Hello, I am an international applicant for M.Arch programs. As I've got many tips from here for the application, I would like to share my status.

• Undergraduate Degree/ School/ Year graduated 

Bachelor of Architecture / International / 2020 Feb

• GPA - GRE  - TOEFL 

3.3 - 152V/168Q/4.0W - 105

• Letter of recommendations 

4 professors

• Personal Essay/Statement 

As GSD and YSoA have specific questions for the essay, I struggled to write them. For the rest of the schools, I modified MIT's essay.

• Portfolio

I had a writing sample of architectural theory, and the topic was related to Peter Eisenman's works. I added them at the last part of the portfolio for Yale.

https://issuu.com/choiyong/docs/portfolio

• Schools 

(In order of preference)

MIT, Harvard, Yale, Cornell, Columbia, UPenn, Syracuse

• Open house impressions 

I haven't been any of those schools. I am looking for the virtual open house of Yale.

• Results 

In

Yale + $$

Columbia + pending

UPenn + pending

Syracuse 

Out

MIT, Harvard, Cornell

• Tips

I believe it is important to show one's identity in the portfolio and make them related to the essay. The essay should be specific, and to be specific, you have to know much about the school. I believe that was the reason for the admission of Yale with FA. I am waiting for other school's financial aid, but I made my mind to enroll in YSoA, which academically fits for me. 

Thanks to everyone here for the useful information you've shared, and congratulations on all admittances!

U.S./F/30

• Undergraduate Degree/ School/ Year graduated
  • Interdisciplinary humanities / U.S. research university / 2012
• GPA - GRE  - TOEFL
  • GPA: 3.4
  • GRE: Verbal: 169 / Quant: 160 / Writing: 5
• Letter of recommendations
  • Undergraduate art professor
  • Former coworker
  • Studio instructor from GSAPP Intro to Architecture
• Personal Essay/Statement
  • Generally, wrote about architecture's responsibility to remake the built environment in light of the climate crisis. Discussed faculty members and specific initiatives, resources, and ethics that I admire at each school.
• Portfolio
  • Don't have this uploaded anywhere, but feel free to dm me for it.
• Schools
  • MIT, Rice, GSAPP, UCLA, GSD, Berkeley, Yale, Princeton.

• Results
• Haven't made a decision yet, but here is where things stand. Because funding is my most important factor, I'm posting actual numbers here and some additional context, in case it helps anyone trying to negotiate their package this year and/or future applicants. Happy to provide any further details or work together with other prospective students to compare our situations/share notes, so please don't hesitate to comment or dm. Would also be grateful to hear suggestions/tips/anecdotes on how to increase any of these offers.

  
  

  • MIT: Out
  • Rice: In; no aid or funding
  • GSAPP: In; $24K/year scholarship (merit-based) (covers a bit less than half tuition)

    
    

    • Future applicants: note that GSAPP *does not* give need-based grant aid, only loans. I only found this after I applied, by reaching out to the financial aid office. (Though if anyone has been told otherwise, please correct me in the comments and I will delete this.)
  • UCLA: In; in-state tuition + professional fee covered for first two years (out-of-state tuition not covered, and no guaranteed funding for third year) (merit-based)
  • GSD: In; $33K/year Tier 2 grant (need-based); $4K/year restricted scholarship (only guaranteed for first year; may or may not be renewed subsequent years) (covers about three-quarters of tuition)

    
    

    •  My initial offer was $29K/year in grant aid. I submitted an appeal to the financial aid office that outlined some details of my situation, and they increased the offer to $33K. The restricted scholarship was also added on post-acceptance.
  • Berkeley: In; $39K/year fellowship (merit-based) (covers full out-of-state tuition; can only be used toward tuition and fees, so if residency is successfully gained after one year, the leftover fellowship disappears and cannot be used toward living expenses)
  • Yale: In; $54,714/year scholarship (half need-based, half merit-based) (covers full tuition)
  • Princeton: In; $53,650/year fellowship and $3K/year stipend (same package given to all admitted students this year) (covers full tuition)
• Tips
  
• Not sure these are tips, per se, but here are some differences between my less-successful round of applications in 2017 (either rejected or wait-listed everywhere) and this year's application.

  
  

  •  In between these rounds, I attended the GSAPP Intro to Architecture program. Someone recommended that I do this program before my 2017 round, and I balked at the cost of the program/the basic idea of doing something like this at a fancy school and didn't take their advice. Then I saved up money for a year to attend, and am now glad I did. It is expensive and a significant time investment, but my (anecdotal) experience suggests that spending $6K up front can result in not just acceptances but in funding packages worth a lot more than the cost of the program.
  • The most useful advice I heard this time around was that you should approach your portfolio as an object. (I'm sure this point is entirely obvious to anyone with a design background, but as it wasn't to me ... sharing anyway :-)) The first time I applied, my portfolio was a collection of projects, laid out with some consistency but no overarching visual or thematic narrative. This year, I went through a few (very different) iterations of my portfolio before settling on one that felt sufficiently cohesive. I ended up cutting a number of projects that in 2017 I thought showed breadth, but actually just diluted the portfolio into something less succinct and more haphazard. The end result was almost half the size of what I submitted in the previous round. 
  • Another big difference between my 2017 application process and this year's process was that, beginning in November, I shared my portfolio with as many people as possible and asked for their feedback—and experimented with every single suggestion given, even if I didn't initially agree with it. Some of these recommendations that I didn't think would work ended up becoming cornerstones of the overarching design.

I have a question, now applicants to M.Arch 1 can be one of two things depending on previous background, either architectural or non-Architectural. 

so my question is this, does having an architectural background and therefore an architectural portfolio mean you’re providing more relevant content to the admissions team to judged you on? Or does that mean that the technical/architectural aspects of the portfolio don’t matter since they wouldn’t be present in a non-architectural background portfolio?

“Although we do not give specific feedback on applications you can plan on working on some aspects of your application that you will be able to impact going into the next cycle, like your portfolio, test scores, and personal statement.  The online application will likely hold all of your current transcripts and references which you may be able to utilize when the application opens up in September.”

Would this mean that the portfolio, test scores and the personal statement are the only 3 deciding factors on which you can be rejected?

HI, I had applied for Urban Design Graduate Programs

• Undergraduate Degree/ School/ Year graduated :

B.Arch 2018, Mumbai University, India

• GPA - GRE  - TOEFL 

GRE: V: 152, Q: 158, W: 4.5

TOEFL: 110

IELTS: 8

• Letter of recommendations 

3 LORs,  1 from Principal Architect in an India firm (Columbia GSAPP Alumni)

2 from Associate Professors in College.

• Schools 

Schools applied to:

1. AA, Housing and Urbanism

2. Columbia GSAPP MSAUD

3. Cornell MSAAD Urbanism TI

4. Carnegie Mellon MUD

5. Georgia Tech MSUD

6. UT Austin MSUD

7. MIT SMArchS Urbanism

8. UCB M Arch 2

• Open house impressions 

GSAPP: A really good overall program with alot of focus on climate change, urban ecology, etc. Loads of employment opportunities and an international travel study.

Cornell: A pretty flexible program, wherein the first semester, people study all 4 TIs and the second semester, they choose TIs. Can choose subjects from the Urban Planning or any department classes too. AAP Connect helps alot too.

Georgia Tech:  A good short course with a summer Europe Study Travel program and a lot of focus on retrofitting suburbia, urban ecology and possibility of dual degrees.

CMU: A good 2 year program with focus on computational urbanism, data analytics, UD studios and Real Estate development too.

• Results 

1. AA, Housing and Urbanism : Accepted ( No $$)

2. Columbia GSAPP MSAUD: Accepted ( No $$)

3. Cornell MSAAD Urbanism TI: Accepted ( $14k aid)

4. Carnegie Mellon MUD: Accepted ( $15k aid per year)

5. Georgia Tech MSUD: Accepted (Aid pending)

6. UT Austin MSUD: Accepted (No $$)

7. MIT SMArchS Urbanism: Decision Pending

8. UCB M Arch 2: Rejected

I really liked the GSAPP, GATech and CMU course as their focus is more on Urbanism and Planning but I got a good deal from Cornell as well. Spoke to students from Cornell, they said the MSAAD Urbanism course can be shaped into an urbanism course by taking the classes we want. 

What are people's thoughts from the "open houses"? 

I was very impressed with GSD and slightly disappointed with Yale's. The playlist of videos were nice but GSD seemed to have prepared very well for this with zoom meetings, breakout "rooms" etc.

I like Yale (and lived and worked in New Haven for years) but going on the two experiences I would easily pick GSD.. how do other people feel about the open hosues?

is anyone saying no to GSD and choosing yale or am i gonna be alone... lol

Hi all,

I'm very late to the party, and was working from some pretty restrictive guidelines that meant I only applied to some schools in AZ, NV, and SoCal. Still, here are my breakdown and results in case they help anyone in the future. 

U.S./F/26, applying for MArch I

• Undergraduate Degree/School/Year graduated 

B.A.s in Chemistry and Computer Science/CU Boulder/winter 2017

• GPA - GRE  - TOEFL 

3.56/4 - 168V/164Q/5.0W - N/A

• Letter of recommendations 

3 from past professors

• Personal Essay/Statement 

Was a little tricky since I had to explain my decisions to transfer undergrad unis from Rice to CU Boulder, to add a compsci degree onto my chem degree, and then to pursue architecture. Ended up framing it as a "journey for identity" - hopefully didn't come across as super pretentious.

• Portfolio

I am entirely lacking in any sort of design training (STEMkid), but I have some creative hobbies/background in applicable tech. So, I designed and knitted a sweater, analyzed the effect of a Conway's game of life-type cellular automaton on the population of Seattle, and threw in some sketches and watercolors. I think the project ideas/executions were okay, but I am pretty disappointed with how the final product came out. Graphic design ain't no joke, and my photography "skills" are laughably inadequate. Need to put in some serious work here before my portfolio sees the light of day again...

• Schools 

SCI-Arc, UNLV, ASU, Woodbury, USC

• Open house impressions 

Virus'd; didn't have the chance to visit before lockdown.

• Results 
  • SCI-Arc - in, no $
  • UNLV - in, bit of $
  • ASU - in, bit of $
  • Woodbury - in, half tuition $
  • USC - in, 3/4 tuition $
• Tips

I was hugely intimidated by the portfolio process, and could have saved myself a lot of time and worry by ignoring recommendations to look at other MArch I applicant portfolios until I was quite deep into my projects. Recommended order: decide on/complete at least 3/4 of portfolio projects, and THEN look at examples online for help with format, design, feel, and overall theming/cohesiveness. 

I don't really regret restricting my search to the bottom-left corner of the US, but I do regret not applying to more schools in CA, like UCLA or SLO. 

As for actual usable tips: as always, when requesting letters of recommendation, remember to bring up specific examples of how you excelled in a class/work setting/etc., or anything you did that gives your recommender reason to remember you fondly (e.g., one of my recommenders was working on a book at the time I took his class, and asked us to look for typos and mistakes in sections that he assigned us. I took this very seriously, found a bunch, and later got a nice personal shout-out in the acknowledgements, as well as a strong letter). 

• Questions

I've lived in Las Vegas since last year, but with the USC scholarship (renewable!), USC and in-state tuition at UNLV cost about the same amount. From what I've been able to tell, neither SCI-Arc's nor Woodbury's programs are a good fit for me, and ASU is prohibitively expensive for a location and school I am relatively uninterested in. Are there any applicants, students, or alums out there who were looking at a similar decision to choosing between USC and UNLV, given that tuition cost is about equal? Cost-of-living is cheaper in Vegas (around 70% as much, from what I can tell), but I like what I've seen about and from USC so far. What did you do, and why? Thanks in advance.

Hello everyone, I made a big mistake and I decided not to go to Cornell. 

However, I have already signed the lease a month ago. It was such a good location, pretty much right on campus, less than 10 minutes walk from the architecture building. So when I saw it listed, I signed it immediately. If you are interested in this place, just send me a casual email at [email protected], or reply it here. Thank you

Hey all, first off congratulations to everyone on this thread; it's been a long and arduous journey. I have decided to go to GSAPP after weeks of being torn between different choices. It was not my initial top chocie but I can't complain. 

Looking forward to meeting fellow new students who are also going to Columbia. If you have recently committed or know someone who has/will, feel free to hit me up (just shoot me an email). Or if anybody wanna just link and talk, lmk!

Peace out application cycle 2019-20 :)

A little late to this but...

24/M/Pakistani-British

• Undergraduate Degree/ School/ Year graduated 

BA Economics and Chinese / Georgetown University / Spring 2018

• GPA - GRE  - TOEFL 

3.75 - 164V/158Q/4.0

• Letter of recommendations 

2 university professors (History and Chinese), 1 from an architect in Pakistan that I worked with for a year 

• Personal Essay/Statement 

Wrote about some activist work I engaged in with local artists and architects in Karachi, Pakistan. 

• Portfolio

A mix of work (fairly theoretical) but with a focus on my work as an artist. Some of it was quite personal. 

• Schools (all for M Arch I)

1. GSAPP -- Waitlist
2. Yale -- In 
3. GSD -- Out
4. Rice -- In
5. UT Austin -- In 
6. Cornell -- Waitlist
7. U Michigan -- In
8. USC -- In 
9. MIT -- Out

It's been a tough choice and my top two options are Yale and Rice.

Anyone else making a similar decision?

Struggling with final school choice, would appreciate if anyone wants to weigh in on this. 

I'm between GSD and UT Austin, both for M.Arch 1. The biggest pro of UT Austin is that I'm a TX resident, tuition is super cheap, and if I can become a TA school will become practically free. It's a good program, but probably more chill and a bit less rigorous. Conversely, GSD is well-known for being at or near the top in terms of architecture education. I did get a pretty good scholarship offer, but it'll still come out to about twice as much as UT cost. My main goal from school is learning how to be a good designer, learning the design process from multiple angles, learning how to consider many applicable factors in a design (holistic design), and hopefully one day opening my own studio and returning to teach architecture. I'm 95% sure I'll pick GSD at this point, but I guess I'm dragging my feet because back when I couldn't even dream of getting admitted to GSD, UT was my top choice (also that Boston winter is rough). Best of luck to everyone else on their choices! Hope you aren't as confused as I am haha

Very late as well but I'm looking for advice, so:

24/M/Canadian

• Undergraduate Degree/ School/ Year graduated 

BA from the University of Toronto, Majoring in History, Minoring in Urban Studies and Astronomy & Astrophysics, Spring 2018

• GPA - GRE  - TOEFL 

GPA: 3.67

GRE: 169 Verbal (99th percentile), 162 Quantitative (79th percentile), 5.0 Analytical (92nd percentile)

• Letter of recommendations 

All from UofT professors: 1 from a senior member of the history department, one from a professor of architectural history, and one from a professor of astrophysics.

• Personal Essay/Statement 

My personal statements were quite different for each school I applied to, but all of them emphasized my diverse interests, and how they have prepared me (intellectually, artistically, and personally) to study architecture. I also talked a bit about my home city of Toronto, and how my dissatisfaction with the built environment here has fuelled my interest in architecture--more specifically, how I think we as a growing city have a lot to learn from the successes and failures of cities both larger and smaller than us.

• Portfolio

Since I come from a non-architectural background, my portfolio was kind of pieced together from the various visually-focused hobbies I've had over the years. Some drawing, some painting, some digital 3D art, etc. 

• Schools 

MArch 1 at YSOA, GSAPP, GSD, and University of Toronto's Daniels Faculty; MA Research Architecture at Goldsmiths, University of London; MA Architecture and Historic Urban Environments at Bartlett School, University of London.

• Open house impressions 

Wasn't able to attend any due to COVID-19. I've found the online open houses interesting, but I don't know if they've really helped my decision all that much. 

• Results 

1. YSOA - in with $34,000/year (composed, I think, of both need-based and merit-based portions. This will require yearly re-application, but they tell me I can expect a similar amount each year)
2. GSAPP - in with $24,000/year Avery Scholarship (and on the waitlist for joint degree MS Critical, Curatorial, and Conceptual Practices)
3. GSD - out
4. UofT - in with $5000 one-time entrance scholarship

I haven't heard from the British schools yet, and probably won't for another couple months.

• Tips

I don't know if I have any tips. Really, I'm looking for tips!! I got into GSAPP last year as well (with $18,000 annually), and had to decline my offer because I just couldn't afford it. Unfortunately, it looks like I'm going to have to do that again. Even with the Avery Scholarship, Columbia's high tuition, combined with NYC's cost of living, put it out of reach.

Right now I'm leaning towards Yale, but I'm still not sure. I have to say, forming a definite opinion all of these programs based solely on their online resources has been difficult. I think I have an idea of the advantages of each, the pedagogical approach, the culture, etc., but it's hard to tell for sure. So, Yale looks great, but I'm still having a hard time justifying the (still quite huge) debt I'll have to take on to go there.

UofT is, by comparison, cheap. $11,000 CAD per year, and I could live at home. But I'm not finding its program as exciting. Of course, the fact that I did my undergrad at UofT and know it well is probably also contributing to that fact. It's not new to me.

What do you all think? If money weren't an issue, I don't know whether I'd choose Columbia or Yale. I spoke to the FA offices at both to see whether there were any prospect of increased funding, but both turned me down. Is the cost (at least for Yale, which is a bit more reasonable) worth it?

Late to this thread but looking for some advice as well...

28/F/Asian

• Undergraduate Degree/ School/ Year graduated 

BBA in Finance / NTU / 2014

• GPA - GRE  - TOEFL 

3.2 - 157V/164Q/AW2.5 - 107

• Letter of recommendations 

2 university professors from Finance dept.

1 former employer (also worked in Finance dept. before)

• Personal Essay/Statement 

Mainly about my past experience and how I ended up deciding to become an architect.

• Portfolio

As my previous major is a bit far from Architecture and neither much experience in the relevant practice, my portfolio was mainly about personal projects related to my past experience and interests.  

• Schools

I was not confident with my background and a bit desperate, so I applied to a huge amount of schools (all M.Arch1) listed below...

• Open house impressions 

Wasn't able to attend any as I am far from the US

• Results 

1. All Ivy League schools - Out
2. UT Austin - In 
3. U Michigan - In
4. USC - In 
5. MIT - Out
6. UVA - In
7. Pratt - In
8. UCLA - Out
9. Sci-Arc - In
10. WUSTL - In

• Tips
  

I would say spend the most time on the portfolio and statement. Those are things really speak who you are and make you unique. I enjoyed the time when I was preparing for my portfolio and that made me even more resolute to the decision I have made to pursue architecture. I am thinking maybe the admission committee did see that from my portfolio since at the time applying, my past experience seems to be pretty irrelevant to architecture.

Thanks to this forum, I was able to get lots of useful info. I will be much appreciated if anyone can give me some advice on making a decision. 

I am now choosing between Umich and UT Austin. It looks like I am more leaning toward Umich but considering the tuition in UT is only half of the tuition in Umich, it's really a tough decision. 

Also, I am wondering if I choose to study in a town or smaller city, would it be difficult to find a job in the big city in the future? If the answer is yes, maybe I will have to reconsider it.

What do you all think? Any advice will be appreciated.

Undergraduate Degree/ School/ Year graduated 

B.A. Studio Art, Architecture/Sustainability (individual major) / St. Olaf College / 2018

GPA - GRE  - TOEFL 

3.9 - 168V V, 159 Q, 4.5 W - NA

Letter of recommendations 

Originally, I wanted to diversify my recommendations (between employers, professors from different fields), but then I realized that I should really only focus on who will write the strongest letters. This ended up being three studio art professors with which I had very strong relationships.

Personal Essay/Statement 

First, my statement focused on why I would be a good FIT for the school, not how great I am independently of them. I highlighted the specific research/studios/professors that aligned with my experiences and interests. In doing so, I talked about my experiences, my strengths and my interests in a more seamless way.

Second, as a studio art major with very little architecture/design experience, I knew that I would only stand out if I highlighted how I was DIFFERENT. I focused on my experiences in studio art and construction. To the extent that I mentioned design, it was only to describe that I created my own major during undergrad... something distinguishing about me. 

Finally, I tried my best to show, not tell. 

I knew I couldn't compete with students from architecture backgrounds, so I didn't try. 

Portfolio

My portfolio was about 50% studio art (from undergrad and an post-grad artist-in-residence program), 40% architecture, and 10% construction/building projects and occur in that order. Initially, I planned to do an even split between the three topics, but then I realized that I should prioritize STRENGTH over VARIETY within my portfolio. My best stuff came first.

Schools 

I threw a very wide net when applying because I really couldn't tell how "strong" of an applicant I was. Schools listed below:

UMN, UIC, IIT, Tulane, Georgia Tech, UVA, UNCC, UMD, U Penn, Yale, Princton, GSD

Yes, that was very expensive...

Open house impressions 

I didn't visit any schools before I applied. 

Tulane - This was the only in-person visit I was able to do. What a stellar program! Very small, cooperative, warm and creative. It seems like Tulane puts its money into faculty and scholarships, not their facilities (which were a bit lacking and cramped). They are doing a renovation though, so this should get better. The program has a strong environmental/social justice lean and is EXTREMELY well-integrated with New Orleans. At times, however, it felt like this focus eclipsed its role as a DESIGN school... which worried me. I would absolutely recommend this program to anyone though.

(I also had the pleasure to meet our very own JoeyTheGiant. He is a super cool guy and we have remained in contact since)

Georgia Tech - I was only able to see their virtual open house, but I supplemented it with many conversations with students and faculty alike. Overall, its another really strong program. Their facilities seem top notch, faculty are approachable, distinguished and their studio culture seems very healthy. While not to quite the same extent as Tulane, Georgia Tech maintains great relationships with Atlanta and the SE and it's highly regarded in these areas. The are a research/technical university so they definitely have a strong focus in that department with well-funded labs and lots of student engagement. If you aren't as interested in tech or research, I don't know if you'll gain the full benefit of the program but I would still recommend this school to anyone. 

GSD - Another virtual open house, but a stellar one at that. The faculty and students involved were polished and prepared and left a very good impression. They devoted a lot of time to explaining the core curriculum and showing student work, which I really appreciated. Of course, it's the GSD, so it has its own gravitational pull in many ways. The faculty are scary accomplished, the building is iconic and their network is broad and strong. There are definitely a few egos there, so if that bothers you, perhaps steer clear. I've also heard mixed things about their studio culture... a bit concerning

Results 

UMN - In with $$$

UIC - In with $$

IIT - In with $

Tulane - In with $$$$

Georgia Tech - In with $

UVA - In with $

UNCC - In with $

UMD - In with $

U Penn - In with $$

Yale - wait-listed

Princton - rejected

GSD - In with $$

After much consideration, I'm going with GSD. Wish me luck (I think I'll need it)

Tips

Focus on your strengths. If you have a non-architecture background, don't worry! Just do the things that interest you and document them well. Architecture admissions committees will consider you in a holistic way.

I gave myself two years between undergrad and M.Arch. This was a lovely time in my life. I learned a lot, had a lot of good experiences and I do not regret it at all. I'll risk sounding cliche, but it's not a race... its a journey, so try to take some time for yourself and enjoy it.

I have found that phone/Zoom conversations with students and faculty are the best way to learn about a school. They are better than an open house and certainly better than email. It can be intimidating but it's worth it. 

Thanks y'all!

I got admit from both University of Michigan as well as Washington University st louis for the master of architecture - 2 year program. Got no funding at UMich whereas have gotten a funding of 32 k at Wustl. Torn between both the schools. Please share your views regarding these schools. Any input would be very helpful to make my decision

Princeton vs GSAPP? Both 3 year M.arch programs. Princeton - Full tuition + stipend. GSAPP - half tuition. 

It's never too late, right?

Hope it'll be helpful for future TU Delft candidates, and perhaps it'll help me find some of my soon to be colleagues\friends :)

Israel\F\27

• Undergraduate Degree/ School/ Year graduated 

BSc Architecture (4y), Faculty of Architecture and Town Planning, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology. Will obtain my diploma in the near future.

• GPA - GRE  - TOEFL 

94.2\100  -  n\a  -  105

• Letter of recommendations 

n\a

• Personal Essay/Statement 

Followed TUD's requirements. Tried to give specific and personal answers to their questions, and to elaborate on my academic experience and its relevance to the research conducted at TUD. 

• Portfolio

https://issuu.com/meitartewel/docs/portfolio_tudelft_meitartewel

I really tried to follow TUD's requirements and meet all of their evaluation criteria (academic approach to the subject of architecture, knowledge of applied building technology etc). The portfolio contains 5 of my most recent academic projects, three of them are personal projects, some of them were not even finished by the time I've applied. I was trying to form a clear narrative to each project (this is how I generally work), and to express my thinking process through words and sketches. I could've keep working on the graphics of some of the projects, but I wanted to submit my application as soon as possible (since it's a rolling admission for EU applicants) and figured it's probably good enough for what they're looking for.

• Schools 

Only applied to TU Delft (architecture track). I know it's risky, but it was the only program that really made sense to me (other than staying at the same university where I did my Bachelor's). I hold a double citizenship (Israeli\Dutch), which makes it very affordable for me. I've also considered ETH (but I don't speak German) and AA\UCL (too expensive, and also it feels to me that they are much more representation oriented, while Delft is more design oriented).

• Open house impressions 

Didn't attend it, but I did get to visit BK City (Delft's architecture faculty) two years ago when I was in the NL. I was stunned. I've heard a lot about the faculty from some of my professors and colleagues who studied there, but being there was just an extraordinary experience for me.

• Results 

Got my admission letter this week! :)

Applied in mid February, took them exactly two months to send me their decision. 

• Tips

Get to know the school and make sure you really follow their instructions! They are clearly stating what they're looking for, and that was probably the most useful thing for me in this long process.

Are there any other students here who have committed to Penn as of now? I've been talking with some other committed new students about setting up a chat room for all of us on Discord or Slack. Contact me if you'd be interested.

Have any students that accepted Yale set up a group chat? Or is anytime interested in one? 

GroupMe

Did anyone hear back from washu after submitting the form to commit? I got a receipt for my deposit but havent heard anything else. Also is there a group chat already for incoming students?

Sharing it forward! I reference these forums over the course of my application process, happy to add to the bank of shared information for future applicants! 

Background
BFA / NY specialized university / 2016

Academics
3.77 - 170.156.5

I studied a mid-amount for the GRE? I spoke to some friends who have been on the other side of the application process who said that the GRE mostly factors into decisions around funding, and can sway your eligibility for certain scholarships.  

Letter of recommendations 
I did a bit of strategic selection around recommenders, looking for connections between some of recommenders and the different programs (ex. having been invited to lecture etc). Also, some schools seemed to really discourage recommendations from your professional career which I tried to oblige. 

Give your recommenders lots of notice! I started the process in August/Sept and shared both drafts of my application materials with them as soon as I could. 

1. undergrad critic/mentor, associate dean
2. undergrad studio professor, established artist
3. principals of the design studio I’ve worked for
4. architecture curator/writer that I’ve worked on projects with

Personal Essay/Statement 
This is the area where I found it so helpful to visit. I went to most of the schools I was applying to in the spring prior to my application season. While at each institution I took lots of notes about both big feelings and small details (interesting idiosyncrasies to the curriculum, conversations I had with students, how the studios are set up etc). I also took a decent amount of photos of things I found interesting. These notes both helped my decide where to apply and then were distilled into the part of my statements that was school specific. 

I determined what brought me to applying, what questions I want to study through grad school, and a rough idea of what I hope to do afterwards. This core collection of language I molded around the school questions and augmented with detailed observations about why each program was a good fit/why I wanted to attend.  

Portfolio
I broke my portfolio into formal project sections interspersed with dense thematic collections of more loose, sketchy, documentary, process work. This isn’t something I’ve seen in browsing other portfolios, but it felt right for the applicant I am and the work I wanted the admissions committees to consider. This is just to say that I don’t think there is necessarily a right or wrong way to build your portfolio, especially for us other-background students, as long as the form is considered and feels cohesive.
Not comfortable posting publicly but happy to share via dm

Schools 
MIT, Princeton, GSD, YSoA, UMich, UCLA

Results 

Like Kingsessing above, funding was my most important factor. They are all spectacular programs and I really believe in the flexibility and agency that low to no student debt affords young architects. I’ll also post actual numbers with context, in case it helps anyone trying to negotiate their packages. 

MIT: In with full scholarship and 5k stipend

• I hoped to increase the stipend given that it was my preferred program and the cost of living in Cambridge is absurd. I respectfully laid out my financial case with my liaison and they said that MIT no longer negotiates financial packages as in past years. They also shared all of the ways that school is able to offset those costs as you get deeper into the program (very well paid ta/ra-ships, lots of available hourly work). The impression I’ve generally gotten, and respect, is that MIT is trying to spread their funding more evenly through the class and that all applicants this year received a 50% scholarship. 

Princeton: In with 95% scholarship and 3k stipend

• This is class-wide for M.Arch 1 students, and non-negotiable. 

GSD: In with full scholarship

YSoA: In with 25,000 scholarship 

UCLA: In with in-state tuition + professional fee covered for 3 yrs

UMich: In with 48,000/year scholarship.

• I was able to negociate this to a full tuition scholarship. 

Tips

• I found it very helpful speaking to current students and faculty over the course of my decision making process.
• In terms of the application, I think it’s important to think of it as a single object with different facets. Allow the different parts to build off of and nuance each other, don’t waste space in your statement on information your cv provides etc. 
• There is no harm in trying to negotiate your funding! The worst that can happen is they say no. 

I'm going to MIT in the fall, very excited. Good luck y’all!

Has anyone here accepted UC Berkeley for the fall?  Is there an email list or group chat for those students?

Congratulations everyone!

Is anyone thinking of deferring or reapplying again in the fall? I got into UW, which is my no. 1 choice, but have not gotten any funding. I'm committed to the school but due to COVID19 and (mostly) funding it is very unlikely I will be able to attend. Just wondering if there's anyone in the same boat.

            Cornell AAP

Has a Princeton group chat been set up? 

hey fellow 2020 cohort friends, if any other M.Arch 1 applicants (with no prior architecture experience) had their summer “boot camp” prep-course canceled due to COVID-19, I have a friend who will be teaching private tech courses/tutoring online. He’s a second year M.arch at UCLA who also holds a B.arch. He’s already teaching Rhino, Illustrator, Photoshop. If there is interest, there is potential for aftereffects, premier, and grasshopper... super talented, brilliant dude. I gain nothing from sharing this info other than wanting us all to succeed.. here’s his email: [email protected] .. his name is Morgan. 

Hi all, I'm hoping that everyone is staying safe during this desperate situation. It's been tough.

Taiwan/24/M

I've been working and doing some mandatory military service after graduating and it's been a long journey.

• Undergraduate Degree/ School/ Year graduated 

B'Arch/ FengChia University/ 2018

• GPA - GRE  - TOEFL 

3.3/4 GRE V141/Q152 AW3.0 (it's terrrrrible I know TOEFL 100

• Letter of recommendations 

2 professors (design instructors) 1 friend of my parents

• Personal Essay/Statement 

Well, I guess the most important thing to do here is to figure out your strength and emphasize them. Start with your family with their influence on you and your academic achievements during school. Be sure to include any struggles and how you overcome those hardships.

• Portfolio

Portfolio

• Schools 

MIT MArch, MUD, Harvard GSD MArch, MUD, SCI-Arc MArch2, UCLA MAUD Mobility, UW MArch2, UCB MUD, Art Center Transportation Systems and Design

• Open house impressions 
• Results 

Offers: SCI-Arc MArch2  (No $ 
           UCLA MAUD Mobility (No $
           UCB MUD (No $
           Art Center TS&D (18k for 2 terms

Acceptance : UCB MUD

• Tips

Has University of Michigan released its decision for the waitlisted candidates for the M.arch program ? Any idea guys ? 

hello guys ... i want to study maad (masters in advance architecture design ) suggest some good unviersity it ll great for your help...

thanks for the help!

Hello everyone!

Congratulations to everyone! I have been waitlisted to Yale March ll and was wondering if anyone else is in the same position? Is anyone planning to reject their placement? Thank you!