alexandra- inDesign is pretty easy to learn if you know photoshop and illustrator already. if you don't know those two, i'd definitely suggest spending a day going through these tutorials. it will just make things easier in the long run.

jank - i wouldn't say i necessarily disliked it - i didn't have a chance to meet with any staff or faculty.

if you're looking for a big school and a big program, you've got it at texas. i think i'd do better at a smaller school. i don't like feeling like one of the masses. i will have to say, though, there is a lot more opportunity for study abroad, etc. at univ. of texas than i've seen through most arch programs.

honestly, my friend loves it there. i know it's a combination of everything - not just the architecture school. he lives in a vegan coop and is really involved in that and he's met some great people through the arch program, but says there are also a lot of people who are not quite as free thinking.

i know that originally, a large amount of people were interested in their sustainable focus. that was one of the reasons my friend decided to go there. from researching schools, this has really exploded and almost all universities now seem to have it in some form.

and after working in an office and going through the whole LEED accreditation and working on buildings to be LEED certififed, i feel that i have a lot of exposure to that already. not that i couldn't learn more, but i think it's much easier to see on a project going through cd's than one you'd design in school. BUT if you have no experience with it, it's great for having a focus in it to both learn and to help you get a job/internship with a firm with similar ideals.

overall, i liked visiting, but just didn't feel like it was right for me. i hope that helped!

do you really think it matters whether you use indesign or photoshop or illustrator? i used photoshop for my whole portfolio...

i agree - i don't think indesign is hard to learn - i had used pagemaker and had tons of experience in photoshop, so that might have helped. in fact, i think it's easier to learn than photoshop. there's stuff i'm still learning with that program and i've been using it since 2000. aagggh. i feel old.

yes it does matter if you use inDesign, photoshop, or illustrator. they're similar but each have key features that can save you a lot of time and energy. i believe pagemaker is now defunct--i don't think there has been a release since 2000.

Agreed, the end product might look the same but InDesign saves a ton of time and headache to get there.

thatnks for all the program advice guys.
I have heard the same things about using the three programs to put ur portfoliotogether. Iknwo that one coudl just use photoshop but i woudl like to try and use the other programs for their quickness and specialities.
Ie:
photoshop for resizing, coloring, photo alterations
illustrator for diagrams
indesign for putting the whoel thinsg together.

So.. let me knwo if u all think differently.
i am pretty descent with illustrator and photoshop.
So.. probably will tyr and read some tutorials for indesign.

i guess my point was, while i understand that they are all used for different things and could save time - it seems more important to me to really develop your portfolio vs. learning a new program - which is why i didn't really use anything besides photoshop.

laurilan,
yeah, i here u on that (the learning a new program) ... i am toying with the various options. Do u have ur portfolio .. for veiwing...???? just wanted to see how one looks that is done all in photoshop.

ah, i know there's websites to upload pdfs, but i'm not sure how... if you send me an email, i can send you a copy of my portfolio i'm in the process of revamping. i'll look into a good way to post, so we can eventually all maybe get them up here - critique process, etc.

I originally had mine in photoshop. I quickly learned InDesign and found it to be much easier and organized when it comes to layouts and text. For example: there's also no extra step when dealing with flattening layers and/or converting to a smaller compression image file such as jpg. In photoshop, one page each one file. In InDesign, all the pages equals one file.

What I'm trying to say is I think it's worth your time to learn.

hey all, quick question. did you take the paper-based or computer-based GRE test? the GRE website won't let me sign up for the paper-based test for some weird reason. is there that big of a difference between the two?

I think you have to have a special condition to take the paper test. I'm not sure what those "conditions" are...but, it takes a while to process.

I'm taking the GRE this saturday....youch! wish me luck.

ah, ok i guess it's better in the long run with the computer based test because the results come back 15 days after you take it. good luck smith!

for the computer based gre - you get the results immediately except for the writing. the official results do come about 15 days later.

good luck! i'm sure you'll do fine. i took them last year. they're not too bad!

i hvae been hearing that youcan only take the papeer based GRE in other countries, not the US. Maybe, i fyou have special "needs" you can try and qualify to take the paper based one.
There def. are differences.... btwn the CAT and papaer one... ie: grading etc.
I am taking a prep calss for GRE and they were talking about some of the differences..
so if guys have a ny specific Q's i can try and find out answers .

Well it's official. I'm attending the UCLA Open House on Oct 29th. Just got my confirmation email. Maybe I'll see other of you there.

for anyone even slightly interested, NC State has an open house in oct. more geared towards undergrad. they are, however, planning a graduate one for sometime in november. they are going to let me know details when there are more details (fingers crossed).

hope to possibly see someone there! although a lot of you seem to be west coast...

This is my second time around in the applications process. I'm keeping the same three schools on my list, but am expanding upon it this time. I'm thinking of adding in Pratt. I've lived in Manhattan for a couple of years, but have since moved. I know the grad program is big on theory and also big on Maya. Still, I'm wondering if they have improved the facilities since. Reading some of last year's threads and also threads on Pratt itself, it has been said that they aren't really up there compared to other schools (i.e. only 1 laser cutter). Do they have digital fabrication tools like CNC router and 3d printer, etc.? Yeah, I know, I should probably call up, but figured I'd try here first to see if I could get a quick response.

Just thought I would share a bit of information I got from UCLA Admissions. This is geared towards M. Arch I applicants such as myself.

"The GRE is used as a tool for comparison. For the M. Arch I program, the portfolio carries the most weight, however all components of the application are required, are reviewed, and impact the decision-making process. The GRE is probably less emphasized than the portfolio and grades.

The faculty view the GRE scores as a whole. They look at all components of the score. There is no mathematical calculation to make to judge the score."

That only took 20 days for them to respond to.

i was planning on going ot the UCLA open house... but i am feeling likei might not apply there now.... an di woudl have to take off work to go down to the open house...
BUT..le tme knwo ho it goes.
Oh! i am appling ot Pratt too! maybe i'll see sanofiSYN there next year!

what exactly don't you like about ucla? i'm debating whether or not to go. to be completely honest i just don't want to live in L.A.

okay, so. i just took the GRE. and, well. it sucked a lot. I've taken 4-5 practice tests, and my scores have ranged from 1250-1340. My actual GRE was 1130 - of which i am not proud.

but let me tell you how my day started and you tell me if it had anything to do with my abysmal score.

11:00 PM night before - go to bed
12:00 AM - still awake because monster dog is barking
2:00 AM - still awake because dogs owner is obviously out "clubbing" and isn't home to restrain dog
4:30 AM - apartment is full of smoke - HEAVY SMOKE. Alarms are going off, and i'm freaking out because, well, anyone would
4:31 AM - put on my clothes, go upstairs and find my roommate passed out on the couch. There is a fire in the kitchen because she left a bowl of pasta on the stove for over a couple of hours. She wakes up coughing and is like holy shit the apartment is going to catch on fire. and i say holy shit you almost died because you passed out and have been breathing smoke.
4:35 - i put out the fire and try to go back to bed
4:39 - house is still full of heavy smoke. and it smells so bad.
5:30 - i go to sleep
6:30 - i wake up
8:00 - i'm at the testing center
8:10 - proctor tells me i can't take the test because my fucking driver's license is expired. "i have a passport." i tell him. "well, you have 20 minutes." he replies.
8:35 - 30 dollars in cabs, a freak out panic attack later i'm back and taking the test.

obviously, i need to take this again under normal circumstances.

holy shit.

i hate this.

smithwillb... that story is unreal, im so sorry you had to go through that. I would have cancelled the test.. or can you not do that the day of? try taking it again

smithwillb - sorry to hear you had so many problems! at least you got to take the test...

i wouldn't worry about retaking it - you're far enough above the 1000 mark. plus then you won't have to deal with the hassle (and money) of taking it again.

at least you're done! congrats on surviving it!

oh, no. i'm retaking it. the second i got home i re-scheduled for Oct 15.

p.s. the apartment smelled so bad that we decided to re-paint the entire place this weekend. now it smells like smokepaint. gross

don't waste your time on that shitty test. your score is good enough to not matter.

I got the same score and got into 5 of the seven schools I applied to...none of them back ups and all of them top tier...don't sweat it...put the effort into your portfolio.

so once a driver's license is expired your photograph no longer matches your name and address?
magical.....

el jeffe - i know, that's what i tried to tell him. i said to him "though it may mean i don't know how to merge on a highway, it still says who i am."

no dice.

also, they had my wrong birthday. AND they already cancelled my last date for some reason and automatically reschedule me for a date in late oct. i had to call and reschedule a reschedule.

A quick word about rec letters:

UNC-CH (the school from which I graduated) has a career service program for all alum of the university. For a 10.00 initial fee plus postage for each mailing they will send out all of your letters of recommendation to all of your schools. All you have to do is either have your teacher inter-campus mail them ONE copy of the rec letter OR have any person writing your letter mail them a copy and they will oblige any mailing request you send them.

My roommate is doing this for his med-school applications – and it has worked amazingly well. And it’s so easy!

I’m doing this – and if the service is available to you as well – I’d suggest you do it too.

Cheers

smithwillb : wow! that is a classic GRE-eve story..... at least now things can most likely only go better. best of luck!

So my lame reason for not applying to UCLA is b/c i won't have my application stuff together in time. I know its silly, bnut their deadline is 12/15. All th eother school si am applying to are at least 1/05/08 or even later.

i am just starting my portfolio....and have ALOT of work to do. (ie: finishing 3-D models, startin from scratch on 1 or 2, rendering, not to mention actually putting the portfolio pages together)>
so i don't hink its realilistic for me to attempt to make a 12/15 deadline.
Even January is pushing it...but i am going ot try.
I so wish i didn't have to freakin work fulltime!... ..

Congrats to all of you have taken the GRE...
mine is 11/02..... b/c the testing center was all backed up.

Oh! went to Berkeley and spoke with the Chair of the Urban Design Department. She was pretty helpful.
I am debating whether to apply to the M. of Urban design or
the M. of city planning.
She was saying that the MUD is easier to get into if you do not have a really good GPA (3.8-4.0) and are more design oriented(portfolio).
The MCP gives more time (2 yrs.) and is alot slower paced than the MUD program (which is only 1 yr.)....

So..not sure if these are programs any one else is looking into....

Ok, I will stop not-posting.

I'm wondering what is a good way to go about learning more about the (lesser-known) faculty members at each school. If information isn't available on the school's website, is google-ing everyone the next best option? Is it recommended to just email the school and ask if they have bios or something like that compiled?

Thanks for any suggestions on that...

ME ME ME
-Non-Arch Background--Applying for 3+ programs
-Studio Art major; urban studies and international development minors
-3.95 GPA
-Working with an architect (renderings, cad, etc) so that should be some good experience over the course of the year

-Just took GRE last week and poor time management (quantitive section) KILLED me...but still ended up with just over 1200 so meh.
-Turning my attention back to my portfolio...I was an art major and got good grades, etc but I'm not particularly proud of any of my work so I might try to do some more "art" between now and the deadlines...it seems like some others are doing this.

-For a number of reasons, I'm being pulled toward Chicago so I'm applying to UIC...visited it a few weeks ago and not really the flashiest program out there, but the location is hard to beat...
-Also applying to U of M, U of Minnesota, U of Oregon

welcome mr. anthraxxx! the more the merrier.

i don't really have too many suggestions as far as finding out about professors - maybe contacting students? they probably have a good sense of what the professor's focuses are. or you could just email the professor directly - he or she might not answer, but hey - at least you tried.

good luck! let us know if you find a good method.

if anyone's interested - nc state's open house is going to be monday, november 19th.

Dear Prospective NCSU Architecture Graduate Student:


Thank you for your interest in the NC State University, Master of
Architecture program. Since you have contacted this office for
information on our programs in the past, we would like to invite you to
attend our Open House for prospective graduate students. You will have
the opportunity to tour the College of Design, meet with current faculty
and students, visit design studios, and attend a School-wide lecture.
We will offer an informational session on our academic programs and
opportunities for financial aid, and allow time for your specific
questions. This event is an excellent opportunity to get a sense of
what our programs have to offer you, should you decide to apply to NC
State.

Please plan on joining us for this event: Monday, November 19, 2007,
1:00-5:30 followed by a lecture by Keller Easterling with reception to
follow.

For our planning purposes, kindly indicate your interest by replying to
this email by Friday, October 26th. A specific schedule and agenda for
the Open House will be forthcoming.

In the meantime, if you have any questions, please feel free to contact
me at 919/515-8350 or via email.

Anne Wessing

alexandraNY,

i am interested in Berkeley's MUD program as well and Urban Design/ Urbanism program in general, but i am not applying this year (next year for me)

where else you're applying to?!

Hey everyone,

I guess I am putting my hat into this race. After taking a year off to work I'm planning, or at least hoping, to apply this go around. I have a 3.72 gpa and a BS Arch from Ohio State, planning to take the GRE on Saturday (been getting 1200ish on practice, but I have no idea what to make of this aspect of the application), decent rec.'s thanks to osu's outstanding faculty, and an abridged portfolio which I need to expand.

At this point I am sort of feeling the pressure, as I'm working rougly 50+ hours a week in addition to this. Oh yeah, not to mention I've narrowed my list of schools down to a skinny 13. Call me crazy, but I just want to get in somewhere decent; however, only a handful of those are my "top choices" (uva, harvard, *cough* princeton, berkeley, maybe mit, maybe yale ....then all the other "I want to be ali rahim"'s out there for insurance to follow). Sorry that was cold.

Well anyways, best of luck to the rest of you. I do have a question: roughly where are all of you in getting together the various elements of the application? (especially those applying with and undergrad dgree in arch like myself).

asbuckeye:

13 schools! Finally, someone as nuts as me.
you sound like a great candidate.

As for me, I’m working full time as well having graduated in '05

My status:

Rec Letters (1 finished, 2 in progress)
Statement (eh, working on it)
GRE (um, retaking - hopefully my apt won't catch on fire the night before)
Portfolio (inch by inch)

Re-Reqs:
Calc (Spring '07)
Physics (Fall '07)
Arch Studio (Summer '07)
Arch History (Spring '08)
Sculpture (Fall '07)


nervous.

Wow, I'm a bit surprised. We have such a modest turnout for the 2007 M.Arch thread, compared to last year's whopping 68? pages. I guess lots of answers were garnered by browsing that one.

or maybe less applicants on archinect

or maybe they all starting chatting in December when they started to really freak out.?

hmm...'tis true, smithwilb, 'tis true. probably too early in the game.

i'm hoping maybe it's just less applicants to arch grad schools. SUPPOSEDLY, there were a lot more applicants/applications than usual last year. i don't know if i quite true or i heard it somewhere and latched onto it to make me feel better.

I think the 2008 thread will pick up in a few months. If you check on the 2007 thread, there is serious posting come acceptance/rejection time.

I think it may be too early to tell.

Is anyone else having trouble getting a recommender to reply? Two of my professors didn't respond to my friendly email so I need to email them again, just send recommendation forms, or try someone else.

I have another professor and a boss who I'm confident in so I only need 1 more. I guess I'll send out another email with my resume and a bit of coaching right before I send the forms (seems like most of them are online now). Your thoughts?

Last year, I sent out emails pretty late - early November. I had trouble getting one of my former professors. He no longer worked at the school, so I had to track down his new email. I ended up sending to 2 of his email accounts. In the end, I got the recommendation. However, as an assurance, I had another professor lined up in case. I'd say it's still pretty early, so wait a couple of weeks and then shoot out another email.

Teachers are busy and can be slow to answer emails. However, if you're going to ask a letter of recommendation from them, that means you should be comfortable enough to call them. If you don't hear from them within 7 working days, I would call.

bUbBLe
sorry for the late response been busy.
Like i said.. i really liked Berkeley's MUD Program. probably b/c its mor eabotu design that the city planning program.

the othe rschools i am applying to is:

SCI-ARC - the SCFI program (1 yr. post professional urban design -arch program) deadline may 1, 08'

TU Delft- M. in Science in Urbanism program. deadline June 1, 08'

and these schools below i won't eb appling ot til next fall... due to not feelign my portfolio is ready:

UC Berkeley - MUD deadline jan 07'/08'

USC- m. in bldg tech witha focus in sustainable design, deadline: jan. 07'/08'

Pratt- m. in arch & urbanism

U-Oregon- m. in arch II

what schoools are u applying ot???

has anyone else ever heard of these "spring" deadlines... for post prof. programs????
I am a little heistant to believe them..
SCI-ARC told me personally that the deadlien for the program i am applying to is May 1st for fall entry.
BUT..
TU Delft is a little harder to get intouch with. (time zones, etc.) and no one has answered my emails.
Has anyone else heard of TU Delft having a June 1st deadline (for M.of science in urbansim) for fall entrance????

any info woudl help, thanks!!

For M.Arch programs, deadlines are generally Dec or Jan, however, I've heard of other programs (M.S., or Urban Planning) having later deadlines, so I suggest you just make sure the deadlines correspond to the correct program.