guiggster, yeah I would consider UW my backup school even though I found out they had about 600 applicants last year. extremely competitive.

how many did columbia get?

tontek:
do you mean UW as in seattle? If so, I didn't realize it was so competitive... crap, better get off archinect and back to apps

I wodner how many the GSD, GSAPP, MIt, and Yale get?
-Im sure that it is in the high hundreds

is there any way to find out those numbers?

Im sure someone here knows, come on spill the beans!!!

I heard from someone who applied last year that GSD had 800+ applicants. He might have just been bitter. Seriously, though, he had the best portfolio i've seen (imo) and, 14?? gre and 4.0 undergrad gpa, and didn't get in to GSD or Columbia. Maybe his letters or statement were bad?...

thats funny i know people that have gotten in to the GSD with lower GRE and GPA's. And I do mean WAAYYY lower than you friend.
What school did he come out of?

He came out of Berkeley, I think he graduated in 01 or 02. I also know people who have gotten into similar top schools with far less, but i've also heard that it is always hit or miss. I think there remains a certain amount of luck in the whole process, especially if they are seeing that many applications. I also don't think they actually publish the real number of applicants, so i'm not sure how he could find that out...

Another thing to consider, is that a lot of people send out a "moonshot" application. I know a few people who have applied to schools like gsd, columbia, yale, sci-arc, etc., just on the small chance that they may be accepted. They don't plan on getting in, but they figure if they have done all of the application work anyway, why not try for one really good school. I'm sure gsd gets a lot of these.

3 people from my undergrad got into the GSD. I still can't believe it

from my year 5 got in...
will I be the sixth?

5? where did you go for undergrad? I don't know of any from mine (ASU) but I don't keep in touch very well.

Oh, and sure you could be sixth. It sounds like gsd has high regard for your school.

Good Luck!!!!

Good Luck!!!!

sigh... my coffee from this afternoon. i think it's just being cruel to me. darn you MIT and your Dec. 15th deadline.

mit application form and fee are due on dec. 15. the rest is due on jan 2. according to the lady on the phone

Whoa, that's a dangerous thing to be spreading unless your 100%. Can anyone else corroborate on this?

has anybody been having problems contacting their professors? i got a hold of one...

all of my studio professors from 3rd and 4th year have since left the school. I'm having a great time tracking them down.

Oh, and I love the coffee cup, sometimes the whole world mocks you.

i made one call two weeks ago. that's what the lady said. i am not holding any responsibility for any thing. Please call and check for yourself to make sure. It is probably best to send all your material in by dec. 15, bc i think 99% of applications are doing so.

I wasn't questioning you likil, or saying you were doing anything wrong I was just saying, like you said, people should check that out themselves...its not something you'd want to take someone's word on. Very interesting though.

Just talked to the MIT lady. She said portfolio in by January 2nd. Which...uh...well...kind of pisses me off. Now I can't figure out whether I'm supposed to take advantage of this and take another look at my portfolio or just be done with it. i think i'm just gonna be done with it and send it tomorrow. Bah!

aw geez. this pisses me off too.

Anyone else worried about all your materials actually making it to the right spot? I am having transcripts, rec's and application packets all sent separately. Anyone else doing this? I'm just nervous about something getting lost. The rec's are out of my control as well as one set of transcripts. Oh well.

the schools i'm applying to prefer getting everything all at once. you can have recommendations sent to you in sealed envelopes before sending them off yourself.

I know that, but I don't have any choice if I want to make the deadlines. I'm just hope that everything makes it

oh God, i just found out about GRE, I had no idea it is required. But which one to take? there are two on the ets website, the general GRE or the subject GRE???

essay - 1%
portfolio - 25%
recommendations - 2/3

You should, uh...get going there pencebor. Take the general test...if you're serious about just having found out about it.

Hang in there guys-the application part is nothing compared to actually being in school-it gets more fun! ha ha ha

i keep having the nightmare, what if I don't get in anywhere?!?!?! just thinking about it makes me want to cry

and ya pencebor you're gonna wanna get on that, it takes a few weeks after you write it for your scores to get to the institutions.....

i'm going through the same thing, pete. i keep waking up in the middle of the night and working because i can't sleep. then i'm tied all day because of no sleep. i think i'll feel better once the applications are all in, but i can tell it is going to be a long few months. I'm also thinking i should apply somewhere where the odds might actually be in my favor.

I was thinking about some safe schools as well. Anybody know how tough it is to get into Pratt or Parsons? I don't know anyone who's applied to them.

i figured parsons was a safety school. but i have nothing to show for that.

i've been avoiding this thread. anyway. now that I'm trapped...

recs - 2/3
essay - 90% done for MIT.
portfolio - looking sexy

my top choices are gsd/mit

gsd- because i went to career disco, people there make amazing things, diversity, international, and they seem to be into concept and algorithms... and a stress on materials.

mit - because yung ho chang rocks. they've got a very interdiscplinary department, and they even have a "computation discpline". that's sexy.

i have amazingly sucky gre scores, but hopefully a kickass portfolio and personal/awesome recs will make up for it.

is anyone remotely worried that their gre scores are going to hurt them?

Safe schools...
I dont really think there are any.
Alhtough, I definetely would not consider Parsons or Pratt easy. PLus you will be paying maojr cash for them, that from what I have heard they are not really worth.
Try some state schools:

UF http://www.dcp.ufl.edu/arch/ has a great program, you can travel extensively (Mexico, Italy, Hong Kong, etc...), you can get certificates on sustainability, preservation, or Architectural Education. I urge everyone to check it out.

UVA, UT Austin, Arizona, U of Michigan, Washington, I have head have good programs too, and although I am sure they are not easy to get into, Im sure they are not GSD hard either.

Oh and UF's deadline is not until Feburary 1st-plenty of time nd is only $30- a steal compared to most schools.
http://www.dcp.ufl.edu/arch/main/applicant_how-to-apply.htm

Global Opportunities at UF:
http://www.dcp.ufl.edu/arch/main/resources_global.htm
I actually designed this map...

And Ill stop the shameless promotion, but I am proud of my alma mater, and I think that it is a great place for people to consider.

i was wondering about the GSD application: on p2 of the supplemental forms they ask you to list design studios and i wanted to know how other people filled this out.
did you list only architectural design studios or did you list studios like industrial design, or "introduction to design" type courses as well?

i think they're referring to arch design studios only. i left mine completely blank.

i have a BA with a major in architecture for an undergrad degree so i figured i might place out of some stuff in some of these grad programs. but looking at the gsd catalog and trying to figure out what courses might be duplicates of one's i've already taken is painful. i thought i'd have an advantage but it seems like i'm coming from the same place (no offense) as someone with no architecture background at all.
sheesh. i don't even know why i'm applying to the gsd. i doubt i could even tread water in that program.

a friend of mine currently at the gsd went to the same school i did and has a BA in arch. she didn't place out of any classes.... but you should give it a shot. you never know who they're looking for, right? heck, my chances are probably slim, given my non arch background, but i do believe that i'll be fine if i do end up going to school with arch kids... assuming i get into the way out of reach schools i'm applying to.

mlertpac did your friend place out of any design studios with her arch major?
for the design studios, at least i do have a handful of those, both architectural and intro design courses.
but for the other courses equivalent to classes during the first two semesters, it seems that any of the history/theory or building technology courses i took during undergrad are equal to a few weeks worth of a semester's worth of course material at the gsd. and that's not equivalent.

8888, nope. she didn't place out of them.

i'd put them down anyway if i were you. (-:

well i'm going to list my design studios.
but do you think its worth the risk to write down "equivalent" history/theory and building tech courses even though i know they're not equivalent? or is that just stupid??

hmmm. if you're totally sure they're not equivalent, i would leave them out.

right. that's what i figured. ok.

I didn't attend the GSD so can't speak for that program specifically, but when I entered my M.Arch program I had to submit course syllabi, and in some cases samples of my work, from previous courses in order to get final word on what I could place out of. Listing anything that was not equal (or very close) to the courses I was trying to opt out of would just have caused me a big waste of time - not to mention some embarrasment - once I got in.

I am thinking about skipping one semester off, and applying for spring 2007 instead of fall 2006. this will give me planty of time to refine my portfolio and everyting, but the worst thing i am worrying about is grace period of my loans....anyways, we all need some time off school....come on!