Villan,

So i guess you mean that 80% of your portfolio is in your head! That was like a Yogi Berra comment....."Half of this game is 90% mental...."

Bring that list down to 4 or 5. It is so difficult to do more than that because each school wants something a little but different, be it the statement, rec's or whatever....

Good luck to you, the amount of work you put into getting in to school is very rewarding when you get that acceptance!

there's a weird combination where only 2% of my "head portfolio" is in my real portfolio, and the remaining 18% of the completed 20% of real portfolio is just visual gibberish that I subconsciously cranked out or was already in some for of existence.

so here's my issue with your middle statement. that seems to be a common opinion, "dont apply to more than 6". but, being that 97% of my application process is portfolio, and 96% of that portfolio isnt tailored to a school but are MY thoughts and MY creations, I feel like that only leaves the statement of intent to have to worry about tailoring from school to school. Or am I incorrect in thinking this way? should i be tailoring each and every portfolio to a specific schools "design philosophy"?

No, you are correct in tha your portfolio should remain consistent. Be creative, be different, be yourself no matter what school you are sending it to. I guess unless you want to sell out and get on your knees for HarvardGSD or some crap like that.

Be yourself and do what you can to make YOUR portfolio stand out.

maybe it's mum because some of us are quelling a quiet storm?
just kidding and out of frustration, i'll weigh in. let's see...i dropped my external hard drive and it's now broken with 11 years of work and to top it all off, my computer with 1000's of hours of work for this deadline is also now on the fritz. according to murphy's law, i'm right on schedule. :)

i'm actually laughing about this at this point...

Quick questions:

Some schools request web-transmitted pdf portfolios with page and file size limitations. If the portfolio is designed to be printed, with some spreads having images that span both pages, should it be redesigned for these schools so that the images are complete on each pdf, or is there a way of viewing or formatting the file so that it still reads as spreads when viewing the pdf?

Also, I've heard of some students going over the page number limitations for portfolios and still getting in. Is this common and safe?

Thanks

Huh. What schools are those?

I wouldn't go more than 2-3 pages over the stated limit.

Selfishly, I'm just hoping this thread is quiet because fewer people are applying this year.

Joentasis, thanks for the Clemson rec. I've actually been considering applying there. Their whole fluid campus thing appeals to me, but the base location is good for me and their program seems solid, from what I can tell. For some reason I thought there was something keeping me from applying there, like I was missing a required class or something, but looking again now, I don't see anything. Feel free to share any other info on the program, like why you chose it, what sets them apart, etc.

I've fully submitted my apps to my top three schools now. I don't think I'll ever really be content with my portfolio. I think it's because all the portfolios I see are for people with undergrad degrees in architecture, and their projects and the general look of their portfolios is just completely different from mine. I feel like mine is totally unprofessional compared to theirs. That being said, I do like my portfolio and the work within it, and I feel like it represents me well. I'm also second-guessing my personal statements now, thinking of all the things I should have included but didn't. For my third and final app, I really spent some extra time on the personal statement and am very happy with that one, but I'm worried because my other two seem lackluster in comparison.

jk3hl: berkeley and upenn.

Another question for anyone - is it imperative to have physical models documented in the portfolio for most of the projects, for applying to a m.arch II program? I'm redesigning a lot of the projects, working mostly in digital 3d programs, and don't know how important it is to build the models if a digital model will also get the point across... Are they wanting to see if I can build models well, or are they more concerned with the design and that it's communicated?

Do I have to include my CV as the 2nd page of my portfolio?

Jazz,

I think it depends on the school if it has to be in the portfolio or not. Where it goes if it's required is mostly up to you. If they require information in a certain place it's usually on the front cover. (name, school graduated from, etc)

I was thinking about that the other day. what do you guys prefer? CV in the portfolio or not? I lean towards not. Unless its really well integrated.

I think not unless they require it. I might add a spread to my portfolio but only for when I have to include it. I rarely like how they look when I see them in others portfolios.

banannie-

I feel the same way as you about my portfolio, coming from a non-arch background. There is nothing to compare it against on these forums. In a lot of ways I think this freedom gives us an advantage though.

Solidarity!

Hello fellow applicants,

I graduated in '07 with a bachelor's in Urban Planning from the University of Cincinnati (3.3 GPA). I was working for almost two years for a commercial developer, until I was laid off in July. In the last few months, I made the decision to go back for a M.Arch. My top school is the University of Kansas, partly because I'm living in Wichita right now and in-state tuition is definitely desirable. I have a few other schools I'm thinking about applying to as well (University of Colorado-Denver and Iowa State).

Although my background is in planning, I have always had a strong interest in architecture and the built environment. Likewise, I completed several design studios, while at UC, and had the opportunity to intern at HOK and other arch firms. I have a portfolio of work I've done since high school. I think it is a pretty good representation of my abilities. I have included drawings, sketches, 3D modeling, photography and art work. I'm also feeling pretty good about my references.

If anybody has any suggestions, comments, etc. I would love to read them.

Cheers!

Anyone else freaking out about the GRE?

I need to write it next month. I'm keeping up with the vocab, learning 15 words or so a day via homemade flashcards, an iPhone App and a GRE review book.

But the math terrifies me. I haven't done any math since high school (it's been a while....) and it's not coming back as clearly as I'd hoped.

And I haven't even started with the writing section review.

How much do scores actually matter? Is there a 'cut-off'?

Just trying to figure out the best way to spend my time. My portfolio is nearing completion but the GRE and pre-reqs are looming.

Advice? Perhaps from someone who was once in my position?

Best of luck to you all!

Scores don't really matter that much for MArch programs. A few ivies that I know of won't technically consider your app if you don't have a minimum verbal/math score, but most schools as I understand just require you to have taken your GREs.

Writing isn't important, I wouldn't spend time studying for it.

Just work on vocab, and prep for math several days beforehand.

Thanks jk3hl.

Care to name the ivies you mentioned? I'm applying to two...hopefully not those ones.

Cheers.

One more question from me.
I'm applying to approximately 7 schools and I don't know how should i deal with references. Should I scan them and put into online application or how does it works?
( Beeing an international applicant I have an excuse for not knowing it, so sorry for asking).

I've seen a lot of people on here express interest in University of Oregon's M.Arch Program. I am finishing up my undergraduate B. Arch degree here in June, and I give my highest recommendation to the program. Every M. Arch candidate that I have studio with has never regretted their decision to come out here. It definitely does not have the kind of rep that GSAPP, GSD or other East coast M. Arch programs have, but as a well rounded program with most prof. bringing heavy curriculum influences from UC Berkeley (Sustainable design, theory) and Yale (Most are somewhat old, but studied there when Kahn was there), it makes for a great mix of practical and theoretical influences. Plus, the studio culture is way more lax in terms of peer competitiveness, without sacrificing quality of work published. Definitely worth a look if you even have an inkling about going beyond sustainable design.

I've seen a lot of people on here express interest in University of Oregon's M.Arch Program. I am finishing up my undergraduate B. Arch degree here in June, and I give my highest recommendation to the program. Every M. Arch candidate that I have studio with has never regretted their decision to come out here. It definitely does not have the kind of rep that GSAPP, GSD or other East coast M. Arch programs have, but as a well rounded program with most prof. bringing heavy curriculum influences from UC Berkeley (Sustainable design, theory) and Yale (Most are somewhat old, but studied there when Kahn was there), it makes for a great mix of practical and theoretical influences. Plus, the studio culture is way more lax in terms of peer competitiveness, without sacrificing quality of work published. Definitely worth a look if you even have an inkling about going beyond sustainable design.

@switch

Umm, off the top of my head I'd like to say Harvard/Columbia? Maybe Yale, too?

If you look at their MArch admissions literature it'll say what's up. I'm pretty sure the minimum was only like 600 for each section, or something.

INTRO:
Hey all, I've been keeping tabs on Archinect since last year's 2009 thread. I only got the idea to do an M.Arch the day applications were due last year, so I obviously missed the deadline.

I've spent the time since obsessing 'should I or shouldn't I' get an M.Arch, and after doing Sci-Arc's Making + Meaning and touring 10 arch schools, I've decided the answer is YES! You only live once, and this degree fulfills all sorts of design passions I have, from urbanism to product design to interiors to graphics, and of course structures... it's really the perfect amalgam of all these pursuits. (maybe there are TOO many choices!!)


ABOUT ME:
- 24
- BA 2007 in European Cultural Studies
- Fulfilled all Pre-Med Requirements and took the MCATs
- Did art in HS, have been doing a foreign architecture program, will use all that plus M + M to make a portfolio


SCHOOLS:
-Columbia
- Penn
-UCLA
- Rice
- Parsons/Pratt <-- still not sure about these!! anyone have any input?

TO DO:
- Have NOT taken the GREs yet!!!
- Need to figure out how to get this all done from abroad, including translating current transcripts, printing and sending portfolios, etc. (btw I here lulu.com is good.)
- HELLA CONFUSED ABOUT LETTERS OF REC!!! All of the apps are online, but some want the recommendation via snail mails, others don't... Really will be difficult on my recommenders :(

Looking forward to all of us motivating each other!

Sbeth85,

Email me if you want to know more about Parsons MArch program...

Anyone applying for M.Arch II? I was wondering how important it is to include your thesis project in the portfolio. I've done a thesis, but I'm not particularly proud of it nor is it the direction I would like to pursue in grad school. But would the reviewers think that something's missing if it's not present in the portfolio?

Hi Everyone, I am interested in how people think I will fare in my applications to grad school.

I will be graduating Parsons School of Design with a BFA in Architectural Design.

My stats are:

-GPA:3.6
-Portfolio is very strong and unique.
-I have held and internship at Site Architecture with James Wines for about a year and before this I spent two summers interning with a well know Connecticut Architect.
-My recommendations are from highly influential people.
-My only problem is my GRE. I have not had sufficient time to study and scored an average of 600 on the verbal but barely make 400 on quant. I feel that the low quant score could be a problem. I wonder how much this will hold me back? I've worked hard in all other respects and this score is very discouraging. I would appreciate any comments on the significance of my low gre score on my applicants. So far I only see that Columbia has a minimum of a 450 on verbal.

The Schools I will be applying to are:

Columbia
Yale
MIT
Harvard
Penn

Thanks,

G

I gots to ask, why do you think you got that ~400? For the schools you're applying to, I'm pretty sure the average score is in the very high 700's. Your other components would likely pull you through...
I know my father was able to get past his abysmal LSAT score (<50th %ile) by providing proof of an actual inability on standardized tests (letters from professors, addendum to his application, scoresheets from SAT and ACT with very low scores, accompanied by a 4.0 from UCLA as well as strong everything else). He got into UC Berkeley Law, no easy feat. If you actually don't operate well with standardized tests, back it up in your application and the schools should understand.

About the GRE's...

I used a Kaplan prep book for a bit and now am using Barrons. When I did the Diagnostic in the Kaplans, I got in the 600s, but when I did Barrons, I got in the 300s! WHAT IS THE DEAL?

How can the 2 books prep you for the same test, yet the Barrons seem so much harder? Now I have no clue if I'm ready to take the GRE or not :(

To echo a previous sentiment, I don't see why we shouldn't try applying to more than ~5 schools. Applying to 12 schools saved my butt in undergrad, as I got into one dream school, which obviously was enough.

With my portfolio being the same for all schools, and assuming it's not exceptionally rude and difficult to ask my letter writers to print a bunch of extra letters and mail them to me for further distribution, I don't see how a $100-200 expense per school is an unreasonable gamble for a potential spot at a great school. I understand that financial situations vary, but (in the case of complete rejection) to waste another year with the prospect of unemployment just to save < $1k now is ridiculous, at least for me.

My schools research has been fruitless: I don't know how to really learn about a school without visiting it or talking to people from a program. My interests are not completely set, so I'm not sure what I'm looking for in a program. As a result, I've mainly considered location and the overall strength of the program, whatever the focus. I've gravitated toward the "brand" schools, as I do think they have more to offer, all things considered, including international recognition.

The tentative list:

ASU, Columbia, F.L. Wright S of A, Harvard, MIT, Princeton, Sci-Arc, UC Berkeley, UCLA, UPenn, UT Austin, Yale

I don't think I will reapply next year if I get rejected everywhere. I've already dedicated a year of prep to this round and if that doesn't help propel me into at least one top school, then maybe I'm not as good as I'd like to be and should go back to my pre-arch career.

Sbeth I have used both: Kaplan to me seems to be a great refresher for all the content you may not have seen in a couple of years, Barron's seem to get into more detail, (it increased my math scores). I have taken the GRE before and will be taking it again but what I have noticed is the second practice test on the cd that ETS sends after you take the exam and the fourth practice test from princeton's review online version were very accurate in how I actually scored on the real exam. I would study Barrons more and try to increase that practice score. Good Luck!

Dude, Pult, you shouldn't think like that. Who knows what those admissions people are thinking. You can have a personally fulfilling career without having an ivy-league piece of paper hanging on your wall.

Uhh, also. I took the GRE awhile back and got a 600/750. But, I got a shitty 4.0 on my writing, because I didn't study at all for it and probably didn't adhere to the standardized essay format.

Do admissions committees even care about your writing score? I've heard it's not a big deal.

Just realized I haven't tossed my hat in the ring (or what..? what's that cliche again?). I'll be going for what Berkeley calls MArch III, or the MArch for non-archs. And I'm only applying to Berkeley, it being my dream school and all. Gonna reapply until I get in if necessary.

I've got moderate GRE scores, 89th %ile Verbal, 69th %ile Quant, 81st %ile Writing. I'll probably have about a 3.5 G.P.A. on graduation (up from 1.7 sophomore year). I've got an academic expulsion followed by 3.98 since readmission, and a liberal arts education culminating in an Economics and Management degree with a focus on entrepreneurship. Last summer I interned at a corporate architecture firm in Illinois, unpaid (did I take the spot of a 'real' architectural intern? Not if any of them asked for money), which was pretty snazzy. I've got a small business where I repair, design, build and sell guitars and basses. I think I'll have solid LOR's from faculty here, Econ, English, and Art folk.

My portfolio is pretty good, if I do say so myself. It's SketchUp dominated (all environmental design projects) with some sculpture studio work and an ukulele I built for my girlfriend. That's about half done, that is, six finished pages. Probably going to end up being about 68% computerized, 32% realized. It's layout is simple and white, mostly because I don't know how to be fancy like y'all BArchs and BFAs.

Oh yea, I used Kaplan, dropped $1,200 there, worked my ass off, and saw no increase between diagnostics and final score. Be wary my friends.

Damn dude. $1,200 on GRE prep materials? o_O

Yes. 'What the fuck' is right.

I passed my GRE yesterday and that was damn difficult for me, although I spent a month preparing using Barron's book. I've got V 370, Q 630. Do you think it's OK for an international student or way to bad?

I think your TOEFL might be pretty important to counteract that V370.

Hey everyone... Im looking to take the plunge into grad school as well. I graduated this past may with a B.S. in Architecture. I have a decent gpa somewhere around 3.3 - 3.4, much higher in just my arch course. I've also got some competitions and extra-curricular stuff on my resume, as well as a few internships.

I have yet to take the GREs but do so on Nov. 5th. Ive been scoring around 460v and 600q on the practices but want to get the scores much higher.

My portfolio is a work in progress. I have some older ones but am reworking it. I fell pretty confident in my work and projects so once its together I think it'll be awesome.

Im have a big list of schools that im considering but need to narrow it down- some out of reach schools and some more realistic. I guess its crunch time now to get all this stuff done huh?

And why is this years thread so dead compared to the previous years. I don't know if thats a good thing or bad thing.

Anyway good luck to everyone and keep working hard!!!

mugged- yeah, it's bothering me too...

C'MON EVERYONE!! WAKE UP!!!

I don't get it, are there a lot of lurkers, or did people just not find this website? I believe there will probably be just as many applicants as last year (aka, higher than previous years) because the economy hasn't turned around....

I'm getting hella frustrated because for all my beautiful photogaphs, I don't know how to lay it all out in InDesign or whathaveyou... I've heard it's good to use lulu.com, but how does that work exactly? Do you make individual pdf-pages and then upload them? Or do you make a whole booklet and send it in?

Anyways I'm juggling all the different components and feel like I'm going insane. On top of it all I'm doing this all from another country, so I need to get translations, deal with an occasionally wayward mail system, etc.

jk3hl, i would think that 4.0 gre score won't matter very much (or at all) if everything else in your application is solid.

@Sbeth85,

You upload individual pages - Lulu will put them together in an actual book for you. Next week I'm actually going to send a version of my portfolio in, so I'll give everyone on here some feedback as to how good of a job they do!

yes, dead quiet around here. i think the applicant pool this year is going to be enormous...larger than last year even...now that there's been another year for this econ decline to fester. currently im stressed beyond belief about my portfolio with less than a month to get it done in time to get it to the printers, and then to my first deadlines in mid-December...who knows, maybe i'll have to cut apps to schools with early deadlines.

hows everyone else doing?

Perchance to Print: Lulu and Kinko's in a Comparative Persepctive

Lulu charges less than $20 per portfolio to print, Kinko's (shudder) charges $50. Kinko's is across the street from my apartment, and it accepts my .PDF just the way it is. Lulu is trying to force me to change who I am, and who my meticulously InDesigned and compiled .PDF wants to be.

Verily, verily, I should have gotten a graphic design certificate.

thought it only fair to throw in my situation. I applied to 4 different MARCH II programs two years ago. got into one good program and waitlisted at one of my reach schools. as i was only one year out of undergrad i decided not to go and spend a bit more time working. Now i am planning to re-apply. i narrowed down my list to two possibly three programs this time.

will most likely apply to GSD, YSOA, then will decide later this spring if i should apply to the ETH or AA.

I went to a decent undergrad BARCH program and have been at a "big" name office for about 3 years. my gre scores are awful but i refuse to take them again. i have some sort of a port. together but need to update it. As this is round two applying and my port does not look that different besides a few new projects, I am going to focus a lot of my time on my personal statement. Any other round two-ers out there?

if i can give you any advice being that i went through this once, try not to obsessively check this thread. especially after apps are out. it can give you an ulcer. for that reason i am happy there are not too many posts.

middleamerica,
are you using lulu? i too am considering using lulu but from some previous threads i have read that lulu's printing is inconsistent in the quality of print. have you seen any print examples and such? what do you think?

I used Lulu last year and it was a decent experience. You are sacrificing control over the process and the quality control aspect of it. I ordered more than I needed and was able to select the best to send to schools and keep the extras for other uses.

I will probably use them again this year because of cost, but they are not a bad choice and provide a decent amount of page sizes to choose from.

Is A4 a normal size of portfolio?

jazzefina.
You must not be in the US (Australia, NZ, other?). Anyways, it says a4 is 8.27" x 11.69". When you say "normal" are you referring to the most commonly used? From all the sample portfolios I've seen around that dimension seems to be the most common. Does this answer you question? Perhaps you could be more specific

Yeh, you're right I'm not in the US and I'm not used to inches. So, I'll print my portfolio in A4, thanx

Has anyone used Blurb to print? I was trying to do some thread searches for Blurb vs Lulu and I've decided to try Blurb. Thoughts? Comments?

Never heard of Blurb. Do post a review of them if you use them to print!

If an online publishing company found this thread and covertly tricked us into using their services by posting rave, anonymous reviews... they could stand to gain alot of money from MArch applicants! :3