Yeah I know it's still early (I'll be applying late this year for Fall '07), but I can't help but obsess about applying to grad. school.
From reading the posts here, one would get the impression that you all got accepted to either your first or second choices.
Does anyone NOT get accepted? I'm not saying that you guys are stupid or anything, quite the opposite! I do wonder, however, what it takes to be rejected from grad school. That's my first question.
Secondly, I have this secret fantasy of actually applying to Columbia and getting accepted. Those of you who got accepted to top tier Arch. grad schools, what is your secret? Did you get straight A's in BA or did you blow them away with your amazing porfolio or did you single handedly invent a new theory of architectural design. What? What does it take?
Yes, some people get rejected. Actually with so-called "top tier" schools the acceptance rates range from only about 10% to 30% - so quite a lot of people do get rejected. Some of them try multiple years and eventually get into their first-choice schools while others reassess their options and make other choices.
Perhaps people just don't report back as often when they get rejected - afterall many of the threads at this point are more about "which of these schools should I pick". So those people who have more limited choices - or perhaps didn't get in anywhere they want to go - don't always have as much reason to report back.
I suppose that the average applicant applies to a range of schools, so that if they don't make one that they consider a long-shot they still have some good options. Other people have different philosophies - i.e. their first choice or nothing.
As for what matters: there are already so many threads on that - it might help to search through some older ones. The short version: in most cases portfolio and references far outweigh grades and GRE scores. High scores and grades can't hurt but just aren't a major factor in most schools' decisions. Statements of purpose are very important for some people applying to some schools, while in other cases they may not be as important...
i didn't really revamp the content, i just displayed it better...clearer. there were a few new projects. my GRE scores aren't fantastic, but that's never been the issue, as far as im told. i scored 1100/4.5
Well, I applied to Columbia, Princeton and Yale and was rejected by all. But after reading about MArch06's three year architectural application program, I am encouraged to give it another go. I have to be a little more realistic I suppose.
Applied to grad schools three times too
1st time- got in 3/5 (didn't end up going for other reasons)
2nd time- got in 1/3 (accepted to Rice, but no $$$$)
3rd time- got in 5/10 (chose Penn-- soon to graduate)
Takes persistence- but don't lose hope if you don't get in the first (or second) time round. My advice is to really work on the portfolio (spent a good 2-3 months on it while I was working) and visit schools/ talk to faculty and students. Also, shoot for a range of schools unless you feel like you have sure shot at 1 or 2.
You guys really WERE persistent. It's good to know that others out there didn't necessarily make it in on the first shot.
Not having an Architecture background I guess you could say I'm feeling rather insecure about a) my portfolio b) my statement of intent c) my recommendation letters. (Basically insecure about everything right now).
I just can't fathom how to market myself as a potentially successful grad school candidate.
I mean, I have my share of successes. I haven't just been sitting around picking my nose for the last 8 years. I spent 2.5 years in Japan teaching English and Studying Japanese, after which I basically forced my way into a stagnated IT industry, taught myself how to manage project, how to program, and I'm teaching myself how to draw.
It's just daunting for me to try to figure out how to structure all of that into conveying the message that 'this is the candidate you want!'.
I think talking to faculty is going ot be my very next step. I just don't want to look like a dumbass. I have to remember that its OKAY that I don't fully understand (and probably never will fully understand) the field of Architecture.
yes, everybody gets into school...but its fools gold since not everybody can score a sweet (or even decent) job after graduation...proceed with caution
Applied to UC Berkeley 2 times
Got in the 2nd.
The essay and portfolio have the most weight... in that order (at least for UCB). If you come up with what would qualify as a new architectural theory, great! But generally your essay should not sound like a thesis. They want to see that you care, that you are able to answer questions with more questions (that's what all academia is about anyway), that you portfolio looks good, content and presentation.
fenstre- don't worry too much about trying to be "this is the candidate you want!" and focus more on this "this is who I am and this is why I want to study architecture." Schools have a way of seeing who you are through your portfollio and essay and can tell who would be a good fit or not.
I didn't have a background in architecture myself. Looking back at my first essay, I realized that I was trying to show too hard that I knew alot about architecture, etc. instead of letting myself come through in the essay. Fact is- you don't need to demonstrate knowledge of architecture in your essay- that's why you're going to grad school in the first place. Many schools actually prefer that you come with a clean slate, because it's easier to train you if you don't come with preconceived notions. Demonstrate that (a) you know who you are and what your skills are (b) you know why you want to pursue a degree in architecture (c) you know how your previous experiences will serve you well in your studies
do your parents a favor and go to a state school. they are just as dysfunctional as the ivies but cost much less. your folks will like you so much they may let you design their dreamhome after chauffering you around the local parade of homes while you take notes as to what they love...
fenstre - i think there are a lot of people like you and me - it took me a couple of years to figure out how to apply to arch. grad school and if i had applied blindly i'm pretty sure i would have been rejected by everyone.
taking the summer academy at UT (similar programs offered at SCI-Arc, GSD, UCLA - i think) was a HUGE help to me to figure out how to build a portfolio (no art/design/ arch background here) and i was told that the design/layout/construction could be more important than the work within. the only work i had to show was photography but i think i did a snappy job designing the portfolio.
i've been accepted at UT Austin, Wash., U and Tulane (so far) and waitlisted at U. Washington and rejected from Penn. Penn was my longshot anyway and i'm thrilled to be into UT Austin. a great school and cheap! i had no idea what my chances were for getting in as i knew that portfolio and personal statement were key but wasn't sure how mine stacked up so i applied across the gamut from u of houston to rice and penn. and so far i've been very pleasantly surprised with the results.
I would love to take a summer Arch. program, but unfortunately I have to work. I think the reason that I am feeling the pressure is becuase I'm already 29 and I"ll be 30 by the time I actually apply. The financial pressure coupled with feeling like time is running out (age wise) is motivating me to learn as much as I can about this process, and hopefully make it in somewhere half way decent on the first shot.
I honestly don't know if I could stomach having to wait another year to try again. I'm sure that I would grin and bear the dissappointment and get back on the horse in '08 because I know I want to do this, but I would like to not have a head of gray hair by the time I start school.
Congratulations on UT Austin! In a former life I was planning on going to Law School there. Austin is an awesome city isn't it?
i'm laughing b/c i too considered UT for law schools - took the LSATS and everything. my brother, dad and uncle all went there. and austin rocks. i moved back here from nyc to get residency hoping i'd get accepted into the program.
and i'll be 28 upon matriculation so i hear you on the age thing too. but one thing i LOVE about architecture is that it's an old person's game (not that there aren't fabulous young architects out there) and i think that i'll only get better the more i learn, see and experience. i plan on practicing until i die :) and learning every step of the way.
the grad advisor told me that there will be someone in my class who is 35 and a math professor and he said that math is a young man's game and architeture is an old man's game. it's never too late to start a new career.
and the financial pressure is hard - and i was lucky to have a supportive job that let me take 5 weeks off to do the summer academy. i think you're in a good place and the information you're getting here will serve you well. good luck!
Freaky. I was going ot move to Austin to get residence because the law school is super cheap is you're a resident. Then I got kinda sidetracked with a relationship, foreign travel blah blah. Thank god though because I would be a lawyer now. That would have sucked!
Good luck to you too! Maybe I'll bump into you at UT someday. I'll be applying there also. Maybe I should just move to Austin now. I love Chicago, but 2 seconds of summer is getting old.
jonathan, wow...where did you get that information? i am deciding between re-applying and hopeing to get in to my first choice UCLA or accepting my second choice UTexas. maybe i shouldn't risk it.
Does anyone NOT get in?
Yeah I know it's still early (I'll be applying late this year for Fall '07), but I can't help but obsess about applying to grad. school.
From reading the posts here, one would get the impression that you all got accepted to either your first or second choices.
Does anyone NOT get accepted? I'm not saying that you guys are stupid or anything, quite the opposite! I do wonder, however, what it takes to be rejected from grad school. That's my first question.
Secondly, I have this secret fantasy of actually applying to Columbia and getting accepted. Those of you who got accepted to top tier Arch. grad schools, what is your secret? Did you get straight A's in BA or did you blow them away with your amazing porfolio or did you single handedly invent a new theory of architectural design. What? What does it take?
-J
Yes, some people get rejected. Actually with so-called "top tier" schools the acceptance rates range from only about 10% to 30% - so quite a lot of people do get rejected. Some of them try multiple years and eventually get into their first-choice schools while others reassess their options and make other choices.
Perhaps people just don't report back as often when they get rejected - afterall many of the threads at this point are more about "which of these schools should I pick". So those people who have more limited choices - or perhaps didn't get in anywhere they want to go - don't always have as much reason to report back.
I suppose that the average applicant applies to a range of schools, so that if they don't make one that they consider a long-shot they still have some good options. Other people have different philosophies - i.e. their first choice or nothing.
As for what matters: there are already so many threads on that - it might help to search through some older ones. The short version: in most cases portfolio and references far outweigh grades and GRE scores. High scores and grades can't hurt but just aren't a major factor in most schools' decisions. Statements of purpose are very important for some people applying to some schools, while in other cases they may not be as important...
this makes my third time applying.
first year - 0/4
second year - 0/4
this year - 3/3
i didn't really revamp the content, i just displayed it better...clearer. there were a few new projects. my GRE scores aren't fantastic, but that's never been the issue, as far as im told. i scored 1100/4.5
Well, I applied to Columbia, Princeton and Yale and was rejected by all. But after reading about MArch06's three year architectural application program, I am encouraged to give it another go. I have to be a little more realistic I suppose.
I was rejected by Harvard and Yale, and accepted at Penn, Wash U and U of W back in '04.
Applied to grad schools three times too
1st time- got in 3/5 (didn't end up going for other reasons)
2nd time- got in 1/3 (accepted to Rice, but no $$$$)
3rd time- got in 5/10 (chose Penn-- soon to graduate)
Takes persistence- but don't lose hope if you don't get in the first (or second) time round. My advice is to really work on the portfolio (spent a good 2-3 months on it while I was working) and visit schools/ talk to faculty and students. Also, shoot for a range of schools unless you feel like you have sure shot at 1 or 2.
Thanks for the responses!
You guys really WERE persistent. It's good to know that others out there didn't necessarily make it in on the first shot.
Not having an Architecture background I guess you could say I'm feeling rather insecure about a) my portfolio b) my statement of intent c) my recommendation letters. (Basically insecure about everything right now).
I just can't fathom how to market myself as a potentially successful grad school candidate.
I mean, I have my share of successes. I haven't just been sitting around picking my nose for the last 8 years. I spent 2.5 years in Japan teaching English and Studying Japanese, after which I basically forced my way into a stagnated IT industry, taught myself how to manage project, how to program, and I'm teaching myself how to draw.
It's just daunting for me to try to figure out how to structure all of that into conveying the message that 'this is the candidate you want!'.
I think talking to faculty is going ot be my very next step. I just don't want to look like a dumbass. I have to remember that its OKAY that I don't fully understand (and probably never will fully understand) the field of Architecture.
Again, thanks you guys!
J
yes, everybody gets into school...but its fools gold since not everybody can score a sweet (or even decent) job after graduation...proceed with caution
Applied to UC Berkeley 2 times
Got in the 2nd.
The essay and portfolio have the most weight... in that order (at least for UCB). If you come up with what would qualify as a new architectural theory, great! But generally your essay should not sound like a thesis. They want to see that you care, that you are able to answer questions with more questions (that's what all academia is about anyway), that you portfolio looks good, content and presentation.
Good luck
E
fenstre- don't worry too much about trying to be "this is the candidate you want!" and focus more on this "this is who I am and this is why I want to study architecture." Schools have a way of seeing who you are through your portfollio and essay and can tell who would be a good fit or not.
I didn't have a background in architecture myself. Looking back at my first essay, I realized that I was trying to show too hard that I knew alot about architecture, etc. instead of letting myself come through in the essay. Fact is- you don't need to demonstrate knowledge of architecture in your essay- that's why you're going to grad school in the first place. Many schools actually prefer that you come with a clean slate, because it's easier to train you if you don't come with preconceived notions. Demonstrate that (a) you know who you are and what your skills are (b) you know why you want to pursue a degree in architecture (c) you know how your previous experiences will serve you well in your studies
generative_monkey: I needed to hear that. Thank you! I knew that, and yet the pull of trying to over market myself was very very strong.
J
do your parents a favor and go to a state school. they are just as dysfunctional as the ivies but cost much less. your folks will like you so much they may let you design their dreamhome after chauffering you around the local parade of homes while you take notes as to what they love...
vado: Yeah...in my dreams are my parents paying for school. It's all me baby!
fenstre - i think there are a lot of people like you and me - it took me a couple of years to figure out how to apply to arch. grad school and if i had applied blindly i'm pretty sure i would have been rejected by everyone.
taking the summer academy at UT (similar programs offered at SCI-Arc, GSD, UCLA - i think) was a HUGE help to me to figure out how to build a portfolio (no art/design/ arch background here) and i was told that the design/layout/construction could be more important than the work within. the only work i had to show was photography but i think i did a snappy job designing the portfolio.
i've been accepted at UT Austin, Wash., U and Tulane (so far) and waitlisted at U. Washington and rejected from Penn. Penn was my longshot anyway and i'm thrilled to be into UT Austin. a great school and cheap! i had no idea what my chances were for getting in as i knew that portfolio and personal statement were key but wasn't sure how mine stacked up so i applied across the gamut from u of houston to rice and penn. and so far i've been very pleasantly surprised with the results.
good luck!
Brujita:
I would love to take a summer Arch. program, but unfortunately I have to work. I think the reason that I am feeling the pressure is becuase I'm already 29 and I"ll be 30 by the time I actually apply. The financial pressure coupled with feeling like time is running out (age wise) is motivating me to learn as much as I can about this process, and hopefully make it in somewhere half way decent on the first shot.
I honestly don't know if I could stomach having to wait another year to try again. I'm sure that I would grin and bear the dissappointment and get back on the horse in '08 because I know I want to do this, but I would like to not have a head of gray hair by the time I start school.
Congratulations on UT Austin! In a former life I was planning on going to Law School there. Austin is an awesome city isn't it?
i'm laughing b/c i too considered UT for law schools - took the LSATS and everything. my brother, dad and uncle all went there. and austin rocks. i moved back here from nyc to get residency hoping i'd get accepted into the program.
and i'll be 28 upon matriculation so i hear you on the age thing too. but one thing i LOVE about architecture is that it's an old person's game (not that there aren't fabulous young architects out there) and i think that i'll only get better the more i learn, see and experience. i plan on practicing until i die :) and learning every step of the way.
the grad advisor told me that there will be someone in my class who is 35 and a math professor and he said that math is a young man's game and architeture is an old man's game. it's never too late to start a new career.
and the financial pressure is hard - and i was lucky to have a supportive job that let me take 5 weeks off to do the summer academy. i think you're in a good place and the information you're getting here will serve you well. good luck!
Freaky. I was going ot move to Austin to get residence because the law school is super cheap is you're a resident. Then I got kinda sidetracked with a relationship, foreign travel blah blah. Thank god though because I would be a lawyer now. That would have sucked!
Good luck to you too! Maybe I'll bump into you at UT someday. I'll be applying there also. Maybe I should just move to Austin now. I love Chicago, but 2 seconds of summer is getting old.
Have a great weekend.
J
if its all you then i really suggest a state school as i just dropped a c note on a ten year old loan while slurping my lunch...
1st time: Rejected from GSD, Columbia, Princeton, waited/rejected at Penn.
Rotated portfolio 90 degrees to landscape format (no new content) and retook GREs.
2nd time: Rejected from GSD, Columbia, Yale, but accepted to Penn (graduated '03). I guess they really like that landscape format...
Gibberish:
That's hilarious! Glad you got it in the end. Lanscape: got it!
i heard if you get accepted and end up not going, dont think about applying again cuz you just lost you chance.
but if you get rejected, theres nothing wrong about reapplying.
for portfolios i think its best to make a clear story about ur projects.
jonathan, wow...where did you get that information? i am deciding between re-applying and hopeing to get in to my first choice UCLA or accepting my second choice UTexas. maybe i shouldn't risk it.
my professors...but thats my opinion whether or not to believe them ...
my professor is president of the AIA at houston...and several others prof. had experiences like that
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