OK, so I’m about to start a dream job next week. I sent off a resume half expecting to get a response, not expecting to get the job. So now I have become ambivalent about grad school. I’ve never had a clue how to pay for it. So now I’m half hoping for a polite rejection letter which would resolve everything for me…or am I just trying compensate for feelings of inadequacy? Damn you GSD!

I derive comfort from our shared pain…

I have to say it again.

ARRRRRGGGGGGHHHHH.


:( :( :(

Maybe if you just got your dream job you should take a year to work there even if you get in to the GSD

yeah, beg for a deferrance. Somewhat fortunately, the job I'd thought was perfect and I considered applying for turned out not to be. Their "Los Angeles" office was not in los angeles at all, but in an east-side industrial suburb (Santa Fe Springs, I think) that would mean the commute from hell to a very depressing place, so I decided not to go for it. I'm taking that as a sign that I'm MEANT to go to grad school.

Yeah, that’s the plan, begging for a deferrance I mean. I’ve had crappy jobs in bad firms for so long I just need to know what the other side is like…It would be nice to have options.

does anyone know if i am supposed to get some sort of FAFSA confirmation from each school like rationalist mentioned?

I submitted my Online FAFSA...checked the status (it says processed) now do i need to do anything else? Thanks for the help

probably not. I only got this from one school out of six. I'm glad I got it, so that I know FAFSA processed everything, but I'm not going to get nervous wondering why I haven't gotten confirmation from the other schools that they've recieved my SAR.

yeah mctwist...my first time with FAFSA too (as you probably know).

it's still hard for me to see the point of going through the exercise since i'll qualify for exactly 0.00 aid. since i'll be leaving a relatively lucrative career to go into architecture it seems like i'm merely checking a box to consciously cut off my nose to spite my face.

i think i saw that box on there--- i checked it.

nah, you'll do better to fill it out. Next year, when you're not making $$$$$ because you're a full-time grad student, you've drained your savings to cover some trip to europe, and you really DO need financial aid, you'll get better aid because you're filling out a renewal FAFSA instead of a new FAFSA. I don't know why it works that way, but I've heard from numerous sources that it does on a consistant basis. They may also give you some Stafford unsubsidized loans that have a better interest rate than private loans, too.

I'm already planning to go file appeal forms next week for financial aid awards I haven't gotten yet, based on the fact that I'll no longer be working full time when I go to grad school.

i heard that regardless of your fafsa score you will qualify for some low intrest unsubsidized loans. for those appeal forms...do you need to file befor you get accepted? I feel like this process never really ends

I don't know- CCA told me to file before I even got accepted or anything, other schools have those forms hidden behind a login that you only have if you're a current student.... I figure I'll probably end up contacting each school individually to find out. I'll let y'all know when I find out CCA and Pratt's policies for sure, since I know there are other applicants to those schools on here.

the GSD's officially policy is strict no deferrals. i wonder what they'll do if you beg.

woot! Last application has been SENT.

Now I just have to sit back and try not to tear my hair out with the stress of waiting. Oh, and figure out how to pay for it. Yeah.

I've been feeling a bit anxious/cranky and I'm sure I will continue to feel that way until I hear from schools either way.

I also find myself kind of detaching from my friends. I haven't felt social or like going out since December. Maybe I'm subliminally preparing to move away and trying to get used to not having them around. I didn't apply to any schools where I currently live, and though a couple are close enough, I know I'll get sucked in and never see anyone if I go. Ughh, this is getting rough.

Happy V-day archinectors!

Only a couple more weeks! woo woo!

I was perusing the 2006 applicant thread from last year and saw that people began chiming in acceptances in late February for some schools......whew...we're all getting so close....

These next weeks definitely feel like the strange calm before the storm...

I'm in on this thread and prepared to be there thru the end ; )

Hang in there everyone! Stay healthy!

could you link to that thread, please? I've tried half a dozen different searches and just can't find it!

One quick question. Does anyone know how people last year were notified? Paper or e-mail? If both, which schools how?

Thanks and good luck to everyone.

yeah, somebody needs to read that thread and post a summary of the following:

-which school, when notified, method of notification

make it a chart, actually.

rawesome

Ok 2007 applicants,

Here is the bible link from last year, 2006:

link

I now know that by posting this link, many many folks will lose hours of productivity reading last year's saga of 2006 M.Arch applicants. and what a saga it was...

But it should answer all your questions on the general timing of notifications, the forms of communication, i.e. email, phone, letter, etc., the range of financial aid awards received, etc...


Cheers! Have fun.

Thanks very much for the link. I'm going there right now.

I'm just chiming in to everybody: Don't forget to check your email's spam/trash folder!

Earlier this month, friend of mine received a phone call and letter from a clinical psych program she applied to. They'd been trying to contact her via email to schedule her interview, but the emails had been going to the spam folder.

And it would suck to miss the news because of the spam filter.

:\

CCA: some candidates are contacted for phone interviews in late February, most to all of the applicants were accepted by the middle of March. All discussing CCA on that thread seemed to get accepted.

UW: started notifying candidates in the first week of March. Again, lots of acceptance letters there.

I couldn't get far enough through to see anything about Pratt...

ucla seemed to be sending out acceptances in the mid-march timeframe, but their deadline was 5 Jan last year. perhaps the 15 Dec deadline this year might scoot things to the left a little?? (to be read with a lilt of wishful thinking)

AADRL!!!!!!! AADRL!!!! AADRL!!!!

Do I sound like a cheerleader??? No seriously It is not to late to apply to the AADRL !!!!!!!

Stop spamming us. If we wanted to apply to the AA, we would have done so.

If it was in the states I would consider it.

message to archinect: us grad applicants are being kind enough to consolidate our stress, hopes, and fears to this one thread. We do this as a favor to you. Do you remember when there were twenty grad school threads a week? It can return, I promise you. If we hide here in our one little thread, not bothering you at all, we should be able to stipulate that you do not spam us.

i think i remember amanning being one of us (if not a primary player in the drama) last year, so i think we can forgive him/her a little bit of exhuberance for not having to go through it again this year. most importantly, at least he/she sounds happy with where they ended up.

ugh. I just read the vast majority of that thread, and I think I've developed an ulcer just THINKING about the torture awaiting us!

BTW, Pratt sent me a big, thick envelope by priority mail the other day. I was amazed. And then I opened..... my third copy of their graduate course catelog! I think that's pretty cruel at this time of year.

i'm with you rationalist...i'm thinking i'd rather hammer six inch spikes into my forehead than undergo the mindmelt of watching other people get into their schools while i helplessly await word on mine.

i also just realized that amanning posted and commented about the AA everywhere else as well. perhaps i was a bit hasty in coming to their defense.

things i learned from browsing last year's bible thread:

1) maybe i should actually be checking to make sure the schools got (and haven't lost) all of my stuff

2) it's gonna get really hectically nervous around here starting march 1st. maybe i should just avoid archinect from then on until i hear from all my schools

3) the ivies notify generally all throughout march. some hear at the beginning of march and some at the very end of march from the exact same school. so not hearing through other people have heard 2 weeks ago does NOT mean you haven't gotten it

4) sometimes the dean calls you but other times its an email or a fat envelope.

5) toshiki mori is a woman. for some reason i always thought toshiki was a male name

I would think Toshiko was a male name, but Toshiki would be female, right? Or am I assigning gender to words/names in a latin way that does not apply to Japanese?

well, i never learned an asian language nor did i ever learn a romance language, so i dunno.

i think i probably fell into the outdated sexist trap of just assuming a famous architect is a man unless i was told otherwise. oops. sorry.

"Ko" is actually a common female ending to Japanese names and translates generally into "Child of", i.e. common girls names like Sachiko translates into child of happiness, Masako into child of grace (depending on the core japanese characters or kanji used and their interpretation, etc).

ah. So, as predicted, I'm imposing latin genders onto Japanese names inappropriately.

is there really nothing we can do besides waiting...

I'm copy-pasting this post from last year's thread because it cheered me up a lot. I wonder if anyone actually mailed it...


Dear Bob,

After much deliberation, we have decided to accept your offer of rejection for the fall 2006 semester. It was an extremely difficult choice as there were many rejections to choose from. We appreciate your consideration, however, and we look forward to further rejection throughout our professional careers.

Love,
The Accepted to Grad Schools Yet? Thread.

sirgemhl,

you could always dance

i was checking my banking statement online and totally freaked out because it looked like none of the checks for my applications have been cashed except for columbia...

then i realized, oh wait, i paid for most of them by credit card! online applications! the march-month paranoia is beginning to set in i think.

although i did pay yale by check. has anyone had their checks from yale cashed yet? i didnt give them that postcard requesting confirmation so i dunno if they got it.

We can search out scholarships to try to pay for the extravagence that is grad school.

For any UT Austin Applicants, I read this on last year's blog all dated 3/15/06:

If anyone's waiting on UT Austin I would suggest going to the status check of your application. I haven't received anything from them, but tonight, on a whim, I went to the application status page and in little blue letters it said "We are pleased to inform you...."

AND THIS:

maaaaan i just checked UT's application page and they're still "reviewing [my] materials."

AND THIS (for other schools):

ok so, i've gotten in to the GSD, princeton, and yale, and i had a combined GRE score of (cough) 1100.
yeah.

I just finished reading that thread. Now I think my whole BODY has become an ulcer.

For those applying to Pratt: they were quite tardy about admissions last year. People started getting letters on March 30th. Can we all say it together? RiCOCKulous!

Oh, and the USPS website does not recognize the tracking number from my Express flat-rate envelope to RIT, so it looks like there's a distinct possibility that that application is late. = (

my friend works for toshiko's firm in ny and toshiko is in fact a female!

i wonder if any of the 2006 accepted class ever posted their portfolios? i just read a lot about who got in and what their gre scores were.

For 2007 UT Austin applicants,
I spoke this week with very nice, terrific staff from the GIAC and at the Arch Dept. I finally had all my materials confirmed as being received at both the university and dept level. They said that school closures due to ice storms and the unexpected Ford president holiday slowed down their processing alot and they were more behind in getting thru their mail bins than last year. I don't know if this will affect their general timing of sending out acceptances, but thought I'd pass it on...they were very nice and said that they truly understand out hard it is to keep logging in for a status update but they stressed ths was the best method for keeping abreast of their progress.

I also read some info on confusion about the GPA and GRE scores and where that leads to a decision. Here is some info on application judgement.

40% - portfolio
20% - letters of rec
20% - statement of purpose
10% - GPA
10% - GRE

With that said, it looks like the portfolio makes the mark.

I'm wondering if anyone got in with really shitty undergraduate grades but a high GRE score. That's my situation and I've found very little info on it. The only thing I keep seeing is that the portfolio is paramount. Fine, but I still think there must be some guidelines they use with GRE/grades.

The director of the graduate program at UT told me that grades between 2.5 and 3.5 mean almost nothing. Below 2.5 and above 3.5 will sometimes affect the decision. My grades are below 2.5.

I guess we'll find out soon enough.

nambypambics, thanks much for the reminder on the spam folders!

I'm getting excited about decision time. I'm ready to quit my job and go to school right now.

Baboomba:

It's the same with GRE scores for UT:

1000-1150 = acceptable
1150-1350 = good
>1350 = exceptional

Which means, if you make an 1150 or 1300, it does not matter; you're placed in a group of "good" applicants in regards to the GRE portion of the app.