@Starkitect:

May I ask if you are a U.S. citizen?

For me, UBC's international fees are 30% of that of University of Washington, a huge plus. With a family it gets harder to move around, and I hope to contribute in the city where I graduate. so location is a huge factor.

I missed your question about 'reference'? I got my acceptance from DHL international mail and contains only very brief details.

anybody going to the Cornell open house from New York City? interested in sharing a ride?

 @ Ben C: Basically gathering information from websites, education expos, university staff and students I've interacted with over the past two years. obviously its not a concrete statement, rather an opinion. Apologize for any hurt feelings! But UBC is def one of best in Canada.

@ Larn:  I am an int'l applicant.  By 'reference' i meant did they send any intimations by e-mail first as to the decision as Ryerson Univ in Canada has sent me a mails regarding their decision. 

I deferred my acceptance to Pratt last year and was given 17K in the acceptance letter this year :) Will for sure be attending in the Fall. Anyone else looking into the M. Arch program at Pratt?

@morgan2sims , congrats on getting accepted to all NY schools! Have you made any decisions yet?

@Christain Lam: I am also from the US and considering UBC along with UT Austin, & UW.  UBC also offered a 5K scholarship so tuition becomes 6K which is ridiculously low compared to the 30K out of state tuition at UT & UW. 

Any input/advice anyone has on getting a degree in Canada vs the US, taking into account reputation, quality of education, & connections would be greatly appreciated.  The prospect of 6K per year is just too hard to ignore.  Couldn't hurt to hear anyone's thoughts on UT vs UW as well.  I've visited both, and was equally impressed by the students, facilities, and faculty.

Thanks for the help!

@mnikol4 

I was accepted to Pratt for fall also.  I haven't got my package yet, so unsure on funding.  If I dont get at least 17k I cant go.  Its just too expensive to justify for me.  Was your 17k just for year 1? or every year?

@SkiSteve

Yes my 17k was just for the 2012-13 academic year and the scholarship is not renewable. They say scholarships and TA's will be awarded to some second and third year students based on performance your first year.

I've been accepted to UW, Pratt, Michigan and CCNY. I applied to GSAPP and have not heard anything so I think it is safe to assume I did not get in or get waitlisted. Pratt gave me 17K and I am a NYC resident. Between Michigan and Pratt, what would you guys do? Mich also did not give me any money.

hi guys,

IN: USC (+28k scholar), Uni of Michigan

Waiting: UCLA, Sci-Arch

I saw people receiving UCLA admission here around these days but i just got their catalog via postal mail today...

Anyone considering michigan also? Seems it receives good feedback these two years from the DesignIntelligence ranking. Yet USC is also attractive.

I am okay with anything except parametric design. Any suggestion here please? I need to reply USC within a week...

@ngcorliss,

You're not ok with parametric design...but you applied to UCLA, Sci-Arc and UMich...? Those three schools have a pretty heavy hand in parametric design (though it's not to say that that's all they're good for).

is UCLA ever planning to release its decisions?

@byen01

What about GSD?

@byen01

yea I guess you are right, /-\ but parametric design is a trend for most schs.

I thk I was wrong in applying Sci-Archi though. 

USC also?

@k2886

Agree! I wish they could simply give me a yes or no

Just put my deposit in for the GSD!  ABout to reject Upenn, hopefully I can make someone from the waitlist happy :))

Tough decision ahead. Like a lot of you, I am torn between my top choice, dream school and the more affordable state school. I live a very simple lifestyle, and can accept accruing a lot of debt. However, after working it out, it seems IMPOSSIBLE to afford a school like GSAPP for me. I figure that I am looking at, at least $150K in debt (likely more if I expect to eat and pay rent). That will cost me about $1000/mo. (if not more) over the course of 30 years after graduating. I can see how this may start to become more reasonable later in one's career, but I can't figure out how people afford to do this and live in a place like New York making $45k-50k/yr early in their careers. It stinks to pass on the school you'd like to attend, but the cost seems unmanageable. I am missing something here? What are other people's thoughts on this? It'd be nice to hear from current students or people who've been through it already. Most likely, it's going to be Berkeley for me--which isn't exactly a bad back-up choice so sorry if it sounds like I am whining here. Also, still no official letter from Berkeley with info on funding...anyone know when they plan to release that info?

@ngcorliss,

I have absolutely no knowledge of USC's architecture program; you realize that you could find most of your answers on the school's website/searching the interwebs. You people are pretty crummy at doing prior research haha.

@jsnosh88,

Really, really tough choice, as when I was considering M.Arch programs, UT, UW and UBC were all on par with each other (see: equally awesome). Amazing design-build studios, great focus on sustainability, also great int'l opportunities (UT moreso across the southern border, UW and UBC for asia). If I were in your shoes, I'd probably end up basing my decision on location + any specific departmental programs you'd want to take advantage of. UBC's arch library is kind of dinky, though they might have expanded since I last visited. All three schools have LA and Planning departments. Really can't go wrong with either three. I think UT has that funky internship program too during your 2nd and 3rd year? Or something like that? I may have been drunk/thinking too much about Torchy's when I last visited UT.

usually when are ucla results likely to be expected...the wait is quite nerve wrecking honestly!

@emyen, @Michiganders @ Cornellians

I will be at UMich this thurs-saturday, so hope to see some of you there.

@ pillow

Also will be attending Cornell's open house on the 30th. I'm flying in to Ithaca, but from there I am heading to Providence if you'd want to share a ride back to NYC. I'd bet we will meet at the open house if you're there since it seems to be a small pool.

To people going to the UMich Open House this weekend, have you heard anything from them after you RSVPed? I also signed up to stay with a student host, but haven't heard anything from them yet.

I'm also going to Cornell's Open House as well! Although its M.Arch program is fairly new, I'm really excited to see what they're about, especially with the new Koolhaas lecture hall!

Anyone wanna sign up to tell me how the Michigan open house goes? I had no money to attend so I had to pass on it, but I would really like to hear some opinions. Let me know if your down to exchange emails / facebooks or anything. I will likely end up there unless the open house goes horribly wrong or something.

@Christian Lam

What country are you from? I'm also waiting for a UBC decision letter, but i'm from Australia. And UBC is my first choice. Fingers crossed. Really hope the letter comes this week.

@ pillow

I was about to post a similar request. Was looking at buses from NYC to Ithaca, and they were surprisingly expensive/inconvenient times. Would love to share a ride to/from Ithaca with you on the 30th.

"You're not ok with parametric design...but you applied to UCLA, Sci-Arc and UMich...? Those three schools have a pretty heavy hand in parametric design (though it's not to say that that's all they're good for)." - byen01

@byen01

I can't speak for the two latter schools, but UCLA is not heavy in parametric design. There are projects which involve parametricism, but it does not define AUD's culture.

@Anxiety, hm, I guess things have changed since I last visited 2 years ago - back then, almost all of their studios really integrated parametric design. Also, pretty heavy is not the same as heavy. Heavy is GSAPP. Perhaps I should have used "well incorporated".

I still havent heard anything from UC Berkeley.. Anyone know what´s going on? Are people getting rejected emails or do they only send out to those who are accepted..? 

Thanks for any info / updates on UC Berkeley! Good luck everyone!

hey guys is anyone still waiting to get a decision/email from GSAPP M.Arch I? Sound off!! I'm still waiting so that's- one

Also has anyone gotten any rejections from GSAPP M.Arch I? Does anyone have a clue how they are sending out these emails, this year?

I spoke to some people and they said they got emails yesterday? yesterday? telling them they are on the waiting list... No one is in school on sundays, right?

I have yet to hear from UC Berkeley either. Maybe they're still working on financial aid packages? Who wants to be the brave soul to email the department to figure out what's going on?

@LUcive

I actually emailed them on friday, after reading alot of people got accepted last week...

But I´ve also read that people who are rejected do get rejected emails.. And still nothing..!

I´m international, are they accepting / rejecting us last..? gettin crazy of all the wainting now!

Thanks all for the comments. I'll be attending the open houses and think I am down to deciding between Pratt & Parsons now. I'll keep you posted.

@ChristianLam - let me know what you decide - it's a tough choice.

@mnikol4 - Did you find out about your scholarship from Pratt in the email acceptance? I only received confirmation I got in via email this past week, haven't gotten a package yet. 

Any idea in general when the financial aid packages are supposed to come for any of the following - Pratt, Parsons, AAU, CCA, UW?

I just received a email from UCLA it's sort of like a greeting mail more than an official admission mail though it congratulate me on acceptance. I guess there are delay on mails for international students as they may not be using FedEx or dhl but normal postal mail for delivery :)now choosing between UMich, USC, UCLA ... Out for Yale :(

@LUcive and erlb, I called the Berkeley CED last Friday and was told that more formal notices (acceptances I suppose) would be sent out Monday or "soon". I didn't get anything today, and have been waiting a good 10 days now since I got the unofficial acceptance email. I share your frustration. I just sent them an rsvp for the open house on the 1-2nd of April, and have no idea how much financial aid I will be getting which will be a deciding factor. Hang in there...

On the other hand, has anybody heard anything from SCI-Arc regarding the M.Arch I program? It's the last of my top choices I am waiting to hear from.

@GSDers,

https://www.facebook.com/groups/262823457136785/ this is the facebook group created by Karimi. 19 users so far, I'm sure there must be more people here accepted or attending to GSD.

In another subject, has anyone find out something about SCI-Arc (by mail or phone?)

i find it relatively disturbing that so many people have applied and been accepted to competitive programs while clearly holding a misunderstanding of what 'parametric design' actually is. maybe it's just a semantic issue, but 'parametric design' literally refers to the use of parameter constraints as a tool that eliminates work redundancy. any contemporary drafting software, when used properly, is parametric to a degree, and i think it should be seen as tool or set of tools rather than a design philosophy. if what you're actually referring to is algorithmic or emergent design, then i understand your hesitation about some of the schools to which you applied and/or been accepted to. but that begs the question of whether you completed adequate research prior to applying, about both the discipline of architecture and the nature of the schools whose names you liked. given the high rate of attrition and disappointment in architecture, you may come to find you've likely taken a spot from someone who would might have been more fitting to a program than you were, even if they didn't shine as much on paper.

that said, i'm also worried by some of the trite, one-line descriptions that people are using to describe programs that are far too multifaceted to treat as such. i think it's far more important to take into consideration a comparative side-by-side analysis of factors, of which perceived institutional direction is but one aspect. class size, studio structure, faculty advisory capacity, physical location, physical studio arrangement, and cost are all important factors that are largely recognized, but i think people often put too little time into understanding the kind of student that programs like to accept and to produce. if someone is trying to decide between princeton and the gsd, for example, then the clear answer to that is the gsd. not because it's better- for me, personally, the reverse couldn't be more true- but because the intent of the princeton program is much more cerebral (as opposed to theoretical, which i think is a ridiculous misunderstanding). the gsd, being much larger and catering to a less specifically-oriented student, would probably allow for a wider range of flexibility and study paths.

ultimately, visiting programs is the most important thing you can do, followed by analyzing student work (not just looking at pretty pictures- actually understanding the gist and gristle of the content) and corresponding with actual, current students and faculty.

thanks for the update smwong!

@jpugarte1

I'll be attending GSD, but i don't have a facebook. that makes 20.
Who is going to NYC for the reception after Open House? I'll be hanging out there for a few days before going back home.

@m3tropolis,

Nice to know! I'm not going, but a few people on the group have told they were attending. Which program did you apply to? 

when are the parsons and pratt open houses? anyone know?

@jpugarte1

M.Arch I, you?

Got the weirdest acceptance email from Cal Poly Pomona. It basically said that they know that many people have other options and that the primary reason that people apply to their programs is because it is affordable. If I didn't reply to them to confirm my continued interest, within a week, they would give my spot to another person. It was a pretty negative email, and it really seems like they care very little about convincing people to enroll in their program. This is on top of the fact that I had to send my transcripts and letter of recommendation to them twice and that my gre scores never got to the architecture department even though their testing center received them.

  Anyways, results so far:

In: GSD +$$, UCB +?, CCA w/ 3k/yr +?, Cal Poly Pomona +?

Out: YSOA

Pending: SCI-Arc

@ngcorliss did you apply for march 1 or 2? i wrote them a mail asking abt results nam cham says ill hear within 4 weeks!

@k2886

MArch 1

@mrkl28: I'm from Singapore.

@m3tropolis,

M.Arch 2

@tplf07

If it's simply a decision based on the quality of education, I would choose UW.

If location, cost, diversity are thrown into the mix, I have to say UBC.

Somehow the student work, program, faculty in UW are just a notch more impressive in my opinion. Yet, my family loves Vancouver and I am also looking forward to living and working there.

I can't help but feel i couldn't have the best of both worlds and hate the feeling of looking back as if I am missing something either ways. With a family, mobility is a constraint and connections with the local community are important. Thus, studying in UW and moving to Vancouver later is not really a viable option.

any views?

@nothing_engine,

It totally is really sad to know that some people are very well selecting which schools to apply to solely by its name recognition (which seems like a HUGE waste of $, resources, and time). Also blows my mind as to how they even wrote personal statements without stating specific reasons/goals. One thing to add to your list, people should not only be visiting the schools, but also sitting in on classes and studios, speaking with professors about what financial position the department is in, what direction the chair/director is taking the program, what flaws students and former students see/saw in the program. I feel like a spent weeks just doing research on each school I applied to.

Also, when I think of parametric architecture, I think of generative design driven by algorithms. Hence why I still think UCLA, Sci-Arc, and UMich are strong schools for learning these tools.

@byen

Completely agree with you. There is something to be said about name recognition of a school, especially if one is interested in a future career in academia or with certain starchitects probably, yet one's work in school and in firms they work for (I would hope) is how success is made. There is the old saying "it's not what you learn, but the people you meet" (and variations) but I would argue what matters more is what you do. I like the questions you posited for the schools, I have an ongoing list that I probably won't be able to exhaust at open houses. 

Regarding parametricism, I think that word has been appropriated by the domain of algorithmic / generative design (what I would ally most with the work at GSAPP). Although we could have countless discussions involving the semantics of those terms, in popular culture they seem to be largely interchangeable.

@Cornellians

Check the Cornell website for travel info.. there is a campus to campus service from the Ithaca to NYC sites (and in reverse) for a reasonable price.

http://transportation.fs.cornell.edu/coach/schedule/default.cfm

wishing there was a good way to get to Boston from Cornell, seems like its pretty much mandatory to go through NYC first unless I want to drop $80 to get to the Syracuse Amtrak station.. sheesh!

@byen01 & @nothing_engine

I completely agree with both of you and wished that I could do the same.

The reality is it is quite impossible for someone like me, who firstly didn't have any experience in this field, and second, thousand miles away to make an informed decision like what you guys did. A flight to visit an open house probably cost me $2k, notwithstanding the 24hour journey each way. During application, I simply have to based my choices on reputation, program emphasis, finances, location etc given time and resource constraints. While it would be excellent to go down to details like the specialty of each professor, it is a luxury to me.

That is why the sharing on platforms like this becomes important, although admit we cannot simply based our decision on mere words from others.

@byen01: From your previous post, I hear that you considered UW and UBC. Could you share in detail your findings? Your honest views will be most appreciated

@Christian, yes, a few years ago I did look at UW and UBC for an M.Arch, and very much liked both. At that time, I was focused on design/build labs (Badanes @ UW is a db god, I kid you not). UBC had some great vertical studios. The Green Skins Lab, Integrated Design Lab, and Urban Design Certificate @ UW were all of interest as well. Lots of student involvement with the production of Column 5, and there were great furniture design courses at UW. I was really interested in lighting design then, so UW was particularly attractive. Errr, UBC's M.Archs are housed with the LAs, but the Planning dept is considered a separate entity (not sure how easily one could take planning courses). I think UBC allows student to take classes at Emily Carr Uni and Simon Fraser though. I really can't remember too much about the specifics, though, and all my notes I made are a bit...chicken scratch-y.

There's a somewhat recent UBC archinect blog by...Mike? Read through that.