Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-Arc)
Pratt Institute
University of Southern California (USC)
Tulane University
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)
Temple University
University of Oregon
Cranbrook Academy of Art
New York Institute of Technology (NYIT)
Kansas State University
March Personal Statement samples?
Hi all,
I have scoured the web extensively for sample MArch personal statements but have barely found any decent ones. I was wondering if any one would be willing to share (here or via email) a personal statement that they applied with? I am in the process of writing my own personal statement, and only want to gauge what sort of content and structure it is that top architectural schools expect...
Thanks!
nice try but you’ll need to come up with your own statement.
They vary a lot because it is a deeply personal take on why you're doing what you're doing. I don't think there's a need to see what other people wrote as their experiences and motivations could be (and should be) different from your own story.
Treat it as a design exercise. :)
Mine was “F**k Patrik Schumacher”
Agree with monosierra.
Also, each school/program has its own unique criteria/set of questions for the essay/personal statement/SOP. So, even if you read or referenced someone else's essay/PS/SOP, it could (and should) have been written particularly for the school it was made for and to the tone of their own writing style and personality---something that's supposed to be discovered/part of your own application process.
A good tip given to me by someone who got in GSD/Princeton SoA/GSAPP was that your portfolio, essay/PS/SOP, and recommendation letters (and your CV/experience, imo) should sync/compliment each other. Your essay should embody or speak aspects of what is presented in your portfolio, the people writing your recommendation letters and your personal experiences, and what you aim to achieve or explore with the schools you're applying for.
Indeed. Every component of your application reveals a facet of your experiences (As a designer, student, classmate etc) that the committeees will assemble to form a complete picture of you as a candidate as they work to craft a class of students that will not only excel in studio but also complement each other. The stuff you submit should invite introspection at your end as you develop them - Why are you applying to this school after all? I'd shy away from generic answers and dig deep to ask yourself what kind of designer you are and want to be and what you bring to the table. Most of these questions have actually already been answered in your other materials - the portfolio especially since it shows what you are capable of and what you are interested in - so no need to lie and make things up, or emulate what successful applicants had written. The letters reveal another aspect of you from the perspective of those who have worked with or taught you. All these combined form as cohesive a picture as possible - a very personal one too - of you as a person.
I've seen MBA essays and they are a LOT easier - because the Body of Work that those applicants have is their CV. They don't have portfolios (They have interviews instead) whereas you have a Body of Work. The essay gives information beyond that the visuals of that Body of Work doesn't show.
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