- 28 // Male // American

- B.Arch // University of Houston // 2008


- 3.43 GPA 

- GRE:   verbal: 157 (560 equiv.)  //  Quant. 159 ( 750 equiv.)  //  Analytical 4.5    

- 3 letters of rec. 2 from studio profs whose students tend to get into Ivy's, 1 from history prof whose a Princeton grad. For GSD I also had letter from principal of Houston firm and Partner of London firm that I worked for.


- Letter of Intent: http://pettydesign.com/storage/myshare/Petty_Essay.pdf 


- Folio: http://pettydesign.com/storage/myshare/Petty_A4.pdf  (50mb d/l)

 
- I did a "study abroad" in Italy for a summer semester. I did the AA Visiting Students Programme for a semester on top of my 5 year B.Arch. I've worked professionally at a firm in Houston, a large but fairly known firm in London, and a small design focused firm in Munich. Those probably stood out a bit. 

- IN:
      YALE (M.Arch II) + half tuition
 
-OUT:

       HARVARD (M.Arch II)
       PRINCETON (M.Arch II) 

- Yale has been my dream school for most of the past 6 years. GSD was my "backup" (its amazing i know, ive visited twice and yale just felt more for me) and Princeton was just a shot in the dark. So for me it really worked out and I will be in New Haven in the Fall. I still cant believe I got in. What a dream.

- 23 // Female // Double Nationality - American + European

- B.Sc Arch // Minor in Arts // 2010 //

- 3.15 GPA

- GRE:    verbal 152  // quantitative 160 // analytical 3.5

- 3 letters of rec. 1 from studio prof from undergrad, 1 from arts  professor, 1 from employer

- 1 year internship at Pritzker firm. other internships at various firms across North America and Europe. lots of volunteer experience.

- in: Cornell (M.Arch1AP)

- out: GSD (M.Arch1AP), Princeton (M.Arch1AP), MIT (M.Arch1AP)

@James Petty

thanks for sharing! congrats on getting admitted into your dream school!!!

- 29 // Male // American

- B.A. Geography // University College London // GPA: 3.3 // 2004

- M.A. International Development // UNSAM (Argentina) // Still enrolled...

- GRE: V 620 // Q 710 // W 4.5

- GSAPP Intro to Arch program 2011

- Recs: 1 from GSAPP studio prof // 1 from graduate program prof // 1 from employer

- Portfolio

- Applied: UPenn // Pratt

- Accepted: UPenn + $ (must complete summer prep program) // Pratt +?

Heading to Penn this summer! Super excited, love the program. 

GOOD THREAD  JAMES PETTY!

24// MALE// Dual Nationality: American + European

B.S. Architecture/UMD // B.A. Economics/ UMD

GPA. 3.43

GRE/  Verbal: 146 // Quantitative: 153 // Writing: 4.5

3 recs:  2 studio critics and 1 employer  

Will not post statement of purpose

I only applied to the GSD and Penn.  GSD was top choice(really only choice) and portfolio was tailored to that pedagogy.  Penn was a safety school, considering that it was the only school accepting only digital portfolios that was in my list of possibilities.  Was planning on reapplying next year with a few more schools added to the list (Princeton, Yale).  Didn't apply this year because I was overseas and could not get a hard copy portfolio in time.  

Portfolio:

http://issuu.com/federallyfunded/docs/8x8_jan3rd_2012_full_gsd_submitted

Portfolio was designed to be in 2 page spreads, but didn't feel like dividing the pages up for issuu, so what ur looking at is actually 4 pg spreads...keep that in mind because some stuff looks awkward.

IN: GSD (+$$$)  and Penn (tiny $)

Good luck to all! 

@npats

@FedFund

did you get into any of these programs with AP?

@prada?

No i didnt apply for AP... should I have applied for AP.  TBH, I don't mind an extra year of being around that faculty...

@FedFund

If you would have applied for AP you might have not have been admitted! This year they accepted 16 students over 275 applicants into M.Arch I AP (a little under 6%). Harvard generally admits 1 in 10. Chances of being admitted into AP are lower than for regular program. That being said, they maybe offer AP students they like a lot admission into regular M.Arch I... but I still think applying for AP diminished chances of admission at GSD.

You are right though... this extra year is precious! But it is also very expensive. And could be used towards getting another degree (M.Arch II, MDes, SmarchS or other post-prof 1.5 year degrees).

BTW, has anyone heard of people with an M.Arch I getting an  M.Arch II? I wonder whether the people who go into M.Arch II are only those with a professional B.Arch?

Reason I'm wondering is that I have been admitted into M.Arch1 AP at Cornell (5 terms - 2.5 years) but would have really really loved to go to GSD for the larger crowd environment. I am wondering whether to take Cornell's offer and after finishing Cornell maybe try the GSD for an M.Arch II or M.Des (althought no studio course); or take a year to work (just got a great job offer in NYC) and apply again to GSD, regular M.Arch I this time. Any advice?

^^ I thought you just apply to M. Arch I and if they think you have the required skills, then they place in AP.  But, I never considered AP, because, i really need to spend some time, unlearning some of the *(&)_* they taught me at my previous...

•  27 // Male // Chilean
•  B.Arch* // Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile // 2010
• GPA:  2,94**
• GRE:  V420 // Q700 // W4.5
• TOEFL: 112 ibt
• 3 Rec. Letters: 1 from my actual employer (I've been his TA several times); 2 from University Teachers (for whom I've been TA several times)
• Strong portfolio (I think); Professional experience at an award-winning firm; My CV maybe http://juanpablougarte.info/cv.php (not sure for which programs I submitted it)***
• Portfolio: http://juanpablougarte.info/MIT%20Media%20Lab%20Portfolio.pdf (17mb - View online)
• Preparatory programs: I don't really know what you mean by this. 
• GSD M.Arch II: IN ($10.000)
• SCI-Arc M.Arch 2: IN ($?)
• MIT SMArchS: OUT
• MIT Media Lab: OUT

* I also have a professional architect degree (In my country, you get the B.A after 4yr - which has no practical use - and the professional degree after 6yr)

** I found a chilean grades-GPA converter, I don't know if it's correct. I had a 5.2 in a 0 to 7.0 scale)

*** If anyone is interested in my Personal Statement, I would be happy to send it by email (jpugarte1 (at) gmail (dot) com)

I'm waiting for SCI-Arc financial offer, but I'm 99% in for GSD unless SCI-Arc offer is too good to be ignored.

PS: About citizenship:  USA =/= America

• -20 // Male // USA
•  Bachelor of Environmental Design // CU Boulder // Fall 2011
•  GPA: 3.9
•  GRE: V620 // Q 580 // W4.0
•  3 Letters of Recommendation, all from studio professors.
•  Personal Achievements: Valedictorian.  Participated in a design build of a 320 sqft. headstone restoration facility in Boulder, CO.  Graduated in 2.5 years.
•  Portfolio: http://issuu.com/derekleewoods/docs/gradappportfolio
• IN:

          -UCLA M.Arch I (3 year)

          -USC M.Arch I (2 year) + $

          -SCI-Arc M.Arch II (2 year) + ?

• OUT:

          -UT Austin M.Arch I

• Prerequisites: Finished all
• Could not attend any open houses
• Final Decision: Still deciding between all the LA schools.  I prefer UCLA's program but it's hard to justify the cost of an extra year of school and tuition when two other options are shorter.

@prada

you said 275 applicants applied to GSD's M.Arch I AP program? Where did you get this number from?

• 22/Male/USA
• Bachelor of Environmental Design/ U of Colorado | Boulder/ 2011
• 3.25
• 150V/ 152Q/ 4.5W
• 3 Letters of Rec from professors (one of whom I worked for after graduating)
• Fourth Place in an international design competition of over 350 submittals
• Portfolio can be sent upon request.
• In: Michigan (2 Year Program), Pratt (3 Year + 17K), U of Washington, CCNY
• Out: GSAPP
• All PreReq's completed
• Couldn't make it to Michigan's this weekend. I am going April 2nd and 3rd to check out the school. I will be attending Pratts Open House on the 5th.
• My top choices are Pratt and Michigan. Michigan is a school I have always wanted to attend, and with there recent rise on most academic ranking systems to a top five program it seems as though Michigan is the leader. I will see what Pratt has to offer and decide whether it is enough to persuade me away from UMich.

• 25/Female/US (CA resident)
• BA International Relations/ Italian minor /University of San Diego/2009
• Certificate Interior Design/Cuesta College/2012
• 3.34 at USD, 3.9 at Cuesta
• 154V/158Q/3.5W
• 3 letters of req from ID Dept Chair , ID studio instructor, & Architecture instructor
• completed all pre-reqs at Cuesta College
• portfolio for application: http://issuu.com/jamiekleine/docs/portfolio_finalcp (please feel free to comment/crit)
• Applied to Berkeley & UCLA for M.ArchI
• Out: Berkeley, still waiting on UCLA
• I don't think I was completely prepared for the M.ArchI application and I'm not sure the portfolio is near strong enough to compete. If rejected from both schools, next cycle I will re-apply to a few more (Sci-arc, Woodbury?, Pamona, UW, U CO, NSAD?) and will take a summer arch studio, along with a Revit class to improve my portfolio. 
• My question to anyone is--how likely is it to get into the 3 year M.ArchI programs without an extensive background in Architecture. The interior design program at Cuesta has given me some basic skills in design, drafting, cad etc. I know this is what I want to do and will continue working at it, but maybe a Masters in City/Regional planning is more realistic given my undergrad background in IR (which was basically world politics, some sociology/econ etc.) Would love to hear feedback on what I could/should  do to increase my chances of getting into an M.ArchI program. I'm hoping to find an internship in the meantime.
• Also, if anyone was accepted to an M.ArchI (3 year) with a background in something other than architecture, I would love to see a portfolio to compare to. It seems most students have an extensive academic background in architecture. Thank you!! 

@prada

Where did you get those #s from?

@jamiekleine - I think I know exactly what you're missing. It looks like your summer program didn't really show you how to think about architecture in a conceptual way. The way that most summer programs and introductory undergraduate studios teach architecture is by having students start out with assignments that have absolutely nothing to do with anything remotely resembling a building - some of my introductory studios had assignments such as "design a cube using a formal strategy such as wrapping or rotation" or "create a wearable device to connect one of your senses (sight/hearing/touch, etc.) to another sense."  The idea is that you're supposed to think about any project - whether it be an introductory design assignment or a whole building - in terms of abstract concepts before you think about it in terms of more specific technical issues such as square footage. (or if you do think about it technically, you integrate the technical aspects into your concept somehow) So the significance of Fallingwater (to use an over-used example) isn't about how many bedrooms or bathrooms it has or, its square footage, but rather it is significant because of what it says about how humans relate to nature.

Anyway, it seems like your summer program prepared you for drafting rather than more conceptually-driven architecture/design, and conceptual/artistic potential is usually what schools look for in their applicants. I would suggest that you try another summer program to introduce you to the more conceptual side of architecture - any summer program from a good university with an architecture school should be able to offer you that. UCLA Jump-Start and Berkeley's summer program come to mind as programs in your area. Out of curiosity I took a glance at the curriculum of the Jump-Start program, and you can see that it follow the progression that I mentioned - they start with a project investigating the human body (that's the conceptual/abstract "how-is-this-supposed-to-relate-to-architecture?" part) and then move to something more resembling a building: http://www.summer.ucla.edu/institutes/Architecture/curriculum.htm

These Berkeley summer projects also follow the same pattern of not remotely resembling anything that you would find in a generic home magazine: http://www.ced.berkeley.edu/college/academics/summer-institutes/arch

Also, a Revit class would be a complete waste of time and money in terms of your M.Arch applications - again, the schools are after creativity. Schools generally have the mentality that they will teach you technical skills once you enroll there and beforehand they care most about your analytical and design abilities and your creative potential.

• 23 / Male / USA
• BA Interdisciplinary Visual Arts, Architecture Minor / University of Washington (Seattle) 2012
• 3.86
• V 162 / Q 159 / W 4.0
• 3 Letters of Rec from 2 professors + 1 lecturer, from the architecture dept. (and from studio classes)
• I think that I have an impressive portfolio and academic record in architecture classes, including participation in an upper level design studio alongside graduate students. I also interned at a small local firm in Seattle. 
• Portfolio: http://issuu.com/veach/docs/portfolio
• In: YSOA +$, GSAPP, UCB +$, UW CBE (Seattle)
• Out: GSD, Princeton (All M. Arch I)
• Can't make it to any open houses, unfortunately. I'd appreciate it if anyone going to the Yale open house wanted to share their opinions with me. If so, email me at veach52@gmail.com
• Final Decision:  I'm 99% sure about YSOA, but my girlfriend is going to Berkeley... I think I'd be a great fit for the program at YSOA and I'm very excited about it, but I'm also drawn to the focus on sustainability at the UCB. Both schools gave me equivalent financial aid offers. Chances are I'll be in New Haven next year, I think that the YSOA will give me enough freedom to incorporate my own interests into the program. 

@snail

Thanks for your feedback, I appreciate it! I haven't gone through a summer studio yet, I'm just finishing an interior design certificate at a local college. It's true that the program i'm in now doesn't focus on a more abstract exploration of form which is why I want to pursue an M.ArchI. I don't feel I've developed my creativity and ability to think outside the technical aspects enough; plus architecture to me is more intriguing than interior design, although I feel both are important in collaboration. So I think the summer studio will be a huge help with that for my portfolio and maybe rather than Revit, I should take some kind of graphic design or art class - drawing/painting/photography? Thanks again, your insight has been extremely helpful.

@npats

Did your SGS status change for University of Toronto, or did you simply get email/mail? I'm still waiting

@jamiekleine

Hello, I think snail totally understood your problem... you need to show more intriguing spatial work in order to be considered... In my opinion a Revit course is completely useless  towards this aim... (it is surely useful for other stuff such as finding a job though!). But in order to get in a March 1 you don't need to show almost any computer skill... focus on showing your potential, your understanding of space and light and being able to communicate your ideas through a clear process...

• 25 // Male // Italian
• BA Politecnico di Milano, Italy - 2 study abroad scholarships - 2 sem. Technische Universitaet Muenchen, Germany - 1 sem. University of Western Australia
• 3.75
• V 159 / Q 158 / W 3.0
• TOEFL 117 ibt
• Portfolio: can be sent upon request - or wait (I will upload it on issuu)
• IN: GSD MAUD - YSOA March II - GSAPP MSAUD - UC Berkeley MUD+$ - Pratt+$$ - Cornell+$ - Carnegie Mellon
• OUT: Princeton - Upenn
• Open day: GSD-GSAPP-Pratt-YSOA
• Heading to: ?

@npats: Thanks! My status has not changed... worried. Congratulations on Princeton! Amaaazing :)

- 24 // Male // American

- BS Arch // University of Texas at Arlington // 2010

- 3.83 GPA
- GRE:   V158 - Q155 - A4.0 
- 4 letters of rec: 2 arch studio profs, 1 ceramic studio prof, 1 employer
- http://issuu.com/brett_keese/docs/portfolio
 

(M.Arch I)
IN:
GSD + $$  (most likely to attend)
Yale + $$
RISD + $$
Rice + half tuition
Berkeley + one year funding
Syracuse + $
UCLA
UT + ??

OUT:
GSAPP

great portfolios being posted!

- Asia/Male/Taiwanese
- B.Arch/ Tunghai University/ 2008
- 2.98 GPA
- GRE: V:690 - Q:800 - A:3.5
- TOEFL:102
- 3 letters from university professors
- Portfolio: http://issuu.com/2728/docs/portfolio_hsiang-wei_chen
- IN:
      AA DRL, GSAPP(MSAAD), U.Penn, Sci-arc, Michigan (M.Arch2)

-OUT:

       HARVARD (M.Arch II)
, YSOA (M.Arch II), MIT

- Final decision: GSAPP

US/male

5yr M.Arch/ Univ. of Kansas/ 2011

3.8 GPA
 

GRE: 153V 158Q  4AW

Letters from Former professor Peter Pran / another KU prof/ and Dean of Arch. at KU

Applied: GSD M.ArchII, Columbia GSAPP MSAAD

IN: GSD +18k and Columbia +18k

http://issuu.com/ryanotterson/docs/2012foliopdf

Final Desicision; GSD

They say they give you the same amount of money each year.

Columbia starts in June and I think They are offering that amount total for the 3 semesters. Gross. GSD also allows me to split my thesis and go for 4 total semesters, and that split means one semester tuition split between two semesters apparently. They also let you "design your curriculum" in the Post-prof program. This seems less true at Columbia. Plus GSD gives me the potential to do a class (or more) at MIT if the course offers the cross-registration or whatever it is called.

23/US/Male, meant to include that

    38 / Male / Singapore
    B. Engineering (First Class Honors, Salutatorian)/Nanyang Tech. University/1999
    3.92
    V 161 / Q 170 / W 4.5
    3 Letters of Rec with 2 from professors in NTU+ 1 from boss from previous job.
    Portfolio: http://issuu.com/christianlam/docs/kin_heng_christian_lam_-_design_portfolio

    In: GSAPP, Pratt (+21k), UW CBE (Seattle), UBC (Vancouver), CCA
    Out: GSD, Princeton, MIT, UC Berkeley.
    Open House: Flying to Vancouver in 2 weeks.
    Final Decision:  UBC (Taking finance, family, city, into consideration)

@jamiekleine

Career changer from finance/trading.

No background in design, art or architecture which explains the superficial/mediocre/poor portfolio in my opinion.

Quit my job to dedicate time to do GRE/Portfolio in 3 months. The drawings were my firsts during the month of lessons. Picked up the software stuff from online tutorials. The only reason that I am sharing this is to testify of God's goodness and that if we try hard enough, we might be just good enough.

25 / Male / USA

B.Arch  - Penn State - 3.7

M.Arch - Penn State - 4.0

164 V / 164 Q

IN: Cooper Union MArch II, GSAPP MSAAD (only applied to these two programs)

Final Decision: Coop

25 / Male / USA
University of Southern California, B. Arch, 2010
GPA 3.67
V 162 / Q 168 / W 4.5
All 3 Letters were from former professors at USC, each with some good contacts throughout the academic world.

Applied: Yale, Princeton, UC Berkeley, Michigan
In: Michigan (2G program), UC Berkeley (Studio One program)
Wait List: Yale (M.Arch II)
Out: Princeton (M.Arch II)

Final Decision:  None yet. Yale is my top choice, but I am going forward as though it's not an option. I visited Michigan last week and loved the people, campus, program, and faculty but they did not offer much in funding. Visiting Berkeley this weekend for the Open House and hoping to secure some funding then. All of the programs are great, but I'll be the only person paying for this degree, and I'd like to not be buried under debt for 20 years.

Whatever you decide, if congress doesn't  act, the subsidized federal student loan program the interest rate will double from 3.4% to 6.8% starting July 1.  How bad will this screw us over you may ask? Many people here are looking at some pricy schools so....If you have $60,000 in student loans at 3.4%  for a 30 year loan your monthly payment will be $266.09 with cumulative payents of : $95,791.61 and total interest paid of $35,791.61 -- If you take the same amount at 6.8% the monthly payment goes to $391.16, cumulative payments of: $140,811.87 and total interest paid of $80,811.87.   Everyone's situation is different but I would encourage everyone to check out this site:

http://www.finaid.org/calculators/loanpayments.phtml

@shawnswisher, is it possible you could post a link to your portfolio?? Thanks!

22 / M / Bahraini

B.S Arch / Georgia Institute of Technology / 2011

GPA - 3.78

GRE - V 540 M 680 W 5.0

TOEFL-  ~118

3 Rec letters - All from Georgia Tech studio professors, 2 graduated from Columbia 1 from MIT.

Portfolio+Resume (Resume is outdated)

Conducted internships in Paris, France + Santiago,Chile + Manama, Bahrain. Personal essay spoke mainly of the role I'd like to have in my country and the changes I would like to see myself be a part of.

Accepted - GSD M.Arch 1, GSAPP Dual-Degree M.Arch+M.UrP, Sci-Arch M.Arch 2, UCLA Dual Degree M.Arch + M.UrP

Rejected - Princeton M.Arch I

Decision - GSD

Best of luck to all current and future applicants.

27 . M . U.S.

B.S. Architecture . UT Arlington . May 2012

3 letters from studio professors

3.3 gpa

portfolio

in: cornell, penn, uva, parsons, sci arc

with $ at some

going to penn and cornell this weekend for o.h.

21 / M / Lebanese (born and raised in Dubai)

BSc Architecture / McGill University / 2011

GPA - 3.42

GRE - V 630 M 800 W 4.0

TOEFL-  ~107

3 Rec letters - All from McGill studio professors

Portfolio (Resume is included) : http://issuu.com/mja5762/docs/mja_portfolio_ver.4_diff_cover_red

Took a year off after my undergrad and am currently working in Beirut for a pretty well known architect in the region (Bernard Khoury). My stay here really allowed me to enhance my vision as a prospective architect and strengthen my ambitions towards researching responsive/dynamic architecture that could relate to the volatility of the region that I come from (Beirut/Dubai)

Accepted - MIT (M.Arch I) + UPenn (M.Arch I)

Rejected - Princeton (M.Arch I) + GSAPP

Decision - MIT (dream school)

good luck to all future applicants... best advice I can give is to not be afraid of being weird in your personal statement and portfolio ... try standing out as much as you can and be yourself, be unique !   at a point I starting talking about my fascination with the EDM scene especially trance music and how I wanted to design a nightclub that caters to underground raves ... 

25. M. USA

BS Arch - Univ of Minnesota 2009

Average GRE scores, cant remember them exactly, but in the middle range, nothing special, nothing bad.

3.1 GPA

3 letters -

1 Former Harvard Instructor, Former AA Instructor, AA Grad - Partner at current employer

1 Current Dean at Tsinghua University in Beijing, Visiting SCI-Arc Prof , Kyoto PHD, MIT Visiting Scholar- Partner at current employer

1 Former undergrad studio instructor, Rice Univ Grad

Alright portfolio, nothing super spectacular, not really on par with what many people posted above. portfolio demonstrated high level of skills in grasshopper, research and diagramming, but could have worked on it a little more.  ive been really blown away by some of the portfolios people have been sharing!

3 years working experience in Beijing, China at 2 different firms, one a highly respected urban design research foundation, another a heavy parametric driven firm.

IN:

SCI-Arc M.Arch II (Waiting on Funding)

AA London EmTech M.Arch (Waiting on Funding)

GSAPP M.Arch

OUT:

GSD

Most likely AA Emtech since it really fits my interests, was my top choice.  Only thing that will keep me out is if I have problems with the UK student visa process.  They require proof you have an entire years tuition plus $20,000 living stipend in cash in your bank account to even apply for the visa.  So it may be hard to scrounge up $50,000 in cash all at once considering many student loan programs disperse the money out in several segments at the start of each semester.  Currently working with the bank. so we'll see what happens...

21/M/Italian

Politecnico of Milan, B.Arch 2012

2 letters from studio professors, 1 from employer

GPA 3.84

TOEFL iBT: 102

GRE 146/151/4.0

portfolio and ps can be sent upon request

completely interested in visonary and conceptual thinking (Superstudio, Archigram, Archizoom..)

In: GSAPP, UMich +$, Cornell + scolarship candidate, SCI Arc

Heading to: thinking about GSAPP, very attracted to the student work of SCI Arc.

Any Help?

@heat3

haha I'll be heading to gsd and I also love the EDM scene......we should meet up and discuss designing a new club in cambridge.....:P

Enjoyed your portfolio, peace!

@OfflinerWei

what made you choose GSAPP among the other schools?

As requested: Portfolio + Resume. I was hesitant at first because I don't think it's the greatest exercise for everyone to judge others or themselves based on another's portfolio or experience. But I also know I had a tough time trying to figure out what to put in my portfolio, so if it helps someone else in the future I can't really complain.

- 24/M/Asian
- B.A.Arch/ UC Berkley/ 2010
- GPA:3.68
- GRE 690+800+3.5
- TOEFL 108
- Letters: 2 Studio Pro, 2 Intern supervisor, GSD alumni
- Applied: MArch I
 
IN: Columbia, Yale, Upenn+$$, UC Berkley(2 yr), Umich+$$ (2 yr)

WL: Harvard GSD AP 

Heading to Columbia M.Arch I

PS. Didn't apply to any need-based scholarship, the $ from Upenn and Umich are merit based

^^archicowboy

Do you mind uploading a portfolio? interested in seeing it. thanks ahead

30 / M / Californian

2010 B.A. in Architecture, UC Berkeley + City College of San Francisco (transfer student)

GPA: 3.78

4 different recommenders, all are professors who know me very well. (most of my applications allowed only 3)

I've won a few big research scholarships, did a lot of research work, and did a lot of teaching.

Most of my professional experience, my awards, and my (reduced) portfolio are posted online: www.benjamingolder.com

IN: Harvard MArch AP, Yale MArch, Princeton MArch, Columbia GSAPP Dual-Degree (MArch/Urban Planning), MIT Arch, MIT MCP

OUT: MIT Media Lab

- 29 // Male // Taiwanese
- BSA // NCKU. // 2005
- 3.3 GPA
- GRE:  verbal: 144 // Quant. 159 // AW 3.0
-TOEFL 101
- 3 letters of rec. 1 from studio prof, 1from prof (other university), 1 from employee
- portfolio: Sorry, my portfolio cannot be made public due to some private projects.

- IN: Cooper ($$), Cornell ($), UPenn, AA DRL, Bartlett
-OUT: GSD, Yale, MIT, GSAPP
-Decision : Cooper (95%)

However, MArch at Cooper is a new program. I cannot find any ranking of this program on the internet or magazine and I can’t make sure it is better than Cornell.

http://archrecord.construction.com/features/Americas_Best_Architecture_Schools/2011/schools-1.asp

Also, according to this forum, there are relatively few students applied to Cooper. ( I don't know why?) How is this school’s reputation in the US? If I want to find a job in the US after graduation, which school (Cornell or Cooper) could provide more advantage in the job market? As far as I know, Cooper has a strong and unique design tradition which I very admire and the location of Cooper is great! Moreover, CU has an internationally renowned undergraduate program. Is anyone familiar with this school and able to give me some suggestions? Thanks!

23//M//Indiana

2011 BS in Architecture, Ball State University

GPA: 3.30

GRE: 460/670/4.0   (151/152/4.0 <-estimated current score in gre website)

Letters: 3 past profs, all of which I was very close with. One showed me his letter and it was better than I could have asked for, never saw the other two

I took a year after graduation to intern at two different firms. One was a small firm in Indianapolis, the other is a nationally recognized firm in Texas. (where I am now)

Applied to 7 schools...

IN:

University of Washington + ?

Syracuse University + advanced placement + 8k

IIT + ?

OUT:

UC Berkeley, Wash U (St. Louis) UT

WAITLISTED:

V Tech

Final Decision: I'm going to UWs open house tomorrow and Syracuse's next weekend, I'm torn between the two. They are both very different programs, in very different parts of the US. I have to think a lot about what direction I want to take, open houses will be a huge deciding factor I think. The money and adv placement for Syracuse made it the same length and relatively same $$ as UW, which of course only complicates the decision...

- 26 // Male // Taiwanese

- B.Arch // Chung Yuan Christian University, Taiwan // 2009

- 3.26 GPA

- GRE:    verbal 147  // quantitative 159 // analytical 3.0
-TOEFL iBT: 103

- 5 letters of rec. 4 from studio prof from undergrad, 1 from employer

- IN:
Cooper Union, MArch. II
Columbia GSAPP, MSAAD
Cornell, MArch. II ($10000)
UCL The Bartlett, MArch Architecture RIBA pt.2 (conditional offer)

- OUT:
Princeton, Yale, GSD (MArch. II), MIT (SMArchS)

-Portfolio: http://issuu.com/jowett/docs/portfolio2004-11

-Decision : Cooper (90%)

I will probably go to Cooper Union because of the full-ride and their strong faculty. However, It is sad to withdraw the chance to study in UCL, it was my dream school when I studied architecture in Taiwan. Any suggestion and critique on my portfolio would be very appreciated!

24 /M/ INDIA

Ielts : 7

in : AA Drl, London 

      SAC,frankfurt

      IAAC,spain

http://issuu.com/ar.ashwanth/docs/portfolio

@ar.ash

did you attend an interview for the AA?

Accepted the offer from Cooper Union today! Pumped to be in NYC come September.

@ar.ash

I got accepted to the AA without an interview, I know a few other AA DRL alum who didnt go in for an interview and got in just fine.  I have heard from the admissions people that they have had more applicants then normal this year so it has been taking them longer then normal to go through them.