don't do it!

I'm a little tea pot
Short and Stout
Here is my handle
Here is my spout

...see? I've lost my fucking mind!

sorry, don't mean to hijack right away, sincere comments, come one come all...

nono, you've got it wrong, SBD...

I'm a little tea pot
Short and Stout
Here is my handle
Here is my other handle...
Oh. Shit!
I'm a sugarbowl!


Anyway, after that little diversion, I'd say to not be afraid of waiting. I couldn't have gotten in anywhere if I'd applied last year. No way in hell. And I probably wouldn't have had a very good idea of what school would be best for me either. So if these are real concerns for you, then there's nothing that makes this year inheritly better than next year.

do a whole book of just your sketches with titles...

ibiza - not much advice to follow from me...but i just wanted to say that you've made a good first impression.

amazing - someone actually read through past threads to dig up info before coming out with a post of their own! fantastic! you're well on your way to a successful career in EXPEDITING PERMITS and dealing with BEAURACRACY.

nicely done.

ahahahha, rationalist, i had to read your song twice to get it, but very clever...

I didn't wait, and I'm not saying neither should you, but my concern talking to people who's been in the industry a while is that the majority of people aren't eager to go back to school when they have a good job with good pay and a good position. And with architecture's nature, there is never a garauntee your firm will be able to hire you when you get back.

Then again, there's WonderK who left a mediocre job with a great position at such a young and youthful age to move half way across the country and go to grad school, thereby leaving her flatmate with out her loving smile and motherly advice....tear...

oh, and to comment on mighty, i was going to come on here and bitch at your for not searching, but you did that, well done...

just hit the club... it's all in your GRE scores anyways

HAH...mighty- thanks for the words...having been in the comp engg industry for awhile, u have to go digging for information quite a bit, so i used to LIVE on forums. I know how it works...if u have a stupid question, chances r someone has already given an awnser to it ;).

superbeatle - i understand what ur saying. I've asked myself that many times. I mean i can sit there an make a gazillion dollars, but if it doesnt make me happy, and if i DON'T wanna wake up in the mornings is it really worth it. Now, some of u will say yes...hahahahahaha...and thats great! But to me its not. There were days i did'nt even come into work, did'nt even call in sick...it was bad! I always felt like George Costanza in a sense, i always loved architecture, admired it, talked about it...but unlike him im gonna do something about it. I know its not gonna come easy, i'll have to work my ass off i'm hoping that pays off for me!

petepeterson - hahahahahahahahahhahahaha...what if i just included pictures of me obliterated in the clubs in my portfolio...do u think they would take two ganders at it? :P

coooooooooooooostanza!

<i>if u have a stupid question, chances r someone has already given an answer to it</I


ibizaclubbin' is hereby proclaimed king for an hour.

enjoy it while you can. kids today, you know? can't trust 'em.

mightylittle (btw, is your name really trademarked?) you are correct. ibizaClubbin gets the noob of a the year award.

As far as waiting and making money may keep you from going in the future. First off, when you get down to it, non of us are doing this for making money (since you'll work your ass off an barely make dime). So we may not say that's great, but rather, are you fucking kidding me?

Second off, it's all about your desire and your passion to change what you're comfortable with. If you're the type of person that can say to yourself in 3 years, "you know what? i said i was going to go to grad school by this time, and damnit all, I'm gonna go" then good for you. I guess that's what is comes down to, and my experience is that most people can't do that when they are settled. But being happy with your job is what it's all about, I believe in that 100%.

I'm not gonna lie to ya, im a fairly confident person. I said to myself listen, u may not have any design experience per se, and u may not have any arts experience...but ur creative, and u have passion and ur willing to work hard...and ur gonna get it. Ur gonna go to Columbia, ur gonna lay it down in the studio courses and ur gonna come up with a killer portfolio...

Theeeeeeeeen i saw these portfolios and nearly shit my pants!! hhahahahhahahahha. Like whaaaaaat the deuce?! Is everyone that's applying for an M.Arch already an architect? I'm schvitzing over here!

majority are, but school are always looking to take architects who don't have arch backrounds...it diversifies their student body with non-architecture preconceptions...your type is vital to preventing us from becoming too disjointed with the rest of the world. What you need to do is to tailor your portfolio to the expectations of the university you're applying to, and do as you said, be creative, be passionate, and work hard....you'll already be gauranteed to do better than I.

I understand what ur saying. But how do i tailor my portfolio to the expectations of each uni. They don't list what they wanna see in a portfolio on their websites. They just say we need u to submit a portfolio no more than 20 pages bla bla bla. See thats why i was so hesitant to go into fine arts or something, art is soo interprative. I could think my work is amazing...so could u, but there could be ppl out there that think it sux. Thats why it would be nice just to see what "type" of stuff admin committee's think is good. Obviously these renderings, perspectives, and elevations r good...its actual architecture. I wanna know about the interprative stuff...cuz i mean, thats basically all that i'll having goin for me. Unless i can get a cpl projects done in my studio courses before the Dec/Jan deadlines.

I've talked to a girl in the program. She says she's gonna be taking some design courses at Pratt on the side. Which may be a good idea, of course i don't know if i can afford that. But my dilemma is, i've just finished travelling for about a yr, and now i found out i got into this program. It'll finish in May '08, so if i apply NOW, and lets say i do get into a school...i'll be goin directly into school again which is great! But if i DONT apply now, i'll have to wait until fall of '08 (to apply), and if i get in i'm waiting until late '09 before i start school. I've already spent a yr travelling, i dont know if i can spend another yr...just waiting. Thats why i wanna apply for '08, but i just feel rushed, and unprepared. Ack this is hard!

New York/Paris... YIKES! Good luck with that.

Good points everyone! So, would it be wise of me to apply this yr then? I mean i really have nothing to lose...well except for GSD who only reject u 3 times and after that ur on the street...heh.

I know that my portfolio would be so much better if i applied for '09, but i DO NOT wanna sit and wait.

Hey ibiza, OldFogey has GREAT advice about the portfolio. Don't feel pressured to include architecture-y stuff that you don't really know how to do yet -- just put in your best work that best represents you.

You probably read my background a bajillion times in that other thread, and how I only applied to one school and blahblahblah, but yeah, I just want to say as a fellow non-arch background applicant, and also someone who was way intimidated by the talent and creativity that is on this board, I just gave it my best shot and let the admissions committee decide the rest. I definitely don't think it's too late to start for this year's cycle -- I think I spent like the summer months leading up to the fall researching EVERY single program, reading up faculty profiles, figuring out where I would actually pay the money and want to go versus applying to 10 random places and using up a lot more money with portfolios and stuff. That narrowed it down to Berkeley, haha, and then I spent about Sept-Dec on the portfolio, went down to the wire printing it out and postmarking it on the 15th, but miraculously, the admissions committee saw something they liked, lucky for me :P. (And I have to say, my essays probably helped).

I know others would say waiting a year is not a big deal, it gives you more time to think, explore, do other stuff, research and prepare, which is true if you truly need that year, but while there were many times that I was tempted to drop out of the process and wait the following year to apply, I'm so glad I sucked it up and went through things this past year. Basically, what I'm saying is, don't NOT apply because you fear that you're not good enough now. You never know, plus the experience itself is invaluable and teaches you a lot about your passions and who you are, what you care about, etc.

Like you said, if you know that you don't want to sit and wait, don't sit and wait :). Just do it!! Good luck!

I'm so depressed after the last year. I didn't get into a single school I applied to. My grades got totally screwed in college, so I'm pretty much never going to get into any MArch program anywhere, much less anywhere I deem worthy as someplace I could live for 3-4 yeras of my life.

I don't see any reason not to give up at this point. I put in so many years of effort trying to do stuff to be competitive to offset my shitty transcript, but it doesn't matter. I'll never be accpeted anywhere because I don't have a leet education with a 3.7 GPA.

Just go for it!

I come from an Non-Arch background and a few years ago, I decided to try out architecture. I participated in the New York/Paris program and followed it up with the Columbia Intro Summer Program. I loved the work and decided that architecture was for me. My portfolio was simple, to the point, and cleverly designed. I ONLY included the 3 studio projects that I had done. I applied to 9 schools and got in everywhere. I ended up at the GSD.

You are on the right track for success. Take advantage of the unique relationships you can develop at Columbia along with very extensive and arduous studio projects. Many of my NY/P classmates had success in the application process (there were a few who didn't). If you work hard, you will achieve. NY/P is by no means a free ticket to Columbia or the GSD but your experiences in the porgram will only add to your future success.

Good Luck!

You sound like me! I was a philosophy major undergrad, I did the Columbia Summer Program, and just got out of NY/Paris this year. I applied in the winter break between semesters and am going to jump right on back into school in the fall.

Comign from a non-arch background, there is nothing better that you can do than go to NY/Paris. Its an amazing program. I tell you you dont know how much architecture means and how much you love it until you take this program. You'll realize its a whole field of study more than any sketching you've ever imagined - Columbia is amazing at broadening your horizons and those connections will, as BackSpace, said be the key to your mArch future.

I, along with several people I know who are non-archs, applied right from the fall semester of NY/Paris, and had amazing sucess. It will be the worst semester of your life, work wise. Do not plan to sleep or breathe, but do it. The time is ripe, and it really helps to be invovled in academia and stay in it.

Re: Non-arch portfolio, I had sketches and work from my NY/Paris and one other studio class. Another guy I know had NY/Paris work and images from his a research project he'd been doing over the past two years, another included some photoshoped work hed done on the side. What was important to the sucess of each was not so much wht kinds of things, ie renderings v sketches in the portfolio, but that each had a message, theme, or way of presenting who you as the candidate are. They know you are non-arch, they will put you in the non-arch pile, trust me you dont have to compete with all the cool renderings you see. What IS important though is that you use that non-arch degree to your advantage and get it to paint a picture of who you are in your portfolio - so I dunno if theres stuff you did as an Comp Eng you coudl include. I think it will actually help u a lot (esp at Columbia where they like systems). ***Id actually focus more on that, and applying that to your studio work in NY/Paris than including just some sketches....so make ure your NY/Paris work talks about who you are and possibly relate it to work you've done in Comp Eng or somethign else you would put in the portfolio to give urself a nice package.

If you want to see an example of a non-arch portfolio I can post mine....

Wow...idealist, backspace...awesome awesome AWESOME. After reading ur posts its like the pendulum has started to swing upwards again. Its quite a relief to have two ppl (non arch's) from the NY/Paris program say that it played an instrumental role in them not only gaining a grasp on what architecture entails, but also them getting into M.Arch programs afterwards.

I guess i just needed reassurance that this hardwork im gonna put in will pay off. I'm uber excited and i can't wait to get down there now.

Idealist - since architecture is a visual field, i do not think i could put anything in my portfolio from my comp engg days that will endear me to the admission committees. I dont know how keenly they'd look onto seeing lines of code in there...heh. If anything i could submit some electrical circuit diagrams, and even pics of some electrical boards we designed...hmm...intrigueing.

Backspace - u said that u ONLY submitted 3 studio projects, how many of these were from the NY/Paris program? I was reading the syllabus today of our design studio course and there really is no mention of how many "projects" we do in that one studio course. I'll have only one of these courses under my belt before all the application deadlines arrive so i'm hoping i can get A LOT out of them.

Yeah, if u guys would'nt mind, i would LOVE to see ur portfolios. If u dont wanna post them on here, just send me a quick msg and i'll send u guys my email and u can send the portfolios there. Wow, im pumped...thanks guys. I just spoke to my girlfriend on msn and she's like u sound more chippier than normal, whats goin on? And i sent her the link to this thread...hah...its so weird how posting on an archinect board can make such a difference in ones demeanour.

If NY/Paris fall semester is anything like it was this past year, you will do 12 small projects, and one big one. (Seriously, work was hell, two pinups a week for 6 weeks straight.... but then think of this... in PARIS YOU WILL ALREADY HAVE APPLIED SO YOU CAN REEEEELAX! that was the best part.) You'll have lots of chances to make statements with your work, to show what you are thinking in a meaningful way. So when you do it, do it well, know this is the work thts going to go into your portfolio and tell those admissions boards who you are.

And yea, even pics of electrical baords - show them the thought, rational, systems behind it in a graphic way. DIAGRAM! thats a good word... esp if you can connect it to your studio work. They'll like the way you think systematically and rationally, and make it visual just with some graphic diagram, trust me they'll love it because beleive it or not it has a LOT to do with arch (my guess is ull be a hit at UPenn and Columbia for it). Im teling you one guy had pics explaining his bioengineering project and related it directly to his NY/Paris studio work, and got in wherever he wanted.

Say hi to your AMAZING NY critics Billy and Danielle for me, and sweet as anything Paris director Ariela - tell them Christina told you how awesome the program was ;) And here's the portfolio,sorry its gonna crash ur comp.

omg it actually did crash my comp..twice! lol! i give up--i'm sure it's great.

hahahahahahahaha...bojangles, just download the entire pdf to ur comp by right clicking 'save link as'. Its a massive file that eats up ram even when running from my comp...heh.

Idealist - wow, i'm really impressed. I like the way u interconnect all ur ideas and relate them to individual projects that u completed. What i liked about it in particular, is that from looking at ur portfolio i was taught a concept. For instance the Stuart Little Project, a normal individual regards perspective as how an object looks in relation to where they r. However we see here that from a different perspective, the object actually is different. And u can actually change or mold space by using perspective to ur advantage (removal of frames). It's pretty cool...i mean i have no prior background in arch, yet i understood this concept because of the way u presented it. Thanks for posting this...i definetely have a few ideas of my own after seeing it. However, its 64 pages!! Don't most schools have a limit of 20 pages or so for a portfolio? Did u just send it in like this regardless?

ibiza-

gotta love the name. fuckin'a. I am also applying this upcoming year, from a non-arch background (finance) and have been scrutinizing the 2007 threads. lets go to the GSD & rip shit up. lol.

What is the NY/paris program? do you recommend it? what are you doing about fellowships, etc... applying now?

conormac - thanks about the name, it's my fav place in the world. Had the pleasure of going for 3 seasons...its magical! Yeah the 2007 threads have been very enlightening in terms of preparing me for what to expect so on and so forth. They went thru so much, im just so dissapointed for the ppl that did'nt get in. Everyone deserves to get in...but i guess there is no sympathy in the M.Arch app process.

Here is the link for the NY/Paris Shape of Two Cities program:
www.arch.columbia.edu/NYParis

I will be attending this fall, so as of now, i can't tell u if i recommend it or not. But i'm hoping it will give me valuable insight into what architecture is really about as well as giving me solid material for my portfolio. But read what Backspace and Idealist have to say in this post as they've been thru the program already and make really good points. Theres also another thread about the program:
Here

As far as fellowships go, i have'nt really looked into it. I'm Canadian so I don't qualify for any scholarships that Columbia offers. :(

ibiza,

Prior to grad school, I had only done 3 studios (2 semesters of NY/P and 1 Columbia Summer Intro porgram). That is all the work I had completed. I emphasized the development of my projects through a a rigorous system I developed in the set up of my portfolio (you will talk non-stop about "systems" and "the process" in NY/P). It was a simple and short (18 pages). The most important thing about portfolio is being precise and clean. There is not need for staturating your pages with tons of images of the same project. The best portfolios are often the most basic (but also cleverly designed) ones. You want connect all your projects through a common thread while making your portfolio easy to read.

I also had several people from Columbia look at my portfolio before sending it out. Feed back is key. There is nothing better than people on the admission committee at a top school critiquing your portfolio. Trust me, it works. Never in a million years did I think I would go 9 for 9 in the admission process (nevermind getting into the GSD).

I hope that helps.

Backspace, that is incredible that u went 9/9...WOW! I think from listening to u and Idealist, the key to a solid portfolio is having a theme and elaborating on this theme through ur projects of work in a concise manner. Yeah i definetely agree with u about getting Columbia ppl to critique ur portfolio...if they're the ones deciding if u get in, then u would want to hear what they think.

See the thing is, i will only have 1 semester of NY/Paris under my belt before i apply. And from listening to u guys, it seems like we do quite a bit of work in that one semester? Surely enough to have material for a decent portfolio correct? Did u get ur letters of reference from the profs in the NY/Paris program as well? I think that would help too. Also, how r u liking the GSD, after u've spent some time in some programs offered by Columbia? Did u choose GSD over the GSAPP?

Ibiza, hope you hav kept all your sketches.
trust me ...the most impressive portfolio is often the one that has absolutely no comp rendering.

ibiz - thanks for ur comments, im glad you got something out of it!

"its 64 pages!! Don't most schools have a limit of 20 pages or so for a portfolio? Did u just send it in like this regardless?"
Yea... UPenn saw through it and rejected me - they I think though were the only ones specifically asking for less pages... everyone else seemed happy with it ;) ...

"It seems like we do quite a bit of work in that one semester?" YES. You'll never sleep.

"Surely enough to have material for a decent portfolio correct?" YES.

"Did u get ur letters of reference from the profs in the NY/Paris program as well?" YES. Not all but since the Admissions Dean of Columbia is teaching ur class... surley, she is a good resource for a letter ;) ... if she likes you. And yea, as Backspace said, get them to crit ur portfolio.

"GSD v GSAPP?" I wish I had stayed at Columbia. They teach you to think in a new way, a way that makes you think everyone else isn't stretching far enough.

Backspace, do you go to the GSD now? How do you like it vs. Columbia? Or are you starting in the fall?

Holy Kaiserslautern! Been busy trying to find NY housing, come back and posts galore...well, really only 5...but i think anything 5 and over constitutes a "galore" right? ;). Oh, and if ANYONE, AAAANYONE knows of someone on the Upper West Side of Manhattan that needs a roommate, i beg/urge/implore u to let me know. Housing in NY is SUCH a pain in the arse...im gonna start a thread about it soon...i'm dyin over here!!

LanDarch - Yeah i've managed to keep a lot of my sketches in me trusty sketchbook. I have everything in there from superheros (i like sketching comic books :P), to buildings that i designed, to buildings of others (mainly Herzog&DeMeuron...i LOVE their work). Thing is, all of the sketches r OF the final product, they really don't show my "path" to getting TO the final product -if u will-...and this is the predominant theme here. Everyone is saying a good portfolio should show how u think, ideas, paths, interconnection of projects based on themes. Ay yai yaaaiii.

idealist - No prob Bob...errr...Christina ;). After seeing ur portfolio i instantly recognized ur work...it's displayed in the NY/Paris gallery. Pretty cool stuff...u dont know how much it means to me to see a good portfolio that does'nt contain renderings and such. I was literally freakin out lookin at the other ones. About the no sleeping thing, u know what, i'm not too worried about that, i've spent many a sleepless nights programming, and let me tell ya something, i would RATHER spend it working on my studio course (cool) than finding memory leaks (very uncool, but a great way to pick up chix though...NOT!) in software i wrote. Well, with the way this design studio is set up the project in the 1st semester is a "dialogue between the individual designer's process of making space, and the 'poetics of construction (material, structure, detail) and the 'poetics of action' (program, use, experience)". Maybe i can use this project AS my portfolio? Is Danielle the Dean of Admissions? :O :O :O. Hmm, it does'nt mention anything like that here under her credentials. I've spoken to her once via phone (to be honest she was'nt too helpful...heh), she seems very deep, very intellectual, hopefully i can get on her good side and she'll be willing to write me a letter. R u at GSD too? I thought u were at Berkely?

Tumbleweed - u know what, some hotshot newbie is gonna come on here in a week or so and u'll forget all about me. *sigh* how the life of a star so quickly fades...hahahahahahhahaha.

There is no doubt in my mind that i will apply. Ur right, theres nothing to lose, i can only gain from this experience even if i DO get rejected. I think i will undoubtedly parlay my projects into my portfolio. The great thing about this studio course is that there is an objective, a theme, and i guess the projects slowly build to the apex of u realizing the full on impact of the theme and what it entails. It basically builds my portfolio for me!

Hah...it would be SO awesome if u put ur first portfolio up!! Was it the portfolio that got u into ur M.Arch program? I would love to see ur "WTF!!??" moment....hahahahahhaa. Us newbees need this, it shows us that yes, ppl can fuck up, and yes, they get right back up and succeed. U guys that come on here and give advice, i'm serious, it helps a lot...listening to ppl that have gone thru the same schiza ur about to go thru...nothing can prepare u more!!! I dont take any advice serious or not for granted. As i go along i will keep u updated on how the portfolio is looking. When i have some free time i wanna put up some of my sketches...hopefully u guys can give me some positive feedback.

Now if u'll excuse me, i have to go back to stressing out about my student visa, housing, and dealing with IDIOTS at Citibank. I kid u not, the levels of incompetence i've had to deal with so far...lets just say after this, i'd rather hold ALL my money in a piggy bank than let these munter's hold it for me!!!

I was a non-arch background and was accepted to University of Illinois , Cincinatti, North Carolina and cal poly. You dont need Rhino or any of that. All they want to see is potential! You can simply assemble your sketches and drawings in a rational order and give your portfolio a simple but creative deasign. your portfolio does not have to look like jasoncross or some of the others on here. Remember you are applying to a program that will TRAIN you in architecture. you are not applying for a job that expects you to be an expert in the field.

I hope that made sense its 3:45AM and I am trying to finish my renderings without losing my sanity.

"the most impressive portfolio is often the one that has absolutely no comp rendering."

This comment gives me hope since my portfolio will be mostly ink on mylar/vellum drawings, lot of models, plus some other artsy stuff-water colors, photos etc. (I've had two studio profs who really REALLY enjoy torturing students by making them do everything by hand) I've actually been wondering about this though since I won't have any hardcore computer rendering classes before I graduate, am I going to appear as though I'm stuck in the dark ages? Also has anyone had to deal with inserting really large drawings into a portfolio? I have one that is 7 feet long. I kid you not. but I love it and want to shrink it down but don't know how to show it without losing all the detail. I'm afraid of putting it in a two page spread because of how there will be a break in the middle where the binding will be. Any suggestions?

well...i spent 5 yrs in architecture school as an 'anti-computer' person.
the portfolio i sent for grad school admissions totally reflected computer illiteracy....doesn't seem to have made any difference.(THANK GOD !!!!!)

ibiza: "show the process of your work"
am in 101% agreement with this statement....its often given more credit than the end product..as far as student/ amateur work is concerned.
Try to generate some 'process sketches'...working back from end product...hahaha...chicken came before the egg...

lmnop.:...i had two projects that had drawings 8' and 7' long...(blame 1/2 km long sites).and about 4' wide
boy...they looked gr8 during review pin-ups...but it was hell to put in the portfolio.
soooo....I kinda cheated a bit on portfolio format..:-)...it was a risk...but a calculated one i think...in hindsight
each sheet in my portfolio was (is) 210mm in width..ie shorter edge of A4..and 420mm in length. did the layout such that the sheet could be folded at the 297mm point of the sheet length. The folding made the bound book look within rules at first sight...also created extra flap to put more images.

As far as shrinking is concerned...take a print and see...really well detailed drawings look great when shrunk to publishing size.
really high resolution scanning helps too.

hope its not too confusing...:-)

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHHAHAHHAHAHAHHAHAHA...i like it! Throw some humour in there. What did the ppl on the admissions committees have to say about this one? Even though there was a picture at the beach, i thought the first portfolio was good. However, with that being said, the 2nd portfolio DOMINATES the first one. Those gas stations look like mutant plants that r gonna take over the world...WIKKID!

I can't wait till i get to do some cool stuff like that.

jamChar - don't go all asylum on us...heh. GOOOOOSEFRRAAAABBAAAA!!! Say it with me now...

lmnop15 - maybe get an SLR...take a high res photo on landscape setting so u fit it all in. Then in photoshop u can do whwatever u need to with it ie; fitting it to a4 or a5.

LanDarch - yeah, i think im gonna have to go back and "re-sketch" some of my buildings and show how them how i came up with the ideas for them...like prelim sketches. I just looked at my sketchbook and theres a good deal of smudge on all my sketches...sigh...does anyone else have this problem? It's been sitting there for awhile, but i have'nt placed anything on top of it, how can all my drawings be smudged like this. Maybe i have to use better pencils :(.

yeah i'm most likely gonna have to do that. For the big smudges i just took an eraser and took them out, however, there r some parts where i have intricate detailing, and now its all smudged out. *sigh* I'm gonna have to figure out a way to re-draw lines and stuff. Thing is, theres really nothing u can do...like i mean, am i gonna put all my sketches into those plastic coverings? No way, that would'nt make sense...sketchbooks r supposed to be all smudgy and messy no?

ibiza...from now on try hairspray...to FIX your sketch....but only if u use high GSM paper.

the NY/Paris thing sounds awesome.. I wonder if its like GSD's career discovery. The internet told me that I was forbidden to view that page... wtf?? but the posts make it sound good... I'll dig around on their site. I could really stand to beef up my (alleged) portfolio... if only I had some sassy pics of me at the beach... (haha just joshin' ya)

So an update of NY/Paris for those that r interested:

+ 2 occasions where i've gone 31 hrs or more without sleep (we're only into the third week of the program)

+ 1 hallucination caused by this said sleep deprivation...a little girl ran by me on the street and i jumped because i thought it was a flying serpent...seriously, don't ask!

+ approximately $20/day i'm spending on food because i have no time to cook anything at home

+ 1 holiday that i've had to work through because of a pinup due...it was labour day (a monday), we had orientation on the sunday, first pinup due on the tuesday

+ close to $100/project ON TOP of the $300 or so that i spent initially buying all the materials required for the program

+ 128 steps i have to climb everyday walking through morningside park to get to Columbia (thanks to my roommate Jason for counting)

+ 2 books, 6 readings that i have yet to finish for my other classes

+ 3 amazing critics that comb through our projects with laser-like precision. Danielle Smoller, Billy Feuerman, and Thomas DeMonchaux...i just think its incredible that they have so many poignant observations about every one of our projects. After boldy critique'ing each of the first 20 presentations that deal with such things as: how the laws of conservation of energy apply to the boundary between central park and the city; or the use of inverted triangles to create a sense of space on a terrace, they attack the last 10 presentations with the same amount of vigor. Its absolutely enthralling to listen to them speak; even though half the time u have no clue what they're saying, and some of the time they're ripping into u, but they do it such a way that...somehow...u feel good about urself afterwards. Its VERY hard to explain.

I will try to post my projects for U ALL to rip into, i would love to hear what ppl have to say. If u don't hear from me in two weeks, i have most likely collapsed due to overwork and stress. Otherwise, "i'll be back"...hope everyone is well.

Sounds like hell...

sounds exactly like last year. I get to cirt you on Tuesday ;)

:O

HOW?!?!?!

Petepeterson,

Just looking at you pfolio on flikr. I'm also a non-arch background so I'm wondering what software you used and did you print professionally for your apps? Also where did you get in? I'm using some pretty basic software and although it looks good, I can't print to the edges, there is a white border which I don't want to black background images.