ocotillo: I'm personally feeling a bit frustrated with UT, but optimistic give the generally positive sentiments I've heard. I just wish they sent me some more info and a student publication. It's certainly not going to compete with MIT in my mind, but possibly personally ranked above Yale (3years/cost of required designer jeans) and with Michigan (GSI scholarship and lots of quality graduates I know personally makes that one hard) after the visit and a bit more research. I'll be sure to let you know - not 100% sure I'll go to the Open House unless I at least get some response from Jane.

Then there's the GSD... oh Preston... or the fact that I even have to be accepted anywhere else!

GOOD LUCK E'RYBODY.

Sturgey, have you considered contacting Richard Cleary (graduate advisor) rather than Jane?

ON it. thanks miss.

ON it. thanks miss.

Hi Ocotillo and watanabe --

I can say from first-hand experience that I've never seen anything like those pictures at Cornell! I was an undergraduate urban planning student at Cornell, and since it's in the same college (Architecture, Art, and Planning), I saw a lot of the architects there and shared much of their space.

From what I saw, Cornell architecture students aren't stuffy at all; they wear jeans and t-shirts, and many look like they haven't bathed in awhile because they spend 24 hours/day in studio. The intensity level of Cornell architects is ridiculous and infamous across campus. I had thought about transferring into the architecture program during undergrad, but after seeing how ragged and overworked the architects were, I decided against it.

I'm not sure how the graduate program is, but I can tell you that Cornell doesn't feel like a richy-rich Ivy league school (at least not to me).

for those who were asking about advanced placement at parsons/risd... i had a friend get into both programs last year and pursue ap at both schools. risd allows you to waive a few classes but wouldn't budge on studio... so its pretty difficult to cut the program down from 3 years. she did however get waived through the first year studios at parsons based on her portfolio and then waived through a few other classes she took in undergrad(@UF), so she got it down to a 2 year program. there was another kid in her studio who came in directly into the second year of the program, and was waived through 100% of the first year. so it is possible! though i should add she spent a good part of her summer fighting to get waived through, and actually went up to ny to meet with the director, so be prepared to work for it..

i think a big part of getting what you want from a school and just speaking up and asking. both of the people at parsons were admitted into the 3 year program with no mention of advanced placement, but because they pursued it, they got it. once they admit you, they are usually pretty willing to work with you to ensure you'll show up in the fall.

congrats everyone who's heard recently, and anyone with bad news keep your heads up! at least it will all be over soon...

hey watanabe, i only applied to my state school this year because i was so strict about tuition but 2 dream schools for me are:

#1: m.i.t. because i really appreciate their enthusiasm and encouragement for engineering backed approach to architecture, not to mention the resources from their unparalleled engineering school/students you can pull from. i also feel that they have one of the most, if not THE most truly open minded approach in teaching architecture and the sophistication that comes along w/it.

#2: gsd because i plan to practice architecture way later in life once my kids are all grown up back in the east. i not only like the balance of their traditional modes and the theoretical, their name alone will carry immense weight that will propel me into directly engaging the level of practice i am interested in back in korea.

after my m.arch at njit, i plan to do a ms degree, specializing in sustainability design at one of these name schools, as an express ticket to get myself into that level when i go back to my motherland.

This. Week. Is. Killing. Me.

Received official paperwork from UOregon today.

Trying not to wish anything but good thoughts for people who have been getting funding from the schools I haven't heard from yet, especially when I get emails from some of these schools saying that they will be sending decisions out by mail in two weeks. Not very subtle.

thanks kaysc

cricket, i was speaking mostly about the faculty, not the students. i speak from first hand experience in the dept. the students don't look stuffy because, yes, they are haggard and pissed, but when receptions, lectures, and other functions come around to get all gussied up for, the black is unleashed. but mostly i was speaking of the faculty.

like this guy, for instance. http://www.aap.cornell.edu/aap/Private/images/Image-copyright-Aleksandra-Pawloff.gif

and again, from experience, Cornell may not feel like yale, with its location and land land-grant school aspects, but there are tons of rich kids everywhere! i've never seen so many reckless drivers of BMWs and Lexuses in my life.

missmeer, good idea. should've done it in the first place.

i promised myself that once i become an architect that i will never turn into one of those constipated looking, "chic", "sleek", stuck up, stuffy, uninspiring, unoriginal all black wearing uniformed worker bees - no offense to anyone who wears black all the time, just not my personal style!

and i pledge to remain true to myself and express myself to the max even in fashion! i mean look at renzo piano, how cool is he to rise above the sea of blackness and oh, how comfortable does he look under his skin!

So I don't think today is the day shit happens.

tomorrow it is.

hermf.

Hey newport2009 - I've been in Seoul over the past three years working at one of the largest arch firms here and I gotta say...by the time you get here, I hope the system responsible for development in this country will have had an overhaul. Of course, experiences at smaller ateliers are probably very different from my corporate experience, but whatever kind of office a person is working, I think they are all subject to the culture's overall sentiments about architects (not respected as a 'professional practice') and the way big-name contractors (Hyundai, LG, Samsung, etc.) have ALL the say in the design/building process. Really makes it hard for anyone practicing design to have much creative license.

There are so many talents here that are stifled under the System. I hope this is only for the time being.

with all the extra piles of applications, couldn't it easily be next week?

why dont you call and ask?

hey di-c, thanks for the insight! yeah, cheobols def. rule all aspects of business, even to the knitty gritty decision makings - unfortunately. so i hope your your well wishes are heard by the time i get there. i think this is why it's important to go armed w/a sub-specialty in the realm of building so that you have a louder voice. i also heard that you make more as an architect there than in the u.s. has this prove to be true in your case?

btw, are you a korean architect working there? also, would you mind telling me which firm you're with? when you say the largest, do you mean largest in korea or largest u.s. firm stationed there? what projects are you working on? you can also email me if you feel more comfortable. this is all too very exciting. if it's your first time there, how are you liking living there? hope you're having a great time to at least make up for some of the frustrations you have to face! thanks :)

woops, proven. damn, wish there was an "edit" button!

When I got the email about when notifications will be sent out for Penn, I crossed reference it with last years post from thegradcafe. It appears that they are anticipating being a week behind. Last year the majority of applicants found out by March 20th or so and this year they said they will send out letters on March 23rd. That could be the case for a lot of the heavy hitting schools.

lost, I hope not. This waiting needs to end.

expect your Princeton rejections to arrive on time though.

doesn't princeton reject 97% of applicants? they're so cruel xP!

speaking of pledges...while we're all here in the same waiting room, how about we kill time by making one just for fun?

As an architect, I pledge _______________ . How about it?

If yale or the gsd receive twice as many applicants this year, or some greater percentage, for the same number of spots, then you will find their numbers to be just as harsh as those of Princeton in years past.

Fellow commiserators, take it easy on bashing the way that people dress. First off, those pictures that watanabe posted are obviously from some sort of semi-formal event, what would you propose they wear instead? Also remember, some of these older ivy guys have been ivy guys since their teens and probably dressed similarly then too, its not like they 'made it' and then started dressing up. They're just from a different time when that was the norm.

Jeans and a t-shirt is just as much a "uniform" as black pants and a black turtleneck. And they both look uninspired. Designers of all fields (obviously including architects) would do well to consider the effect of their appearance and while neither is ideal, stuffy usually comes off better than sloppy when you deal with people with money - deal with it.

"You'll be fine taking some time, work on your portfolio and personal statement. You can always apply next year."

-People I shouldn't have listened to, summer/fall 2008

Yale last year:
~500-600 apps / 68 spots = 12% accepted

This year:
~1100 apps / 68 spots = 6%

Yuck!

hey brer, i haven't read all the fashion comments but as for my comments, i was commenting, not bashing based on my personal observations from working for almost a decade in some of the major arch. firms in manhattan, not the photos. how you dress in any field is a personal choice but i do think that arch. industry fashion is in large sense blatantly uniform (i'm merely talking very broad stroke here). whether that's a good thing or not - that is in the eye of the beholder!

and i never said uniformity is a bad thing, just not my personal style. that's not bashing is it ;) ?

ok, back to the waiting room~ WAH!

wuh jhooper, well at least that's double the princeton's rate!

@brer

I'm with you on this one. As a designer and as a professional what's most important is to have a kind of uniform. Wearing the same thing every day prevents unnecessary and time-wasting dandyism in the morning. For some the uniform is jeans and t-shirt, for others the uniform is black on black on black. All that matters is that you don't smell.

When you're getting paid to be creative everyday there's no sense in wasting juice on what you're wearing unless you believe those around you give a toss. The white box gallery/studio, the black uniform, the now "cliche" calling cards of big-city slicks are actually meant to reduce distraction, chroma, noise.

I had a teacher who would always wear black when she went to galleries or critiqued student work (painting) because she found the color of her sleeves too distracting from the subtleties of what lay before her.

Yeah newport, princeton has what? class size of 11?

Great school though, I'd love to get accepted.

brer, just killing time. i don't care about fashion much, even as a designer. not judging anyone. just expressing inadequately what is more of an issue with attitude than dress.

newport, you're being disingenuous.

"one of those constipated looking, 'chic', 'sleek', stuck up, stuffy, uninspiring, unoriginal all black wearing uniformed worker bees - no offense"

Saying 'no offense' doesn't make vitriol unoffensive.

I'm going to digress from the current mood and topics of this thread for a bit. I'm watching TV and am amazed at what I'm seeing. "The Heat Surge", built by the amish! WOW, what an amazing product... I need to go out and buy 10 of them, NOW! Seriously, I can't believe half the shit that is sold on TV these days!

Hopefully that has added a bit of color in our monotonous anxiety and anguish as we wait for piece of mail, phone call, or email.

hm....sorry but i just think that's kinda full of crock and cliche!? yikes.... i don't know what would propel someone to assume that knowing your personal style and dressing however one wishes will equal sloppy/smelly dressing? if you have sense as you should once you reach a designer level, you'll know what is distracting versus what's complimentary versus what enhances your work, etc. in other words, you should know the fashion propriety when you're critiquing, meandering through galleries, presenting your own work. there are panoply of distinguished architects/professors that are in black clad and their euqal counterparts dress in array of colors, textures, etc. obviously, as fashion shouldn't get in the way of your work, exercising your freedom to not conform, should not be considered sloppy/smelly dressing. imho.

the commiserate here thread contains far more subthreads on a variety of topics, all archinectors should look here for all manner of discussions.

Its like a waiting room or a delayed flight at the airport where you start watching Fox News or talking to strangers just to kill time.

i sold my t.v. 5 years ago......

fashion wise.....what ever floats your boat.... but don't let the appearance inflate the ego any.....

whoa have you guys seen the latest post on the grad cafe?

"I just got an email from the Financial Aid office at UT Austin saying that they received my FAFSA information but will not process it as I have not been accepted to the University. Has anyone else received this message without any kind of notification from official Admissions?"

BRUTAL.

okok brer, you got me there. i reread my post and yes, it does come off really sarcastic and offensive and i will apologize for my tone as it has obviously bothered you and gosh knows who else.

i hope y'all can forgive my edgy state, obviously my frustration came out when i wrote that...needless to say, i'm trying my best to hold it together, trying not to bite off every nail i have and uh..uh, uhrm....it's just been really hard~ wah!

ok, no more venting.

I think architects wear black because they sweat so much....

oh wow andimdone; that's a case of poor coordination between offices!

@10, perhaps I wasn't clear but we are definately not in agreement on this topic.

When you're getting paid to be creative everyday there's no sense in wasting juice on what you're wearing unless you believe those around you give a toss.

I disagree with this. I'm reminded of the quote (and sorry, I forget the source and the actual words) along the lines of "a well dressed man(woman) is one who takes great care in what they put on in the morning and then completely forgets about it throughout the day". If you can pull it off without being self-conscious, dressing well is an asset to a designer. And no, I don't think wearing all black is dressing well.

@octillo
just expressing inadequately what is more of an issue with attitude than dress
That makes sense and I understand that often the attitude and the dress go hand in hand.

@newport
I don't even know what you're talking about now. All I said is that jeans+tshirt is sloppy compared to black pants+black turtleneck and that I don't like either combination.

okay newport, no worries. I think you were just reading into what I was saying a bit more than was there.

i also got the very uninteresting u.oregon acceptance packet yesterday. no word of scholarships / funding, too bad.




U-Mich peeps:
heard something interesting on KPCC this morning as i drove to work ... i guess in the past, u.mich has gotten quite a bit of funding from the "big three" auto companies - but not this year, which is affecting scholarships and aid.

hey brer, it just sounded like when you responded to my post that aside from black turtleneck and pants/jeans, that the only other alternative was jeans and tshirt. it just perplexed me why you would refer the immediate alternative as jeans and tshirt. but maybe i didn't fully understand your post, perhaps i was skimming or perhaps in my mental state, i got a bit too defensive. i do feel very vulnerable right now as i'm waiting for THE letter from the only school i applied to. i only have 1/1 shot at this so i just can't help but feel so out of my comfort zone right now that i'm at a state of panic every second of the day!

as for black clothing wearers, i have many architect friends that wear all black and often times, they are working 14-16 hrs. that they have no time to pull together a cohesive outfit. so my "venting" session was def. not geared toward them or the ones that genuinely love all black get ups. i think i was in the end subconsciously venting at posers that do all wear all black just because they don't know what else to do and want to scream out to the world "i am an architect, look at me" shallow reasons for doing so. but no more venting from my end, i'm not here to cause any trouble or feed negativity to my fellow captives in this waiting room! we are enduring enough torture!

andimdone:
miss is right, just a coordination issue. i got a letter a few days after. did you get a previous email re: your acceptance?

sturgey:

nope. i got nothing from austin. i was quoting someone elses post to the grad cafe.

i have the "We have received all credentials required to process your application. Your file has been forwarded to the Graduate Committee for review. " on my UT EID.

which probably means they are just typing out my rejection/waitlist email now.

I understand it is a coordination issue, i still thing it sucks for whoever got the email, though.

10, lol. why do i feel like i'm in a gas chamber waiting room rather than at an airport? or is this 1/1 shot deal making me this loopy and melodramatic?

btw, i've been rolling my fav tv show battlestar galactica season 4 on dvd a.k.a. marathon and that's not even helping me keep my mind off this impending, what i call a verdict.

The wait continues...

Has anyone heard anything from Wisc-Milwaukee or U of Minnesota lately? I know the story with Pratt, its just the other two I'm worried about.