smokety-
yep...its all about the freedom to do my own investigation and create my own design problems. what enthused my was that when i met with the med people, they encouraged me to do a design project. as someone who is looking to pursue a limited critical practice, this is exactly what i wanted to hear. ironically, everyone keeps talking about how princeton is improving as the institution becomes less theoretical. for a professional school, i think this may be the case...but i already have a professional degree.
also, i asked about the other med accepts and eeva sent me some info. very impressive bunch.
I wish I had known about this forum earlier - but it certainly was interesting to hear what you all had to say. After debating between Columbia vs. MIT, I think I've finally made up my mind.
School: Columbia
Program: MArch
Current Locale: Connecticut
Undergrad: Yale - Architecture
If anyone has suggestions on creative ways to fund life at NYC, feel free to share with me :-)
jieunybug: as for funding life in nyc, it's actually very possible to do so fairly reasonably, despite the astronomical cost of living there. you've got to be frugal and flexible, but i did my internship there for 6 months and did it on only about $6500. finding a reasonable place to live is the hardest part. if you know anyone living in nyc, that's the place to start, hit your contacts up for any info. i found my place though a friend of a friend of a friend of an aunt i'd only met once, at my grandfather's funeral... literally that strange. other advice, don't be afraid to look in brooklyn, queens, and jersey. get a subway map online to reference while apt hunting, and know that for the most part, if you're anywhere near a subway stop, you're also near the whole city, including columbia. it may mean a bit of a commute, but subway rides are great places to study/relax/observe if you have your mp3 player... :) that last part's sort of personal opinion/experience.
anyway, as for 'living' in nyc, there's tons and tons to do for free... weeknights, a lot of bars have all you can drink specials for $10, if you're looking for that.
jieunybug-
i live a few blocks from columbia right now. my advice for affordable rent is upper manhattan. look for the safer parts in inwood and hudson heights. hudson heights is the real-estate term for the nicer part of washington heights- west of broadway and north of the gw bridge. its actually quite lovely, safe, and near the cloisters. there is no nightlife, but it is convenient for columbians. also look in the east 90's- almost spanish harlem. again, not the most hip place to live, but affordable.
right now i live in a small swath of the upper west side called "manhattan valley". it is also very affordable, but apartments are difficult to come by.
school: undecided
program: marchI
current location: Boston
undergrad: geography, UT at Austin
Does anyone have any horror stories regarding accepting two or more schools offers?
My wife is applying to medical school and I am applying to March. However, she was waitlisted at a couple of very good places where I was accepted. Should I pay to hold my place at these schools? or is that ethically irresponsible?
texas2mass: wow, that's rough. i wouldn't think it's unethical, but then again, i'm not waitlisted anywhere and don't empathize as well with the stress of hoping somebody drops their acceptance.. :)
i'd say that it's your money, you know you'd be taking a soak wherever you turn down, so if it's worth it to you (which it probably is), then do it. i'm going to be apart from my lady for grad school and can only dream about how nice it would be to both be going to the same school...
good luck.
school: University of Pennsylvania
program: MArch I
current location: I'm sitting in the library at SCI-Arc right now... It's been difficult to make a decision - particularly because of the huge price difference between the 2 schools. I like that Penn is a University (with the benefits of being able to take classes outside of Architecture).
currently live: Philadelphia
just discovered this site. wish i found it earlier. i'm *still* deciding. i'm seriously considering turning down harvard for mit. help! is that crazy? thoughts?
warning, personal opinion to follow: HARVARD IS OVERRATED.
there, i said it. :) understand, i didn't go there, so my opinion means basically nothing.
mit on the other hand, i keep hearing good things about it. several of my friends going to grad school next year, who are some of the best designers i know, are considering it as a major frontrunner.
one other caveat about harvard - preston scott cohen is awesome. that's the one thing gsd has going for it in my estimation.
after being udergrad at MIT for 4 years i've decided to go to harvard for grad school.
i really sort of don't want to leave. no one ever wants to leave MIT. many people stay their whole lives at MIT, one trajectory from undergrad to faculty x 60 years. but I feel like I should try to go somewhere different even if it is frightening.
*crosses fingers and hopes some of the cool people I met who were deciding between Harvard+MIT decide to go to harvard*
one high energy, definitely psychotic, pink haired girl versus harvard, take one
School: RISD or bust. If that doesn't work out, I will wait another year.
Program: M.arch (2 year)
Current Locale: Milwaukee
Undergrad: BSAS-University of Wisconsin @ Milwaukee, Art History Minor, Urban Planning Cert., A.A.S
hey, thanks all for your thoughts. i'm having a hard time making a decision.
nervoussystem--i met you. we went to the r&d pub together the night of the mit open house. then we hung out a bit at the harvard open house. checked email in the library there. anyway, congrats on making a decision. harvard is lucky to have you!
i think there will be a lot of cool people at harvard. i say this based on people i know there now and people who i met at open house and whatnot... no one laid back, but great perspectives... as i figure it, the students are one of the best reasons to go there, because every school you go to, you hear people saying they learn more from their peers than anyone else.
that said, as i dropped my check into the mail today, i stood there for a minute thinking "did i just sell my soul?"
School: GSD
Program: MLA
Current Locale: Boston
Undergrad: Geography, Clark U
True the program is vastly overrated + open house was frightening; students were stresscases and faculty/admin convinced that the sun rises and sets over Gund... but after much deliberation...it looks like the best choice for me all things considered.
Ditto Nervous: for god's sake some cool people enroll at harvard. don't let me raise my ruckus alone!
the open house there was sort of like a nightmare
but at 12pm today I am heading to the post office, getting my $500 dollar money order and taking the T over to Gund
School: GSD
Program: MArch 1
Current Locale: Providence
Undergrad: WUStl
nervous: Hey, I saw you at the GSD open house. I was the punk who attempted to "contribute" to your conversation with Toshiko about green building, although I'm sure I made no sense at all. Regardless, "that guy with the wife" is indeed awesome. I'm going to e-mail him later in the week to see what he's decided on.
Deciding on where to go was a tough choice for me. Some of the other programs I looked at had some really fantastic things going for them as well.
Nervous and Sarch: hope i didn't offend. i should included the students along with pscohen... :) there are definitely some cool mofos at harvard. i only meant to comment on the program itself.
also, "overrated" by no means means crappy. :) when you show up at the top of as many grad school rankings as harvard does, it's hard NOT to be overrated...
admit it, kix. you got a 2 on your spelling GRE and thats what Sci-arc is looking for. GSD requires a perfect 10 on spelling. thats where SBC is heading. he's just a snob.
Grad School Final Decision...Where are you heading to?
Fairchild-
you decided againts daap?
School: UVA
Program: M.Arch Path A
Current Locale: Brooklyn
smokety-
yep...its all about the freedom to do my own investigation and create my own design problems. what enthused my was that when i met with the med people, they encouraged me to do a design project. as someone who is looking to pursue a limited critical practice, this is exactly what i wanted to hear. ironically, everyone keeps talking about how princeton is improving as the institution becomes less theoretical. for a professional school, i think this may be the case...but i already have a professional degree.
also, i asked about the other med accepts and eeva sent me some info. very impressive bunch.
School : UCLA
Program : MArch I
Current Locale : Charlotte, NC
School: UC (Cincy)
Program: 4+
Current Locale: Dallas
School: ITT Tech
Program: undecided
Current Locale: not sure
tiny, you're in? nice. if you buy a two family, let me know--the lady and I are getting bored of our place.
School: Columbia
Program: MArch
Current Locale: Seattle
Undergrad: English Lit.
School: School: SCI-Arc
Program: M. Arch 1
Current Locale: Brooklyn
Undergrad: State University of New York - Art History
I wish I had known about this forum earlier - but it certainly was interesting to hear what you all had to say. After debating between Columbia vs. MIT, I think I've finally made up my mind.
School: Columbia
Program: MArch
Current Locale: Connecticut
Undergrad: Yale - Architecture
If anyone has suggestions on creative ways to fund life at NYC, feel free to share with me :-)
jieunybug: as for funding life in nyc, it's actually very possible to do so fairly reasonably, despite the astronomical cost of living there. you've got to be frugal and flexible, but i did my internship there for 6 months and did it on only about $6500. finding a reasonable place to live is the hardest part. if you know anyone living in nyc, that's the place to start, hit your contacts up for any info. i found my place though a friend of a friend of a friend of an aunt i'd only met once, at my grandfather's funeral... literally that strange. other advice, don't be afraid to look in brooklyn, queens, and jersey. get a subway map online to reference while apt hunting, and know that for the most part, if you're anywhere near a subway stop, you're also near the whole city, including columbia. it may mean a bit of a commute, but subway rides are great places to study/relax/observe if you have your mp3 player... :) that last part's sort of personal opinion/experience.
anyway, as for 'living' in nyc, there's tons and tons to do for free... weeknights, a lot of bars have all you can drink specials for $10, if you're looking for that.
School: UCLA
Program: march1
Current Location: Saint Louis
jieunybug-
i live a few blocks from columbia right now. my advice for affordable rent is upper manhattan. look for the safer parts in inwood and hudson heights. hudson heights is the real-estate term for the nicer part of washington heights- west of broadway and north of the gw bridge. its actually quite lovely, safe, and near the cloisters. there is no nightlife, but it is convenient for columbians. also look in the east 90's- almost spanish harlem. again, not the most hip place to live, but affordable.
right now i live in a small swath of the upper west side called "manhattan valley". it is also very affordable, but apartments are difficult to come by.
for cheap food, eat ethnic.
big thanks to heterarchy & ice9 for your helpful comments :-)
school: yale
program: marchI
current location: atlanta
undergrad: georgia tech, electrical engr.
school: undecided
program: marchI
current location: Boston
undergrad: geography, UT at Austin
Does anyone have any horror stories regarding accepting two or more schools offers?
My wife is applying to medical school and I am applying to March. However, she was waitlisted at a couple of very good places where I was accepted. Should I pay to hold my place at these schools? or is that ethically irresponsible?
school: gsd
program: m.arch l
current location: brooklyn, ny
undergrad: architecture/italian, smith college
texas2mass: wow, that's rough. i wouldn't think it's unethical, but then again, i'm not waitlisted anywhere and don't empathize as well with the stress of hoping somebody drops their acceptance.. :)
i'd say that it's your money, you know you'd be taking a soak wherever you turn down, so if it's worth it to you (which it probably is), then do it. i'm going to be apart from my lady for grad school and can only dream about how nice it would be to both be going to the same school...
good luck.
dasein,
I graduated from Smith too!
Art: Architecture/
Archaeology Minor
What year did you graduate?
me:
school: MIT
program: m.arch I
hooray. i was beginning to feel like the only smithie going to architecture school. congratulations! funny, we will even be in the same city.
i just graduated last year, 2004. email me if you'd like, i would love to hear more details about how you got to this point, etc.
school: University of Pennsylvania
program: MArch I
current location: I'm sitting in the library at SCI-Arc right now... It's been difficult to make a decision - particularly because of the huge price difference between the 2 schools. I like that Penn is a University (with the benefits of being able to take classes outside of Architecture).
currently live: Philadelphia
ANYONE ELSE THINKING of doing a DUAL MArch/MBA??
yeah, me too, I'm going to Upenn/Penn Design
M.Arch II
If I get off the waitlist, it's SCI-Arc for the M.Arch I. Otherwise I'll wait another year.
amanda - why did you decide against sci-arc? i'd like to hear more about your impressions of the school.
Simply a formality, but...
school: MIT
program: m.arch, entering as Level 2, 2.5 years
current location: New York City
undergrad: architecture, UVA '01
I couldn't be more fired up for this fall...found the absolute perfect fit of a school....hope to see some of you up there...
just discovered this site. wish i found it earlier. i'm *still* deciding. i'm seriously considering turning down harvard for mit. help! is that crazy? thoughts?
Narnia, Hardly crazy, they are radically different places...
Please, I turned down Harvard for UVA
warning, personal opinion to follow: HARVARD IS OVERRATED.
there, i said it. :) understand, i didn't go there, so my opinion means basically nothing.
mit on the other hand, i keep hearing good things about it. several of my friends going to grad school next year, who are some of the best designers i know, are considering it as a major frontrunner.
one other caveat about harvard - preston scott cohen is awesome. that's the one thing gsd has going for it in my estimation.
after being udergrad at MIT for 4 years i've decided to go to harvard for grad school.
i really sort of don't want to leave. no one ever wants to leave MIT. many people stay their whole lives at MIT, one trajectory from undergrad to faculty x 60 years. but I feel like I should try to go somewhere different even if it is frightening.
*crosses fingers and hopes some of the cool people I met who were deciding between Harvard+MIT decide to go to harvard*
one high energy, definitely psychotic, pink haired girl versus harvard, take one
School: RISD or bust. If that doesn't work out, I will wait another year.
Program: M.arch (2 year)
Current Locale: Milwaukee
Undergrad: BSAS-University of Wisconsin @ Milwaukee, Art History Minor, Urban Planning Cert., A.A.S
hey, thanks all for your thoughts. i'm having a hard time making a decision.
nervoussystem--i met you. we went to the r&d pub together the night of the mit open house. then we hung out a bit at the harvard open house. checked email in the library there. anyway, congrats on making a decision. harvard is lucky to have you!
narnia you should come to harvard with me!
it will be cool!
regardless I'm sure we will meet again. I plan on visiting the MIT a lot (seeing as my boyfriend + all my friends are there)
I wonder what that guy with the wife is going to decide, he was awesome (you out there any where?)
for god's sake some cool people enroll at harvard. don't let me raise my ruckus alone.
I'm headed to the GSD as well. It wasn't an easy decision though.
Finally decided
School: Princeton
Program: M.arch 1-AP
Current Locale: Chicago
Undergrad: UW-Milwaukee
i think there will be a lot of cool people at harvard. i say this based on people i know there now and people who i met at open house and whatnot... no one laid back, but great perspectives... as i figure it, the students are one of the best reasons to go there, because every school you go to, you hear people saying they learn more from their peers than anyone else.
that said, as i dropped my check into the mail today, i stood there for a minute thinking "did i just sell my soul?"
School: GSD
Program: MLA
Current Locale: Boston
Undergrad: Geography, Clark U
True the program is vastly overrated + open house was frightening; students were stresscases and faculty/admin convinced that the sun rises and sets over Gund... but after much deliberation...it looks like the best choice for me all things considered.
Ditto Nervous: for god's sake some cool people enroll at harvard. don't let me raise my ruckus alone!
the open house there was sort of like a nightmare
but at 12pm today I am heading to the post office, getting my $500 dollar money order and taking the T over to Gund
School: UPenn
Program: MArch 2.5 yrs
Current Locale: St. Louis
Undergrad: WashU in St. Louis
nervous> I'd go to CVS for the money order if I were you. The Post Office will be crazed today because taxes are due.
cvs has money orders?
nuts
School: GSD
Program: MArch 1
Current Locale: Providence
Undergrad: WUStl
nervous: Hey, I saw you at the GSD open house. I was the punk who attempted to "contribute" to your conversation with Toshiko about green building, although I'm sure I made no sense at all. Regardless, "that guy with the wife" is indeed awesome. I'm going to e-mail him later in the week to see what he's decided on.
Deciding on where to go was a tough choice for me. Some of the other programs I looked at had some really fantastic things going for them as well.
Nervous and Sarch: hope i didn't offend. i should included the students along with pscohen... :) there are definitely some cool mofos at harvard. i only meant to comment on the program itself.
also, "overrated" by no means means crappy. :) when you show up at the top of as many grad school rankings as harvard does, it's hard NOT to be overrated...
what do people think of university of michigan?
i turned down penn and other schools because michigan gave me a free ride
i've heard wonderful things but....
thoughts?
f*?# it. I'm going to SCI-Arc.
School: SCI-Arc
Program: MArch !
Current Locale: Athens, GA
Undergrad: UGA
P.S. - SPELLING BEE CHAMPION, I realize the euphemistic spelling is a bit much. And I realize that 'euphemistic' may not be a real word.
admit it, kix. you got a 2 on your spelling GRE and thats what Sci-arc is looking for. GSD requires a perfect 10 on spelling. thats where SBC is heading. he's just a snob.
Actually, I got a 5. It's too middle of the road for GSD but the -3 in the sanity section of the GRE was just what SCI-Arc was looking for.
Props for SBC; somebody's gotta represent.
word
School: UMich
Current Locale: SoCal
Undergrad: UC Berkeley
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