<p>So in the past two years since graduating with a BA in English Lit, I've worked as an assistant and field worker at a Transportation Planning firm, gaining invaluable skills and meeting some very bright people in the industry. I also joined the Marine Reserve and do volunteer work with the Cambodian community in Long Beach (I'm not Cambodian, or of Cambodian descent).</p>
<p>I've kept myself pretty busy, and scored a 780M/760V/5.5 on the GRE. I have 3 great LORs in hand:
1. Urban Planner, that I've worked under;
2. Head of an NGO that I did field work for in Asia (he's also a Fellow at the Kennedy school)
3. President of a large Transportation planning firm in Southern Ca.</p>
<p>I'm dead set on a Masters in Urban Planning/City/Regional Planning and I'd like to be in Southern Ca or in an urban area.</p>
<p>My only problem is that as an undergrad, I started out as a Biological Sciences major at UC Riverside, and pretty much bombed any class science related and continued this for a solid 2.5 years until I realized I was killing myself over something I was HORRIBLE at and hated. </p>
<p>Ended up switching over to English Lit, and did pretty well (pretty much either A's or B's with a lot of B+'s). Managed to graduate in 4 years with a 2.67 total gpa but a 3.4 major specific gpa. </p>
<p>I can't describe what an SN2 backside attack is, but I'll school you on Feminist Literary Theory. </p>
<p>Is it even worth it to follow through and apply? I'll be shooting out my package to 15 schools or so, and I have no real benchmark for myself. As mentioned, I'd prefer a Californian school (USC, UCLA, USD, UCI, Pomona, SJ State, Cal) or a program in a developed urban area (who could ask for a better class room!?) such as Tufts, Penn or my top choice NYU.</p>