The choice of Portland State University

I put quite a bit of time, effort and thought into the application process for graduate school. I thought that with my near perfect GPA, that I should reach on some programs that are notably difficult to get into. Unfortunately during the process, I found out that urban planning programs don't put much emphasis on an applicant's GPA or GRE scores, but instead on their relevant real-world experience and letters of recommendation. I also picked an incredibly difficult year to get into graduate school as the acceptance rates in many places were half of what they were just a few years ago.

Of the six schools I applied to, I was rejected by MIT, UC Berkeley, and UNC Chapel Hill. The rejection from UNC was the hardest to take from that bunch because I had thoroughly enjoyed the open house and felt comfortable there, however I didn't have the experience that they wanted. Knowing what I know now, I can advise that people looking at doing graduate studies in urban planning, or frankly any applied program, should strongly consider working 2-3 years prior to submitting applications if the desire is to get into the most competitive program possible.

Of the next three schools, the ones in the Pacific Northwest near my family, I was accepted by the University of Oregon, Portland State, and waitlisted at the University of Washington. The waitlisting was hard to take because I had enjoyed a recent visit to Seattle and really let myself get attached to the idea of going there. Despite all this, I still had two good schools to choose from, each with their own strengths and weaknesses, however it was apparent early on which was the better way to go.

Even though Portland State University is hardly a top tier school, especially compared to its in state cousin, University of Oregon, it does house a strong urban planning program that's surprisingly difficult to get into. The program's transportation focus helped make it the right fit for me plus there is the added benefit that Portland is the mecca of sorts for planning and good mass transit. University of Oregon's program on the other hand is more geared for people interested in the environmental or non-profit focus. U of O did offer me a one term teaching fellowship, however Portland State one-upped them with a full year research assistantship which helped make the final decision a little easier.

It took me a bit to warm up to the idea of going to Portland State because it wasn't the most exciting or exotic choice, however all along I recognized that I would enjoy the benefits of a great program in a great city, reasonably near my family in Oregon. I was at first resistant to the idea of making what I thought was the safe choice that everybody else wanted me to make which I suppose means that even at 26, I can still have my moments of rebelliousness. Regardless of my earlier preference of going to graduate school at place that's more universally recognized, I think this will ultimately work out just fine for me. Living in Portland will be great, my family will be easier to visit, and I will obtain my Master's with only a modest amount of new debt.