im going there, starting this june. IMHO i dont think columbia sucks. so ur doing the m.arch huh?

thing I dont like about is the lottery and thursday afternoon i went to visit the admission office in avery...some people are so damn F* rude. its just a question, and besides, im totally new to the place, system, and even state! thats what pisses me off,why not be polite about that kind of stuff? im sure there will be plenty of things that will get to me later on

Oh boy. Fingers crossed that certain parties don't get involved in this thread.

I'll be there in September as an MArch. Can't wait!

I just graduated from the M.Arch program a week or so ago. Feeels good.

HK - who was rude to you?

your prayers have been answered squaredsquared ;-)

Actually, I think Columbia is a wonderful school...well-rounded...TONS of opportunities. However, the school still does embrace blobitecture to a high degree. I remember hearing about a urban design scheme creating at GSAPP, was intrigured, took a look, and it was a series of blobs march across the city...nice. Still, I think their urban planning, urban design, and architecture entities work well with one another.

Columbia definately doesn't suck....but the Lerner Center...a.k.a. Columbia's sorrow....does...thank goodness the T-man left

joed , not girl at desk, but the door the the right. young white lady...wanting to ask, did you get a job yet? or you're still on the look out?

Fall MArch.

I had a shocker recently when I found out --and some of you may not know this!-- that APPARENTLY there are some unsafe neighborhoods in NYC. Walk confidently, and with purpose!

Old news probably, but I'll also add that I'm so happy to be one step closer to things like this.

hkboy, yeah i found a job (woo hoo!). i start june 5th.

hk - what kinds of things were you asking? i'm surprised they were rude. i visited columbia on my own and, contrary to preconceived notions of mine, people at Columbia/NYC were actually pretty nice. maybe my perception of the whole situation was different considering i was expecting something worse.

joed - are you working in manhattan? by any chance, did you bother applying anywhere on the west coast?

Article on politeness in New York.

Joed wins in a landslide! Congrats.

shay: yeah i'm working in manhattan. actually, i'm working at a place pretty close to columbia, which is ridiculous because, now that i'll finally be moving somewhere downtown, closer to like 95% of the architecture firms in the city, i'll have to make the reverse commute back up to morningside heights. and no, i didn't bother applying anywhere on the west coast; i knew i wanted to be in nyc for a while yet.

squares: ha. thanks.

and, i tend to agree with shay's impression, that people in avery tend to be civil, if not outrightly nice. though, like anywhere else, on any given day you can catch somebody in a bad mood.

I'll be there in the fall for MArch 1 and was planning to live in the grad dorms because I figured it would be close and the least hassle and it looked like it was cheaper since I dont have anyone I know that I could room with. I dont know anyone in New york either, so it should be exciting!

I hope this thread does not turn out to be like one of them "yale blows" thread !

i was planning on living in the grad dorms as well, but if something better presents itself, i'll be willing to explore other options. alex - is this offer only open to male students? if not, i may have to find someone who's willing to room with females.

speaking of males/females with the "only female in my class" thread in mind... are there any other females coming this fall besides me? i'm just curious, it has absolutely no bearing on my choice of school whatsoever. seemed like the studios there right now are about 50/50.

sporadic - i don't think it will turn into the yale thread- apparently parallel38 doesn't have much to say about Columbia (see post above).

joed - where u work at now? and when did you apply? how many firms in ny?

shay - questions are dumb, i think if you ask any question, you are being dumb. these kind of things you want to be sure of too. i was asking about my deferment form, lady said i needed to register, i said ok i know its on the 30th or whatever. how will i be notified? she said 'uh, online?' like some smart ass tone, and a look that made you just wanted to B* slap her. i hate that ... guess its nyc attitude?? i said, u misunderstood what i was really getting to, do i get it via postal...or what?! MAN... maybe i need to cool it. im from texas, but guess im taking it too hard on myself.

Supposedly there's an off-campus housing office (not sure if it's the same as the on-campus housing office) that can give you listings for no-fee apartments in the Morningside Heights/UWS/Hamilton Heights/Harlem neighborhoods. It's not very useful unless you have somewhere to stay in New York in the meantime, but it does exist if you want to live off-campus.

I'll be commuting from my apartment Brooklyn for the fall semester, and might move closer to Avery sometime after that.

Shay, I'm male, but I do know one woman who will be starting as an MArch. You're not alone!

Where are all you non-New York people coming from?

im a chinese cowboy from texas - do dont mess w/ me

i'm trying to come this fall but i'm worried about how much debt i'll have to get. i'm curious what people might think the limit is...

I'm also from Texas. And I'm also worried about debt. I've justified it to myself a dozen different ways, but my favorite is to question what money actually means to me. I can continue working for a salary in the mid-30s, hopefully getting a slight raise every year. I don't and won't make enough money to establish any sort of "wealth" this way, but I can buy most anything that I want.

I am already bored of this. What I really value in life is experience, and in this case it means that I'm taking advantage of what I consider to be a great opportunity that will most likely be a HUGE minus for my finances. If I absolutely can't make it work once I go back into the work force, then I'll figure out what to do next.

Not that being a no-fear-idealist will lower my interest rates any...

you guys looking for apartments near columbia should check out the graduate student apartment housing: i'm not sure about eligibility for masters programs, but i knew at some point, march students got them. the apartments can be hit or miss, but are in the neighborhood and are relatively cheap (for new york). you might not get to see the place first, and if you're from farther away (ie not commuting distance) you are more likely to be eligible for a spot.
downside: you can get stuck with an insane grad student who threatens to throw all your stuff out onto the street or passive-agressively hides all the silverware.
upside: as much as they say pets are not allowed, you can totally get away with a cat or two.

alex - i'm still interested in checking out other living options, so i'll be on the lookout as well. do you have any details about the apartment you're looking at?

i'm from the detroit (michigan) area... looking forward to getting rid of my car, not having to sit in traffic, etc. also asian... i'm assuming there will be a lot of us there next yr. just a hunch.

Did anyone else go the Fall open house? I met some nice people from diverse backgrounds. I don't remember too many asians, but there was at least that one girl with the Halloween toe socks.

There was the english/lit major guy from..Maryland maybe? The Norwegian local girl whom I hope was accepted because I would like her to tutor me. The Indian girl. The guy who was following Laurie Hawkinson around and who asked me if I thought that he might be bothering her...I think I said probably yes! The lady with the apartment in Chinatown. The dozen other smiley hi friendly people.

I was the guy who went back for seconds while Laurie was at my table, and kept eating long after everyone else had stopped to huddle around. I was hungry!

Is there anyone else at columbia this summer for the MS-AAD? today's the studio lottery/visual studies lottery, and I've got no idea what to expect. so far the communication hasn't been so great, but I guess that's the nature of this city.

parallel38....what's the gripe regarding the Lerner center? I've only seen it from the outside so far, but it seems like a solid campus addition (maybe not spectacular, except for the glowing glass ramps)

I never got the skinny on why everyone hated Tschumi, but my professors in undergrad were pushing for me to not attend columbia because of his legacy. He really struck a nerve with these guys.

alex - actually i didn't assume you were asian, i was just making a general comment about architecture school in general. most of my friends are not asian... i think it just happened because the diversity here is lacking. let's get off this topic before i offend anyone ;) some people on archinect are too serious.

mister, u will find out during the lottery...at 1 today their going to do some kinda thing where u will decide on who to take. im worried too, but...gotta wait til then :)

Hi all. I'm coming to Columbia in the fall for MArch from Minneapolis. I sent in my acceptance in mid-April and still haven't heard anything back from them. Has anyone gotten anything regarding registration, housing, etc.? I know it may be too early to start worrying, but I'm unemployed and bored.

pjcran - when i sent the acceptance letter/deposit, they sent me a "we look forward to having you in the fall" letter. perhaps you should contact lois at the admissions office if you did not receive it. along with the letter were some dates listed for registration, which isn't until the end of august.

have you decided where you'll be living?

shaybug- thanks for the info. As for living, I applied for the graduate student housing but haven't heard anything yet. It seems like its an affordable(relatively) and convenient option if you can get an apartment share, but who knows...I suppose it could blow up in your face if you get a bad roomie. I've been keeping my eye on craigslist for apartment shares and I'll probably go out there later this summer to check out some options.

i've been on the lookout as well. i don't know the neighborhoods really well, so it's been difficult to shop on craig's list for an apt. so, i guess you really have to check it out in person just to be sure. if you're looking for a roommate, keep me posted.

Try NY times real estate section for housing. I don't live near campus, and that's a blessing in disguise. If you can figure out how to work at home comfortably, first year studio is crammed for space and the computer situation kind of sucks. Not to mention the bad air circulation and general stuffiness of the building itself. Ergonomically, it REALLY sucks. Most people I know bought laptops or had them on hand when systems went down. AND THEY DO.

NYC is generally safe, ironically in most parts of manhattan EXCEPT the area near columbia... I'd opt for finding a place on the Upper west side all the way downtown to the west village.

I turned down Yale for Columbia b/c I didn't want to leave NY. I love NYC and have lived here since '99. Ignore what Wigley says in your orientation speech. You WILL and SHOULD leave campus to explore the city... that's why you're coming here, after all, right?
LL

That's a really good point mikilee. I bet it feels really good to be able to remove yourself from that bubble when you go home. And its not like a 15-20 minute commute would be that big of a hassle. Thanks for the sound advice.

i'm hesitant to pay $1000 for a place i've never seen... has anyone seen any of the graduate housing at columbia? i can't seem to find any pics on their website.

i've seen quite a bit of the columbia housing- most was pretty nice-at least for the price. my old place was 700 sq feet (i shared with one other) and my bedroom had quite a bit of light (though the rest of the apartment was pretty dark). the floors were in good shape (wood) and the kitchen, though small and devoid of counterspace, had new oven, fridge and cabinets. bathroom was tiny and had almost no ventilation. occaisonally saw some nasty huge roaches when they'd exterminate downstairs, never saw a mouse (but had a cat). rent started at 633/mo, and then eventually grew to 715 (This all included utilities). some of my friends had really sweet places that were bigger, more open layout (less long narrow hallway like mine) over by 107th, east of columbus, but i think they paid like 850 each or so. granted, these were all unfurnished.

the furnished apts had nasty furniture, and were more expensive, and seemed to be in poorer condition overall. most of the one bedrooms i saw were also pretty nice, minus one, which was tiny tiny tiny! and kind of dark.

i'm currently living in graduate housing on 119th, with a 300 sq. ft studio, for $1240 a month. it's furnished, and the furniture is pretty nasty, and frankly there's far too much of it for the amount of space that we get. the bathroom is rediculously small, with no ventilation. on the plus side, it's within site of some of the studio windows in the architecture department. the appliances and cabinetry are all brand new (or at least work well.) a few friends are having similar experiences, with small spaces and big rents, but no one is displeased with what they've got.

So did everyone else receive their housing offers via email?

yep. Two bedroom on 119th a block from Avery. Looks pretty nice on the floor plan. More space than I was expecting. Course a floor plan doesn't say much. Could be an oversided roach hotel for all I know...

pj-did you actually get to see the place? if not, did you see any pics?

no. They just sent a description of the place with a floor plan and a contact for the roomate. No pics. To accept I have to pay the deposit and first months rent in the next week so it looks like I'll have to take it sight unseen. The price is right and location convenient (though I'm still not sure I want to live that close to the studio). I think I'm going to do it just to avoid looking for another place...I guess I'm lazy.

I landed in a three bedroom in the middle of w. 112th...

I'm wondering why my assigned bedroom has an ominous-looking diagonal line through the window, but I'm 90% sure I'll take it. I'm paying $590+~$50utils+$60phone/internet for a 490sf efficiency in D/FW right now, so $706+$25internet doesn't seem all that bad.

i landed a 3 bedroom furnished apartment on 113th and Amsterdam, since I heard all this stuff about gross furniture I am wondering if I can ask them if there are any other availabilities?

Has anyone tried doing this?

is this the grad housing offer? if not, do you need a roommate by any chance?

i've been waiting quite a while for my assignment, no luck.

what exactly do they send with the assignment - any pics at all? how long did it take to receive your assignment?

It's the University housing.

I just received my assignment last week and they gave me a week to reply. It came with a floor layout and the room is 9 by 12, pretty tight but the other rooms were 10.5 by 14.5 so I asked if the larger ones were available. I have been living in an 8 by 11 room for the past 6 months and I am getting really fucking sick of how closed in I feel.

Weird they didn't have any info on the other roommates.

So, you get the specific room assignment per apt? So basically there's no worry about being the first one there to pick the best room? That's good to hear. Kind of sucks though that you got the smallest room. Did they give you any info on the building itself, with things like window location/which direction it's facing?

I'm still looking into craig's list for a place... seems like they all want people who can move it ASAP. I'm working until August so that's not happening any time soon. So far, no luck with craig's list either.

Aren't the 9x12s on the exterior corner of the building, more light? The larger rooms seem a might dark?

long day at work, so here's my contribution:

it's craigslist, not craig's list.

it's "larger rooms seem a mite dark," not "larger rooms seem a might dark."

carry on.

huh?