(no subject)
Here it is, the end of January, and what have I done with myself? I have finished making applications to five schools so that come this fall, I will hopefully begin work toward a Ph.D. in urban planning and policy. The names of the degrees offered by each school is different, so it's hard to say exactly what I'll be getting until I decide on a school. So now my big problem is making sure everything that is the responsibility of other people gets done (letters of recommendation, transcripts sent, etc), and then waiting to hear back from the schools.
Of course what I really need is for at least one school to offer me a fellowship or assistantship that will pay for my tuition and give me money to live off of to boot. My big problem later on will be if more than one school makes such an offer, which one will I choose?
Here are the schools:
Virginia Commonwealth University. It's where I got my Master of Urban and Regional Planning, and it would be very comfortable to go back there and be at the same school and in a city I am completely in love with and already have many friends. I can basically move back and resume the life I had there, which is a huge plus. The degree I applied for here is actually in Public Policy and Administration, but it has an urban policy track, which I can very easily relate to my previous studies, and still be able to use this in combination with my master's degree to teach urban planning.
Virginia Tech, National Capitol Area Campus. Old Town Alexandria, lovely old city directly across the Potomac River from DC. What a fabulous and exciting place to be. Major big city, huge gay community, the metro, and it is still close enough to all the friends I have here in Richmond and Hampton Roads to see people regularly.
University of New Orleans. Now, some of the benefits to going here can be surmised easily. It's NEW ORLEANS, a fabulously fun and beautiful city, and I have wanted to live there ever since the first time I went there for Mardi Gras in 1997. It is also a city I am completely comfortable being in, I know my way around it, know many of the insider places to go for the best of everything, know where to hang out naked at a pool or hot tub, and have some friends there already. It would be a dream come true.
University of Cincinnati. Ok, it's on the cold side, but Cincinnati is actually a very beautiful city, and the university has a very well known and highly respected program. The university is also a very interesting campus because of its signature architects program. Every new building is designed by a famous architect, so the campus is like an art collection, every building like huge scultpure making for a very unique campus. And it was the first school I actually thought about going to when I decided to study urban planning.
University of Louisville. Allright, I know this is probably the crazy one on the list, but I figured it would be a good thing to include. I like Kentucky, and Louisville has some cool old architecture. Plus, to be honest, I thought this might be the school that if none of the others offered me financial aid, this one would. We'll see.
What else is going on? Not much, still don't have much of a social life going on, which is getting a bit old, but I'm handling it. It's supposed to snow tonight. I'm always skeptical about the talk of snow in Hampton Roads, but this time everyone is pretty sure it's going to happen, and I am quite frankly hoping it does snow. It would be nice to see Ghent in the snow.
Of course what I really need is for at least one school to offer me a fellowship or assistantship that will pay for my tuition and give me money to live off of to boot. My big problem later on will be if more than one school makes such an offer, which one will I choose?
Here are the schools:
Virginia Commonwealth University. It's where I got my Master of Urban and Regional Planning, and it would be very comfortable to go back there and be at the same school and in a city I am completely in love with and already have many friends. I can basically move back and resume the life I had there, which is a huge plus. The degree I applied for here is actually in Public Policy and Administration, but it has an urban policy track, which I can very easily relate to my previous studies, and still be able to use this in combination with my master's degree to teach urban planning.
Virginia Tech, National Capitol Area Campus. Old Town Alexandria, lovely old city directly across the Potomac River from DC. What a fabulous and exciting place to be. Major big city, huge gay community, the metro, and it is still close enough to all the friends I have here in Richmond and Hampton Roads to see people regularly.
University of New Orleans. Now, some of the benefits to going here can be surmised easily. It's NEW ORLEANS, a fabulously fun and beautiful city, and I have wanted to live there ever since the first time I went there for Mardi Gras in 1997. It is also a city I am completely comfortable being in, I know my way around it, know many of the insider places to go for the best of everything, know where to hang out naked at a pool or hot tub, and have some friends there already. It would be a dream come true.
University of Cincinnati. Ok, it's on the cold side, but Cincinnati is actually a very beautiful city, and the university has a very well known and highly respected program. The university is also a very interesting campus because of its signature architects program. Every new building is designed by a famous architect, so the campus is like an art collection, every building like huge scultpure making for a very unique campus. And it was the first school I actually thought about going to when I decided to study urban planning.
University of Louisville. Allright, I know this is probably the crazy one on the list, but I figured it would be a good thing to include. I like Kentucky, and Louisville has some cool old architecture. Plus, to be honest, I thought this might be the school that if none of the others offered me financial aid, this one would. We'll see.
What else is going on? Not much, still don't have much of a social life going on, which is getting a bit old, but I'm handling it. It's supposed to snow tonight. I'm always skeptical about the talk of snow in Hampton Roads, but this time everyone is pretty sure it's going to happen, and I am quite frankly hoping it does snow. It would be nice to see Ghent in the snow.