All the "average" blurs in the halo of a brilliant portfolio. Just give it a shot, you've got nothing to lose but ~150USD/school to apply. Should you need some assuring pre-assessment, show some of your works here and see what people'd say in the first 10 comments.

hey .. Failing isn't the end of it all.  Real failure is when you've surrendered and given up.  People can keep growing as long as they keep trying.  This is what is messed up with our society.  They make you feel you're no good the first time you fail.  Everyone progresses differently, some faster and some stray out the path a little. 

I'll just end with some famous quotes by Edison

“I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work.”

“Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.”

We all have our bumps in the road.  You think life went  along smoothly for Louis Kahn, Frank Lloyd Wright, Sanford White just to name a few....amazing thing is their names still hold our interest.

The chance might be a little hard. However, the most important that they want to see is how much you have improved since then and what did you learn from it. 

Why do you think you should attend one of 'the top universities' when you've done so poorly thus far? The reality is that top schools are getting enough great applicants that lots of students who haven't ever underachieved are getting rejected.

If you want to continue your education, that's great (and it's true that portfolios are a powerful equalizer in admissions decisions). But your comment about 'top universities' suggests that your priorities need rethinking, because not only are you clearly unqualified to attend them, it's evident that you aren't even considering the wildly-ranging specifics of those programs. 

it's true, things can't be worse for you than Kahn... spent most of his years practicing in debt, wasn't recognized until he was 50, and died broke and alone in a public bathroom. so pick that head up!

also, it can't hurt to apply to the 'top universities,' but it's probably a good idea to have some other options (there's PLENTY of other great schools) where, as the above comment stated, you're not applying against the best pool of candidates. if being in the US is the most important thing, start research other schools too.

lol

We all have our ups and downs in life and I know that I have had plenty of them in undergrad as partying my ass off, getting wasted every weekend, and looking for one-night stands (with or without beer goggles) were my top priorities. 

But what I don't seem to follow is why people who have failed at the most basic level of architecture think that they are entitled to join the "top" schools.  We get so much of that on archinect.

Why not just keep it real, get your shit together, dispense with the drama, and apply to schools within reasonable reach?   That will be a good start.

Exactly. You don't deserve to be admitted to a prestigious institution just because you want to attend one. It's crazy to me how often I hear these questions that are essentially an academic version of conspicuous consumption. 

But almost even more than that: even if you get in to some great program, if you can't handle undergraduate architecture school in India, how do you think you'll fare amongst the brightest minds in architecture at a top school in the US? Do you have some plan to turn your academic career around? Because it sounds like you just want a brand name that you haven't earned and wouldn't be able to keep up with.

I have personally known students admitted to excellent schools, with terrible stats, due to the quality of a portfolio they paid to have produced. Imagine my surprise when they failed catastrophically, all the while taking the spot of someone who actually deserved to be there in the first place.

lol calm down paranoid, while I agree with your point I'm sure you can put it in a nicer way.

I know someone a year above me who failed studio for a semester and ended up accepted into Wash U. in St. Louis for M.Arch +2, which is a very well-known program. Failure doesn't stop you from getting into good school, but if you are looking for harvard, yale, columbia, I would say your chance is very very very low.

One thing still doesn't get me is that someone who has a lower GPA than me(significantly lower) getting $15k+ per year in scholarship while I receive none. I really think I should go talk to advisor about this.

I disagree. This person is asking if they have a chance to get into a 'top program' in the US after having failed elsewhere. He/she cites no plan for academic improvement nor any specific interests related to specific programs, which suggests he/she doesn't actually care about architecture, just some perceived prestige associated with a nebulous group of quality schools. I think a bit of a reality check is very much in order, and when someone asks a question like 'do I have a chance,' I think a realistic answer ('nice' or not) is perfectly justified.

Portfolio

Recommendation Letters

Essay

GPA

GRE

Internal Motivation

5 things, are used to assess your fitness for a particular program, 1 is not, but is certainly present in all 5. If you have that, then fuck the idiot posting above me, he's a twat.

Ah yes, being called an idiot by a Jesus-freak NJIT grad. How will I ever recover.

Hahahaha, Jesus freak? That's rich. It's okay cunt, I may have a BArch from NJIT, but you're still a twat.

I'm not sure how much it crosses over to the dynamics of architecture, but I'm entering what is regarded as the top urban planning program in the country and I did so without stellar grades or *any* relevant  undergraduate course work.  What I had was (1) exceptional work experience (not prestigious companies, but I hustled and did interesting things abroad even though they paid very little), (2) did very well on my GREs (study for it! It's a masterable test), (3) had enthusiastic letters of recommendation, and (4) wrote and rewrote and rewrote and rewrote and rewrote my statement of purpose.

That said, the fact that you aren't doing so hot in architecture might be a sign to explore other related fields.  My interests changed dramatically from undergrad to grad -- and I only discovered this by going out and trying a variety of different jobs.

Architecture is very competitive if you are in a team and are not emerging as one of the best or emerging as a leader - you will be laid off when things get slower or you will flunk your review or at best get an average rating which is a one way ticket to the lay off list. Chose battles you can at least survive if not win.

paranoid is surely a twat. How the hell can you say:

"He/she cites no plan for academic improvement nor any specific interests related to specific programs"

Anyways, I would say that failing a semester in an Indian architecture program does not mean shit. (I know, I went to a school in India). Depends on the school that you went to, but there are a lot of REALLY BAD professors in Indian colleges, who will fail students just for doing something different and not "obeying". Screw them!

Now, as everyone points out, your portfolio needs to be really good, and needs to show what you can actually do. And your personal statement needs to reflect your portfolio and vice-versa. Post it here for comments, and good luck !

Most of my co-workers and principals were educated in India - they are very sharp - When you work for Indians, you better be self disciplined and know your stuff.

^  They can also be brusque and rude.  I think that the grilling you for whatever comes from that, and not so much a higher level of intelligence.  I've not worked with them, but have known them socially and in school, and they can be intense.  At any rate, I knew an Italian guy who was blocked at Roma-La Sapienza because of a pissing contest with a studio prof and came to the States to competently continue his studies.  And, the only problem I had in a-school, and in all of my schooling, was with a South American prof who did not know the more "egalitarian" atmosphere in America and, as someone in my late 20s who had been in the workforce, it wasn't going to fly and the school's administration backed me.

And, yikes, love some of the lingo in the thread.  Would like to know those words in French, and see if they are sort of sexy.

As for the dude in the OP, you end up where you are supposed to be.  The schools have admitted, wait listed, and denied so many people that they sort of know what is a good marriage.  In other cases, the people under consideration may be able to complete the program, but they perceive it may not be a good fit.

I think you might have a good chance to get into any school you want as long as you are clear ;why you are going there and what is that expecting out of the school. If you know that you can develop your portfolio and your statement of purpose around it.

Its not a big deal to fail in an Indian system, I've studied from an Indian University and I've done pretty well, but its not because I'm the best or anything its just because I figured out the system. In India you need to figure out how to work with the system. Including the professors, and there is even a pattern to take your exam.

And some of you are right, if a professor does not like you he/she can can go out of their way to fail you. And sometimes you don't even know why they don't like you. 

I've had friends who did brilliant work, but they have failed them because the professors did not like their attitude and they had to miss a semester or even a year. But today they are all really good practicing architects.

In fact I've heard B.V Doshi one of the very famous architects in India did not do too well in the Indian system.

And there is nothing wrong in aiming for the top universities, everybody wants the best. I don't think anybody has the right to tell you whether you are good enough to get into harvard or yale. Its up to the admission committee to decide.

So do your research, look up schools, find your interest. And I'm sure you'll find the right school for you.

How the hell can you say: "He/she cites no plan for academic improvement nor any specific interests related to specific programs"

I'm not sure if you're being sarcastic or not. This person has performed poorly as an undergraduate but wants to attend a 'top university' for a graduate degree. Seems like that person might want to have some idea of what to do differently in order to avoid continued poor performance. And do you disagree that a prospective graduate student should be looking for a program that suits their particular academic interests, rather than just seeking out an acceptance to any good school?