Turn me loose and set me free
Somewhere in the middle of Montana
Give me all I've got comin' to me
And keep your retirement
And your so-called social security
Big city turn me loose
And set me free

- Merle Haggard

I applied to Yale, but that stupid Need Access outfit fucked up my financial aid application, and it still hasn't been submitted (now two weeks after the deadline). So if I managed to get in to Yale, it looks like I won't be attending unless I win the lottery between now and April.

I think if I don't get in, I'll move to a state that has a really good state school that I can try to get into next year. Maybe move to Boston so I could try for MassArt, or New Mexico for UNM, or Virginia for VCU. I don't know, just somewhere different.

Hey LIG,

How do you know NeedAccess didn't submit your application? I hope they submitted mine.

oh, I totally forgot my reason for coming on this thread in the first place: The stupid USPS screwed me, and one of my applications arrived a day late. They assured me that I would still be considered for scholarships and assistanceships, but that applications are reviewed in the order they are recieved, so my chances are lessened if a bunch of people got theirs in right on the deadline.

FUCK.

if it's NeedAccess' fault, won't the university understand?

Did you get a confirmation after you hit the submit button and (grrr) paid? I did, and I printed out the records... I also have my online banking that shows $15 debited from my account (since I used my Visa card that debits from my checking account) could you send copies of those proofs to the school?

Montana is really really cold. After 2 years I headed back south...it is postcard purty though.

From what I know UNM's arts programs are pretty good...and it is lovely here...not that bad of an alternate scenario...but for the next 6 weeks...KEEP HOPE ALIVE!

The thing about that stuff is that if they've already given away the money or the spots and they're gone, no amount of "It's-not-my-fault", even with proof, can undo that. I got into this fight with CalGrant my fifth year of B.Arch.... they had declared me ineligible because I was a year greater than four, I took an hour and a helf to explain to them that it was a five year program, and so amount of summer school or anything else could shorten it because of the thesis course only being offered in the spring, sequential studios, etc. I finally got them to wrap their heads around the situation, but was then told, "but we already gave all the money away. We can't take it back from someone else in order to give it to you."

I think we've officially entered the "unabashed-typing-of-curse-words-in-all-caps" stage.

Excellent.

SHIT.

Actually, great idea.

Why don't we take a little break and everyone type the dumbest curse word they've ever heard in all caps?

I'll start.

FUCKSTICK

I had a FAFSA situation with my undergrad...

They lost my FAFSA 2 yrs in a row. 1st year, I knew something was off, because all the other schools I'd applied to sent me financial aid offers with admissions congratulations, and the school I ended up attending didn't. My mother and I called them and they said they didn't get it, but upon telling them that the other schools did, they looked, and they found it. Apparently squashed in the back-ass of a filing cabinet or whatever. They said "Well, we've received it too late, bla bla bla" but we knew they hadn't, because all the other schools got it, so we basically raised a shitstorm.

They found some money for me. From somewhere. I don't know.

My soph year, they "didn't get" it again, but knowing about the previous year, we did some yelling and once again they found it, said it's "too late," we raised hell, and I got money again.

3rd and 4th years it was no problem.

FAFSA!

nice sirgemhl!

Well, I submitted the NeedAccess thing online the day before the deadline. Gave my credit card information, hit "submit", got the confirmation page, etc. So far so good.

Then they call me a week later and tell me the application wasn't submitted because my card was declined, and ask for a different number. I gave them a different number. A week later, they called yet again to say that card had been declined.

Okay, it's partially my fault for being broke and maxing out my credit cards, but I had the money available when I gave them the card numbers... I wasn't expecting it to take a full week to run a card number and get an authorization code (a process that normally took about five seconds back when I was a cashier at Target).

^^In an ideal world, that should be the true test of whether or not you deserve merit-based financial aid... maybe you have actually outsmarted us all....

I mean need-based financaial, but you genuinely MERIT the NEED-based aid...

gradspeak is eating my brain.

also, before i corrected that typo, I had spelled it "Brean."

yeah, I'm hoping that the reason MICA hasn't cashed my check wasn't because of the lack of funds in my account...

Pratt applicants: I think I've found the quickest way to know of your admissions decision!!! Pratt manages financial aid awards online, and you register for the site with your SSN, not a student ID #. I registered, and it currently shows "There are no financial aid awards for you to view", but I expect that once they've made their admissions decisions, they'll put all that stuff on the system, no matter how slow they are in mailing it out. They don't seem to have an admission status checker online, but I don't think they'd award you financial aid if they weren't going to admit you. The website is: https://awd.glhec.org/FastAwards/Welcome.do?schoolNr=279800

Is anyone applying to OSU? From last years thread they were finding out on the 28th of Feb...thats way soon...

Does anyone have any comments about this program in general?

does anyone know anything about the program at Parsons?

So I just got back from visiting Rice and UT Austin. I was going to post pictures but there wasn't much student work at either school, since the semester has just begun. Both schools seem really good and have their own pluses and minuses.

Rice's program is very small and intimate. The graduate studios had 6-8 students in each of them so each student had a very large work area and obviously a lot of face time with faculty. Their facility is rather small given their small student base but it seems to be ok. The wood shop was decent (sort of small but again, they don't have a lot of students), they have one laser cutter and one cnc milling machine. The building seems relatively new and is clearly designed to be an architecture program. It's a very open building that kind of circulates around a large lecture space and there are nice areas for pinups and discussions. The students and faculty were all very nice and I was able to sit in on a lecture in a class called 'Joy of Materials' with Carlos Jimenez. The class had maybe 15 people in it.

Houston is basically a big dump and it seems like they are L.A.'s younger cousin....but they are in Texas and really not that cool. I would say that about 60% of its built environment is mini malls with A LOT of highways, concrete and fat people everywhere. But the area around Rice is actually quite nice. It's in its own little bubble right next to the museum district and Houston has some very nice museums including buildings by Mies and Rafael Moneo. It's also a quick drive or train ride to downtown.

UT Austin is a very large program. They occupy 4 buildings in the heart of campus and adjacent to Guadalupe Street, which is basically the main drag. Unlike Rice, their buildings were converted into an architecture school so they are rather old and have some quirkyness, but it works fine. There studios are a little bigger (16-20 students) so you don't get the space you would at Rice. They have about 13 studios to choose from each semester and the student who showed me around said that he has always gotten his first choice. They don't seem to have any specific focus and they have a lot of really good faculty so you can really direct your own education and take classes and studios you are interested in. There is a lot going on at this school, design/builds, competitions, study abroad, traveling studios, etc. They have a lot to offer, so its really up to you to make the most of it.

There was a very nice energy in the school and everyone was nice and helpful. They have a lot of funding so about 75% of students are receiving some type of financial aid. About 20% of there incoming graduate class receives recruitment scholarships but after you are in there are a lot of scholarships to apply for. Also, if you have an architecture background you have a good chance at being a TA and then you will get instate tuition, health insurance and you will get paid.

All in all I thought both these schools were great. Austin is a much cooler city than Houston with a lot more to offer in terms of nightlife and other social stuff, but Houston seemed like a good place to study because there is nothing around to distract you. I think UT has really earned its reputation lately and they are making an effort to be a very solid program where as Rice has a long reputation for being a good school and may not really need to try. That is just my own speculation though.

Wow, this is a long post. I am going to Syracuse, Yale and Harvard in about a week and I really hope its stops snowing over there. Hopefully I can post something about those schools as well.

cpnorris, thanks for the good post. Looking forward to hearing your impressions of the other schools on your list. Travel safe.

One thing I forgot to mention about UT Austin is their facilities. They have a huge wood shop, 2 laser cutters, a cnc milling machine, 3D model building machine (what are those called? maybe a rapid prototyper?), a huge computer lab, a sea of plotters and printers, a materials lab (very unique, not sure if other schools have this) and there own architecture library which is its own building separate from the main library. So there facilities are pretty large but then again so is there student base. They are undergrad and grad so maybe in the neighborhood of 350 students. Just a guess.

I did not see any prototyping at UT...no work no machines, etc...nice shop...but no 'new' tech outside of a relatively small laser cutter.

I know the guy (Chad) who runs Rice's shop and know they are using the CNC for work...but at UT I did not hear about or see any work via CNC...did you see any work using this equipment...when I asked about that type of stuff at UT I only got that one studio used the laser cutter for design research.

they just got a brand new laser cutter this semester. The old one is small (maybe 11x17) but the new one is frickin huge. The cnc miller is in the back of the shop and I only saw it cause I was talking to this guy that goes there, via e-mail, and met up with him at the school and got a pretty detailed tour. The 3D modeler is in the back of the computer lab near the printer area. Its small and I didn't see any work coming out of it but its there. I didn't see any work at all really but I think UT has a very good facility with opportunities to do just about anything.

Like I said it seems that it all is what you make of it cause they seem to have everything you need. The program doesn't seem to be very directed, which is kind of nice in a way, though maybe it could be a bad thing i don't know. But if you are into sustainablity then they have people that specialize in that, you wanna do design/build they got it, if you are into theory they got it, you wanna do digital/generative design well they got that too.

I was there at a bad time to see work as the semester just started, so I can't comment on that at all.

It seems we got the same general impression. Really good school, larger, nice people, great resources and the ability to go any direction you want to really...I think I could be very happy at UT, without a doubt.

Yeah it seems that way for sure. The best part about it is they aren't pushing a style or approach. That is what turns me off to Columbia, Penn and Sci-Arch. It seems those schools just force feed you generative design, which makes me a bit skeptical.

I did not get that from SciArc...i was there for their thesis reviews last year and they were all over the place...all very 'theoretical'...but done completely different...a few 3d printed generative stuff...but also lots of almost art installation type work that was all hand done. Tons of hand made models all over the place...but I was told the 4+2 advanced placement is mostly computer based...so, who knows.

Columbia and Penn I have not visited. I am looking forward to visiting Harvard and MIT though...but, I do not see that happening unless I get accepted...the funds just are not there unless I am sure I can actually go.

the one thing that did get me about the sciarc work I viewed was that very little of it was sighted...most of it was something on a wall or on a pedestal or fiber optically lit up...all very interesting...just not necessarily connected to the earth...literally.

I live and Austin and am applying for the 2007 M.Arch program at UT. It's a great city and can have its issues when trying to concentrate on your work, especially in the spring, when it seems to be 80 degrees for about a month without any humidity. This makes the park in the middle of the city more enticing than the four walls of the studio.

My largest complaint is in regards to parking. No matter what TX city you live in, there isn't enough public transportation to negate the neccesity of owning a vehicle. And the parking around the campus is unbelieveably crowded, to the point of numerous students paying $8/day to park in a downtown parking garage ($8 x 20 days/month = too much $$).

With that said, it is worth your time to consider a residence as close as possible to the Arch building, which means you will pay top $ for the dwelling, especially with the appreciating real estate market.

But it's definitely worth it if you want to attend a great school (with a great rep from a # of architects I spoken to) and live in a great city.

i went to columbia a couple years ago and wasn't terribly impressed with anything, except there graphics were awesome. i haven't been to sci-arc or penn, but i have seen some of their work. there is actually an exhibit at UT right now that has some sci-arc student work in it (or atleast that is what i was told). some of it is very good, some of it is totally hideous or not even architecture and some of it looks cool until you read the writing and see that its total bullshit and doesn't even work. for the most part its pretty cool i guess, basically formal explorations dealing with morphing skins of structures.

"My largest complaint is in regards to parking. No matter what TX city you live in, there isn't enough public transportation to negate the neccesity of owning a vehicle. And the parking around the campus is unbelieveably crowded, to the point of numerous students paying $8/day to park in a downtown parking garage ($8 x 20 days/month = too much $$).

With that said, it is worth your time to consider a residence as close as possible to the Arch building, which means you will pay top $ for the dwelling, especially with the appreciating real estate market."


That's true, but I what about the Shuttle? Or you could always drive to where the UT shuttle stops, and park there for free. Only the insane or rich use the parking garages. Most get a sticker and park across the highway. My biggest mistake was moving to southwest Austin, thinking I could take the CapMetro bus. On a good day it takes me 2 hours to get to downtown/campus.

I went to UT for undergrand and really liked it. I wonder if that'll be an advantage when the admissions committe reviews my application?

If I were to live in Austin I would live east of 35 so it would be affordable...from there it is still an easy bike ride to campus.

I would hate to live outside of central austin though...traffic in austin is the worst in the state...uggh...but living near campus, I don't think it would be that bad at all.

Outside Dream:

I also live in SW Austin (William Canon/MoPac). I was thinking of using CapMetro if I got into the M.Arch. program, but it sounds like that would be a mistake. I may have to reconsider my living arrangements.

I know that some schools prefer students with an undergrad from other schools, but I think it still all depends on your app and portfolio.

And Cross, you're right, east of 35 is cheaper, but the arch. building's on the other side of campus and property is beginning to skyrocket there as well due to proximity of downtown. I guess you can do SE Austin, but that is very far away, even by bus.

cpnoris and jasoncross...Thanks for the info on UT Austin. Could you elaborate on the digital/generative design aspects of the program that you saw? one of you briefly mentioned its an area that you felt could be pursued there.

We were talking about this a while back on this thread, and its exciting to hear that there is the oppurtunity to go down the 3d digital road at UT Austin, as i had thougth that this was something that the program lacked.

Well I just think that they have the tools and resources to investigate that if they want to and if the student wants to. i honestly can't tell from a six hour visit if this is the case, especially when there was no student work to view. Its just a matter of whether the faculty is there to support that and from a short meeting with Larry Speck who is a prof at UT they seem to have that.

Yeah, I saw and heard nothing about it (digital fab/prototyping)...but cpnorris said there was a 3d prototyping machine and a CNC machine...I do not know if it is 2, 3, or 5 axis or any other details about it. I saw no work using any of this type of equipment while I was there...but, like I said earlier....I think it is the type of program that, since it has money, could easily buy equipment and hire faculty with the knowledge to use it...as far as that happening, I do not know specifically...all the work I did see was very professional.

I will have a better analysis of UT in a couple weeks because I am going to GSD, Yale and Syracuse so I will have something to compare it to.

Jason - does Rice have a 3D modeler? I didn't see one there but I may have just not been shown where it was if they do. I did see a small laser cutter and rather large cnc machine though.

yeah, I believe so...I think a zcorp machine...but I may be mistaken...the CNC is at least 3axis though...it is very nice from what I have heard.

I would love to get into MIT's program though

http://ddf.mit.edu/devices/index.html

This Instant Cabin project is very exciting...love the combination of design build and digital integrated fabrication

http://ddf.mit.edu/projects/CABIN/index.html

UT's materials lab was also really impressive. In talking with students, I thought there was an early and more integrated approach to materials than at other schools which I liked. Again, nothing dogmatic, just seemed like it was a terrific resource that you could plug into.

Side note, I was floored by UT Austin's rec facilties, just top notch state-of-the-art athletic facilities really close to the Arch building. I have a friend who says he does laps there at night to take a break from studio and the accessibilty of the facilities keeps him on an exercise routine that can be hard to maintain in the arch studio world....

Jason - I don't know much about cnc machines outside of the basics of what they do. I have never used one before. But the one at Rice looked way more bad ass then the one at UT. It was twice as big and looked almost brand new.

Chingale - the materials lab is a very nice resource but i am not sure how much it is used by arch students, which is unfortunate. they have a large interior design program at UT also and they use it quite a bit. but its there for anyone to use if they want to.

thanks for the links jason. kinda wish i applied to MIT.

In retrospect, I'm wishing I had applied to MIT and Pratt. Seems like they might be a better fit for me than a couple of the other schools on my list. Ah well, what's done is done.

I applied to Columbia and Penn mainly for reasoning having to do with name recognition, networking potential, and location, but in all honesty, all the hype about generative design makes me want to gouge my eyeballs out with a rusty spoon. Despite the reputations of these schools as being havens for blobitecture, I'm wondering if it's still possible to get through the program at either of them without drinking the digital Kool-Aid. (If I wanted to learn scripting or programming, I'd go to DeVry and embark on a lucrative career designing video games.)

good deal thanks for the comments...i have been to Berkeley, Ohio State, UCLA, and U Cincy if any one wants any first hand info.

UT Austin seems pretty nice how it has so many studios, and you are not really forced to explore one thing.

I am already feeling the stress of next month. I am trying to wait to visit some schools until i get in, as plane tickets are not cheap.

How does UCLA compare to the ivies in terms of quality of education and quality of student work? Is it up there with them or is there a clear tier gap?

When I visited UCLA last year I was impressed...probably somewhere in between UT and Sci Arc and far as direction goes. They have nice facilities and are using the new digital fab tools...I have a friend that transfered there last year and while it is challenging, she really likes it.

mctwist, I'm doing the same thing. Until you make me an offer, I will not fly out to visit you.

I have visited Rice, UT, UCLA, and SciArc over the past year. I had the luck of knowing people that lived near the schools. But, I know no one in Boston or Berkeley...so those will definitely wait until I find out if they even want me.