Hey El Duderino,

How would you describe the "brave new directions" the faculty you mentioned are taking the school? In what form does the serious work outside of the studio take? Papers? Design projects in non-studio classes?

Also, just out of curiosity, what's your background? Have you been out of school for a while, then coming back for grad?

One complaint I've heard from folks in the Bay Area about Berkeley grads is that they don't prepare students for practice. One architect at a SF firm said he taught a grad class/studio there, and many of the students didn't know how to draw a wall section....

Thanks a lot for your perspective.

I'm up in the air about that "wall section" statement. Learning how to draw a wall section is easy and takes an hour of studying from a good set of CD's...moreover in most firms you are just cutting and pasting previous wall sections for reference...I say that only because i've heard that same statement about berkeley at the office in which i work and I think the guy that says it is just bitter...

got an email from Columbia saying i'm waitlisted. any ideas on how to get a spot?

Illini,

breifly describing some new directions at Berkeley: de Monchaux is into mapping, technology, the collision of nature and the city, architecture and landscape, and combining GIS-based analysis with design; Iwamoto/Choksombatchai/Anderson are among those pushing parametric design and fabrication; Chow is probably on the conservative side but nonetheless is advancing ideas about how to build continuous cities through system analysis. Meanwhile there's always progress to be made on what sustainable can be (certainly not exclusive of digital design).

We're also looking for a new Dean, so everything the school has been about, the very notion of a College of "Environmental Design" is being questioned.

As far as students not being prepared for practice, what's new? ;) You could probably say that about a lot of schools. I have a B.Arch so I don't have that problem; I came here because I felt the theory in my undergrad was missing. I also worked for a couple years. I think there is some truth in what you've heard, but the fact of the matter is there are faculty here who kick ass at the practical stuff; Dana Buntrock is one. There's a solid building science department as well, so if you want the practical stuff to supplement your theoretical foundation, it's here for the taking.

Seminars: yes you have design projects, you have mapping and analysis, papers, presentations, it's intense. there are easier seminars to take if you want to focus more on studio. I probably spend 70/30 between studio and seminars. I'm also teaching.

I should also mention the Branner fellowship: $30k-35k to travel for a year, and they give out three of them each year.

Now I should really not spend any more time on this thread, that was all I did last year at this time! Message me if you have other specific questions.

i'm going to chime in by saying i feel like architectural education isn't really about learning how to draw a wall section, construction detailing, etc. it's more about learning concepts, design processes, how things are put together, etc. marik is right in saying that you can pick that up easily, whether it's at school, or work.

at Berkeley, whether you learn about construction detailing or not just depends on what classes you take and which faculty you take them with. there's plenty of professors at Berkeley who push students to explore structure and techtonics. Dana Buntrock for example teaches both studios and construction classes. she is one of the best resources at Berkeley. (she also brings in big name Japanese architects such as Ando, Maki, and Ito with her Japanese connections.) Berkeley also has the #1 civil engineering department in the country, so that is a great resource for those who are interested in structure and construction as well.

does anyone know, how big is the typical incoming march I/option 3 class at Berkeley?

arch j and wawa...

I'd guess that theres quite a few of us whose Columbia admits won't mean much unless a rich uncle dies before Apr 15...

waitlist may not be a bad place to be (just a hunch of a poor, bitter fool)

not that i care that much, but anyone know the admissions rates for gsd compared to any of the others? i heard 20 percent in one thread? Someone posted Columbia's grad admissions rates which were like 30-40 percent? Couldn't find penns. ah forget it I don't care I just need to brace myself for the next rejection. ha

i heard those GSD rejections letters are on their way...boston people got hit first. lol. i feel like it's a pandemic on its way to get me. This would make for a good stephen king novel.

I'm in Los Angeles, so I'll see the agony before I feel it myself...we should track them by state!! Just hope I dont get my berkeley rejection the same day or it'll be a long weekend of drinking!!

yes, skycaptain, i'm hurtin' in beantown. think of me on a horse riding through the thread hollering "the gsd rejection letters are coming! the gsd rejections letters are coming!". best to get the guns out and organize the local militia before they take you by storm.

i'm still holding out good thoughts for berkeley. archca26, i'll hold some good thoughts for you too.

i'm rooting for a long weekend of drinking actually, but hoping for the celebratory kind.

Im actually still holding out hope for Berkeley too! I have a Pratt acceptance but would like a Berkeley one also. In state tuition and a great program sounds really good to me right now!! Thanks for the good thoughts though Andy!

Pratt + Sustainability

http://www.sustainablepratt.org/

Pratt's curriculum in sustainable design is absolutely impressive. If anyone is still trying to make a decision, this could be a determining factor.

I got my GSD rejection via email.
But I basically said, "listen, I live in the middle east. It's uncertain as to when, or if (they love "losing" mail here), I will get my letter. Please just tell me via email."

Is it odd that I haven't heard anything from Yale yet.

I received admission into both the GSD and GSAPP and will be attending both open days the week after next. But I'll probably end up at the GSD. So that's a spot free for anyone on the Columbia waitlist!

Unless someone here jumps in and tells me i'm making a huge mistake...

lesbanesy - when did you get your GSD admission ?

yes lebansey when did you get into the GSD?

i got my GSD admission phone call on 3/14 and the package on 3/16. im an march I AP.

it's thursday now...i'm still waiting to hear from gsd, gsapp, and uoft. and the wait continues.

anyone going on any crazy trips before starting grad school?

I like to backpack but I feel like I won't be able to swing it with the timing of moving into a new place, and getting myself set up...

So instead I'm going to get the NikonD300 that I've been coveting, and a new lens.

...financed of course with educational loans.

thoughts, comments?

rip: can you get loans that cover MORE than the school's estimated cost of attendance?

thats a good question,..rip, what are you talking about? I need a new car.

you can take out a line of credit for as much as you think you need.
Obviously the less you take out, the better, but whatever you estimate your annual costs of attendance to be, thats what you apply for with the bank.

ff33, do you need that new car so you can drive to all those duels?

@ripomatic: perhaps you can even upgrade the D300 to a D3 with a 14-24mm FX, financed with your future educational loans of course. =)

i am thinking about tangoing in buenos aires for 3 months before school begins.

oh, are these credit-based loans...bc i won't qualify for one without a co-signer...which i don't/won't have.

I am still hazy on third party lenders...not sure I have a co-signer..and I have poor credit...I need to to talk to someone and figure this out.

rip, yes apparently eveyone drives everywhere in LA...who knew? I thought it was going to be cheaper, but now I got car shit to think about.

I should have applied to one of those cool east coast schools that you ride the train to ...

sorry, i'm going to comment on some things that were posted a while back because i didn't see them until now.

in regards to the creation of the portfolio:
i don't know if showing process is possible for many non-arch undergrads. would you show the process of a sketch, drawing, or photograph? i also don't think it's a great idea to learn CAD or a 3d modeling program because it will definitely look amateur without school training. i think it's probably best to bring something fresh and unique to the common portfolio. it's really not a great idea to copy the look of other "successful" portfolios. go for something big, take a chance. i.e. susan surfaces' beautiful portfolio.

where is this portfolio you speak of?

ff33, don't buy a honda if you're going to live in LA... you'll be parted from it pretty quickly and never see it again, or else you'll see parts of it driving around on other cars...
trust me I know.

go [url=http://www.archinect.com/forum/threads.php?id=57617_100_42_0]here[/ur] and scroll down to nambypambics

whoops...

go here and scroll down to nambypambics

modernmonk - don't get me started on that lens, I have dreams about its awesome powers. but I can't drop $1700 on just a piece(s) of glass. I'm going to sell my D50 and use that to get as good a wide lens as $400 will buy me. I have a 35mm f2 prime Nikkor that is magnificent, but way too tight after the 1.7magnification (it's a film lens, not digital). The D300 will just be a present to myself for getting into schools.

tango? brazil? sounds like a plan.


ff33 - at least you won't have to worry about traffic. the hours you'll be driving are when normal people sleep.

DJ Tanner - I agree on the CAD and 3d stuff, I still don't know any of that, but I think a non-arch can show process. For my portfolio I just gave myself a few projects I thought would be cool to do, and then showed every step of how I got from start to finish (even the parts that were trial and error), then I distilled the resulting body of work into something that could fit onto 1 or 2 pages, leaving out the stuff that seemed trivial, but making sure to leave in all the essential artifacts of my thought process.

that thread looks familiar :-)

and where did the creator of this portfolio get into school?

Rejection email from UC Berkeley! Looks like Pratt for me! See you all in the fall!

Good Luck Brandon! I would be stoked on Pratt!

gsd not looking good for any acceptances to sneak through this round. funny postings on grad cafe though, haha

I saw the mail lady come by a few minutes ago... but I'm just not really in a hurry walk to the mailbox and get the mail. I'm thinking that the thin envelopes from the GSD might have made their way up to NH today. Not in a rush to get that letter.

wow, well lets us know how that turns out cou...crossing my fingers for ya

wondering...has anyone been rejected from Columbia? Gradcafe has only positive news.

Just got my rejection email from Berk. YA!

for the non-archies, i think process can even be shown in sketching. thinking about my drawing classes - like taking an object and sketching it for max. 20 min - you end up with a lot of construction lines, etc.

i don't remember any artwork i've done (be it minor dabbling and high school classes) that didn't have a process to it. analyzing, sketching, picking a medium, final project, etc. (alright, maybe not photography...)

and one other thing i learned about when doing my portfolio, is redoing/recreating that process. admissions doesn't know when it was done. if you're missing documentation of an important step, there's really no reason why you can't recreate!

archca - congrats on deciding on pratt. visited it and loved it! (just couldn't afford it).

Laurilan - Thanks. Not sure I can afford it either...even with the scholarship they gave me. Hoping some financial aid comes through!

Anyone else decide on Pratt for sure? Im going for post-professional by the way.

I just got a rejection email from GSD. I guess they assume I wont get the formal letter this week so they informed me earlier.

That is a relief, at least I dont need to wait anymore.

well, even though I got into UMich (still waiting on VTech) I'm going to be re-applying next year to in-state schools. I'll see some of you next year. What a ride, eh?

Rejected from Berkeley. Bummer. I really would've liked to stay in the Bay Area. Also wouldve been nice if they could have at least included my name in the email, instead of "dear applicant..." Oh well.

Looks like Im headed to LA. Anyone else headed that way? See you there in the fall!

I have a question about these e-mail acceptances and rejections. Are these e-mails being solicited by students or are they being sent by admissions for the sake of expediency, paper saving, or any other reason?

berkeley: rejected.

oooooouch.
not sure where i'm headed ...