ballyhoo, although im not familiar with the project, i find it strange youre just now considering site at the same time as you build a presentation model, but anyway...these are some good (and shorter) papers on site analysis that may be relevatn

four trace concepts in landscape architecture, christophe girot
site citations, elizabeth meyer
the reclaiming of sites, sebastien marot

thanks xacto. you're correct, i miswrote. i think i meant site model. i will look those papers up at the library tomorrow.

Dude...you're at columbia! use the Avery Index

Yeah, by all means take advantage of Avery Library. It's one of the best things Columbia has going for it.

And don't miss the tour of the drawing archives at Avery, which is normally offered during the summer program. How many times in your life will you have the opportunity to gaze upon original drawings by the likes of Frank Lloyd Wright and McKim Meade & White? They're quite something to behold.

thanks guys.

right now, we're making prosthetic devices out of foldable paper lanterns. they're informed by frog behavior!

and the tap drips.......drip drip drip drip

my two cents:

B. Environmental Design
3.94 gpa
gre v660 m720
2 years architecture work exp.
cofounder of small design collective

First choices: Berkeley, UTAustin,
considering: Tulane, UToronto, ?

haven't really started the organization of portfolio b/c i just took gres yesterday after one unsuccessful attempt in august where i got to the math section, spent 10 mins freaking out about not being able to figure out how to solve the 2nd question (2nd!) and then walked out. Sure enough, the exam the second time was just as bad. But this time I just kept on going though, guessed a bunch and as it turns out I did just fine.

Focus for school: local versus global, design/build, interaction with the community, good facilities (ie. workshop space), subversive architecture - not blob-atecture that wears the guise of subversion but sells itself to the highest bidder, school embedded in its location, down-to-earth and inspiring pedagogy, role of the student/designer as activist not passive digital monkey holed up in studio for 3 years, industrial design, urban spaces, site context inspiring design (political, social, environmental) - not formal mutation.

Am I missing any schools that sound like they could fit the aforementioned bill?

Oh poop, now I have to get started on that portfolio...sometimes I think I spazzed about the gre thing just to delay the truly daunting process of creating that little bound book which supposedly encapsulates my soul...

andimdone:

I'd also look at UI-Chicago and Minnesota.

andimdone, take a look at uw

andimdone, i'll also throw in a testimonial for uva. i did my undergrad there, and it sounds like it could be a good fit. in particular you should check out their ongoing ecomod projects.

andimdone,

Inspiring post, I bet that all changes after a little breadth of architectural school. For me down to earth, place, social, environmental, local was only fun for so long.

Does anyone know how valuable it is to go to the fall open houses? I know they are right around the corner but due to the fact I live nowhere near where I am applying, I was hoping someone could shed some light on the subject. Is it something that could help your chances of getting in or is it just a meet and greet? I'll def sacrifice the plane ticket if it helps, otherwise I just don't want to be out of 400 dollars for something that doesn't really matter...

-c

Bumping this thread.

Does anyone know how GRE scores are used and interpreted? I've taken the damn thing twice, and the first time I was happy with by verbal score and nothing else. I took it a second time and was happy with my quantitative and analytic portion, but my verbal score dropped 80 points (which makes no sense and should demonstrate how useless this test is, because I can assure you I didn't forget my working vocabulary and reading comprehension in a 5 month period).

Taken individually, I have scores that are above the suggested section scores for the Ivies, just not on one single test. If they get all the scores, won't they be able to see that I'm proficient in all the areas and come to the conclusion that I am, in fact, not mentally crippled? Which score should I put on the application? I'm really sick of this test and would much rather spend time working on my statement and portfolio.

and yes, least important part of the application blah blah blah

the only thing more important than gre scores is how you bind your portfolio.

but seriously, my prof who sits on the gsd admissions committee says although they will never officially admit it, theyll take anyone as long as their port rocks.

xacto - do you know if anyone well below the minimum GPA requirements was admitted to the GSD? I know they've accepted people who don't meet the GRE reqs.

sorry...i don't go around asking people their gre scores/gpa. i would imagine it would be a similar situation though.

good luck.

Those tests are such a sham, they don't measure how much you know, just how well you can write a test.
There are courses that specialise in learning how to do well on those tests only, so you could get a great mark on a GRE and GMAT and not know a single thing...I think that explains alot about some of the grad students I've met, dumb as donkey nads, but great test takers.

And no I am not one of those people whom recieved bad standardised test marks, I got a damn good score on the GMAT but I didn't have to learn a thing except how to write the GMAT, that sort of crap put me off an MBA education at least from most schools.

xacto - I remember seeing something somewhere about acceptances into law schools - the LSAT scores meant very little when the candidate had a high-GPA... candidates with low GPAs and near-perfect LSAT scores ended up getting rejected over people who had high GPAs and really-low LSAT scores. although there was some correlation between low-LSAT scores and low-GPAs, it seemed odd to me that they'd take someone who basically failed the LSAT as long as they had above a 3.8 GPA.

zigfromsa - you could also take a bunch of easy courses to prop up your GPA - it goes both ways. I understand that there is more of a correlation between high GPA and intelligence than GRE scores... but I do know that there are plenty of very smart people who ended up not doing well in school due to extenuating circumstances. it's these people who get left out over someone who had better time management skills when they were 19 years old. You don't have to be smart to get an A, just more organized.

Personally, I think schools should allow interviews as part of the application process - especially for those with marginal credentials... you can tell pretty quickly if someone is ready for graduate study just by talking with them.

hello everyone, first post on archinet!
been working on my portfolio, or at least trying to, but seems like i want to do too much in too little time in order to meet grad school deadlines. are all of you working on your ports right now too?

nnnnno....i mean yes...of course. good luck. welcome to archinect. don't let the thread obsession take you over until after you've completed your portfolio.

what type of stuff is everyone putting in thier portfolios for M.arch 1?

I know a lot of people like to put in sketchs and photography. I'm putting mostly concept driven designs and models in mine. but i wish i had a wider variety of stuff to include, but the time i'm working on is so time consuming, it doesn't leave much time for much else.

yah im leaving the threads for the 'not really doing work but typing with one hand and clicking to make it seem like CAD' part of my work day.

i feel like if i put sketches/photography with my design work, it will not work with the flow of the portfolio. should i attempt to even add those things and make it work? for myself, i think it will seem as though they were added/created just to mix things up but not as any revelation of myself as a designer.

its been tough lately to work on my portfolio after long days of work. im hoping i get more time on the weekends to lock myself in the room and crank it out.

im attempting to re-design/change most studio projects for the portfolio... :-\

Anyone know anything about the University of British Columbia (ubc) Architecture Program? I've read some things that are a few years old but nothing pertaining to how things are currently. Things change over a few years time so I was just wondering.

Hi everyone,

New poster here-- I applied to a bunch of M.Arch I programs last year, got into UPenn, but ultimately decided I had cold feet and needed to work for a bit in the field before making the grad school commitment. I have a portfolio from last year which I'll be revamping as well as a fresh list of schools where I'll be applying.

Looking forward to general commiseration!

I'm hopping back on the school train after a few years of work.

BS in Arch @ midwest school 3.8 GPA
2 years work experience (good projects to build portfolio)
Still need to take the GRE and continue working on portfolio

Schools i'm applying to:

U MICHIGAN
RISD
MIT
IIT
SCHOOL OF ART CHICAGO
KANSAS
BALL STATE

Most of my time will be spent on my portfolio until application deadlines approach. Good luck to everyone!

I am taking the GRE's soon and still need to work on my portfolio

will be applying to:
Columbia
Berkeley
Princeton
MIT

best of luck!

I found this site while I was googling stuff for ideas on my portfolio. Seems like a huge resource.

I graduated in May from the University of Vermont with a BA in Environmental Studies and a minor in Art
3.55 GPA (like that extra five means anything)
Taking the GREs the 27 but got a 500 on both sections for the practice test (standardized tests aren't my thing.)

Applying to:

Yale
UVA
Syracuse
Ohio State

Yale is my first choice because of Stern. I had several other schools on there, but one of my recommenders suggested keeping the list short. (I hope she wasn't just trying to get out of writing three more letters.)

I am working at an architecture firm in Cleveland building models and have done some renderings. I've only done very basic designing for landscapes so I don't think I am going to include any of those in my portfolio.

Would it be worth it to add pictures of the models I built at work in my portfolio considering the only 3D stuff I have now is pottery?

Here is a link so some of my photographs and drawings I was thinking about including in my portfolio. Let me know what you think.

I'm applying to for M.Arch.1 with no arch background.

its halfway through october people...definitely not enough commiserating going on here.

I'm jumping back into grad school applications. I deferred my acceptance to Pratt until Fall 09 but went for a visit and was very unimpressed. Arch building is nice, the rest of the campus is in bad shape and tuition is $40k plus. So...I think I'm going to pass on Pratt and re-apply to other schools

List so far:

Berkeley
Cooper Union
Harvard
UCLA...maybe.

Best of luck to everyone

good luck everyone, was in your shoes a couple yrs ago. The process of getting into school is definitely more painful than school itself....

but when it's over...a new kind of hell begins =)

My turn to throw crap at the screen and see what sticks...

GPA 2.7 but "should" be 3.0 last 2 years.

GRE - practice tests around 1200

Recs - still working on it with one solid commitment and 3 maybes

Portfolio - I have been working on this using the KISS theory but am afraid not enough is going to "show" through. Still some time left to make it special (which is what I need) but we shall see.

I have 13 schools on my list, if I were pressed I could make it 6 but the last cuts have been the hardest. Here's the list:

SoAI-Chicago - From Chicago and intrigued by the faculty and development of the program
Ball State - Related to a few alums who have said good things and liked the campus well enough. Just tough to go to the middle of nowhere
Boston Arch College - Would love to experience Boston, just don't see myself making the cut at the Ivies so...
Miami (OH) - Quaint and I hope a safety school. I have trouble ranking myself and tailoring my expectations accordingly.
Northeastern - See BAC comment
Ohio State - Always been interested in this program, can some enlighten me a little?
Sci-Arc - My one West Coast option
U of Cinci - Nothing bad to say here
UIC - I'm about to be an alum and I love what Somol is doing so far
U of Mich - Any updated numbers on the acceptance rate? If it is still above 50% its on the list...
U of Miami - Except for the occasional hurricane, I'd love to be in Miami for a few years
U of Virginia - Visited the school a few years ago and loved it, just don't know enough about the program
WashU Stl - Reaching a bit here, but I liked the campus and the school

I would like to work in the midwest (prefer Chicago) after graduating so after seeing my stats and my leanings what are your thoughts? Feel free to be honest (read blunt) with the thought that I realize a lot hinges on the portfolio which I fell will be good/pretty good but won't be breaking any ground. Thanks and good luck to all.

Hi there guys,

a Norwegian here who wants to join your good company and apply for a M.Arch I in the States. My background is a BSc in Product Design in Copenhagen, and some internships at design studios and an arch. office. Regarding my grades, I'm worried how they will be judge them, since it's not possible to compare them directly with the American scale. A direct comparison will make them look terrible.
Doing the TOEFL tomorrow and GRE next week - looking forward to get it over with, so I can focus on the portfolio again.

Will apply to:
Harvard
MIT
Columbia
Berkeley
U Penn

Considering:
Pratt
Virginia

My options so far are all very hard to get into I guess,
so I was wondering if anyone can hit me with some other schools to consider?

I want:
location in/close to a larger city
high reputation
easier to get into than HGSD, Yale &co


Thanks, appreciate it!

I should have added I am graduating with a BS Arch, so looking for my first professional degree.

To continue hijacking the thread...

I took the GRE today and got an 1140, so I'm pleased I didn't bomb it but wish I had gotten a little higher.

Q- 650
A- 490 I speak English good, whats the problem?
W- Still waiting

Sent scores to:

UIC
WashU
Miami(OH)
UoMN

10,

I'll even give this a bump for you.

I would like to share a little about myself.

I graduated with a BFA from RISD. Both of my parents are architects, which means I have grown up experiencing glimmers of creative juice interspersed in layers of tedium. I learned drafting techniques as a child, and used to contribute my small hands to large repetitive tasks: model building, elevation coloring, etc.

My portfolio includes a combination of paintings, installation photographs (featuring many of said paintings), prof. design work, as well as a compilation of conceptual "arty" freehand drawings. These drawings are about space, light, politics.

I plan on organizing my portfolio more thematically than chronologically, to better reflect my own identification with the work.

I graduated in '07 and lived in China for a year until last June. I spent that time "growing up" as some may say. I learned Chinese, and developed a helpful and much needed objective distance from America and my American identity.

I was expelled from China before the Olympics because the PSB changed the visa laws to prevent juvenile redundancies like myself from spilling the beans to close-minded bourgeois tourists. I left with a sense of urgency I had never felt before. Applying to M.Arch, something I had been thinking about in China, became a necessity as I began living in New York again.

My recs are coming from former painting profs., some of whom are quite highly regarded in the world of artforumss and modernpainterss.

The schools I am applying to in descending order of interest:

Princeton
Yale
Harvard
MIT

not sure about U Michigan, any thoughts on this place?
Columbia seems a tad on the expensive side especially considering housing in NYC.

If anyone is in a similar situation as me, or is considering similar schools, perhaps we can discuss the various characteristics of each program with a little more nuance. I have visited Princeton, MIT, and GSD, and will go to Penn open house next Monday.

Thats me in a nutshell.

10- I'm interested in seeing how you've assembled your portfolio. I come from a fine arts background and have also structured my portfolio thematically. Since you said that both of your parents are architects, are you also adding some models and plans as well?

I'm looking to apply the following academic year since I'll have time to take some additional courses in the field and actually have work/volunteer experience. This year would have been too rushed. I'm having some trouble finding courses in architecture that suit the lifestyle of a full-time worker on an extremely tight budget. I've looked into local community colleges and at one point was considering LAIAD but have a lack of funds to take the night classes. :-( Is anyone familiar with architecture night courses offered in Los Angeles that's not too expensive? I'm familiar with UCLA Extension and the summer programs at sciarc and art center but can't afford the time off from work and also the fees to take them.

Also, does anyone have any recommendations on getting more experience in low-income and supportive housing projects? I'm currently volunteering some of my time for a housing development organization in Downtown LA. They deal mostly with senior citizens, mentally ill, homeless, and low-income families. I'm suppose to be teaching art classes in their rehabilitation program but does anyone have any suggestions as how I might tailor my experience working with them to make myself look like a better applicant for next year? I'd like to enter graduate school with a specific focus on low-income and support housing.

I'm open to suggestions, recommendations, and guidance.

Thank you!

Hello all,

I have made the decision to apply to schools again this year. I have completed almost 1.5 years of MArch at one school but I am unhappy and need to move on.

I am currently at a program where I work 40+ hours a week while attending school as well. This was the reason I choose this program over Pratt (my second choice), but I am now seeing that the work experience I was looking forward to is making me split my time between both work and school and I end up not being able to do either one as well as I would like.

I am applying to these this year:

MIT
GSD
RPI
RISD

GPA from undergrad (BA Industrial Design): 3.4
GPA from MArch after 3 semesters: 3.7
GRE: 1200, 4

I am ready to basically have to start over as far as studios go. I am fine with that. I just need to get into a program where I can feel like I can commit all my effort and energy to school. Work can wait until I am done. I will post some images soon (once I get things together a bit more) and would love any feedback.
I have heard from many people that this year will be very VERY tough because of the massive wave of applications they expect. Whenever the economy is bad, people go back to school.

Good luck to all.

say it aint so Joe!

That makes sense though.

yeah.... but before everyone hustles off to school to get out of the shark-tank of layoffs, remember: nobody but nobody is giving out student loans anymore, including federal. most banks have completely skipped out of the stafford loan business, so make sure you have the means to leave whatever kind of job you might have now before you agree to take on (tens of) thousands of dollars of debt.

also, my piece of blanket advice to all applicants who have some professional architecture experience (design background notwithstanding): play this up in your resume and personal statement, not so much in your portfolio. the portfolio is all about showing your design talent and personal interests, not that you have experience with CAD/drafting/model building, etc. when deciding whether or not to include something, try to determine what it tells them about you as a designer, not what it might say about your exposure to the field. that's better covered elsewhere. if you do choose to include professional work, make sure it is very explicitly credited - both who the designer was, and exactly in what specific capacity you worked on the project. if you just stick on a label that says something to the effect of "professional work," that page is pretty much going to be ignored because there's no way to tell how much of your design input is being represented.

snark
"nobody but nobody is giving out student loans anymore, including federal. most banks have completely skipped out of the stafford loan business .." hmm I wonder where you get your facts? I mean we all know about the impending doom , but school loans are still happening. Please explain

I didn't realize the federal government stopped giving out loans? I guess I figured since they were throwing all that money at Wall Street some would be left in the kitty for little old me to go to Graduate School.

"I have heard from many people that this year will be very VERY tough because of the massive wave of applications they expect. Whenever the economy is bad, people go back to school."

uh-oh

I applied in 2006 and in 2007...Ppl were saying that on those threads too...

I will say this once , (and leave you commiserates alone)....it is kind of a crapshoot. You might be overlooked for someone for their shear novelty. I am at UCLA now 1st year.///and looking at the class here..I will say that their are obviously some amazing designers included, but there are all kinds of factors that determine the class.....including Age , Gender, Experience, and ethnicity.

The class is very diverse, i.e. I sit next to an economic majors, a theater major, an ex- Military guy, a Metal Smith, an art major, etc....

About 1/3 to 1/2 have no significant Arch background.

So as you fret over the competiveness, remember that Novelty and Diversity are very big assets,..along with skill, Gre , essays , and LoRs.


Good Luck everyone!

my comment about loans was rooted in the recent difficulty i have had, as a new m.arch student, to find a lender for stafford loans. federal loans don't come directly from the federal government - at most schools, your university is the primary lender for your perkins loans, and a private banking institution or lending organization is your lender for stafford loans. your loan money comes from them, and then the government subsidizes the interest for the bank. so in order to get stafford loans, you have to find a participating lending institution. the number of participating lenders has dropped dramatically in the last few months, with many of the large east coast banks (including bank of america) dropping out entirely. as the number of participating lenders shrinks, the amount of capital available under the program shrinks. it's not that the government has capped the number of loans, but as more and more banks decide the student loan business is no longer profitable for them, the availability of loans goes down, as it has across the board for all kinds of loans and credit.

some schools deal with preferred lenders and will select one for you in your financial aid package, but mine doesn't do that so i had the pleasure of dealing with the breakdown of the system firsthand. however, even those schools that do have fixed lending relationships with banking institutions will probably start to feel the loan crunch as well, and if the school doesn't have the capital to just up everyone's grant money, they will be asking you to pay more for school out of pocket.

to those who've had no trouble securing loans, good for you. i'm glad the system worked for you in the way it was intended. unfortunately, i think the days of readily available subsidized student loans will be on hold for the next few years. the academic world may feel miles away from the working world, but they're all still part of the same (currently struggling) economic system.

and imsleepy, unfortunately your (and my) graduate education is currently extremely low on the government's list of financial priorities. it'll be a long time before we see billions of bailout dollars for our country's educational finance system.

but, after all that doom and gloom, grad school is great! it's so much fun! you'll be surrounded by hardworking super-smart people! it's totally challenging and intellectually rewarding and worth it.

good luck all!

good to know I guess,..
I don't think these commiserators need an extra layer of worry right now though. Its business as usual around here (UCLA). If I see a bunch of kids standing outside the fin aid office crying then I'll actually start to worry i guess...until then.

musiknouveau27


I think the trick (when presenting visual art in a non chronological fashion) is to find common currents or themes by which to organize your work, to give the committee a more natural impression of your personality/sensibilities. If you are the kind of person who would naturally organize their work in a straight chronological path with a clear trajectory (bulls-eye!) then it makes sense for you to do so.

Consider returning from a trip abroad or a hot date, how would you relate your experience to your friends? To your girlfriend?

"I went to a volcano! Oh my god, and when we were camping some natives attacked us with hatchets and we were kidnapped! I married one of the native women in a bizarre ritual involving frog-tossing and foot tattoos... did I tell you I saw Kevin Costner at the airport?"

as opposed to

"First I went to LAX. The traffic was really bad so I got there a little late. This meant I was stressed out during the check in process and didn't relax until the first small bottle of whiskey had been emptied over the Pacific ocean. But then I drank so much that I became very dehydrated and had to urinate a lot, to the irritation of the man in the isle seat."


As far as themes are concerned, make sure they are cool instead of lame. Do not organize your portfolio by "dreams, cats, ugly parts of the city I live in photographed in an 'objective' manner, shadows, nudes."

Instead use cool and intelligent sounding themes, such as: "binary systems, Rhizomes and Me, asymptotes, palimpsests, nudes"


The first time I organized my portfolio I printed out all of the images on letter size paper. On one side was the image, on the other was a short textual description of the image. Then I threw the stack from the balcony of my foyer and watched how they landed scattered across the Persian rug my wife just brought back from Kabul. I messed them around with my feet, even the cat got into it, we organized them with the feral impulses of two totally unrestrained beasts, carnal and explicit. I made a note of this organization. Then I flipped them all around so that only the sides with text were showing. My beautiful wife, after returning from pilates, helped me reorganize them by suggesting that we make love on top of them, on top of the new rug (new for us, the rug is actually over a hundred years old).

This is just one way of organizing images in a non chronological way. This made sense for me given my lifestyle, personality, etc. You need to find what makes YOU special, and share it with the world.

Feel free to post drafts on this forum, and I'm sure you will receive a lot of constructive advice.