stop trying to figure out what the bare minimum is to get in. pony up and work hard.

if you want to go to MIT or whereever, make the best portfolio you can possibly make. get the best possible GRE score you can posssibly get and write the best essay you can possibly write. and if it's not good enough, revamp and reapply.

relax cowboy..

maybe dzuy wants to know if it's even possible for him/her
to get into one of these schools and would like to compare
what he/she has produced with that of an established

sadly i did not attend any top tier march school so i can't help
dzuy out.

yo, mr ants, all i did was ask some questions.... don't presume anything.

again, any input is appreciated.

larslarson, what school did you go to?

you're mom goes to MIT

er..*your*

haha, good stuff barns...

dzuy,

i went to penn state for undergrad and never went
back for my march.

i'm just saying that self-doubt and trying to figure out where you "fit in" w/ respect to other applicants is gonna be variable every year. just give it your best shot and see what happens.

btw. i didn't intend it to sound so presumptuous.

I went through the MIT MArc Scenario, while looking at schools. it all depends on the group of applicants you have each year, usually very strong work, like you would expect from a top academic program, usually about 30 spots per year within those there are several applicants that have other educational background, such as music, philosophy, science etc. they get to be part special group that takes a summer studio to introduce then to the arch life style, From my experience MIT look for intellectual achievements, open mined people with varied backgrounds and experiences.
I decided not to go there; most people there were interested in research and academia.
Give it you best shot, you will not fail if you try.

ants, all good....

i feel you.

im pretty new to the world of architecture.... im not necessarily trying to see where i fit in....i know where i fit in, im starting out. which doesn't mean anything.

i just wanted to see examples of what some schools considered fit for a certain "level".

merely examples that don't mean anything other than what the keyholders considered quality potential at that time.

'tis all.....

on that note, i guess i should ask, if anyone would like to share their application portfolio with me regardless of where you went, i would like that as well.

thanks!

Your GRE gives averages for profession...out of 180 pts for each category, i believe the verbal average for arch was 145, and the math was 155. but the GRE falls dead last on what colleges judge you on. Most schools will have their minimum requirments, but don't worry, i didn't hit the min for verbal at my Masters program, but they still let me in. #1 is your portfolio, and be ready to spend about 3-6 months of intensive daily work on it. I STRONGLY recomend this book, if nothing else but just to plan:
http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbnInquiry.asp?z=y&isbn=0393730956&itm=1

And get some good letters of recomendation and take the time to make a personalized letter to each school. Those are the three most important things (2 types of letters and portfolio). Grades...eh...

You might want to look at some previous threads such as this one:



portfolio 06

oh, and also....

letters of rec, thats something im going to have to get creative on to get, because i graduated with an electrical engineering degree, and have been working as one for a little over a year. needless to say, i was never the ace engineering student or employee....

i think in the next year im going to have to seek out contacts and possibly do some side design / creative work......

southpole, your link leads to microsoft site?

superbeatledud, great lead, that book sounds ace, and im on it....

3-6 months of intensive daily work on a portfolio??? shit, i have a very bad feeling about all of the applications i just finished sending in. oh god, this all seems like a very bad idea right now.

also check this out. I'm not trying to advocate for UC, but at least you can see a couple of DI's rankings for free instead of paying the 30 bucks for their magazine.

Don't use DI as the sole reason for picking your schools, but it's a good way to say "hey, what are the top ten" and then researching if any of them are a good fit for you. It's all about the school that best fits you, and not what best fits people's perceptions. It's the only ranking out there for Architecture, and I'll probably spark a lot of crying from others on this thread for posting such...but there you go.

keep in mind applicants are from different backgrounds, some with more architectural training and some with none. you'll be judged as such.

if you are curious about the quality of work that students of top-tier schools produce, simply check out their websites. many (all?) schools post student work on a regular basis - at all levels.

If your work is at, or above that quality, and you have a good GRE, and you can put together a good portfolio, chances are you will fit right in.... if not.... figure out what areas you need to develope further and concentrate on those.

MIT has an Open House in November (around the 1st week) at which they let you look at all of their recent (successful) portfolios. A whole room full of them...like candy. I found most schools wouldn't let you look. UCLA had what they called a portfolio workshop where they had a few recent successful portfolios and they flipped thru and told you what was good about them. Both are pretty helpful for seeing where you "fit in" but in the end your portfolio wil look nothing like anyone else's. So just go for it.

I gotta say, dzuy, I respect that you are going from electrical engineering to architecture. Considering the bachelors degree in electrical engineering has one of the highest average starting salary out of all majors, obviously you are not going into it for $$.

"at which they let you look at all of their recent portfolios"

Um. Oops. I never knew that. ...guess I'll have to steal mine back before Nov.... it's profoundly ugly. ;-P

Philarch,

i was never meant to be an engr. i could do it and i do enjoy a good problem and tech stuff, but i was always designing / and producing music on the side.

during the last years id go to work for 8-9 hours, then go home and work on something for at least another 8.... after a year of this i realized this can't go on like that.....

so then the question is, say we got a recent graduate. lets say average portfolio / potential.

what is the entree level starting salary?!

thanks!

nevermind, i just saw the salary poll....

hmmm, and those numbers are a good idea of what to expect even if a recent graduate is extremely talented, say top of his class, one of a kind portfolio, etc....?

Without really knowing how to respond to your idea of "recent graduate is extremely talented, say top of his class, one of a kind portfolio, etc" comment, I'd say that those numbers are typical.
In my experience, it's professional experience combined with job performance combined with talent that could possibly earn you a bit more money.
Other than that, I really think the amount you earn is based solely on years and type of experience, and the chuztpah (sp?) to ask for the salary you want. That, and working for yourself.
Other posters, please correct me if you think my assessment is off.