ah shit... i totally skimmed over the word 'twelve' because i was looking for '12'.. fuck...

does anyone else find the personal history statement for berkeley an odd thing to write? I think that none of this should factor into their decision making.

in addition...no one in architecture cares if you can play the piano. I can run a mile in 5:00 but I'm not going to send them a video of me doing it.

I can drink a bottle of Gin in an hour? So.. I should send a video too?

archa26 - i think there’s a huge difference in you running a mile in 5:00 and me playing a Brahms Concerto. Especially how they relate to architecture. just saying.

smith, its definitely unfair that you won't be given a chance to show your talent simply because it's a different medium. rhythm, musicality, and improvisation are so important to design. i'd suggest pushing these ideas in your letter of intent and inserting a link to a personal website with samples of your music. serious schools will check it out.

me, me, me.

I reread my statement and realised how uttterly self indulgent it all is. Do they care how fast we can run or if we took karate or piano as a child.

DJ is right..they will gather round a pile of portfolios...and look at each for like 30 sec. then toss a few into a pile...then, on the second pile, they will look at the portfolios for about three minutes..and then toss a couple into a smaller pile.

They then might look at your GRE or your LoRs,..but I seriously doubt if your essay will matter as much as we might think. From what i hear form an aquaintance who was on a an admissions committee.

I mean who wants to read so much dribble

LOL

that may be true, but the essay has become the most important part of my application. it's the most accurate and honest way for me to represent myself. i think telling ourselves that the portfolio is worth 50 percent, LOR 20 percent, etc., and trying to find a way to crack the code of the admissions committee is the wrong way to go about this. like in everything, those who take the biggest chances reap the largest rewards.

Where are you applying ?DJ

i agree with dj.. ithink the personal statement will be what makes or breaks our application... if you think about it.. its pretty hard to convey who you really are in 500 words.. even harder to concisely point out how great of an asset you would be to the program without being too cliche.


BAH IT'S ALMOST OVER hehe

okok, maybe you guys are right

but I think we agree, that being speciifc and citing rational reasond for the school selection is better than abstract refelctions on fantasies about "Wanting to be an Architect.."

...tailing off, citing examples from your childhood or trygin to define "Architecture" are so cliche.

Just so we are clear

i wonder why it's so bad to be cliche. it's one of those things that society looks down upon yet it so prevalent in our every day lives. it's just like things being too literal. why are metaphors so much more acceptable?

well, these are my opinions for sure..
And taken out of context , your right ...metaphors vs specifics..all depends...

But I am just saying that ....The audience is probably someone that has seen thousands , possibly, of letters ... and the problem of having to write them warrants that you have to stand out. Which is hard..

I, personally, just would be weary of essays that take the personal desire or childhood experiences with too much weight. Its better to get inside their heads a bit somehow.

Also, if you search the threads, you'll find similar advice.

A good statement won't hurt you, a bad statement can break you. If you want to stand out, be creative and unpolitically correct.

As for letter of recommendations: The only way it'll give you a shoe-in is if the recommender is either an alumn or an known architect by the faculty. Any other letter of recommendation is going to be considered homogenous, unless of course, the recommender is just plain sloppy.

alumns dont always have the pull one would think...

I agree with afrdzak,..they probably wont consider LoRs unless they have heard of the person. I still don't get too fruity with the essay!

i can't talk about the personal statements anymore.. the more we talk about it, the more i feel like mine is complete garbage.

and let me tell you, those personal statement books aren't much help..

i borrowed one from my friend, it's called "how to write a winning personal statement for graduate and profession school".. it has a whole section of sample statements that were sent into various ivies.. and i dont know. i can't say i'm impressed with them. they are all so dramatic or corny.

i mean, mine is pretty corny... but i feel like, you have to be with these things. cheese wins.

archca26 - yeah - the berkeley requirements are totally different from every single other architecture school... I had debated dropping them from my list earlier just because their application process really pissed me off.

Letters of Rec? Depends on who you get them from... they can be pretty important if you've been out of school for a while.

professors give the school a sense of what kind of student you are and could be

employers (especially principals of respectable firms) can give a sense of your leadership, management abilities and potential success in the field of architecture.

don't brush them off... a good program will (and should) look at everything.

anywho...

My statement is currently an epic poem in old english starring a big sexy photo of angelina jolie (or brad pitt, or both, depending on the program).

ugh - I really envy the people who aren't working a full-time job. I have a client meeting tomorrow morning and I need to get some sleep. at least I'm taking the afternoon off to finish up my apps... and my portfolio doesn't have to be in until later (with the exception of Berkeley - ugh - what a pain - at least I have that part finished).

I'm sooo close to finishing this thing... a couple more days and it'll be over.

-to

TO,
I concur...I work 6 to 8 hours on apps and portfolio daily...plus 40+ hours a week..
I already feel like I am in grad school. I sort of hate anybodies guts that doesn't have job right now..all sit around worrying about fonts and studying for GREs...

the busier you are the better you manage your time. it equals out in the end. i love berkeley's application process personally. does anyone know the acceptance rate at berkeley and/or ucla?

i agree with dj tanner. i am horrible when i have little to do. but when i am swamped - so productive!

i have to say, second time around is a lot easier. i've found myself definitely less stressed. i guess knowing that i have something to fall back on if need be... not that i want to, but you know.

but i guess we'll see how i am in a week or so. my first app. isn't due until jan. 5th.

Laurilian,
I am a commiserater repeat as well. Last year's thread was a lot more depraved, I think.
Admittedly
Last years sucked for me..I got rejected at a the four schools I applied to...and i am still not sure exactly why..maybe it was my GRE. I didnt study.


I am in that place where i vascillate between thinking I might make it this year... and then i go back to thinking I won't..

3rd time for me... still not completely together, but hanging in there. I am less stressed too... I think because all I have left to do is tweak my statement - which I am frankly starting to get sick of looking at. last year I was still working on my portfolio the same day it needed to go out... and my portfolio really sucked.

anyway I was pissed off with berkeley because they are different - and I don't like things that are different. actually, I was more pissed off with myself for not realizing back in October that their process was completely different...

oh well...

-to

oh - maybe I shouldn't count last year because I was very sick for all of November. I had to drop all but one school from my applications...

so - 2nd "real" time for me.

-to

It seems as if many people are rejected from all the schools they apply to. That is very disheartening.
To those going through the application process again, did you not get into any schools or did you choose not to accept the school(s) you did get into for whatever reason? I applied to 10 schools for the fact that I wanted to increase my chances of getting into just 1 school because that's all I need, 1 school. My undergrad is in 3D animation.

My undegrad is Information Systems. Last year I applied to seven schools and got into two. For a few differing reasons, I've decided to re-apply. I feel that my application is much, much stronger this year.

And yes, working full-time makes things much challenging, but no one on the admissions committees care.

i applied to 3 last year - accepted, waitlisted (and eventually rejected) and rejected. i too (mostly for financial reasons) decided to wait. and i'm glad i did. i feel like a stronger applicant this year as well.

well.. this time around I actually understand why I want to go to grad school...

the last time I applied I wasn't so sure - and I think they could tell...

-to

question for the repeaters, are you guys applying to backup schools this time around?

Look this document if you never have seen...
The admission rates are different that I expected (very high)

http://naab.org/documents/streamfile.aspx?name=2006_Stat_Report.xls&path=Public+Documents%5cSchool+Resources%5c

thanks ybth.. definitely a few surprises there. yale's ratio seems off though.

I was applying to Yale, but I decided a couple of days to leave it ... I dont know if apply or not.

According the information obtained from the NAAB web site the rate of admision of MArch with no previous architectural education is (some schools):

University of Notre Dam 25.71%
CCNY 90%
MIT 19.05%
New Jersey Institute of Tech. 59.80%
Parsons 33.88%
Princeton 8.85%
Syracuse Univ. 63.33%
Univ. Maryland 39.8%
Yale 23.93%
Georgia Tech 53.66%
Univ of Virginia 23.76%
Virginia Poly. 53.06%
Rice 30.59%
Univ. of Illinois - Chicago 5%
Univ. of Nebraska 25%
Arizona State Univ 39.53%
New School of Architecture (as expected) 100%
Univ of Utah 100%
Colorado 90.09%

The easiest area to enter in a MArch I is East Central Region (68.9%)

The harder area to get in a MArch I is West Central Region (27.43%)

National Average of 38.98% (3 out of 10 of us will enter to MArch I, 1 will enter just as 89.8% of his entire person and 6 will be out)

Can we trust in these numbers?

For example, Rice responded an email I sent that their ratio of admission was 20%. Here it appears as 30.59%.

blaise - to answer your question about safety schools. i think i've come to conclude that there's really no such thing as a safety school. addmissions are so subjective. and it really depends on the year you're applying.

i've mentioned it before, but it might have been on a different thread. i've known people from my undergrad arch program that have gotten into schools that the next year an equally or more qualified person did not get into.

while it seems that some of these schools are probably eaiser to get into than others (some state schools vs. ivy league), i've come to understand that nothing is a guarantee.

this kind of sucks, but on the other hand - if it doesn't happen the first time around, that doesn't mean it can't ever happen. there's always hope!

I agree with laurilan-

having actually sat in on a portfolio review...

It's basically whether or not someone on the admissions committee finds something about your application that is compelling... this is what they look for: someone who fits into their vision for the program. Smaller programs like to get a range of people with different backgrounds and experience... so it might just happen that this year someone else who has a similar background had submitted a slightly better application than you... if you really believe you are meant to go to this program, just try again.

personally, I'm only applying to programs that I am interested in, and I think would be able to support my current research. If I don't get in, I don't get in. it's not like I need grad school for a job in architecture - I already have an established, rather successful career.

-to

to,

i like your attitude. i wish the last few days were more about that kind of positivism. I kind of hate my portfolio right now..and don't have money to apply everywhere i want, today is a mailing date for a couple schools.


I have been doubting myself as a result of not sleeping and not seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.



Blaise, yeah, I am totally applying to backups this time ...hahaha I laugh at myself for not the first time... The thing i learned was...that ...for its like buying a car,,,,

If someone asks, What kind of car do you want? you might be so inclined to say .."a Ferrari!" but maybe your just not Ferrari material yet. You think you are, but you learn you still have a ways to go.This is why porfolios are so important as a lesson on the path.

this question remains, do you setttle, or keep trying.


okay i am rambling.,

In response to YbTH's post:

"National Average of 38.98% (3 out of 10 of us will enter to MArch I, 1 will enter just as 89.8% of his entire person and 6 will be out)

Can we trust in these numbers?"

Unless I misunderstand your post, I don't think your analysis is quite correct. If the applicants in this thread are any indication, mildly neurotic architecture students are applying to upwards of 10 schools. In this scenario, a poor applicant could get denied not just one time but ten times. This could potentially throw those numbers off and make it seem like the schools are denying a lot more students than they really are. Also consider that a lot more students apply to certain schools than others and schools that need to fill seats will accept just about anyone.

Anyways, these numbers are only good relative to one another. In other words, only useful as evidence that it is harder to get into Princeton than it is to get into the New School.

This post is a bad example of a GRE essay answer.

so...i'm not the only person still working on the damn essay right?

I'm done with my essays, but I'm still waiting for my portfolio to be printed. What a mess, today. I went to pick it up hoping that it was all going to be over today. As I pick it up I first notice that it came out beautifully. But as I assemble the spreads I notice that they are printed out of order. FUCK... it was mostly my fault. Tomorrow morning I will pick up hopefully a successful print.

Story of my life: Last Minute

What about Lulu.com or Blurb.com to print out the portfolios?

I ordered prints last week through lulu.com and I still havent gotten them. I found a local shop just as cheap and better quality, with faster turn-around. I just wish I knew about them sooner.

phew... sent out everything for UCLA. on to berkeley!

UCLA and MIT down...now for the hail mary...I think you knwo which one I mean...its due tomorrow.

I know it's last minute for you guys but I will say that your personal statement to Berkeley might be as important as your portfolio. Give it some extra thought, and be honest to who you are.

Good luck.

It's the 14th. I go in first thing in the morning to pick up my portfolio. The print shop fucked up cropping on some of the pages. They said they will fix it today...

I think I'm going to explode.

so....when a school says the personal statement should be less than one page, but gives no word-count limit, does that mean I have carte blanche to cram everything I can onto one page?

and it's online - how do we know it's one page?

their application is weird... I think it's set up only for those who are serious about the program.

-to

or only for those who read the application instructions...

-andrew

I've been sending around my statement to people and they've been using the "enable mark-ups." option in word. I find it funny that when you right-click on the mark-up it gives you these options:

"accept change"

"reject change"


-to