

Send an email to OpenHouse@policy.rutgers.edu just in case though.

Jorge