NLW2 95th percentiles corresponds with 1/20, not 1/5. Looks like you weren't one of the perfect scores.

I think that GRES act more like weed out devices. If your score is extremely low, you may be eliminated early. If you are past a threshold, you're fine. However, a perfect score, especially in quantitative, won't get you in.

With that in mind, I would retake them next month if I were you. It sounds like your score was so low because you panicked and didn't time the test wisely. Study in advance, know the typical question types, and be calm. If you think your score won't improve in a month, it may be better to wait a year. But like others have said, it's maybe 1/10th of your application in terms of importance.

Thank you everyone for the thoughtful inputs :o)
You're right, I definitely did panic, and on top of that I've been sick all week so it's making it really difficult to concentrate properly.
I've been going through University websites, and it does seem like it is truly a very minor component....however many of the universities I listed do have a minimum, and with that crappy score, I don't quite meet it.
GRE's here I come again!!!...
good times
Oh well at least its nice that I have a chance to re-do it. :o)

hello all~
I find the GRE information very interesting, if not a bit hopeful for me...
I actually have been writing my statement of intent and I was wondering exactly how to continue with it..
should I describe exactly my focus (what i'd like to possibly study for a thesis) or general interests (sustainability jibber jabber etc) and why i'd like to go to school there/why i'm a strong candidate?
does anyone have a sample or would like to share theirs?

good luck, i know we all need it...
<3

malagitana, I'm pretty much in the same position as you. Except I've been working in construction for the past year. I graduated with a fine arts degree with a major in painting as well. We should swap portfolios sometime. Always interested to see how other non-arch background portfolios turn out.

lvasey, you know what I mean, you pooface.

does anyone know of any accredited M.Arch programs outside of the USA, that are for applicants without prior undergrad experience? Ive know of many schools in the UK and EU offer M.arch or MSc, but theyre post professional from what ive seen....any exceptions??

what do you mean my accredited? to become licensed in the US you need to go to a school that's accredited in canada or the US. so there's your only options if that's the case. check out the NAAB website. there's a listing of all the schools.

someone's going to comment so whatever. you can get licensed without that but you have to work for 10 more years, which is stupid.

for non-architecture background folks, how many pieces (i.e. individual drawings, paintings, etc.) should suffice in a portfolio? 10? 20? 30?

xx.120
your portfolio should be about quality over quantity. only your best works should make up your portfolio.
have you thought about the diversity of your work? how many and which of your work would best describe your character, creativity, work rigor and your interest in architecture? can you do this without putting in everything you have ever created?

Has anyone used the ibook publishers for their portfolio?

Just took the GREs... wow, I'm in shock. No one ever warned me- the VERBAL IS WAY HARDER THAN THE MATH!

Damn...
Anyways I got 570 on Verbal (and I got a perfect 800 on the SATs, which is why I'm so bewildered. See? BEWILDERED. That's a big word!) I only answered 21 or so out of the 30. My theory is that I probably got a lot of the early ones correct, which made them slam me with killer reading-comprehension passages, which sucked up all my time in the middle. It was gruesome... like back-to-back looooong passages with tricky questions.

And I got 690 on the Math, which for me is so good it's shocking. (Though now I've learnt that the Math scores are scaled up, for some reason.)

At this point I am just HOPING that these scores translate into decent percentiles. And that I get a good enough Writing score to offset the Verbal. I've always been better at English than at Math- do I need to redefine my own image??

i've always been better at english than at math, but of course i'm getting better math than verbal scores..
gre scores are more about percentiles than they are numbers. (did you take the sat's on a computer..? no. they're different don't compare them so much)

according to the kaplan book from last year a 570 was in the 84th percentile for english and a 690 is in the 86th percentile for math...

so you're right in that 85thish percentile.

so your english pretty much equals your math ability.

when I talked to someone at Harvard about a previous application they said everything looked good (cept the portfolio obviously)...then she hesitated..."I guess your gre's cooould be better" (I got a 1200). i'm playing th "what gre?" card this year...just going to submit the 1200 and forget about it. if I'm denied solely for a standardized test, which I can guarantee wont happen, so be it.

also I'm an arch-background so the gre could be a bigger deal for you non-archies

my friend got into columbia with an 1170. and another got in with a low gpa (i think a 3.0? might've been slightly higher).

i would think that if your portfolio got you into the "yes" pile as long as your gre scores met the minimum - which some schools don't even have mind you - then you should be okay.

i feel like the gre score requirement is more for the graduate admissions, not the architecture departments.

thanks, guys, that's definitely a relief to hear... and 85th percentile is fine with me! (though I'm used to testing better.) It's just that one GRE pdf I found put me in the high-60th percentile, which would cut me off from Rice, since they need a minimum of 70% in 2 of the 3 sections.

It's frustrating being in this in-between zone. I hope my scores meet the minimum requirements, and that my portfolio (as yet nonexistant) will be judged on its own merit. If the scores don't meet the requirement, then I'll miss the Dec 15th deadline for GSAPP and UCLA. In that case, I might as well just wait another year and not spend the money on applications.

But I guess I might as well and go ahead, since it seems like GSAPP doesn't care too much, and like lidandan said, it's just a technicality.

BTW- this is killing me now...

Regarding that CAT GRE's... I know the first part of each section is especially crucial for determining the score.

However, if you see time is running out near the end, is it better to guess and finish all the questions? Or will the wrong answers drag down your score? Or by the last third of the test, is it more important just to finish than to be correct?

SBeth,

I took the GRE in September, and the document ETS sent me with the current nationwide percentiles puts you at about 79-80 percentile verbal and 68-69 quantitative.

I don't want to steer you wrong, but I believe it is ok to guess toward the end of the GRE. Unlike the SAT, where incorrect answers will decrease your raw score, the GRE raw score is simply based on correct answers.

From what I've read on this forum, your GRE score is good enough for most places. You've certainly met any minumum threshold, so your app will probably come down to the other sections.

Also, FWIW, ETS also reports average scores and percentiles by intended graduate major. The data only includes current seniors and those who have graduated within the last two years, and they can only report for people who actually state they will be applying for architecture. BUT, among that group, the nationwide average is 460 verbal, 610 quantitative. You're above average for both!

-Smile

I got 550 V and 680 Q and my percentiles were 75th and 66th. This was in July. It's weird how they seem to vary so much between sources (like that Kaplan thing someone referenced is pretty far off from my percentiles).

Sbeth85 and others, how much time did you dedicate to studying for the GRE? I am just starting to study and plan on taking them the first week of December.

Also, any specific study guides you would recommend?

Thanks.

bartender, go get a princeton review book. worked well for me.

just work through the book's problems and practice tests, and you're done. (~6 hours). well, that doesn't include studying vocab. you should be reviewing vocab at least an hour a day.

really man, this is a standardized test. studying doesn't get you too far. it's really about innate standardized test-taking skill and knowing GRE vocab.

bartender,

You'll be fine taking the test in December. I studied for about 4-5 weeks myself (not everyday though) and took a practice test once a week to gauge where I was. Find the list of 52 most common words and learn all those. It helps to learn word groups too, so if you don't know the exact definition of a word you might remember that it was on a list of other words that meant "old" or "quickly" or whatever. Learn a lot of synonyms for "criticism." That's an ETS favorite.

I used Kaplan, and although I did like the word lists, the rest of the book was terrible. Typos, misspellings, incorrect answers in the math section. Felt like they rushed the book to get it on shelves and didn't actually take the time to make a quality product. Don't get Kaplan.

-S

bartender-

I studied for 1.5 weeks... and that was only a little every day after school. It might explain my average scores. So, in a way, that's good... You can get average scores if you study for about a week.

I used a 2007 Barrons' book- very detailed with that math.
Oddly enough, though, a few days ago I found SparkNotes, and they're GREAT! It's all online, the writing is snarky and entertaining, and I think they actually give more practical pointers than Barron's did. Here's the website:

http://www.sparknotes.com/testprep/books/gre/chapter1.html

That's a random page from the math section. Very easy to navigate using the pull-down menu.

Overall, it depends what you're weakest in... I was weak in math, so that's what I crammed for- memorizing area formulas and probabilities, stuff like that. If your weakness is English, then go and try to remember as many hard Vocab words as you want. Different books give different lists of which are worth memorizing.

I guess the only thing I can say is also to FINISH THE SECTION... I mean, if you leave out 1-2 problems it's fine, but with me, I didn't do the last 10 Verbal questions. So don't let that happen to you.

a 680 (86% right) is in the 66th percentile? jesus.
a 550 (68% right) is in the 75th percentile?
jesus.
has america trained us to be good at being good at memorizing formulas meanwhile we can't speak our own language? either we're pathetic as a nation or the verbal part of the gre is ridiculous and therefore invalid?


those percentiles just seem crazy. but can't argue with the truth.

Thanks everyone for your replies.

I am more concerned about the math because it has been awhile since my last math course. Sparknotes looks like a great resource.

Living in Gin -

i did the columbia intro to arch program this summer and they gave us a few options for printing in nyc

www.fastbackbooks.com
www.astoriagraphics.com
www.paperdragonbooks.com

out of the running for this year.

i've had a long internal struggle about whether to stick with planning or go for architecture... or do some sort of middle ground ala urban design. right now i need more time to process/confirm my thoughts/fears/love/etc and don't want to jump the gun. i have a feeling i will end up with architecture. i don't necessarily feel i have to have the title of architect, but i want to be in that field, and need to figure out the best route to take.

Cool, m2p... Thanks!

Hi passerby, I would love to swap portfolios!! I'm taking the GREs on Tuesday....let's see how that goes....been studying for only two weeks, but not intensely. I'm not too worried though. =) More worried about the portfolio.

So i took the GREs this afternoon. I did ok but I didn't do as well as I would have liked.

I got 510v and 600q.

To make it an even more stressful of a day, I was in a car accident right outside the testing center (before my test of course). No real damage or anything everyone involved is fine. Just more of a pain in the ass and an inconvenience then anything else.

I feel my quant. is a little low, but i've decided I'm not going to retake them.

I'd rather spend the rest of my time on my portfolio. I have a b.s. arch, undergrad degree, decent gpa, and what should be a good portfolio with a lot of good diverse work, so i'm hoping the gre's wont be too important.

any thoughts on this and if the scores are really that low?

Mugged, sorry to hear about all the mishaps before your exam. Glad everyone is ok. I think your scores are fine as they stand. They are good enough to keep you in the running, (only my opinion). I would be happy with those scores. I second focusing on your portfolio. Cant wait to get my gre out of the way on Wed. so I can focus solely on the portfolio.

Yeah I am pretty happy with them. No need to worry about it too much as it will probably not hold that much weight in the overall application.

Portfolio it is....Im on a quest to search for the perfect paper to print on. Im some perfectionist tendencies when it comes to image quality, clarity, color, etc...

we'll see how that goes.

good luck on your GREs Cvett

Hey guys, I just started a topic on this, but maybe this thread is a better place to ask....

Does anyone know a good online printer for landscape format 8.5x11 portfolio? Now that I'm pretty much done putting together my portfolio it's looking like neither Blurb nor lulu will print landscape 8.5x11 (blurb only does 8x10; lulu only does a landscape 9x7).

Or, anyone know a good printer in Los Angeles?

mugged- wow, what a way to start the test! I am sure that must've rattled you... glad no one was hurt.

I want to print on Lulu using 9x7, but I don't get all this stuff about margins vs bleed...

I am also finding it difficult to choose things to include in the port. arrhhh... this might be the most aggravating part.

I also don't want to write a Statement of Intent until AFTER I have solidified my portfolio, but I want to submit the applications ASAP so I can start sending in all the different components.

sbeth

yeah I was a little rattled at first I was able to put it out of my mind though.

I was thinking about using lulu too.

Bleed setting are for having images print to the edge of the paper. If you want your portfolio to be 9x7 then you should set up the document so each page is 9.25x7.25. That leaves an 1/8" bleed on all sides. You would arrange the image to cover that 1/8" so the ink prints to the edge of the paper.

The margin is meant for the text. Lulu recommends having a 1/2" margin, meaning dont have any text within 1/2" of the edge of the page. you can have it closer but I would go any closer then 1/4"

Just remember if you are planning on getting your portfolio perfect bound, leave extra room on the inner "spine" sides for text. You dont want it too close to the spine or it will be unreadable.

With that said I will most likely print everything out myself at home, for quality control such the bleed and all of that, but my try lulu just to see how it is.

As for you apps, I know you can start the applications, and once you started they will have a file for you so you can send stuff in as you please. Im not going to write my statement till after my portfolio is 90% done, but I am going to start the application process and get as much of that done.

Hope this helps let me know if you need me to clarify anything.

good luck

oh and keep in mind that most of the image that is in that 1/8" bleed area will not print.

also the margin setting for the text should be for the actual document size of 9x7, if that makes sense.

mugged- thank you for explaining, that makes a lot more sense... though I don't get why Lulu seemed to warn that there was no guarantee that anything in the margins would get printed... weird!

i read the saddle-bind (?) is a good one... also seems like a good choice because you can bind 1-56 pages... some of the other binding options require a minimum of 60 or something, which is obviously way too much.

About applications- some schools say it's fine to send in the components BEFORE you apply, but others are saying FIRST you should apply (and by that, I mean submit your statement of intent along with your application fee), and only then will they start keeping track. this all gets quite confusing... Not to mention that some places want the portfolio BOOKMARKED by the deadline, and some seem to want everything RECEIVED...

Do you know how are recs and academic transripts attached in online application? I'll have to scan them an attach as a prf file,or?
How are recs attached? It's time for me to ask for my recs, but ?I don't know how do they have to write it - just as a printed document, that i'll scan?

I'm taking a year off, woohoo! No application craziness for me!

but to throw my schools into the mix...

UMich
Berkely
UW
Harvard
Columbia
AA (London)

looking at double masters architecture/urban planning with emphasis in community development

Having scoured the 2007-2009 threads and thoroughly lurked this one, I am emerging from the shadows to join your ranks. This year's prospects for admission to the elite M.Arch program of our choice are no less exciting than they are daunting.

The stakes are higher, the job market shittier, and so the competition will be at its fiercest. May the most tenacious and qualified candidates reap admissions to their schools of choice, and may those select few receive a fair chunk of change in awards to finance their their next few years of M.Arch matriculation.

Portfolio question...

M.arch1 candidate coming in with a non-arch. degree, aiming for 4:

+ GSAPP (high reach)
+ UCBerkeley (reach?)
+ UTAustin
+ Oregon

Education: ba linguistics (cum laude) @ unc-chapel hill
Relevant Course work @ Masters level:
- Urban Design Theory/History
- Historic Preservation
- Indep. Study of Vernacular Dwellings of Thailand

besides a somewhat random degree, i have extensive photographic-/video-documentary work to show.

all of said projects relate directly to my primary :
+ international development,
+ community development,
+ indigenous architecture,
+ large-scale disaster relief.

Most all of these projects took place internationally, in either Thailand or Peru, and those four categories directly inform my architectural/urban design interests.

I think the 4 schools I've selected thus far reflect these intentions.

Questions:
a) Am I missing any schools that might fit my interests?
b) Will my portfolio idea fly?*

*If I do decide to apply this round, my portfolio will consist entirely of photography and writing that will be formatted/diagrammed to illustrate the design-process and key elements of some of my best photo/video documentaries. I will focus on diagramming graphically, in a way that speaks to a 'mature aesthetic sensibility'.

I've seen portolios and positive admissions reports from several non-arch background m.Arch people who lacked much drawing material in their portfolio.

I am wondering if I should put in the work to whip up a 12-page portfolio b/t now and Dec. 17 (UCBerk deadline, my top choice), or wait another year to give time to my portfolio.

Remember that Columbia will not review applications with a verbal score below 500.

:o

was that directed at my typo-riddled post?

portolios!

Sorry Columbia's cutoff point for verbal is 450. No It was not directed at anyone specifically. I noticed that Columbia is the only school who posts a minimum. I called some of the other ivy's and it seems like they like to see around a 600 on each section.

marranara- GSAPP is due Dec 15th as well, that will be your first deadline.

marranara,

I would do the portfolio now and give it a shot. I think the more uncontrollable time variable is your letters of recommendation. Well, that and getting the portfolio properly printed.

Is it stupid to send portfolios directly from blurb/lulu to the admissions office? I'm living abroad so I can't review the copies anyway. Seems like a waste of time to send them to my family and ask them to mail them again.

I just did a practice GRE and got a dismal 410v and 490q (with several lucky guesses)

I had planned on writing the test at the end of this month, but now I'm not sure if it's even worth it. My portfolio is solid, GPA 3.2 and I have my rec's lined up, but this GRE is holding me back.

I wonder if I could bump up my scores to something more acceptable within 2 weeks?

I've absorbed so much useful knowledge from this forum, I feel like I need to contribute something, anything, so I will try to give a play-by-play account of an open house I recently attended.

[OPEN HOUSE REPORT: Univ. of Tennessee School of Architecture]

Since I am stuck in my hometown while I consider an "M.Arch I" degree, I decided to reserve a spot at UTenn's ALL DAY open house event.

I attended all 8 hours of it, despite having no plans to apply, and despite other reservations concerning Knoxville's built environment (e.g. its success as one of the top ten "most sprawling US cities", its barely-revived (gentrified) excuse for a downtown, zeal for bright orange paint, etc).

[FOOD]
The morning began with a handsome array of bagels, multiple flavors of cream cheese, assorted pastries, a fruit bar, and unlimited gourmet coffee. /// After having seconds, I regretted my early arrival (register 8:30am!?), thumbed through UT's massive information packet, and calculated the number of bagels that might be afforded by my mini-jansport backpack.

I admit, I did it all for the food: two catered meals from Panara Bread, including full-sized cookies.

By the time the program started I was severely caffeinated and ready to receive the building tour, Chair's keynote, and the professor panel simultaneously at 3x speed. FEED ME BEAUTY.

[TOUR] I liked the facilities: two rectangular stacks connected by a corrugated steel roof; ample light pours into the exposed concrete cavern and down onto the "street-scape" that runs the length of the ground floor. Glass-covered office modules protrude out from the like mini-shelves in a refrigerator. Neat looking, but I pitied the faculty who escape to these fishbowl offices. Our guide used "sort of" a record 3-4 times per sentence, even when describing very literal, concrete objects like air ducts and stair cases. Highlights included a vine-charcoal penis scrawled improbably high on one of the faculty modules.

[Chair Keynote] Tennessee's theoretical approach is "integrated", see also 'vague', 'dispersed', kind of anything goes. The Grad Chair seemed ambitious, recently published a book on sustainable building principles. The program is undergoing an 'overhaul' of sorts, reorienting faculty and curriculum to focus on urban design and sustainability.

[Faculty Panel] I was impressed by the variety of talent either tenured or visiting at UTenn. They all seemed happy about shaping the program's new path forward. Several German architects stood out, one an alleged 'starchitect'... Goeritz?

As foreshadowed in the keynote, the faculty interests are scattered across the map, from high performance building technology to architectural pedagogy to community outreach. The panel did everything in their power to seem like a fun bunch that get along! I liked this warm, fuzzy feeling.

[Lunch] I won't gush, it was scrump (very large cookies)... though somehow I got stuck with the MLA Grad group talking about water tower aesthetics.

[Studio visit 1] We were allowed to wander around the Grad studios, both at the school and at the downtown studio. Talking one-on-one was helpful in understanding UT's bread-and-butter approach to architecture, pencil+paper+cardboard+sweat.

Students complained about thesis guidelines changing frequently, feeling like a number, and other administrative nightmares common to UT bureaucracy.

[Studio visit 2] The downtown studio experience was interesting. The students share space with a non-profit design firm focused on low-income housing, social equity, affordable design.

The 2nd year March1 students were extremely proud of their designs...

I overheard one outspoken grad student wooing several prospective students, sharing his profound discovery; his breakthrough somehow involved the fibonacci sequence and an historic mill building located in a low-density suburb. His model, although hastily built, revealed quite a make-over for the mill: a pit stop stop for solar powered cars AND a 30-story condo. It kind of looked like pool recliner. Dan Brown anyone?

[Overall] I came away feeling surprised and impressed by the faculty, underwhelmed by the caliber of students, and hopeful for Knoxville's future.

One of the most useful parts of the day was skimming through successful M.Arch student portfolios in the administration office. I highly recommend doing this if you can arrange it with the school.