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Can I read a thesis somewhere?

leriot

Hello!

I am currently applying for the scholarship for a MArch II program in the U.S. and was asked to prepare a writing sample just in case. I am going to translate the explanation note for my graduation project, but that is not a "thesis", just a very dry explanation of an architectural project, its location, spatial solution and so on. This is what we do in my home country.

Is there a place where I can take a look at an actual written undergrad thesis from the U.S. university?

As for the other papers that I could use,  I don't have any that are good enough for an admission document. During my studies I usually opted for graphical scholarly works instead of written ones and few that I have are just very perfunctory reviews of some basic architectural concepts(

 
Oct 24, 15 8:47 am
Non Sequitur
Undergrad thesis? For fuck's sake, have we bastardized the term thesis to basically mean any project?

Go to the library and sign out past (real) thesis. Most decent universities keep hard copies and some digital ones on hand.
Oct 25, 15 8:57 am  · 
 · 
leriot

@Non Sequitur, )) In my country arch. students rarely write a thesis even for Master's - only PhD students have to do it, so it seems that I did misconstrue how things work in the USA.

The PhD thesis is a very profound research for 100+ pages. Do grad students in the USA do the same? I think that it will be of little use for me, unfortunately, for I don't have any such research done:(

Oct 25, 15 10:03 am  · 
 · 
Non Sequitur
100+ pages plus a design component and literature review is standard for most master thesis in North American programs.
Oct 25, 15 10:15 am  · 
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Bloopox

Where did you get the idea that the writing sample for the scholarship application needs to be a thesis type document?  Unless it specifically states that, a "writing sample" for application purposes usually only needs to be a few pages - something that demonstrates your ability to convey your intent clearly, use language fluently, and perhaps pertains to your stated focus of interest.  

Some B.Arch programs require a "thesis project "in the final semester or full year, but that usually means a well-developed hypothesis statement, leading to in-depth research in conjunction with a design project with a well-developed program.  If there's any accompanying written component it's usually not any longer or more detailed than a term paper for any academic course.  

Not all US M.Arch programs even have an option to do a thesis project, and in those that do the requirements vary widely - in many it's pretty much as I described above for a B.Arch thesis project requirement, while in others it does require a lengthy defended written document.

Oct 25, 15 2:07 pm  · 
 · 
gruen
Get them in a university library, try inter library loan. Some are also digitized & online. Don't read mine it sucks.
Oct 26, 15 2:14 pm  · 
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