I applied to the Master's of City Planning program at [[MIT]] and I didn't get in.

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The failure

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Being rejected from the program.

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Why do I call this a failure / what would it have meant for it to be a success

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I feel some need to be credentialed in planning or policy for future work I want to do. But it’s very possible this is less important than I think, and really in thinking this way I’m exercising a chip on my shoulder.

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MIT specifically fits a lot of the ethos of what I care about (planning fundamentally, but with an eye for technology and innovation), the reputation is strong, and doing the program while here would have been efficient.

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What did I do wrong

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I could have spent more time on the Essay and especially on the portfolio. I had a second version of the portfolio that was much better and I did upload it a week or so later. But I’m not sure if they looked at it.

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This was a very rushed period of the semester as I was also applying to the MIT/SDM master’s (maybe I should have waited until the second deadline for that and focused on the MCP)

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What is a lesson I learned from this experiment / who can benefit from this lesson

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Not sure there’s a huge lesson here. Maybe give more time to things you think you’ll feel bad about not having spent more time on later.

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Also, internalize probabilities.

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I know the odds were low of getting this, but I still had a part of me over-believing in my chance. Not too upset all things considered, but I think that dissonance exists to some degree.

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I think that dissonance comes from some belief that I am able to do something, and feel that I could even be more capable than many who actually are there.

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Perhaps this is over confidence, a chip on my shoulder, or what have you. But it’s an interesting feeling to explore.

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I think this feeling also comes up during job rejections, but I guess you live with that possibility for less time.

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What’s a benefit that’s come from this failure?

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I have an opportunity to massage the chip on my shoulder and focus on the actual work rather than on the credential. At least for now.

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It’s also possible I could apply again next year, or to another program, but I don’t know if it’s really worth it later on. We’ll see.

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