what are you doing in the meantime? (i.e., how will you year be used to make you a more attractive applicant?)

because you could probably do well either way. you can get a good education at just about any school and could get a jump on it this year, but if there are a few that you feel are better aligned with what you want, the wait would probably be worth it.

STOP THESE TYPES OF POSTS. IM STARTING TO THINK THIS NEW GROUP OF COLLEGE AGE PEOPLE IS SO INSECURE THAT NOT ONLY CANT THEY KEEP THEIR "DILEMAS" PRIVATE BUT ARE SO INSECURE THEY PLACE THEYRE HAPPINESS ON A BET THAT THEIR BRAND OF SCHOOL WILL ENSURE A FUTURE. WHEN DID WORRYING OUT LOUD BECOME COMMON?

Why did you apply to schools that you are not willing to attend? Or did you realize your feelings about them after you applied?

This is not a dig or in any way meant to discourage discourse on the subject. I am honestly curious, because I would assume that applying to a school means that you want to go there.

So hard to decide.

By the time I reapplied I'd have graduated, completed my prereqs, retaken the gre, redone my portfolio, completed a summer program, done another internship. Then I could spend that year working, writing, traveling.

It is starting to not sound so bad (though a lot more work than just starting school). Just don't know.

evil - it is an anonymous blog. get a hold of yourself and check the all caps key.

rationalist - I knew when I was applying that I had a few strikes against my application (still having to complete 30-odd credits for one), and was open to taking a year off. At that point, I really didn't know how I would want to proceed about the next year. If I got into a great program that would have made up my mind, if I didn't get into a great program but got into some program...then I would have the option. It isn't as if I applied and really didn't want to go there.

But now it is time to decide and I am finding it difficult.

of the schools you've gotten into, are none of them among those you'd really been thinking about?

if you wait, applying next year, i'd probably limit your applications to just a few. focus your energies on what you want.

it does sound like (unless you want to spill your whole story, which might open you up for a lot of snarkiness) you've got a lot of internal dialogue over the next weeks. good luck.

you sound like a whiney bitch. talk to a therapist and deal with it.

Thanks. I am still thinking about all of the programs I applied to. Just haven't gotten into one that made up my mind.

so with "30-odd credits" left to complete are you still on target to actually graduate in time to start at a new school??? if not, you probably won't be getting in much of anywhere, and I would question why you've applied this year in the first place... seems like a strange situation, but maybe i'm misunderstanding something...

otherwise, under a normal condition, if you didn't get into a top-tier school this year, I find it difficult to believe that 1 year off is going to make a big difference... I just don't think that they're gonna change their minds... isn't there a question on all of the school applications that asks if you have ever previously applied and been rejected??? it seems that would raise a red flag...

and I still can't get over the trend of people applying to 10-12 schools... that just seems outrageous to me...

anyways, I would recommend going ahead and attending one of the schools that you get accepted to rather than holding out hope that some day you may be able to get into a more prestigious place... if you really want a prestigious degree than go to whatever school accepts you and bust your ass producing good work and then go to a big name school for a post-professional degree...

other than that, i'm an advocate of taking a year off to work between undergrad and grad... i did it and think that it was a good decision... but i think that you should have made that decision a while ago and not use it as a fall back...

evil. You are out of control -swearing and insulting me. If you hate me so much, leave my thread alone. You're obsessed with me and it is creepy.

I will actually be done in May, thanks to winter session (6 credits) and this spring (22 credits).

At the open houses I met several students who were reapplying for the top schools or planning to take a year off if they didn't get in at first. That's the risk you take when you only apply to four.

And, it isn't a fall back. It is an ongoing decision and it always has been.

...plus my prereqs this summer, if anyone is keeping count

Thanks Kristin. I think I am begining to look forward to it.

Time off is good- I took 7 years off after undergrad instead of going to columbia at the begining of the paperless studio era. Got the generative masterbation era at penn instead- so that's why happy to be a landscraper too.

yo EP! please chill You are being a bit harsh... Buckity has been a valued contributer for the past few months on the other grad school threads. yeah, there is always lots of '???? gradschool threads', but there do seem to be fewer this year.

Most of the grad school applicants are containing their anxiety within one or two threads. You know which they are, just don't read them if they bother you so much.

Good luck with your dilema.

I'm in a similar situation... I only applied to five schools (all of which would be considered top-tier), and so far it's looking like I didn't get into any of them.

Like you, I still have a substantial amount of work left to do on my undergrad degree, and I'm guessing that's a factor in my admissions results. My undergrad program is unique in that it awards college credit for real-life work experience and independent learning. I haven't submitted the paperwork for most of that stuff yet, so to somebody looking at my transcripts, it would appear that there's still some pretty huge gaps to fill.

That said, it doesn't seem unusual for people to get accepted into top-tier programs after being rejected in previous years, provided they put forth the effort to improve their portfolio and credentials. FROCCLI mentioned that she got rejected from almost every school she applied to last year, but got into GSD and Yale this year. I also remember somebody else on archinect having a similar story last year (I forget exactly who it was), so it's certainly within the realm of reason.

Even if I had applied to and gotten into some "fallback" schools this year, I still think I'd take the year off and put forth a better effort to get into my top-choice programs next year. Things I plan on doing to make that happen:

1) Finish my BA degree and prerequisites by the end of the fall, so that my undergrad transcripts will be complete when I apply to grad schools. That way there will be no question about my elgibility to enter grad school.

2) Enroll on Columbia's summer Intro to Architecture program. This will give me some new (and hopefully better) projects to add to my portfolio, as well as put me in contact with people who may be willing to write a good recommendation letter.

3) Visit the schools, talk to faculty, get some candid feedback about my work, start building some relationships so that when my new portfolio crosses their desks next year, they can hopefully associate it with a real person.

4) Get a better job that will hopefully add some more (and again, hopefully better) projects for my portfolio, as well as additional networking opportunities and possible recommendations.

5) Network, network, network. Attend every lecture and social event, and talk to people. You never know who you might bump into.

You may want to consider these ideas as well... Just my $.02 worth; your mileage may vary.

i got into columbia in 94 and then didn't get in in 2001. each year starts from scratch at most schools.

Gin- sorry to hear the news . Hope that a complete transcript helps next year, it will be easier since your portfolio/essays won't be from scratch. your plan of action is great and is where everybody should start the app process!

LiG I'm very interested in that kind of learning - particulary the credit for "outside" learning. What school is this (you've probably said it already apologies if it seems repetitive)

[url=http://snl.depaul.edu]School for New Learning[/url at DePaul University.

Shit, let's try that again....

School for New Learning at DePaul University.

I agree that taking time off is a good thing. I think its extremely important. You will mature as a designer and evaluate why you are going to grad school and what you want to get out of it. I took 3 years off and worked at a firm. I learned more about architecture in my first year at a firm than I did in 4 years of school. There is no rush. Grad school will always be there.

Thanks. I've never been so frayed.

If you take time off, use it, dont' just sit back. Study some quality designs, make a theoretical project or enter a competition. Study presentation methods, figure out why Meier has black and white drawings and Mayne has transparent black images. Study graphic design, fill in your portfolio with process and diagrams (I made 90% of my process while scanning my final photos, long after the projects were done and it worked).

Don't be afraid to make something new that is just fluff. It shows you are working towards a personal goal. Don't be afraid to delete a project or two, even if you spend a ton of time on it (I spent an entire summer making a project for my portfolio, but then was told it was crap. It was crap and I didn't include it).

Good luck. Everything is a learning process. Best way to learn and get better is to study those that are good. Study, learn and fine tune. A few tweaks (like making diagrams, graphically enhancing plans, etc., can make a world of difference).

in general, i'd recommend taking more than a single year off before grad school. if you only work for one year then it's debatable as to whether you've even really left the academic mindset. most likely you graduated undergrad in may and started work then, by fall you're already geared up & working on portfolios and applications and even though you've "worked for a year" you've barely left the mindset of the academy and it's rigid calendar. moreover, there's dozens of other youngsters in the same boat, attempting to do that very same thing so the competition amongst peers is fierce.

more realistically, i'd suggest taking several years off after undergrad. maybe forget about architecture altogether, try a different career/job and gain some hardcore life experience. then should you choose to come back to architecture and pursue a graduate degree you've got some experiences to draw on that can distinguish you from all those fresh-faced kids with their fancy graphics computer skills. and most of those kids don't really know what they want yet anyways because they've always been too busy following the supposed golden career path to success.

by comparison, you've now tried some things and realized how bullshit they can be. yeah, you worked for an architect for a year doing cad and you thought that sucked. but you also tried a fancy career in finance only to realize that maybe it does pay well but that it's so soulless with all these assholes only talking about golf all the time that you'd happily take half the income even if it meant staying at the office to 3am because of a deadline. or maybe you didn't have an interest in money but thought it'd be fun to try being a chef...until you realized that they might actually work harder and for less pay than architects (and they always have to wear those fucking hats & aprons). the point is that after those kind of career digressions that might easily occupy 2-4 years of your life, you'll have a much clearer idea of whether or not you want to be an architect. and it's that kind of desire and those kinds of experiences that will also make you more attractive to graduate programs.

remember, from their perspective, schools are trying to create communities of people engaged in discussion and that's why having a unique background will make you more attractive. the kids coming straight out of undergrad pretty much all look the same. obviously i'm suggesting the scenic route to becoming an architect but this isn't a business that rewards junior achievers anyway.

as i said, forget about school for a while and just become engaged in something meaningful to yourself. put lots of effort & initiative into it and maybe even assume a leadership position. it could be a total distractionn from your interest in architecure, but oddly enough it may well help you advance you architectural interests.

philip johnson is a great example of someone who didn't finish architecture school until his late thirties and he turned out all right. and of course, neither myself or brad pitt have yet to finish idp but we've both done things that we wouldn't trade for the world.

and i hate pickles.

Buckity, uve tried for Yale ?

Yeah, Yale told me to go away, as did Princeton. Only accepted to NJIT and CUNY so far...I don't think I'd go to either of them. I heard that NJIT has some really negative points and CUNY, well, I'm in undergrad there and can't fathom having to deal with their administration for 3 years.

don't go to the same place for undergrad and grad- you'll miss most of the best parts of expanding your horizons. It's better to take a couple years to really find yourself- I got seduced by hollywood. Doesn't make me a better person, but now gives me a broader perspective on how people act (pun intended).

Thanks killer.