Ocotillo: I find it funny how you phase being in your late 20's/early 30's a "bit older". I was reading an article on how there is a delay transition into autonomous adulthood and claiming that your 30's is the new 20's :)
BTW.. I thought most applicant are within the this age demographic.
Also.. I actually went to UT Austin .. great live music scene, outdoor rec, and overall quality of living versus cost of living... you will love it if end up attending but you won't find many jobs there. Most design jobs are in Houston or Dallas. Of course there are firms located in Austin like Page Southerland Page that hires within the area but don't expect to stay in Austin after you graduate; you are more likely to be moving to Houston or Dallas afterward.
And since I've posted:

28
BFA Interior Design Minor Architecture/Spanish
worked in retail, furniture design, and currently medical facilities design and construction
owned and operated a few startup including a pretty sucessful coffeehouse and a not so great custom furniture company.
travel often (S.America/Central America, Europe, Asia), and lived abroad in Argentina/Brazil (there was alot of Bush bashing going on while I was down there)
Portfolio: hand sketches, photography, models, computer renderings, prototypes of handmade furniture
GPA 3.5 - GRE 590v/710q shamefully low writing score
Applied to:
UPenn
Pratt
Parsons
Univ. Houston

Thanks ZeroPulse. I'm new to the forum, and so far it has appeared to me that a lot of posters in the Academic discussions seem younger, not from the tone of their responses or anything, but from actual demographic details given about themselves. I know that MArch averages are about 27-28, but there seems to be a lot of recent undergrads here. Just wanted to see if I could get the "elders" to reveal themselves a bit and give some context. Cornell MArch 1 seems to have quite a few 24-25 people, and, at least for me, life has changed quite a bit since 24.

I'm sure I'd love Austin, but I have no ideas of sticking around after school, nor elsewhere in Texas. Although the prospects in areas I'd like to be probably aren't much better.

Good luck with your choices.

29
BFA Industrial Design
GPA: 3.6
GRE: Not so good..570v/590q/5w
worked in advertising, product design, graphic design
I was just laid off from an architectural firm here in Boston after a year and a half of fun.
Applied to: GSD, MIT, RPI, RISD
I am currently in an MArch program at another school, but am probably going to switch.

Ocotillo, its good to see there are others out there dealing with the whole marriage/family thing! It really just adds a whole new level of stress to the situation on top of school. You can no longer think only of yourself when it comes to time management.

The nature of architectural studies was a huge barrier in itself in making the decision to apply, being married. Luckily, with passing time we've come to an understanding. That said, I'm sure there are a lot of miserable spouses/partners out there who made the mistake of marrying an architect. I guess you just have to set up boundaries all around, with studying, with work, with family.
No children yet, though! See if I can put that off another 4 years. I'm hoping my wife gets into a PhD program or something...

38
BA Spanish Literature
GPA: 3.6
GRE: 780v/750q/4.5w
I've worked as a legal assistant/interpreter, gallery assistant/ antique furniture restoration, apartment manager, and researching court cases for a TV Judge show. The last 8 years in architecture firms doing office work/project support/graphics so I can learn about the field. Married with two kids - 5yr old son and 8 yr old daughter. Applied to UW in Seattle only because our kids are in school and it is the only option is Seattle. I was waitlisted last year and didn't get in so I'm trying again. I took the Summer Studio and I'm hoping that will help.
I have a wonderful wife who is supportive, but also sets her own limits, which is very helpful when we will be balancing school, work and family. I'm hoping that being older will help me be focused, but with any major change it will take adjusting and I'm sure I'll screw a few things up. But that's how you learn.

28
BA Psychology, PhD Neuropsychology
GPA: 3.7
GRE: 690/650/5
I took Columbia's Intro to Arch summer program in 2005, and that really was the extent of my official architecture-related activities. After that I've taken calc and physics and art.history prereqs while finishing my phd, and spent a few weeks helping out on a research project at a tiny architecture firm (nothing to report here).
My portfolio contained several photos, drawings, and images from the intro to arch class.
Applied to NYC schools, and am now keeping my fingers crossed.
I am fortunate to have emotional and material support of my husband as I consider this new career path; we are thinking of starting a family soon, so it might present a different dimension of challenge to the whole married-and-m.arch situation. But (a) we'll cross that bridge when we get to it and (b) I think we can do it!
Good luck everyone!

33 this year

5year b.a. arch.

been self employed since 2000...rough i tell you

waiting to see on financial aid for my MFA/3d/I.D. at cranbrook...

background in
some arch. office experience
exhibit engineering
model building-professional
design/build
welding/plumbing/electrical... on small projects
shop manager


looking to teach after grad school and have my own product lines

31
BA English, minor Linguistics, Cert in TESL, Cert in Computer Programming
several (six or seven?) years work experience in architecture firms, everything from drafting to IT aspects (CAD Management, etc.)
Traveled and worked abroad (Europe and Near East)
GPA around 3.3
GRE 660v, 720q, 4.0 writing (ouch)
Married, and like Ocotillo am very concerned about maintaining balance and making enough time for a healthy marriage. No kids yet but the clock is totally ticking.
Applied to U of Oregon, UW, UT Austin, ASU, Georgia Tech, UC Denver, KU.
Thanks for sharing, everyone!

28
BBA Marketing
GPA 3.8
GRE 490v, 680q 4.0w (yes, i need to pick up a f*cking book)

i thought i would interject because i'm 3 years into my M.Arch with 2 more to go (long story)

i applied to a number of schools (UO, UTA, UT, UTSA) and got into UTA and UTSA (going to UTSA). i now look back at my application portfolio and cringe.

i work 25+ hrs/wk from home (paying cash for school) and did 15 hours of school last semester. i have a wife and didn't see her very much last semester. i have a 4.0 so far, but 15 hours definitely took it's toll.

i have placed in competitions, been exhibited in school papers, and all my work, except for one project, has been archived for accreditation

OKAY, so i don't say all this to toot my own horn, but i want to say that it's difficult to balance a successful full-time academic career with work and a wife. last semester i substituted a large amount of time with the wife for school (i'm working on changing this semester with easier classes at 12 hours). it's difficult to run the 12-15 hours of a M.Arch III with work and family. i would recommend not working if at all possible or possibly stretching out your program.

OH, and go ahead and throw away the TV

Oh, that ticking clock. It's the crocodile to my Captain Hook.

NoSleep, you should have tossed your tv a long time ago.
I too fear the work/study balance, and after inquiring about the 1 Cornell MArch that does work (and has kids--5 years in now, I think), working is not an option. Life is worth too much for that to me, and five years is much too long. I'd take a chunk of debt any day. I don't want to wake up 40 and wonder what the hell happened to all that time (although, that will probably happen no matter what, life being what it is).

It's good to see English majors up here, CAD Mangler. Anyone else? Not to go off on a tangent.

Not that it's important, but I just realized my stat above was wrong--590q/640v