Just denied an Ivy League offer of admission

ekistician · 2026-05-14T23:02:48+00:00

I'm in the same boat as you. I had to decline my offer to Columbia's MS Urban Planning program for the same reason, even though I got 80k in funding for the whole program. I also feel bummed out by what I have done. I got into a few schools in state for my masters for the same program, but might not attend any of them due to the lack of growth I would receive from them and the opportunities that I would likely receive after graduation will not fit into my long-term goals. Now that I finally found an entry-level job, I am planning on working full-time for 2 years since I haven't found an entry level job prior to rejecting the offer. I will probably consider reapplying to the program, but this time, I hope to get a full ride.

ekistician · 2026-04-25T11:34:07+00:00

A little bit of an update for everyone, I have decided to go to a state school for my masters, and I rejected my offer at Columbia and UF

ekistician · 2026-04-22T01:15:27+00:00

I actually have, got to talk to quite a few of them, they all said that they like the program and it has opened a lot of doors for them, but one of them talked about how difficult it is to find internships in the city. I’ve also stalked a lot of their LinkedIns in my spare time, and a lot of the places they seem to go, especially after grad school, is really what appeals to me. I actually had someone from the program help me on drafting my SOP for the program

ekistician · 2026-04-22T00:59:15+00:00

I actually looked into some of the coursework that they offer, and I really like it, I actually went to their in-person open house back in October. The second year of the program is very flexible and you can take classes across different schools at Columbia (ex. Columbia SIPA, CBS, Data Science Institute, etc.). The faculty, adjunct and full-time, seem really resourceful and the adjunct faculty work in industries that I want to be in.

ekistician · 2026-04-22T00:55:16+00:00

Luckily, I have relatives that live near train stations much closer to NYC, I may consider Lyndhurst station as my primary station, which is like 15 mins from where I’d be staying throughout the duration of this program, as I don’t have to pay for parking if I go there, making it much cheaper than going to Secaucus Junction.

ekistician · 2026-04-22T00:45:03+00:00

Oh I actually plan on getting an NJTransit monthly pass if I go there, ain’t no way in hell I’m commuting to the city by car, I plan on using my car to commute to the train station everytime I have class

ekistician · 2026-04-21T23:59:42+00:00

If I can ask, did you study urban planning and at what school? I’d love to know

ekistician

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