ADavin... I think it was probably a good thing that you simplified your table of contents layout since this version. This one is busy and a bit unclear.

ADavin,

All in all I think your portfolio has has strong architectural insight. It has solid CAD drawings and a legible layout. I do have several criticisms that if you are looking for next year could really build up your portfolio.

1) Diversity- For every project you want to show process. Initial sketches, to concept models, doodles, physical drawings, CAD, 3D, film etc. You want to show that you look at a problem from every angle and tried different methods to create a solution.

2) Clarity- Create a clear portfolio language that sets up hierarchies for information presented. Also create an invisible grid to align drawings, photos, text body to make it more cohesive. That will also mean CUTTING DOWN to a few drawings per page or grouping similar drawings, etc. The pages seem flat to me. Stick to one or two typefaces and you can go extreme on font size. If you want it to be big make it BIG.

3) Thematics- It's good to tie every project together thematically, even if it's post rationalized. It shows that you created a story not displayed your work.

*Honestly don't look at this portfolio like an architecture project, it's a graphic project. Look at advert magazines, graphic design books etc.


I hope this information was useful and GOODLUCK!!!!

Big Red: I actually asked someone at GSD admissions a long time ago- they wrote me a page long letter about that. I was a C student in physics, but they said that that alone would not affect their decision, and they would have to review the difficulty of the program at my school- I was in a two semester pre-med prep program, which was all that was available.

If I were admitted, (which I most certainly won't be), they will let me know what I need to do over the summer.

Some of their applicants are also weak in art history, and they provide a summer course at Harvard to prepare those that haven't taken those classes. I was told not to sign up to retake physics in my final semester. Instead, I took an advanced astronomy elective that I am enjoying a lot more.

I get the impression that a physics class at any legit brick and mortar school would suffice, but since you will have to move to Boston anyway (if you make it), why not just take a summer session at BC?

ADavin....

All the Danish references probably earned you points with WUSTL. I know on e of the members on the admissions board teaches summer studios in Copenhagen and used to be dean of the Aalto School on Finland.

congrats on at least one acceptance on a promising school.

Just got my rejection letter from WUSTL via post mail. Prob one of the first considering I live in St. Louis. Best of luck to all of those still waiting but just wanted to let you know rejections are on their way out.

P.S. Kudos to GSD admissions for being very organized, informative, and very, very nice.

Almost all those "CAD" drawings, minus Machine House no1, are actually hand drawings. graphite or ink on mylar baby!

I love hand drafting... last class of Lehigh that really stressed it. Super glad I learned even though its entirely archaic. There's so much more craft and its so much more therapeutic than staring at a computer screen with cad.

ADavin,

I liked the information flow from page number to work title to project thumbnail. I don't think the Adobe-esque two-letter titles quite work though, because unlike PS or ID, no one really knows what TC or UI are. The concept comes through, but perhaps you want to be more clear at this point in the portfolio.

A Abel Sun, great comments, thank you.

true that adavin. im pretty sure my cornea are becoming detached from staring at computers so much. i already know my eyesight has become way worse...

Someone just posted on gradcafe about getting into UT via the website. No email first.

Just checked mine....Still in limbo

kestrel: I was accepted to U of O and plan to attend the open house.

Current stats:

UT Austin: Accepted
UofO: Accepted
CCA: Accepted

Harvard: tbd
RISD: tbd
UW: tbd
UCLA: tbd
MIT: tbd, assuming a decline since no phone call
Berkeley: tbd

And if anyone's interested, I don't have an architectural background but took some arch classes at a community college before applying. I have a BA in Art History and have been working in an unrelated field for 10 years. GRE: 1170; GPA 3.67

My portfolio, i was told, is fairly strong and it included only two architectural projects. I have heard that some arch schools prefer this because they want to teach you their method of drawing anyway and like to see a breadth of work. They look for creativity, skill, and confidence and not necessarily architectural drawing skill (at least for the 3-year programs.)

All that said, I have not heard from any ivy-leaguers, so perhaps they look for something different.

Just got in to Oregon M.ArchII !!!!

I got into Clemson!!!

Since I am not cut out for the ivy league my top 2 choices were ASU and Clemson. And I got both!

oh, i just randomly checked my application status and it had just changed from "Waiting for Dept Review" to "Accepted"

lol congrats mountainboy!

So I visited Cornell last December and the program seemed alright. It didn't have the energy I saw from Columbia, but I think there was some solid stuff going on over there. What does the architecture community think of Cornell's reputation, the students, faculty, and work?

Hey everyone, thanks for your comments.

Glad I didn't use that TOC! People either seem to hate it or love it. I will upload the final version when I get a chance - I tried to create more white space, breathing room, smaller font sizes, etc... but there are definitely things I would go back to now and reevaluate again (an probably again, and again)....

And congrats, MountainBoy! Are you in Eugene or Portland Campus??

sweetpotato- Thanks for the words of encouragement.

I have a couple of past classmates at GSD. From talking with them, from visiting their studio space, and from my interactions with faculty from the school, I get the sense that people are really friendly and helpful there.

I hope that I can continue that tradition...

li dandan... Congrats!

A Davin... Eugene for now. If I commit I might transfer to Portland in a semester or two. As I understand Portland has a better focus on Urban design, which I am really interested in. I wasn't really sure of the caliber when I applied so I went with Eugene.

yeah I don't know if i came off over excited but it was my top choice of schools I applied to that were in my "realistically accepted" list..

Here is the full list:

Northeastern - accepted 2/25
IIT - accepted 3/1
GSAPP - Rejected
UVA - Rejected for Arch. Waitlisted for Urban Planning
Oregon - Accepted

Berkeley - ?
UT - ?
Parsons - ?
Cornell - ?

Stats

3.2 GPA
1160 GRE <--- bad day not typical
I'm at work.. so no portfolio to post for now, but it was by far the strongest piece of my applications. (hence why I think I can apply to all the bigger names)

li dandan...congrats on Clemson! I always liked that campus...pretty out there.

li dandan.....which one do you prefer between ASU and Clemson? I hope you choose ASU.....I need a partner in crime out there to shoot coyotes

moutainboy,

I saw that post about UT on gradcafe as well. Immediately checked my status and still no change.

Im assuming the silence at this point means a no go, Im a little disappointed and surprised actually but what can you do

having lived in portland for 3.5 years, i would definitely encourage those of you who choose the U of O to do the Portland semester(s). it's a spectacular city, and certainly one of the finest american cities from an urban design perspective. also, their coffee and beer are probably better than everyone else's.

Just got into the 2 yr Portland program at UO!!! tres excited... had my heart set on visiting and now i can finally book the cross country tickets... woohoo! congrats to all you princeton acceptances today, btw.

Congrats kap thats awesome! Still have my fingers crossed for myself!

okay so i just played dumb and emailed UT austin and asked whether they would be sending emails, updating the website, or sending out postal mail notifications.

I got a reply saying "for your particular program, we have already begun sending the notification of admission status via postal mail. Notifications are anticipated to arrive to applicants in mid- to -late March."

So...they say they are coming from POSTAL MAIL which is not the way acceptances have been posted thus far on grad cafe or here...so I am assuming they send rejections via postal mail. :(

I know I always assume the worst, but I am bummmmmmmmmed.

aguacate-i know what you mean... i think my friends started tuning me out a few months ago, so i really just blather on to myself when it comes to these things now. YOU guys actually 'listen' :)

ADavin- I had a very strong NEGATIVE reaction to your TOC... it actually took me a few pages to recover my equilibrium and realize that i like the rest of your layout. it was confusing, i had to stare at it for a while to 'get it', and it felt like it was trying too hard.

ADVICE-
So, an Israeli university just introduced a brand new M.Arch program, for those without a B.Arch. However, instead of being 3 years like in the States, it's 5 years- 3 years of 'undergrad' and then 2 of 'grad.'

Should I do it?
Or just finish my architecture certificate (will give me license to build up to 4 stories), and simultaneously go for a 2-year Urban Planning degree?

Sbeth...

It really depends on your long term goals-where you want to practice and what you want to design. I tend toward pursuing a well respected education that will prepare me for what I want to do and leave me with the least amount of debt.

li dandan i also got into Clemson...i routinely check the website daily and today turned out to be my lucky day...also, people who are applying to UT, you should check the website bc a classmate of mine checked today and had been accepted, but has not received an email or phone call or anything of that sort yet.

Just got in to WUSTL. 2 news and 2 acceptances untill now. I am sooo happy.

AAbelSun - I went to Cornell undergrad and still live in the area. I was DEA, not architecture but did take some courses over there in the department.

As far as the Architecture faculty are concerned, my experience was such that they are very challenging from day one and want you to think for your self and have the drive for yourself. (Thats the general atmosphere at Cornell). If you want to research something,start a project, enter a competition, get it started yourself and others will follow (faculty, students & funding included).

Ithaca is a nice place to live but lacks some architectural inspiration. Thankfully, Toronto/NYC/etc are all within a 4 hour drive!

Lectures in the department are amazing and there is a real chance to connect with a lot of influential alum (Eisenman/Koolhaas/etc come back to lecture & hang around the school every once in a while)

i got into u of o and u wash's three year programs!...seriously honored considering i don't have a design background and am changing careers from journalism/communications to architecture...has been great fun reading this forum and commiserating/celebrating with you folks

fingers still crossed for berkeley!

congrats to everyone

Joscelin- how did you find out from UW? Was it today? Did you apply for the 3-year program?

Oh my goodness Monkay that is the question i have been asking myself for a while now. I really have no idea which one I prefer... I probably won't until I visit the campuses and the schools and talk to my friends attending currently and make pro/con lists.

march, that's how i found out too! i've been checking the websites for all my schools especially with all the word that people have been finding out through them without any emails or calls or letters.

thanks everyone else. Atty, it is really pretty. And it's 2 hours away from asheville (i love asheville).

And congrats to all who heard good news!!

Joscelin spill the news about UofW (Seattle)!!!! Info please....

glad I'm not the only one on pins and needles! it's my first choice!

aguacate : I KNOW !!! Allen sounded like a 20 years' old. Going to open house?

anyone else on here who got into UMich find out about any scholarship information yet?

mugged: I just got the official package in the mail today, they awarded me 20K/year. and gave me a shirt 2 sizes too small.

Do the Clemson admits mind sharing what program they applied for?

I'm a three year applicant still waiting to hear from ANY of my schools, and Clemson is tied for the top spot on the list. Thanks!

Pepto: M.ARCH...Clemson is also one of my top choices. Good luck to you!!! :)

oh snap. i better excuse myself from work and drive fast home to see if i've been awarded any $$$ to attend u of mich. i consider the school one of my top choices so if it also turns out to be chapest, then i'm good to go.

hope to hear back from berkeley, ucla, sci-arc and risd soon, since i apparently need to decide about mich by april 15th. that's waaay too soon to decide... i think.

it needs to be like first week of april already. this shit is stupid. hurry up, time! why must you move soo slow?

villain,

Thanks. I saw on gradcafe that some people received info by email, so I wanted to check because I knew they said that info would come with the package in the mail.

I haven't received mine yet but im hoping it comes tomorrow.

Pretty sweet that they send a shirt as well. Umich is def. one of my top choices

yeah the more and more I research Michigan the more excited I get. I love the fact that it's so close to Detroit .. seems like a good chance to work in a very raw, ripe-for-change, type of area during grad school. Faculty seems great, same with facilities. and the fact that they gave me some monies doesn't hurt ;)

anyways, booked my flight to the open house so I hope to see some of y'all there.

stuzzie...i live in buenos aires so i left my mom's number
she called me two nights ago saying that she got a call saying that i was accepted

skeptical because i hadn't seen anything on grad cafe, i called and emailed the school and they wrote back confirming that the call was to inform me that i was accepted!? and that an official letter was coming

I am not sure about all others on this blog, but this is the first time, I have obsessively followed anything...

To tell you the truth, I feel a constant compulsion to refresh, and I find myself thinking of this blog at inappropriate times...

I wonder...

Is this what it feels like a stalker?

sweet! hopefully ill hear something soon.

stuzzzzie- any luck at yale?

I applied for the MArch but would be in the 2 year track at clemson

it was a no. not really a bummer... its about how you make the program that matters not the name.

For sure. I wasn't admitted either.

It looks like we might end up at the same program!