Jason-

I was way impressed with whats going on at bekeley. The student work was also some of the best i have ever seen. I went out a few months ago, and it made it to the top of my list. It really has a balance of everything. Let me know if you want to know more...

I was very impressed with the work I saw at UCLA too. I agree with Jason, it's definitely somewhere between Sci-Arc and UT. A good mix of theory and practicality.

McTwist, what type of work did you see? facilities, pedagogical directions?I have been told it is similar to UT, but that doesn't really mean much.

I like the fact that they have so many 'centers' of focus that one could get involved in.

quick note on open houses, not sure if it has been posted already:

MIT April 5th
GSD April 6th
UC Berkeley April 6th-7th

if I get into all of these, I will have to skip Berkeley's open house in favor of visiting two Boston schools. And Berkeley is my top choice. Would love to hear more about it from those who have visited.

On Berkeley...I wouldnt really compare it with UT austin, they only thing i have heard that is similar is the sustainibility encouragement within the program. The program is fairly small 20-40 per class. The facilities were pretty nice, and the studios have a view of the bay which is pretty sick.

Work wise, way impressed, very digital, but there is still a huge emphsis on physical models and different ways to design. They like to say that they produce not only designers, but also archiects that understand how their designs work with the rest of the urban frabric. I spoke with students for a while and everyone loved the program, and had almost nothing bad to say. they all had been accepted to GSD, UCLA, Columbia, but chose Berkeley by the vibe that they got from the program and have not looked back.

well wtf about those open houses, if i get into both GSD and Berkeley, how am I supposed to decide which to go to?

Live like a rockstar for a day and do both...that is what i may end up doing...maybe we can make it a national 2 day roadtrip in the sky. heh. this may actually happen just out of coincidence.

Thats why I am visiting the schools now so I can just make a decision when the time comes and go to the open house of the school I actually want to go to. It might cost me a bit more in the end but I just wanted to avoid buying plane tickets with zero notice.

That is what I did for most...but I would like to attend an actual open house...at least one...but I dont want to go if no one wants me...yah know...I think it would be a bit weird...then again you could be the anonymous drunk ass with no repercussions :)

Oops, open houses! I contacted schools, and here's what I know about where I applied.



UCLA - have not set an exact date. Most likely will be Sunday April 1 and Monday April 2 if they decide to follow their traditional scheduling pattern.

Princeton - Monday April 2

MIT - Thursday April 5

GSD - Friday April 6

Yale - Thursday April 12


I'm cranky about UCLA's tentativeness. I was hoping to buy a plane ticket to LA now to save on airfare because it is cheaper to buy a couple months in advance. I figured that since I have not been to LA and have been meaning to visit, even if I didn't get in to UCLA, I would just visit the area for a few days to check out the city. Now we'll all most likely have to spend hundreds of dollars more in airfare if we get in. Grrrr. And I have even less to complain about in this situation than most applicants, because I don't have a boss that I need to give advance vacation notice to, nor a family to leave all of a sudden!

haha yeah that could be fun....and weird. i definitely want to go to an open house but i would just rather know which school i want to go to and just go to their open house. although, after visiting rice and ut austin last week I think I am more confused then I was before I left.

thanks for the dates - anyone know about when columbia's and penn's are?

also, the UC schools are 2 day events - is it come to either or, or should you actually go to both?

just priced a albuquerque to boston to oakland 3 day rockstar journey and airfare was reasonable at $520...hotels, who knows...maybe hostels? I also, just for kicks, priced the 1st class version...$1500...you know it's worth it.

If Berkeley's April 6-7 do you think it's safe to assume that UCLA definitely won't conflict with that date, at least? Ugh ugh ugh!

I can't stand it anymore. I gots to know.

which school has the highest percentage of well known faculty members?

what would define one as well known?

good question. maybe the better questions are

1) at which school can one get the best education?

2) at which school can one make the best connections to have somewhere sweet to work during summers and IDP until i get my liscense and can go become a starchitect?

I think at all of the top schools you will find that...and I would guess most of the connections are regional outside of very few schools such as a columbia or harvard.

I applied to MIT, SciArc, UCLA, Harvard, Rice, UTAustin, and Berkeley.

I can't imagine any of them being bad and any of them not having connections and resources available to me by attending.

Don't worry about it...I am sure anywhere you applied will be good...that is why you applied there.

I'm finding myself increasingly in full-panic mode as I begin to face the reality that, unless I win the lottery and/or manage to insert three months into the calendar between July and August, there's a pretty good chance I won't have my BA degree in time to start grad school in the fall.

The good news is, I'd be able to complete my BA program on a distance-learning basis, so my backup plan would be to take the summer off from classes, move to NYC in June, and work there for a year while applying to local grad schools for the fall of 2008. In the meantime, I could finish my BA at a slower pace without having a nervous breakdown.

It would suck to delay grad school by another year, but at least I'd be able to stretch out the remainder of my BA degree instead of trying to cram it all in within the next six months, and save up some more money in the meantime. As an added bonus, I'd be able to quit my shitty job here in Chicago three months earlier than I would otherwise.

Yeah, that's it, stay positive....

I was going to apply last year, but ended up being ill and missed some classes. I was forced to take an extra year and apply this year...and it worked out fine...far less stress, and my wife and I are on the same time line again as far as careers go.

yes, stay positive...it works.

Well, right now everything is speculation until I get acceptance letters and scholarship award offers... If all my schools reject me (or worse yet, accept me but offer peanuts for financial aid), then getting my BA in time for fall suddenly becomes a moot point. I guess the only thing I can do now is wait.

Gin, what kind of work are you doing now sans BA?

I'm working as an AutoCAD monkey at an incredibly dysfunctional and poorly-managed architecture / interior design firm. Working there has given me my biggest incentive to finish my BA and start my M.Arch.

Gin, glad to see you're self motivated and ambitious to get beyond your current "dysfynctional and poorly-managed" rut.

i just received an email from one of the schools i applied to who has two campuses in two different cities and apparently the website was misleading and inferred that the program i was applying to was offered in one of the cities, but really it isnt. so i just got an email from one of the reviewers asking me if i would like for them to forward my application for continued review or i can choose to withdraw since the program i want isnt offered in the city i thought it was. i am having them forward it because i still want to be considered... but i am guessing that *maybe* if my application was so awful they wouldnt have even emailed me that- they would have just sent my rejection letter. maybe im wrong though. either way it still means they are reviewing it right this very second.... *sweaty palms*

I am confused. I am a 2007 M.Arch I applicant and I received this email yesterday from SCI-Arc inviting me to their upcoming exhibitions (i.e. Zaha Hadid and Eisenman). I have not received notification that I am accepted or anything. Do they just send this email to all applicants or does this mean something? Nevertheless, it's a total tease.

they probably just put all applicants on their mailing list. even if you get rejected, you will stay on the mailing list and it will sting every time they invite you to an exhibiition

so browsing through the website of one of the programs I applied to, I found this in the FAQ section:

"What are my chances of being admitted given my academic background?

As soon as we receive and evaluate your complete application packet we will be able to determine your admissibility to the program. You can contact our office of Graduate Enrollment Services by email, our online chat, or by phone to discuss your application and background. We can provide general information, but not an admission decision."

Is it worth it to call up and have this chat? Or would it really put them off as being too needy? Has anybody done this with a school?

I'm not even sure what you would say in that situation unless you made a mistake in your application and wished to make a correction. "Hi, I'm just calling to chat about my app, whassup!" I'd probably feel even weirder chatting with them online.

Yeah I agree. Just wait until they contact you.

Call 'em up. Tell 'em your getting pissed and if they don't give you an answer over the phone you're going to go up there and kick somebody's ass.

ha. Yeah, my gut instinct agrees with namby and cp, but I feel like I neeeeeed to know! The wait is killing me.

I GOTS TO KNOW!

ulcer fodder

I'm watching the 2030 global teach-in imbetween mtgs at work right now and getting so excited about quitting my job and heading off to grad school!

Ack! From the same school: "Your application is currently being reviewed by the academic department for an admission decision."!!!

Nerve-wracking. Oh, and they seem to not have gotten my GRE score. It wasn't required, but I'm really hoping that the demonstration of my writing ability will give me a boost with scholarships or research assistanceships.

That is really weird they're giving you a play by play.

ATTN: We have opened your envelope.

ATTN: Office Assistant McPherson has filed your papers.

ATTN: We are now transporting your admission file from the admissions office to a conference room, where it will be reviewed by administrators and faculty.

ATTN: We have just gone on a coffee run to supply the administrators and faculty who are reviewing your portfolio

ATTN: The portfolio review staff are on a short toilet break, but will return in five minutes.

dude, it's sad, but I would really appreciate that. I'm that desperate to know.

They weren't really giving me a play-by-play, just that when you file your electronic application, they send you a confirmation that also states what other documents they've recieved, and then when you're all ready to go they let you know (which is what I got today). They just screwed up the first one badly enough that the whole thing got way drawn out and seems like a bigger deal than it probably normally is.

O.k. That's it. I'm calling the schools right now.

ooh! My last check (to MICA) just cleared. That means that everyone but Pratt has in some manner confirmed that they recieved everything. So my fingers are crossed that nobody else decides that they give a damn about the community college spanish course I took when I was 16.

I know, I know. Get a diary, namby.

This admissions-decision waiting process is killing me. I've never had to deal with this before - I mean, I've never been in the situation of not knowing if I would go to school. For undergrad, it was merely a question of where. I attended a Jesuit high school, and I applied early action (the kind where you get a decision in November, not the kind where you have to withdraw from all other schools) to University of San Francisco. USF had a program in which students from Jesuit high schools with a GPA of, I think, 3.5 or 3.7 or above, were automatically admitted to the college with a 75% tuition scholarship. My GPA fit the requirement so I applied to that program in addition to all my other top choices, and knew automatically that I had a good place to go. (I ended up getting in everywhere I applied, a coup I do not anticipate repeating this time around.) I've never simply not known or had my future up in the air; last time at least I knew I'd be going somewhere and that I could afford to go. It simply was not as nerve-wrecking. I didn't end up going to USF, but I'm so glad I had that option.

And, this is a bit embarrassing to admit - I've no idea how financial aid or student loans work. For undergrad, I had a combination of merit and need scholarships/grants for tuition, and parental help/part-time jobs for living expenses. I've never had a student loan in my life. Can anyone help?

How do you get the money? Other than college-awarded grants from its own scholarship/trust/whatever reserves, what happens? I understand that private scholarships will pay the school directly. But what about loans, whether federal or private? Does the lender give money directly to the college too? And for living expenses, do they pay you a monthly stipend or do they give you a big lump sum for the year and then you have to manage it? I don't have any idea what to expect.

Hi nambypambics,

I also am going crazy with all this waiting....whew....

wrt your questions regarding financial aid, you're doing great in that you're starting to ask questions and you recognize that being proactive and informed is a good thing.

other archinectors may disagree but I believe that everyone's financial situation is so different based on your own economic history, your parents history, your age, the schools to which you are applying, the type of program you are applying, and everything under the sun and personal finances are just too important to approach getting your first round of advice from a blog. Everyone will have little snipets of advice but no one will be able to help you understand the big picture as it relates to your own unique situation. Taking control of your finances and understanding the importance of getting fully educated with regards to your options and resources is such a great adventure and if done right, will have many positive reprocussions as you negotiate your first new car loan, your first mortgage, etc.

I would advise that spending $20 dollars to buy and review a "Paying for Grad School Book" would go a long way towards giving you the confidence to then contact financial aid admissions officers at various schools and set-up an informational meeting. Let them know that you are new to the process, but you've researched the best you can and would appreciate 15 minutes of someones time to answer some questions you've formulated based on your own unique situation.

After you have a good basic knowledgebase from several school perspectives, then I'd start asking students and blogs about their own experiences, tips of the trade, etc so that you can put it into some context. Its really important to get advice from several different schools. Some counselors are very competent, others are not, so its good to get a range of feedback.

Talking finances can also be a way to positively interact with a potential grad program. I believe that grad programs appreciate dealing with students who are positive, responsible, and want to engage with their prospective grad programs in a positive and informed manner with regards to finances.

Sorry for the long-winded response! I know you'll do great!

Well, I'm not particularly concerned about my ability to manage money so long as I have a decent amount to live on in general - I've been self employed & managed my own finances for years. I just don't know how, or in what form, it will come. Also, I have attended open houses and financial aid workshops at most of the schools where I applied, so I did get a sense of the general financial aid options that are available from the schools themselves (grants, research/teaching fellowships & assistantships, workstudy, scholarships, etc.) They simply didn't go into the actual nuts-and-bolts details of how the money gets put into one's accounts or credited to one's tuition. I assume it could be a bit different at each school.

So, I am curious about the actual logistics of loans and student aid, particularly federal student aid and private loans, which I feel can be addressed here well enough in a general sense:

Do lenders pay students or schools or both?
Will I get checks or direct deposits or both?
Will it come in the form of monthly stipends, or a lump sum for the year, or possibly a combination depending on the type of aid (federal loan, federal grant, private loan, etc.)?
Will I need to keep itemized lists of expenses, or receipts, in order to prove to lenders/granters that I am spending it on school-related & living needs, or is it simply not that detailed?

Also, do you think it is a good idea to meet or speak with financial aid officers before receiving offers of admission? It's good to be proactive ASAP, but if they had to deal with everyone who applied it'd be overwhelming. I don't want to waste anyone's time without knowing if I will even be admitted to that institution.

My stomach gurgles a little every time I revisit this thread. I know I have to keep coming, as the financial questions are paramount to me as well, but it's really nerve-wracking.

I got an email from a director of one of my programs tonight. When I first saw it I was like, "ooh ooh, but it's too early!" and then it was just a form letter asking if I had questions. Why would they DO that? Why....


namby, I am not entirely sure of how it works, as my situation is similar to yours (got into college, didn't do aid until now) but this is my understanding of it. Perhaps some one can correct me if I'm wrong:

-Lenders pay students, scholarships pay schools
-We get direct deposits (I can't imagine getting a $6 k check, can you?)
-I think it gets distributed quarterly or on semesters, depending on your school
-I'm pretty sure we don't have to keep records of how we spend our money. My roommate spends his loan money like it's his job, and he "told someone" that he needed a computer over the summer and somehow he got more loan money from it. I have no idea how that works.

I took out loans for my undergrad. federal loans through the FAFSA. they paid the school directly. i only took out enough to cover tuition. had i taken out more I would of had to go to the student loan office to get the remaining balance from them. They want there cut before you get yours. it will come in a lump sum I am pretty sure and you will be dealing with your financial aid office multiple times a semester.

i don't think you need to prove how you are spending any of the money but i may be wrong.

talk to a fin. aid officer at any school and they will tell you all about it.

I never had to prove how I spent the money.

Also, you can usually take it out in multiple smaller sums, but there is danger in this. I waited too long to take out the last bit of money one semester, and I couldn't get at it because they'd already charged the next semester's tuition to my account!