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Transferring to a different grad school...is it possible?

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busrider

Cyburbian
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I'm having second thoughts about my program. Currently, I'm at Wayne State in the MUP program. I chose Wayne because it was a cheap degree and the entry requirements weren't too stringent. But, I'm not liking the experience as much as I thought I would. It's cheap, but I feel like I'm getting a less-than-optimal education and campus life is lacking. I'm just in my second semester but I'm wondering if the credits I've earned would transfer to another school in Michigan with a better program, like MSU, U of M, or to somewhere out of state. Is this possible?

I'm a bit intimidated by some of the entrance requirements (especially the GRE) and the financial costs of the other schools, but it might be worth it to have gone to a better school and made better connections. I have one life and I don't want to waste it with a degree that's not going to get me as far as I can go. I have had a lot of trouble landing any work at all that's even remotely tangentially related to planning and I'm thinking Detroit isn't the place to be for finding good employment. I know there's some Wayne/Michigan-affiliated folks here, so please chime in with anything you know to help me on my path to planning. Thanks.
 
@busrider, From my understanding it is possible. I would just reach out to the advisors of various programs you're looking into to see more. I imagine they can wave GRE since you're already in a program. Just out of curiosity, I was wondering what you don't like about Wayne State? As you may have seen in pervious posts, I am interested in their program.

Other programs I applied/interested in are: Ball State, Michigan, and Cleveland State
 
I don't know if it is possible or not. I would think it would be, but I'll defer to others with more/better knowledge.

I did want to say what I and many others have said previously - a prestige degree is interesting for the first 30 minutes of your employment. After that, it really carries no weight with your employer or your co-workers, and certainly not with the people you are working for (at least in the public sector). And we certainly don't want to hear about your prestige school student debt. Ever.

If the Detroit area isn't where you want to ultimately be, or at least get your foot in the door, then it's probably wise to look elsewhere. If it is, then volunteering is the best way I can suggest to get involved at the beginning.

Good luck!
 
UrbanSprawlster said:
@busrider, From my understanding it is possible. I would just reach out to the advisors of various programs you're looking into to see more. I imagine they can wave GRE since you're already in a program. Just out of curiosity, I was wondering what you don't like about Wayne State? As you may have seen in pervious posts, I am interested in their program.

Other programs I applied/interested in are: Ball State, Michigan, and Cleveland State
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Well, my reasons may not come off as sounding particularly rational, but I really just want the best degree money can buy. My dream in life has been to attend UMich, which I was unable to do in undergrad. Money is a severe issue though, as I have worked full-time for maybe 3 months in my entire life. Nobody wants to hire someone who's never had a full-time job. I will have to take out big loans if I want to complete my degree quickly.

Campus life is also very lacking at Wayne. I can't afford to live close to campus and have to commute from a boring suburb. There is a cushy program that gives Wayne students & faculty (I worked at Wayne before enrolling as a student) unlimited free bus passes, but I still have to drive about 10 miles to reach a bus stop and then sit on the bus for another 10.

Even if I did live near campus though, I get the impression that it's a commuter school where there's less partying going on and fewer clubs/student organizations. I know, it sounds immature, but clubs and cultural activities are important to me and from what I can see Wayne is a bit less vibrant than the other institutions I'm looking at.

I also just don't want to be stuck in Detroit after I graduate, I'd like to make connections that can take me to better (=more economically vibrant) places, even if I do end up staying in the Detroit area (which would be nice because it's where most of my family and friends are). I'd prefer to go somewhere in-state since it will be much cheaper but I'm considering some out-of-state schools too. People in the faculty at Wayne have connections to UM so I thought that would be the best place to start looking.

For you, I would consider looking into Michigan State as well. I did undergrad there in the Geography program which is a really good background to have for planning. I would go to MSU, but UM would be my first choice. It's kind of hard for me to qualify exactly what I feel is 'wrong' with WSU's MUP program because I just started out here, but I did note somebody in your thread note that the curriculum is sorta Detroit-centric, which is something I've noticed; I can't say if that's good or bad.

Gedunker said:
I don't know if it is possible or not. I would think it would be, but I'll defer to others with more/better knowledge.

I did want to say what I and many others have said previously - a prestige degree is interesting for the first 30 minutes of your employment. After that, it really carries no weight with your employer or your co-workers, and certainly not with the people you are working for (at least in the public sector). And we certainly don't want to hear about your prestige school student debt. Ever.

If the Detroit area isn't where you want to ultimately be, or at least get your foot in the door, then it's probably wise to look elsewhere. If it is, then volunteering is the best way I can suggest to get involved at the beginning.

Good luck!
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The prestige degree matters for getting hired, which is my main struggle. Keeping a job is a different story & that's something I probably won't learn from my courses no matter what institution I'm in. And having debt may humble me a bit given that I completed undergrad pretty much debt-free.

I'm not sure what you mean by volunteering? I have been a part of various urbanist activist organizations in Detroit but I'm not sure that's the type of thing you meant.
 
First, I'm a planning director in the midwest, with nearly 40 years with my employer, about half in my current role (and BSU - MSHP'89[MURP cognate]). I've hired a bunch of people in my career. I can tell you a prestige degree may be an impediment in a lot of places like mine (first ring 'burb) because the hiring folks will wonder whether you intend to stick around or if you are just using us until another opportunity comes along. If I lose too many people to "better" opportunities, I might not get cooperation from my council to keep that money in my budget. Losing a position is not enviable, trust me. I don't really want to have to fight the council for that, so I'm looking for someone that wants to be here.

Second, I suggest volunteering at something that interests you - a local main street org if that's your thing, neighborhood association if that's your gig, local planning office if that suits you, whatever. Some of them might not be familiar with volunteers, but sell yourself: Tell them you are a current planning grad student, interested in this (or that or whatever) and you are willing to do the grunt work. The object is to get some exposure to an area of planning you think you might like, without a commitment in case you don't like it, but moreso to get a letter of recommendation/resume burnishment, while they get free, competent labor. Win-win.

Good luck!
 
Gedunker said:
First, I'm a planning director in the midwest, with nearly 40 years with my employer, about half in my current role (and BSU - MSHP'89[MURP cognate]). I've hired a bunch of people in my career. I can tell you a prestige degree may be an impediment in a lot of places like mine (first ring 'burb) because the hiring folks will wonder whether you intend to stick around or if you are just using us until another opportunity comes along. If I lose too many people to "better" opportunities, I might not get cooperation from my council to keep that money in my budget. Losing a position is not enviable, trust me. I don't really want to have to fight the council for that, so I'm looking for someone that wants to be here.

Second, I suggest volunteering at something that interests you - a local main street org if that's your thing, neighborhood association if that's your gig, local planning office if that suits you, whatever. Some of them might not be familiar with volunteers, but sell yourself: Tell them you are a current planning grad student, interested in this (or that or whatever) and you are willing to do the grunt work. The object is to get some exposure to an area of planning you think you might like, without a commitment in case you don't like it, but moreso to get a letter of recommendation/resume burnishment, while they get free, competent labor. Win-win.

Good luck!
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I got to do a 'tour' of my city's planning department but it wasn't really revealing as far as day-to-day activity. I'm not sure how planning staff would react if I said "hey, can I do some of your work for free?". But it's certainly something I might consider if it's a resume-builder.
 
Sound like you’re in a funk more than anything. Absolutely nobody here will tell you to take on any more debt than necessary to finish your program. Personally, I’d stick it out where you are. The prestige degree isn’t all that. I’ve worked with planners that went to Harvard and Columbia. Some are fine others like to repeatedly tell you they went to Harvard. They’re not bringing anything revolutionary to the table and earn the same pay.

Some things you can look into:
  • Taking elective courses outside of the planning program.
  • Doing an independent study course to do a deep dive on something that interests you, pick a professor you like as an advisor that has similar interests.
  • Interning/volunteering with the local planning department or a local private planning firm.
  • Get a part time job doing anything.
  • Find social groups and activities outside of campus. You won’t be there long anyways.
What is it you envision doing professionally post graduation? Rank and file planning is fairly mundane. We push paper, read and research, draft zoning code and master plans, maybe do some mapping, interact with elected and appointed politicians, present at public meetings, and help the public.

A lot of people with planning degrees work in planning adjacent fields. I graduated in the middle of the Great Recession so there was little government hiring going on so I ended up in community development. I’ve worked at non-profit community development orgs building affordable housing, managed federal grant programs in a large urban city and county, worked at a federal home loan bank, and now in federal service.
 
Gedunker said:
First, I'm a planning director in the midwest, with nearly 40 years with my employer, about half in my current role (and BSU - MSHP'89[MURP cognate]). I've hired a bunch of people in my career. I can tell you a prestige degree may be an impediment in a lot of places like mine (first ring 'burb) because the hiring folks will wonder whether you intend to stick around or if you are just using us until another opportunity comes along. If I lose too many people to "better" opportunities, I might not get cooperation from my council to keep that money in my budget. Losing a position is not enviable, trust me. I don't really want to have to fight the council for that, so I'm looking for someone that wants to be here.
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This! I'll also offer up this thread: https://www.cyburbia.org/forums/threads/the-planning-school-you-go-to-does-not-matter.813/ (The Planning School you go to DOES NOT MATTER!!!!)
 
Personally, I have a really good friend from Montreal who went to Wayne State because he absolutely loves Detroit and felt like it was the best place he could learn real-world planning in a context that needs it. He ended up going back to Montreal, but the things he learned in Detroit has helped him greatly in his private sector career, and he is able to use Detroit as a conversation starter with his U.S. based clients. One of our regulars also went to Wayne State in the 2000s, and really took allot out of it. I know the school is Detroit focused, but its about what you make of it personally. Me, I did my MUP in NYC at a school that is hyper fixated on the NYC tri-state, but rooted in general practice. I was able to shoehorn my experience there to end up in a completely different part of the State. Second semester really is still the beginning. Wayne State rules, and who cares if you dont have a party life there? Go to the Painted Lady in Hamtramck for that (and good music too!). I'd say try and stick it out.

I cant ditto my colleagues enough here. I am a Planner and GIS Admin at a small city in upstate New York, and I can say definitively that we look at competence and vibes more than degree prestige. I am about to bring on some interns to help with GIS in the fall, and I don't require them to even be students, sometimes that random young person from our city who is really interested in computers and maps (even if they require some more hands on attention) will make a better intern than someone from [Insert fancy school like Michigan here] who thinks they know everything already and isn't stoked on our city.

I know that's a completely different level, but if I were an actual hiring manager, I would apply the same logic: relevant experience and good vibes over flashy degrees and acronyms after your name.
 
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