has anyone heard from UT about funding?

Choice between USC and UCinci

USC (after scholarship $$) is costing me ~1.75x UCinci (after considering co-op $$)

I really like USC curriculum and want to work in a warmer place (i am too unmotivated in a gray, gloomy cold weather and have issues getting out of  cozy warmth of bed in cold). I am more inclined towards practical architecture (and environmentally sensitive design, which i plan to take electives on) and urbanism.

Considering UCinci would largely provide me opportunity to work on the eastern side, it'll be a long winter for me.

Regardless of weather, is the USC worth considering and taking a longer repayment time for the fee? How good does a USC graduate get paid in LA as compared to in the east?

Suggestions from experienced professionals would greatly help me in choosing between the two.

I'm also waiting on Berkeley MArch bit its highly unlikely I'm getting into. its been long since anyone has heard from them and will probably be hearing about denials. If in an ideal world i get into Berkeley, USC or Berkeley?

27/M.Arch1

Unrelated/ NAU/ 2013 

GPA - GRE  - TOEFL (for Int'l students) 

Work Experience: Worked at the Contemporary Austin and attended Columbia Summer program 

Letter of recommendations: Columbia Professor/ Work related/ undergrad professor 

Statement of Purpose/ Portfolio link: no link 

Schools applied to: Tulane/ UT/PSU

In: Tulane with only 10k 

Out: 

Wait-list: UT 

Awaiting: PSU

Open house impressions: Will attend Tulane and UT open house 

Results: Top choice is UT as I live in Austin so fingers crossed 

Tips: No tips this entire process has been stressful 

25/M/M.Arch II

B.Arch 2016

3.4 / 170V 160Q

Work Experience: 3 years, big firm + 3 internships

LoR: 2 x Professors, 2 x Firm Principals

Applied: GSD, YSOA, Princeton (should have applied to MIT too)

In: 

GSD ($$)

YSOA (0)

Princeton ($$$)

Between Princeton and GSD. Going to hit the open houses. 

Tips: My mom made a very large donation to have my face photoshopped onto a photo of Patrik Schumacher's body

26/F/USA/M.Arch 1

B.A Fine Arts/ 2014

GPA: ~3.76 GRE: V: Very Good, Q: Kind of Average 

Work Experience: Artist/User-Interface Designer

Letter of recommendations:  3 well-established artists

Schools applied to: GSD, GSAPP, Princeton, Yale, MIT, PennDesign (All M.Arch 1)

In: GSD ($$) Princeton ($$$) Yale ($$) MIT ($$) PennDesign ($$) 

Wait-list: GSAPP...

Results: Leaning towards Princeton but still considering MIT and Yale. Planning on attending open houses to make final decision but Yale and MIT's open house's are the same day... 

A kind request to all. Those who have been accepted into Berkeley (or any other for that matter) and don't plan on extending your confirmation, please reject the offer. Many are anxiously and impatiently waiting for these schools to send the lists with high hopes

Thanks :)

26/M/IND

M.Arch

Graduated: 2016

GPA 7.0

Work Experience: 2.5 Years : Studio Lotus, India

Letter of recommendations: 2 professors, 2 Employers

Statement of Purpose/ Portfolio link:  https://issuu.com/sachindabas/docs/portfolio-_sachin_dabas

Schools applied to: Uni of Sydney, MSD, UNSW & RMIT ( All Australia)

Awaiting all

Results: (the school you plan to attend and why) I am more interested in Uni of Sydney. I would really love to know if I should apply to any other colleges. I preferred Australia as I have my cousins living there, easy for me to move & work full time. But surely Education is priority. Any suggestions is welcome.

Tips: My approach to portfolio was to keep it simple and show only the works I have done in a minimal way. This was a 5th attempt. Max pages were 15 A4 sheets. 

Keep it simple

Here it goes, for posterity-

24/ International/ M.Arch II

B.Arch/ 2017

Scores: 3.9 GPA | 160/160/4.0 GRE | 117 TOEFL

Letter of recommendations: 1 from dean, 1 from prof, 1 from employer

Work Experience: a few internships

Admitted:

GaTech M.Arch (2 year) 

Pratt M.S.Arch (1 year) $$$

UVA M. Arch Path 2 (2 year) $

Columbia GSAPP  MSAAD (1 year)

Open house impressions: Can’t visit the USofA, hoping to get some comments from the ones who make it there!

Results: Currently leaning toward GaTech, if they provide some $, but still seeking more details about the other ones. Columbia GSAPP would be amazing, but cash? Awaiting a few others- UCLA MArch II and UMich, which might be rejections since the acceptances were sent out already.

Tips: No cookie-cutting!

Would love some input on the relative merits of GSAPP vs Pratt vs GaTech vs UVA.

22 / F /  Ivory Coast (West Africa) / M.Arch 1

B. Arch/ Tongji University, Shanghai/ 2018  AND B. Arch/ University of New South Wales, Sydney / 2018 

(I am a double bachelor degree student :) 4 years, 2 years in each country !)

87.4/100 (3.3 gpa ?) - GRE (So average that I'm ashamed to post it lol) - TOEFL : waived

Work Experience: Several internships since 1st year undergrad + 1 year (currently) in my home country :)

Letter of recommendations: 1 employer (Yale alumni) + 2 professors

Statement of Purpose/ Portfolio link: I will upload the portfolio later :)

Schools applied to: UCBerkeley, UMichigan, PennDesign, Columbia GSAPP

In: UMich M.Arch 2-year (no funding)

GSAPP M.Arch 1 with $$ !

Out: none

Wait-list: PennDesign (they are cancelled anyway lol)

Awaiting: UC Berkeley 

Open house impressions: I live way too far to be able to attend any! But will attend GSAPP online info session lol

Results: I am definetely going to attend GSAPP because it was just a dream come true lol. I honestly never thought I would get in so I had all my hopes on Berkeley and Michigan (I love UMich facilities) but I am soo glad I tried ! With the scholarship it is even cheaper than U Michigan and  even if Berkeley accepts/waitlist me at this point, I think GSAPP program is way more interesting for my professional aspirations. 

Penn was just a backup honestly..

Tips: Be true to yourself and your style in your portfolio ! But mostly have clear intentions set out in your statement of purpose and make sure your portfolio projects' highlights/support your statement of purpose !!! I think my very international profile is what made me stand out since I had projects from 3 different continents and various perspectives on architecture ! :)

oh yeah and GRE is really not important..

22 / USA F / MArch I

B.A. Architecture / Clemson / 2018

GPA: 3.7 GRE: v-158 q-152 aw-4.5

Work Experience: 1 year gap working in NYC for healthcare architecture firm

Letter of recommendations: Clemson profs (1 MIT grad, 3 Columbia grads), Columbia prof from GSAPP summer studio (intro)

Statement of Purpose/ Portfolio link: request if interested

Schools applied to:

In:

Pratt 2 year track w/ $30k total

University of Miami 2 year track w/ $43k total

USC 3 year track w/ $60k total. 

Out: 

UCLA

Berkeley

Wait-list: 

GSAPP 3 year MArch

Open house impressions/Results: really liked UM's new arch facility. teachers are great and Rodolphe el-Khoury is someone I would like to learn from. Coral gables is also pretty

Still have to visit Pratt but the connections in New York are strong as well as the staff. Also the cheaper option 

USC is out because too far away and too much $$$. plus the admissions scandal has me turned-off-ish

QuestionsTips:

will need to wait another month to hear from Columbia- so I guess that leaves me with UM or Pratt for now

16/M/USA/MArch I

Bachelor of Design in Architecture/ Univ. of Minnesota/ 2015

GPA 3.6 - GRE 160/160/4

Work Experience: Couple years at a small residential firm, couple years at a medium sized commercial firm

Letter of recommendations: Couple professors, old boss, etc.

Portfolio link: I'll send it to your if you're interested. Feels a bit odd to just post it online.

In: 

University of Oregon, 2 year program, full tuition

University of Illinois Chicago, 1/2 off tuition

Pratt, 1/3 off tuition

U Penn, 15 k per year

Out: 

Yale

UC Berkeley

Wait-list: none 

Awaiting: none

Open house impressions: Plan on going to UIC's and visit UO soon.

Results: Debating between UO and UIC. UO is free but UIC and its program/faculty feel a lot more exciting and in line with what I'm interested in. Feeling torn! Would love to go to UPenn but can't stomach that kinda debt.

Tips: Like everyone else says, start early - particularly with researching schools and their program/faculty. Apply to schools where you actually would like to live. And don't rule out schools that aren't ivy league!

21 / USA M  / MArch I

Undergraduate: BA Architecture / Clemson University / May 2019 

GPA 3.75 GRE  154 v 156 q 4.0 aw

Work Experience: 3 months at 2Portzamparc in Paris office, 4 months part-time while at school and 4 months full-time in architecture firm in my hometown. 

Letter of recommendations: 4 for Columbia, 3 for Michigan. 2 architecture professors who know me very well, one of which is an ivy alumnus, boss from Paris firm, and boss from hometown firm.

Portfolio: 3 studio projects, 1 competition, lots of white space, collages, represented projects as a critique of my own work from a third person/entity perspective 

Schools applied to:

• University of Michigan (Accepted 3/4/19 w/ $90,000 total)
• Columbia GSAPP  (Waitlisted 3/15/19)

Open house impressions: plan on attending Michigan’s preview weekend, scheduled meetings with profs I’m interested in working with

Results: No way I’m going to GSAPP if I get in with no aid… thats ridiculous. I’m still on the edge whether I should just take Michigan’s offer or if I should wait and apply again to more schools next year, I feel like I may have rushed everything last year. I’m quite drawn to the work, faculty, and plurality of school direction/voices at the GSD and the AA, would re-apply to those schools if I had to do it again. Could use some advice on decisions…

Tips: start early, make sure to get your statement looked at by several people, stay focused.

Is anyone still waiting to hear back from Rice?

23M/USA/MArch 1

BFA Arch. Design/Parsons/2019

GPA: 3.9 - GRE 160Q/155V/4.5AW

Work Experience: 

3.5 years (gap year and summers) with 2 small high end residential firms in NYC and CT, traditional/classical homes and pre-war apartment renovations

Wood/Metal Shop Student Tech. @ Parsons

Previous experience working for a contractor throughout high school, 4 summers of residential construction experience

Letter of recommendations: 

Pool of 5 studio critics & program director @ Parsons, all alumni/former faculty members of schools applied to 

Schools applied to:

In:

     Cornell (AP - 2.5yr) - $14k/yr 

     UPenn (3yr) - $10k/yr

     UMich (2yr) - $25k/yr

Out: 

     MIT

     YSoA

Wait-list:

     GSAPP (not interested)

Open house impressions: (will update after visits in April)

Results: TBD

Tips:

Let your portfolio show who you are, do not adjust your work to “fit in” with a particular school; my portfolio was plain, simple, and straight forward, I let the work speak for itself without distracting layout designs

Get on your rec’s early, professor’s do not mind you nagging them, they are just as busy as you are and the reminders/updates help keep on top of things

Don’t get consumed by stress, this process made me very unhealthy, trust yourself and your abilities, the schools know who they want so present the work to the best of your ability, stay organized and on schedule and don’t look back; put your app materials on a flash drive and do not review them once apps are submitted, the 3 month would have felt a hell of a lot shorter if I did

23/M/China/

B.Arch Tongji University (expect to graduate at June)

4.25/5 GPA - V152/Q167/3.0 (for Int'l students) 

Work Experience: 4-month internship at a digital fabrication company

Letter of recommendations: 2 professors, 1 lecturer

Statement of Purpose: an articulated essay about'rationality'/ Portfolio: 2 projects of digital fabrication & another 2 of urban design

Schools applied to:

IN:

Cornell M.S.AAD($14,000)

UPenn MSD-AAD

UCLA M.Arch Ⅱ Suprastudio 

UMich M.Arch 2-year

OUT:

GSD M.ArchⅡ&MAUD&MDes

MIT SMarchS

Yale M.Arch Ⅱ

Rice M.Arch Option-2

Waitlist:

Cooper Union M.Arch Ⅱ

Awaiting: GSAPP MSAAD

I think I will go to Cornell but would definitely listen to some of the advice here... I think Cooper interests me for its location and faculty and I may have a good chance to get in from waitlist, but the fact that their program is not STEM designated is a real concern for international student like me...

Hi, anyone here going to GSAPP M.S. AAD? Received an acceptance but no financial aid.

Heads up to those who haven’t heard from Berkeley yet: I just called and we are on their version of a “waiting list.” It’s essentially a pool of about 100 applicants that may be notified after April 15th if they will be offered admission. This pool isn’t a list so it isn’t ranked... it sounds more like a lottery system. Pretty sure most of the deadlines to notify schools if you will accept their offer of admission is April 15, plus it sounds like chances of getting accepted from this pool are very slim. Kinda lame they don’t notify students in this situation of this status, but I guess it beats getting rejected? 

Where is everybody going?

.

26/F/USA

Undergraduate: B.S. Architecture / 2014

GPA: 3.6 | GRE: 159 V, 146 Q, 5.0 AWA

LOR: 2-3 professors, 1 from my boss at previous firm - I've worked in professional capacity with all the professors I asked for letters as well

Portfolio: 2 academic projects, 1 academic drawing project, 2 work projects, 1 competition

Schools: Taubman, UVA, GSD, GSAPP, MIT, Rice, YSoA, Austin, Minnesota (all for M.Arch, and some for dual M.UP / M.U.D.)

IN

• University of Michigan - MArch 2 yr. + MUD 1 yr (Accepted, $$)
• Austin - MArch 2.5 yr (Accepted, $$)
• UMN - MArch 2 yr (Accepted, $$)
• UVA - MArch 2.5 yr (Accepted, $$)
• Yale - MArch 3 yr (Accepted, $$)
• GSAPP - MArch + MSUP (Accepted, no money)

OUT

• GSD, MIT, Rice (applied for only MArch at all three)

Decison: Yale MArch 3 yr - the first year building project set it apart. 

Tips: 

Think of the entire application as one cohesive package. The statement should speak to the work you show in your portfolio, and vise versa. The graphic attitude of your resume/CV formatting and text should work with how you've set up your portfolio, though they are two individual documents. Rigor and attention to detail in all aspects should come through. Most importantly, you should be showing what is unique about yourself to the committee. 

Things like GPA and GRE can obviously help your application, but I wouldn't be deterred from applying because you think something is low. If you are hardworking and have a good portfolio, and can clearly state your thoughts in the essay, this can make up for it. I thought I was doomed with my math score, and my GPA is not the highest it could have been, but I was happy with the choices I had in the end. Although, if I had more time, I may have retaken the GRE to boost the math score. Your call, it is expensive. 

If I could change something about the way I approached the application process, it would be to reach out to professors and friends at schools I was applying to a lot sooner to discuss the schools and application approaches. I would also take more time to write my statements and get feedback. I only rewrote statements about 3-4 times within a month period right up against the deadlines, and I could have used more time in between to spread that editing out and reduce stress. In all, from start to finish, I spent about 2.5 months straight updating work and portfolio, researching schools, studying for GRE, and writing statements. However, I floated the idea of letters to those I was asking very early on. 

In the end, in terms of importance, I think I'd rank from highest to lowest: portfolio, statement, LOR, resume experiences, GPA, and GRE 

Biggest tips: You can never start soon enough! Show what is unique about yourself!

Now that I have finally made a decision:

26/F/US

Undergraduate: BA Urban Planning 2015

GPA: 3.8 GRE: 170 V, 160 Q, 5.0 W 

Work Experience: 3 years in real estate economics consulting

Letter of recommendations: 2 undergrad professors, 1 work supervisor. None are alumni of fancy schools, none are in architecture.

Statement of Purpose/ Portfolio link: Non-design background. Portfolio includes fine arts and graphic design (self-taught). Here’s my portfolio crit thread from a while ago.

Schools applied to (all 3/3.5 yr M. Arch)

In: 

• UTSOA (in-state): $10K off first year + TAship + international travel stipend (this was after pointing out an error in my first award letter that had me as out-of-state)
• Cornell: $14K/yr (they give this to everyone) + $5K off first year after begging for more money
• UVA: $7.5K/yr (was unwilling to negotiate)
• WashU in St. Louis: $33K/yr (this is a after tiny increase from negotiating)
• Rice: Full-tuition (after negotiating up from 50%)
• Yale (off waitlist): $7K/yr + need-based after telling them I had accepted a full-ride elsewhere

Out: 

• Harvard
• Penn

Wait-list: 

• Yale. Was accepted off wait list the day after decision day.

Open house impressions: Went to open houses for UVA, WashU, and Cornell. Highly recommend going to as many open houses as possible. It’s awesome to meet all the people in the same boat as you, even if you don’t end up at the same schools. Having visited other schools (Penn, UTSOA, Rice) outside of open houses, I really think it’s better to go during the organized events. Even though they're dressing up the program more than usual, you have so much more opportunity to talk to faculty and current students and see what’s happening in studio.

Results: It was an incredibly tough decision, especially thanks to last-minute curveballs (big scholarship increase at Rice and wait list acceptance at Yale), but I actually decided to decline my offers and reapply next year. A lot of different factors played into this, including some family health concerns and poor timing at work, but the simplest reason is that none of my offers felt like an ideal fit at the right price. I am lucky to have a great job, so working an extra year means I can save more money while refining my portfolio and doing a better job curating the list of schools for next year.

Tips: Future non-design background archinecters, feel free to reach out if you want tips. I definitely reached out to others through this forum and I'd be happy to pay it forward.

24/USA

B.s. Architectural Studies

GPA - 3.8

Work Experience: 2 internships, 1 year with structural engineer firm + 2 years with a good design firm

Letter of recommendations: Freshly retired teacher, Supervisor

Portfolio link: https://issuu.com/brookrb_arch...

Schools applied to: TU Delft (architecture) , KADK (Urbanism and Societal Change), Polmi

In: Polmi (I visited and did not like though, will not be attending)

Out: TU Delft, have received additional feedback

Awaiting: KADK (Urbanism and Societal Change)

Results: Waiting for Copenhagen. Should know by Wednesday.

Tips: My portfolio went from bad to what it is now by sitting down with my coworkers for two- 1 hour sessions. It can always be better though.