I'm sure there have been many students posting the "what should I do" thread. Alas, here goes another one. I guess to start I'll list my background and current status. I originally started my undergraduate degree at the University of Wisconsin - Madison, studying Chemical Engineering. After 3.2 years, yes I said 3.2 years, I realized I hated it. I pulled out of the program and took a Japanese course as well as a few studio classes. Art was the other area in High School that I showed talent so it made sense when I was doing my "soul searching". When my 4th year concluded I realized that Madison wouldn't offer the opportunities in art that I wanted. So I applied as a transfer student to a plethora of art schools and got in into many of them, my portfolio at the time was sufficient to land me a spot... but it wasn't by any means inspiring. I eventually decided to go to The School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC). Oh, I spent a year at a community college (MATC) while I deferred at SAIC, I needed to wait in order to be considered independent status and the courses I took were cheap and transfered. Up to this moment my GPA wasn't stellar, 2.75 at Madison and 3.98 at MATC. Upon arriving at SAIC i hadn't a clear path or idea of where I was heading. I bounced from paintings and drawings to designed objects and finally resting in the architecture department. My first 1.5 years at SAIC weren't easy, financial problems kept me from going fulltime with a few semesters of class withdrawals (the dreaded "W" on a transcript)... affording $32,000 for tuition isn't as easy as I thought it would be.

Our architecture department is young, the MArch program is in its final stages of being accredited. The undergraduate department offers architecture studio classes but isn't accredited. So, I'll be graduating with a BFA. Since my first encounter with architecture two years ago, I have found to immerse myself in everything that is Design related... not just architectural design but design as a method of practice.

SAIC has helped me make tremendous strides in my work. All my projects, that I'm including in my portfolio, have been met with great enthusiasm from my teachers and professors. This is my final year and I'm concluding it with a year long research project dealing with urban design, sustainability, design technology (parametric design to be specific), and form in terms of performance. Over the past few semesters I've carefully thought of what interests me about architecture and what I hope to pursue in my graduate work. I have concluded with a very finite statement of intent based on the work I have seen and a realization about my process as well.

So with all that in mind here's where I'm lead astray. SAIC is a pass/fail system, they implemented that so students would focus on the development of an idea rather than the letter grade obtained. It works for some and it doesn't work for others, in my case it worked. So the only real GPA I have is from Madison and MATC. At Madison my GPA was very sluggish, but considering I was a ChemE student... that isn't bad. I'm concerned that the lack of a strong GPA is going to hurt me.

I will be applying to MArch programs that are intended for those without a BArch or BS in Architectural Studies. I will have a BFA (132 credits to graduate! yikes... pretty much a BA with a minor in art history) but my work is centered around design. I've heard that the professional master's programs tend to want a diverse student body. So my designed oriented course of study might also be a hinderance, considering that I could've done anything with a BFA and I chose architectural design.

On a good note, I'm 90% sure that I will be getting really good letters of recommendations. The teachers that really appreciate my work also happen to be respected in their field as well as the academic world.

My portfolio consists of design, sculpture, paintings and drawings (sketches actually), most of which of have A LOT of content behind the work.

Haven't taken my GRE, but that should be about par to good...hoping more towards the good.

If you've made it to this point in the thread, congrats you just got the cliff's notes on my higher education. So here's you're treat... the questions. Am I competitive? I have no real way of judging myself. I don't know who I'm competing against when I apply. More specifically am I competitive enough for GSD or GSAPP? Ultimately I would love to study at Columbia, what I intend to investigate during my graduate work is what they focus on.

I plan to apply this fall, however the research project won't be complete until next spring. At the culmination of this project I will be showing it both locally and possibly internationally. The studio course is granted by motorola and thus produces work that gets press coverage. In previous years, the studio class has shown in NYC and Milan. Should I wait until this project is complete and apply next fall, as it will strengthen my portfolio, or go ahead and apply this year? I'd rather not waste any more time, i'm 27 and realized my passion is architecture.

I know my abilities and what my goals are. The only thing I don't know is what I might look like to an admissions committee. Hopefully I painted a true and unbiased picture of myself. Any criticism is welcomed and any recommendations would be great!