Sample Personal Statement for Urban and Regional Planning at the University of California, Los Angeles

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Personal Statement is written to communicate your background and why you want to join a program. When applying for Urban and Regional Planning in Los Angeles, applicants are faced with the task of connecting their current occupation and their chosen course, which usually doesn’t come off as an easy task. So, we are presenting a sample personal statement for Urban and Regional written for your guidance.

P.S: This sample provided here is solely for education purposes, do not copy it. If you need assistance writing yours, click here to hire our experts today.

We have also put together a PDF format of the sample, read further below to download it.

Personal Statement Sample for Urban and Regional Planning

Areas To Cover When Writing Your Personal Statement Includes:

  1. Personal motivation to study the course
  2. Academic and professional background
  3. Relevance of program to your career
  4. Why did you pick the school and country?
  5. Qualities that would make you a good addition to the program
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Sample Personal Statement for Urban and Regional Planning at the University of California

Despite being the fastest-growing economy in Africa and the most populous black nation in the world, Nigeria still leaves much to be desired in the area of proper development planning. While the rural areas are an eyesore due to poor administrates foresight by decision-makers, the urban settlements are not any better. My strong passion for gaining world-class experiences that will allow me to lead the charge towards reshaping the structural layout of communities in Nigeria and providing the people with easy routes to basic amenities has therefore informed my desire to pursue a Master’s degree in Urban and Regional Planning at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). It is important to add that my long-term admiration for the structural layout and outlook of communities in most developed countries further strengthens my resolve to pursue a course that will enable me to provide a facelift for Nigerian societies.

Thankfully, my dream of a degree in Urban and Regional planning is aided by my past academic experience as a Bachelor of Science degree holder in Environmental Science and Resource Management at the National Open University of Nigeria. During my undergraduate classes, I have always taken a keen interest in course modules like Urban environmental management, Environmental impact assessment and auditing, Geographic information systems, and Community participation in environmental management, amongst others. These course modules have always made me conceive Environmental planners as Urban and Regional planners whose goals are to provide the most efficient land use. It is against this backdrop that I find housing and community development, land use planning, and equitable development of cities as fascinating research areas of interest. I am equally convinced that my background academic experiences in Environmental Science put me in good stead for a Master of Urban and Regional Planning, as my career line will include infusing eco-friendly building technologies into my practices.

On the career front, I have served as an Intern for the Nigeria Integrated Water Resource Commission (NIWRC), Delta State in Nigeria. One of my duties at the commission included conducting an onsite evaluation of waterways. This experience has helped me understand the importance of good land planning to provide local communities with easy accessibility to potable water. As a Real Estate Developer for Gold Dust Investment Limited in Anambra state, Nigeria, I engaged in numerous land and building planning. Similarly, I managed various construction works with the best standards taken into consideration. These experiences have always continued to spark my interest in seeking a lucrative career in Urban and Regional Planning.

I have, however, chosen to study in the United States because the country boasts a high-quality education system that is unrivaled by many advanced countries of the world. Additionally, studying in the United States offers me a higher employability chance in Nigeria since graduates from the United States are usually held in high regard by government agencies and many corporations in Nigeria and Africa. As a multicultural environment, I believe studying in the United States will also offer me the chance to meet students with various peculiar experiences who will provide me with new exposure to Urban and Regional Planning and an opportunity to build a network of professionals with great minds.

Although the United States is home to many exceptional Universities, I have chosen to study at UCLA because the school’s Regional and Urban Planning program has a special action plan to combat racial injustice and accommodate more blacks into the institute. Additionally, the program is accredited by the Planning Accreditation Board, which is, interestingly, a joint undertaking of the Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning and the American Institute of Certified Planners. I believe this accreditation will confer me with the international privilege enjoyed by the Alumni of UCLA. More so, some of the course modules the school offers, like Community Economic Development and Housing (CEDH), Environmental Analysis and Policy (EAP), and Design and Development (DD), are relevant to my previous academic undertakings, thereby giving me an added confidence in the school’s ability to help me achieve my career expectations. 

While my immediate goal is to use the knowledge gained from this degree to partner with NGOs to create a better housing system in Nigeria, my long-term goal is to use this degree as an avenue to secure collaboration with the Nigerian Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development and several ministries of Housing and Urban Development in rural settlements in Nigeria to achieve my dream of an all-inclusive, safe, secure, affordable, and ecologically-sustainable housing and cities in my country. I am, however, convinced that UCLA is where my vision aligns with the quality of service offered by the school.

Requirements for Urban and Regional Planning at the University of California

  • A bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution.
  • Undergraduate coursework in microeconomics, statistics, and college algebra is highly recommended, although not required.
  • Previous experience in planning, a planning-related field, or community development is recommended.
  • A minimum grade-point average of 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale), or its equivalent.

Application Materials

  • UCLA Graduate Division Online Application
  • Application Fee
  • Transcripts
  • Statement of Purpose – No longer than 1000 words
  • Resume
  • Three Letters of Recommendation
  • GRE Scores (Optional)
  • TOEFL or IELTS Scores (International Students)
  • Work Sample (Optional)
  • Personal History Statement – This should be limited to 500 words

Where You Should Send Your Application Materials To

The majority of your supplemental application materials should be submitted electronically via the online UCLA Application for Graduate Admission. Official transcripts only should be sent directly to:

UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs
Dept of Urban Planning, Admissions
3250 Public Affairs Building, Box 951656
Los Angeles, CA 90095-1656.

 Application Fee

We understand that applying to graduate school is an expensive process. The fee for domestic applicants is $135. The fee for international applicants is $155.

Free Sample of Personal Statement for Urban and Regional Planning at the University of California PDF Download

Download the free copy of the Personal Statement for Urban and Regional Planning at the University of California PDF version

Note: This file is strictly for educational purposes, and should not be copied.

See Other Samples:

  1. University of Plymouth, UK
  2. University of Algarve, Portugal
  3. University of Jyvaskyla, Finland
  4. University of Canterbury, New Zealand
  5. Lund University, Sweden
  6. University of California, USA
  7. Brock University Ontario, Canada
  8. Ulster University, UK
  9. Memorial University of Newfoundland, Canada
  10. New Brunswick, UK
  11. Uppsala University, UK
  12. University of Birmingham, UK
  13. University of Warwick, UK
  14. University of Toronto, Canada
  15. University of Hertfordshire, UK
  16. McMaster University, UK
  17. University of Bradford, UK
  18. University of Waterloo, Canada
  19. Birmingham City University, UK
  20. James Cook University, Australia
  21. University of Sunderland, UK
  22. University of Hull, UK
  23. University of Westminster, UK
  24. University of Derby, UK
  25. Coventry University, UK
  26. University of Oxford, UK
  27. University Canada West, Canada

Need Assistance Writing Personal Statement for Urban and Regional Planning?

If so, contact Fasthire today. We’ll look into your application and compose a good personal statement for your application. We have professionals who are skilled in helping students compose their personal statement and study and visa statement of purpose/explanation and we’ll be ready to assist you right away. You can either use our regular, or express service depending on the urgency of your need

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