Community college is cheaper per unit. Probably around $1000 or so total due to your international status for a typical 3-unit course, maybe 4-5 for these lab-based courses. The thing they might need is placement tests (for calculus certainly) and depending on what school, classes could be very impacted.

There's not much to apply as in fulfilling requirements or anything really strict--you can do it now and as long as there's classes you want in the summer, you can sign up. They'll likely need a bunch of documents though so you'll need to look those up yourself. Deadline for summer short session is usually around May or June so there's still time.

You can alternatively take classes online (GSD even has some pre-approved courses listed on their website). Right now I'm enrolled in a Physics course online that was $500 plus some small fee for taking the final exam.

@verticalgaze : Thanks for the insight! How long does it usually take for the course to be finished? For example, if people are enrolled in fall semester, is it enough to take the course in summer and finish it before enrollment?

@archhopeful : it seems to be the best options for me as international student.. Could you describe about the application fee and any kinds of documents needed to apply for the online course? I don't really understand about how online course works.. :(

Thank you!

I'm currently taking calculus at a local community college (LACC) for only $230 to fulfill the calculus prerequisite for Yale. Yale has a mandatory summer course for M.Arch I admits, so I have to take the prereqs now (I think other schools have something like that as well). I asked the admissions office about online courses and they said that they accept courses from StraighterLine. I think Harvard, Penn, MIT, and Yale all accept Straighterline. But I've also heard bad things about online courses, so I'm battling it out brick and mortar.

There are no application fees for online courses because you don't need to apply to be a student of the school, you only need to pay for the additional course. If you do some research of your own it's pretty easy to find different options; each school will have their own requirements for signing up for the course.

Here's one example of a Calculus course through the University of North Dakotah. You have 9 months to complete the course and there is a simple "register now" button on the page. I imagine if you see the registration through it will guide you through the easy process. This course costs $1,064.68: http://distance.und.edu/collegecourse/?id=math165open

Here's another one through Berkely for $860: http://extension.berkeley.edu/search/publicCourseSearchDetails.do?method=load&courseId=41487

Physics through the University of Texas-Austin: http://www.utexas.edu/ce/uex/utphysicsonline

Physics through the University of Missouri: http://online.missouri.edu/course-search/coursedetailsp.aspx?k=2389

Physics through UNC-Chapel Hill: http://fridaycenter.unc.edu/cp/catalog/physics.html#phys102

Each of these courses is pre-approved by the GSD, so you can assume that any other M.Arch program will accept them. Each page has pretty self-explanatory instructions for signing up for the course.

@mononoaware: so you have been accepted to yale? or you just take the prerequisite even before applying to any school?

@archhopeful : so, this is what I understood so far: the online course usually will end 90days to 180 days.. So, If I decided to take the prerequisite after the the information of acceptance to any M.Arch program, I won't have enough time to finish it before enrollment?

I mean, the information whether we are accepted or not usually comes out on March-April.. Then if I decided to fulfill the prerequisite before fall enrollment (usually at August/September right?) . It will possibly start in May and ends in...October?

@doarch

My admission is conditional upon the completion of the prerequisite, meaning I got accepted but in order to be enrolled full-time I need to complete the prereq before the semester starts. Someone I know said that a friend of his who got accepted to Columbia started school without the school even asking for a transcript of the prereq, but I don't want to take the risk. I don't want to face the possibility of deferral or worse, rescinded admission.

@mononoaware

Ah, I see, so when will you finish the course? You take the course right after you accepted right?

Just to note, Berkeley does not accept online courses.

@doarch

No, I registered for the course while I was applying because I knew I had to take it in the spring before the semester starts, and spring registration takes place around December.

If all goes according to plan, I will finish in June.

@bmedi

Does UC Berkeley ask for prerequisite physics? Not that I can recall, or maybe I missed the information?

@mononoware

So if I'm applying for next year, when is  the best time to register for the course?

Soo, you're applying even though you still don't know what university you will be accepted right?

@doarch Just because you have a set amount of time to take the course does not mean you have to use all of that time. You can sign up for a pre-requisite course in April and do it all in one, two or three months - easily before courses start in August or September.

@archhopeful

So, there's still a chance I can take the course in april (after acceptance) and finish it before enrollment in august/september?

Is it what you are taking right now?

@doarch

Hi, I am an international student as well and I was wondering if you were able to apply for a student visa while you were passing the prerequisite, I mean did your school prepare all  the documents for the visa as soon as you showed them a proof that you were currently passing your math or physic courses? I am starting a calculus course right now for PennDesign March 1 and I am just a bit worried they won't have time enough to process my visa application before August.... Thanks for you help :)

why do you need physics/calculus exactly? I don't think I've ever seen an architect reference either one.

Summer courses at community and city colleges usually begin in May or June and finish by mid-August.