I wouldn't re-take it. time is better spent on portfolios/ essays. GRE scores really don't matter. really. my friend got in the 700's (combined) and got into all the Ivy's + other top schools. Your score is decent- that will do.

how much is the tuition at penn? i was going to apply there too, but finaces will be an issue

Thanks for the response WhatToDo...congratulations on Penn too! Thats a great school

over $34,000 a year at Penn

1250 is a good score, so you really shouldn't sweat it. i think that the only time retake it is to improve on a low quant score. otherwise, it shouldnt be a big deal.
i thought about retaking it too, but i realized i only wanted to do it for a higher writing score, which didn't make sense (i bombed the writing, but did pretty well on the other two sections).

portfolio and statements are the way to go.

hm. i see, thanks design. i'll have to check out their work.

The Ivy League = Harvard, Yale, Cornell, Columbia, Penn, Princeton, Dartmouth, and Brown.

Dartmouth and Brown don't have architecture programs, so you won't see them mentioned here very often.

Shit, wrong thread... Nevermind.

thanks j2h, I'm really excited!

best of luck on the apps!!! Don't even think about the GRE again- it's over, you did well, it's done.
focus focus focus on the portfolio/ essays.

1250 is a solid score..you should be happy with it. as long as you have a strong GPA you'll be fine and i wouldn’t retake em'

Living in Gin --dont forget to mention that it was a football league way back when

does the gpa even matter that much? not from what i've heard...

Somebody (I forgot who) on last year's thread mentioned that the strength of your application is typically weighted as follows:

Portfolio: 40%
Statement: 20%
Recommendations: 20%
GPA: 10%
GRE: 10%

I think an exceptionally high or low GPA might sway the committee one direction or the other if you're a borderline case, but otherwise I think it's mostly about the portfolio, statement, and recommendations.

how does that breakdown hold up for non arch-background applicants...

j2h,

since you did this already, how long did you spend preparing your portfolio and statements, from conception to finished products?

just wondering! thanks!

Cdee, my first foray into grad school admissions was during the fall semester of my senior year, so I probably did not devote as much time as applying to a top tier school deserves. The best response would be if you are planning on applying for fall 08 to start right now if you have not already; however I would say you need at least several months to develop everything to its best quality. This can also depend upon how many schools you apply to. Each school needs to have a unique personal statement ideally. The reason right now is a good time to start is that you need to incorporate time in working on portfolio for it to be reviewed by professors, peers, etc. It is invaliable to gather information from others' cirtiques of your portfolio and then utilize their advice.

oh, thanks...

i've started on the statements already, and bits and pieces of the portfolio...i think my plan is to devote a few days to each school's statement (draft 1)...i think i have a solid statement for one school so far. but im applying to around 9-10, so i've got some work to do.

i can't understand how anyone did applications senior year....i just remember having wayyy too much stuff to do.

Gpa Question...i think as long as you got a 3.2-3.3 above you're fine!

i hope so anyway i have a QGPA of 3.2 im not sweating it.

im putting a lot of energy re-working my thesis from undergrad

is anyone re-working stuff?

do you have an arch background, sean! ?

my thesis was in art history, on an installation artist...i don't think i'll include it...if i include any writing, it will be a snazzy little paper i wrote on the prada store a while back in undergrad

yea i have a Barch from NYIT i graduated last may. my thesis adviser had a heavy hand, and really gave me a hard time when trying to develop ideas that he did think were appropriate

i think the gpa thing depends on the school, and they look at how you perform over time. some schools, like berkeley and ucla, only count your last 2 years of undergrad.

cdee.. how do you know about that for uc and ucla?

bo...the app online will have a gpa calc and it will state it on the application.

btw, TO ALL YOU UCLA APPLICANTS:

Make sure double- quadruple check the due date for BOTH the application and fellowship apps. Last year, they changed the date from Jan.3rd (or so) to Dec. 15th and DIDN'T change it on the website. I personally found 6 places where the date was wrong on the website. Anyway, since about 3/4 of us applied "late" they still accepted the apps, but they won't be as liberal this year. I was also told that the "late" fellowship applications were NOT considered.

So, call them AND look at the date on the ACTUAL application form (the thing you sign)...not just the website.

both berkeley and ucla state it on the webpage. berkeley explicitly says they only look at the last two years...music to my ears!

Speaking of portfolios, anyone have any suggestion as to what to include in an Urban Planning portfolio?? I'm reapplying for fall 2008 because I didn't get into my top choice & because of financial/family reasons. I want to increase my chances by including a portfolio, even though it's optional for MUP. Problem is, I can't think of what to include except essays/writing!!

any suggestions??

Sean! and all-

I think reworking stuff is a good idea when it comes to portfolios. It's hard and sounds daunting, but I think schools want to see 3 or 4 confident projects. They don't care about the time frame of the work.

I have to say it’s kinda fun to revisit some stuff from a couple of years ago. But my approach is, anything that I did in the pre-computer days stays all ink and graphite. Anything Done post-computer is all that nice fancy computer stuff!!! So there is some timeframe in progression of development in presenting information and ideas. Im not sure what to do about professional work? I think im going to put that stuff at the end, any suggestions?

Hey Sean! any idea as to what you are going to put in for professional work? I was thinking about putting in some renderings I have done, but was not so sure about CAD work

Steven, that was well put.

This discussion is so helpful.

sorry guys, wrong thread!

I’VE worked on only one large project. so im not going to put a 20storey building in my portfolio and pawn it off as my own but there’s a couple of nuggets in which I had a big hand in so.. I think im going to include some DD drawings of specific spaces and some renderings, and some construction pics. hopefully the steel will be up by then.

question for you all who are familiar with berkeley's masters programs:????

I am figuring out which program i want to apply for.
One i am interested in is the dual Masters of city palnning & master of landscape architecture with a focus in environmental planning (or the focus in urban design).
SO, my question is:
do you submit your appliaction by the MCP app. deadliune (12/15) or by the MLA deadline (01/15)????

Also, for the regular Masters of city planning program application...do you need to include a portfolio??i didn't see anything about that on the website.

I know i can get these answers from the college, but i just thought maybe you all might know.
Thanks !!!

hey alexandra -- i remember you from last year's thread :P back when i was the one bugging you about getting berkeley info during your visit, hehe.

anyway - this is the best that i know (though it'd still be wise to write the dept. assistants and make sure -- they were pretty helpful and prompt in replying to me when i had questions):

1. Submit by the 12/15 deadline, or whatever is earlier, for both programs. (I tried for a M.Arch/MCP this year, got into M.Arch) Maybe they'll tell you differently, but I feel like they'd want all of your application/portfolio stuff together for both programs, and then one of the depts (I'm guessing MLA) will organize and hand your file to the MCP people. This is what happened with M.Arch/MCP at least -- basically, the city planning dept deferred everything to the arch dept and told me whatever arch said, goes.

2. I know MCP doesn't specifically request a portfolio, UNLESS you want to focus on urban design... maybe I read something on the old website, but I definitely sent in an extra copy of my portfolio (though I had NO time unfortunately to do a real print, so it was literally a terrible (I am so ashamed) photocopy, which obviously did not do the portfolio justice, and I felt was a show of disrespect to the admissions committee, but had no time... anyway, not that I would've gotten in had I sent a nicer copy, but whatever. Anyway, if you feel like your portfolio is very strong and/or has elements that are related to city planning, I don't think it'd hurt to send an extra copy in either way.

Okay -- hope this helps!

OH yeah - wanted to add, MLA is much harder to get into... but say you get into the Landscape Arch and not City Planning, you can always try to add in to the MCP program during your first year, I hear that's relatively easy to do. Going the other way around (being in the MCP program, and trying to get into the MLA stuff, is mUCh more difficult).

Good luck to this year's applicants!

hey thanks guys! and good luck to you all too!

Hey -i'm a new addition to this thread and just wondering about how many schools are you guys planning on applying to?
The field seems so much more wide open (yet still narrow b/c of the limited number of arch programs in the US) to me in comparison with applying to undergrad when i basically had two choices. Right now i'm considering University of Toronto, University of Washington, University of Minnesota and maybe somewhere on the east coast, but i haven't decided where yet. Anyone else considering these schools?

does anybody know if the schools would return the recommendation letters if we decide not to attend or if we get rejected. I have been sending e-mails to MIT about it but I haven't recieved an answer yet.

lmnop15:
I am applying to all west coast schools (b/c i just moved out here last year, and you get pretty good finanacial aid help once you are a resident)...so they are:
UC Berkeley
UCLA
USC
SCI-Arc
I don't knwo about the schools you mentioend and their programs. They might be great....i just don' have any info on it. sorry

XICA:
i have no clue if they return ur rec. letters...but if you find that out...please let me knwo... (r u thinking of re-using them for next year's app.'s???....the thought has crossed my mind)

Sean!:

i am wondering if we know eachother.....i went to NYIT too, got a b.arch in 04'.
which campus did u go to???

hey guys I thought I would check out this tread, I know a lot of you have are wondering if grades matter, and take it from me, they dont.

I had a 2.8 from undergrad, with the last two years adding up to a 2.5. I got in to most of the schools i applied to and am going to UCLA next year. dont spend time stressing about it and just work on your portfolio. good luck with the apps

old westbury. i graduated in 05'
you?

graduated in 04', mainly went to central islip campus (that's where i took thesis)...but i took classes on all the other campuses at one point or another.
you probably knew some of my friends.
Jennifer Finley? i know she took thesis in 05' and i think in westbury
anywhooo
just saying Hi

this is my first time writing on this site ... thought I'm always reading lots of helpful info here .. I have a 5yr bs.arch from palestine .. during the course of my school work i worked in some destructed sites in our cities post the israeli invasion to some of our cities .. and worked in an architectural firm for a couple of years in residential buildings .. and now i moved to philly in the prospect of fullfilling my dream of getting accepted to upenn m.arch program .. im studying the GRE .. which is hard as hell for foreign students .. ive been memorizing words for the last month .. its getting really boring .. my gpa is 80% which is i guess 3.2 .. the problem is i dont want to apply to any other schools ..so im putting all my force into getting accepted to upenn .. according to my bs work and gpa .. what are my chances in getting accepted there for 2008????? .. really need advice ..

and if anyone here studying for the GRE would like to have a study buddy ,, im studying alone , and would love to check my progress with someone else

hey there!. i am studying for the GRE too. I am scheduled to take on in early september.
But i am realzing that you live in Philly???
I'm in san francisco....not sure how that would work.
But i feel ya on the boring studying.
I hate standardized tests! Another reaons why i exceled in architecture...b/c there's hardly any tests like that....
Anyway...
i wish i could give ya soem info on Upenn....but i haven't researched it...
i amapplying to west coast schools.
But good luck!!!

you guys....don't worry about the gre...it's really not a big deal that you do well. there are tons of people who do terribly and they get into their chosen schools. your effort is better spent on 1) your portfolio and 2)essays.

I'm going to Penn in the fall... falastiniarch, diversity is key- so play up those experiences because I'm sure you'll stand out.

hey alexandraNY ... im scheduled to take the GRE's in sep too .. sep 4th to be exact ..

it feels good to not be alone in this ..

WhatToDo .. congratulation on getting accepted to penn .. ur so lucky u passed the whole stress of applying ..

thanks for the advice .. gonna put more time on my portfolio .. it sure needs alot of work

falastiniarch : well i am scheduled for sept. 8th ....so let me know how you do...!!!!

falastiniarch- thanks- I am excited!

people literally get 700-800 combined scores and get into the Ivy's of their choice. Looking back, I am mad I even stressed it- took the day off work. I honestly can't even remember what score I got (I think it was about 1250) but I really don't think it had any affect on my acceptances.

See my problem is that i am a really bad test taker. I realize that the GRE isn't going to really help you get into architecture grad school.
However, i am afraid that a really low score will be noticed....and hurt my chances at acceptance.

Everything else is okay for me....(my GPA is 3.4, i have professional experience at a pretty good firm, plenty of projects to put in my portfolio.... done in different programs (Revit, 3d, Max, etc.))

But my practice test scores for the GRE are like 900 combined..
blah!!!!
i mean...i do have 2 months more to keep studying, but what i f i take it and only get 400 somethign on each! that's not good!
anyway...just looking for some other GRE stories.

dont worry too much about the practice scores for now....i had the same kind of thing happen when i first started studying for it.

i worked on relearning the question types (on paper from a barrons book)...i also took a lot of paper tests untimed, just to work through the questions (my motto was that if i couldn't do a section in 1.5 hours, i definitely would not be able to do it in 30 minutes)

about two/three weeks before the exam, i started taking the kaplan cat tests, and voila, my score went up by alot. the final results: V:630, Q:750.

hope that helps...

ps. really take them up on the whole "take your time on the first 7-10 questions"....i took 3-5 minutes per quant. problem in the beginning, didn't get to the last 6 questions (but guessed), and still did fine.