r u all still waiting for GSD, if there r no FedEx packages yet !

r u all still waiting for GSD, if there r no FedEx packages yet !

does anyone have any idea when berkeley's open house will be?

Yeah i'm still waiting for GSD, though I'm an international applicant-thought everyone would have received them today but apparently not...

princeton sounds quite sincere in both of the acceptance and rejection letters.. columbia.. hmmm. quite dry. harvard.. yet to know.. :) if any of you have already heard from harvard, please post the words for us. i would be very interested to see the words from the dean...

I have some random questions that I thought y'all might be able to shed some light on.

First - what do people do in their summers of the M.Arch program? Is it super important to intern? Part of the reason I ask is it looks like I may need to take physics next summer (yuck) and just trying to figure out if that is going to put me at a big disadvantage.

Second - Is there a way to look up where people from a school have ended up working? Like for lawyers there are databases where you can search by school, specialty...

Thanks...sorry I am a real newbie to all of this...

@PandaEyes - GSAPP has a great urban planning program! Personally, I favor Berkeley's for their focus on envt sustainability. There's been extensive discussion on this area and if you do a search on archinect, there are some very informative discussions on the profession. In essence, you will be involved on projects on a different scale, as compared to those that architects generally do. You will deal with various aspects of a society's development (traffic, housing, sustainability, biodiversity etc) at various levels, and that can be stimulating & fulfilling. The salary of an urban planner is comparable, if not, better than an architect's. And hours may not be as long, depending on who you work for. The following website has useful information for someone new to this field. Have a look, and post your questions separate from this thread and I will try to address your queries. In any case, I am probably not the most qualified person here to dispense advice.

BTW, an M.Urban Planning is way cheaper than an M.Arch. And you probably get more bang for buck (and hence less leverage coming out of school - yay!) with a shorter 2-year course, less stressful semesters, better work-life balance, and a higher salary too. What's there not to like?

i would love a dual degree in M.UP/M.Arch ! You can still pursue your design dreams while doing your M.UP. It could be much easier too, since you have access to the profs, students, and other facilities.

woah, i didnt mean this post to be this long ! OOPS.

The di rankings has stats on which school Arch grads go where... an overall idea !

has anyone heard anything from SCI-Arc yet?
What about UC Berkeley and Rice?

has anyone heard anything from SCI-Arc yet?
What about UC Berkeley and Rice?

@mmarch13 where are you from in the South? I'm at ULL...

Dear [title + last name],

I am most pleased to welcome you to the Master in Architecture degree program at the Harvard Graduate School of Design. If you decide to join us, you will become part of an internationally diverse community of extraordinary students, faculty, and staff committed to reimagining the present.

At the GSD, we believe that it is our responsibility to conceive new domains of teaching and research that contribute to the making of a better world. By engaging with the most pressing issues of the day--sustainability, the uses and effects of digital technology, global development, and socially responsible design--students at the GSD extend the school's tradition of design excellence and leadership in the professions of architecture, landscape architecture, urban planning, and urban design.

Drawing on the outstanding offerings of Harvard as a preeminent global university, the GSD provides a unique platform for investigation and experimentation across disciplines and departments. In combination with the school's teaching excellence, the remarkable physical and intellectual resources of the GSD--the extensive library, workshops, digital facilities, lectures, conferences, exhibitions, and publications--provide a framework for the collaborative explorations of our students and faculty. Together today we are constructing visions of tomorrow's world.

I hope that you will choose to accept our invitation to participate in this exciting endeavor.

Best regards,
Mohsen Mostafavi

Hey Everyone,

never posted before but wanted to get a sense of what you all think.

Here's my school so far

MIT - waitlisted
GSAPP - rejected
PRINCETON - rejected
UBC - in
Toronto - still waiting
UPENN - still waiting

I'm not sure if i have any money from UBC cause i got a phone call and my mail is being sent to my parents home cause i move a lot.

I hope Toronto and PENN come through this week.

My background is this

age 23 Canadian
Bachelors of Commerce Queen's University Kingston, Canada
Did Summer intro at GSAPP, got rec from critic. (i was in the weird transformer group btw)
GRE VOCAB 600 QUANT 700
GPA 3.6

Currently work at Paul Raff Studio in Toronto. Good firm, getting great experience.

Either way, I'm contemplating waiting a year and applying again. The only reason i will do this is if it will be possible to get money from the top school next year. With these stats, and a better port do you think it's possible? I'll try to post my portfolio tonight to get some feedback.

Also, what is everyone's throughts on UBC and Toronto internationally. I plan to move to Britain when i graduate as i'm a British Citizen and want to live/work in london for a while.

anyways... what does everyone think.. I really wish i wasn't soo close. If i was just flat out rejected by all the Ivey's then i would not think of trying again.

Best,

P

my stats:

MIT -In + $$
Michigan -IN + $$
Yale - IN + ?
GSAPP - IN + 0
Princeton - REJECTED
GSD - ?

Portfolio: http://issuu.com/lfparis/docs/portfolio_1002

Pythagoras, what are you thoughts about a masters of urban design, then? i got advanced standing into the dual degree master's program at WUSTL: in two years i could have two masters... which is really enticing until i think about the fact that i could mortgage a small house with the amount of money i will likely pay.

hmmm nicholasbailey i've been to lafayette more than a few times...i'm actually from new orleans but i have a lot of friends from "laffy" as they call it...didn't think there'd be any other louisianians on this forum...represent!!

wow congrats to any who got that letter from Mostafavi. Going down the ladder a few rungs, has anyone who applied to Pratt and was told their app was missing something heard anything further? Thanks...

quite a nice portfolio you have there D.O. .. where'd you do your undergrad (in arch?) ?

Hey Luis,

Congrats on MIT and Yale! Your portfolio looks great.

-Rick
TCAUP '09

direccion opuesta, did you go to Michigan for undergrad?

gsapp - in $
michigan - in $
mit - waitlisted
ucla - in
maryland -in
UT -
rice -
gsd -
berkeley -
cornell -
upenn -
sciarc -

cmky08 and the villian - yeah michigan graduated 2008.
and thanks rick i saw yours too looks awesome. and congrats on gsapp and michigan

I met Dean Mostafi when he used to be at Cornell. Great person to talk to. Like the wordings! Congrats to GSD-ers !

Am i the only one who feels that the gsapp acc letter is the most 'regular' type. Sad - I didn't get many others ...

damn thevillian, you applied to a LOT of schools!! well since everyone is doing lists, here's mine:

GSAPP - in $
GSD - in $
Clemson - in $
UT - in ($ ???)
Pratt - ?
Upenn - ?

It's a modest list, not too extensive...but i've already pretty much gotten into all the ones i wanted to...still waiting to hear back from UPenn tho (grrrr)...

'modest'..with acceptance + $ to two of the top programs in the world! be proud man..

regarding the gsapp letter: I think it's funny people are giving them so much grief. I personally like the idea that they dont feel the need to pat you on the back and tell you how awesome you are.. or how awesome they are. I mean, we all know they're awesome, we all know you did something right to get in there. why do you need to be coddled?

GSAPP - in $
UT Austin - in ($??)
Yale - waitlist

Princeton - rejected
MIT - probably rejected
UCLA - probably rejected

Berkeley - ?
UPenn - ?
GSD - ?

I'm really excited and GSAPP is my first choice, but man. Money is a killer. (nevermind nyc cost of living.. working 2 jobs to live here right now)

haha i agree villain...i was thrilled with my letter! i didn't even really stop to consider the "dryness" of it until someone mentioned it...i mean, i suppose it is a bit dry...but still, a YES is a YES!! :)

@thevillain: I agree. The GSAPP letter is really "new york." And I like it.

the villain,

Awesome comment on the GSAPP letter. It's really just a letter. If you base what program to attend solely on it, then....well....um.... And maybe they're just being british about it, full of sarcasm and wot not.

Here's mine:

In order of preference.
wish i had more acceptances to chose from.

MIT - ? (no call)
GSD - ? (no fedex) :(
YALE - Rejected
UPENN - 22nd
GSAPP - in
CORNELL - in

Yes ! I wish I was/am in at MT/GSD, cause i love Boston ! Plus, facilities wise, GSD & MIT are probably the best. Studio environment... better at MIT ! Plus, i've been at one of the GSD gehry reviews & yes ! both these schools have some real talent & competition.

UPenn above Cornell & GSAPP, cause i would love to do my 1 year at the AA ! Excellent facilities too :-)

GSAPP is a great school but the facilities i think about ok, when compared to other schools at the same level. I'm in NY/Paris and got to take some of their best courses. Would like to try new stuff. Plus, they have 90-100 students admitted.

CORNELL : Ithaca & 3.5 yr program... TOUGH ! But yeah the new building & facilities would be awesome. Plus Koolhaas is going to teach there too !

... I don't think 'acceptance letter wordings' help in selecting a school but sometimes, it reflects the ambiance of the program. More word on it later...

questionable,

go to gsapp!

And mine:

Berkeley - ?

my list:
UIC - IN + ?
Michigan - IN + $$
Ohio State - IN + ?
Cincinnati - ???
UPenn - ???

cincinnati is killing me... one posting from last week on both grad cafe and here, and nothing else. i assuming they are letting prime applicants know first, then letting everyone else know... or none of the accepted post on gradcafe or here.

sweetpotato,

i was offered $$ from risd for the first year, and $$ for ta-ing the following years, i am assuming in the arch department. I am super excited! totally unexpected!
another fun fact: later yesterday I got rejected from University of Oregon. haha go figure.

still waiting on a few schools, but risd was one of my top picks so I am a little indifferent towards the rest to be honest.

imfalling -

lets just say for the first year, MIT is offering me 3 times more then the GSD and assuming that I 'maintain a satisfactory academic standing' i'll have that renewed until I graduate

I've been told that the GSD doesn't have much money... because at Harvard, the endowment is not like at MIT where its centrally distributed between the schools, and each school gets their slice of the cake

I heard that at the GSD, they need to find their own sources of funding (which means there are big differences between schools i.e. law/business schools are really rich) so... its really a tough call

I mean for me the biggest thing is the difference in AP (at the GSD) and non AP (at MIT) - so in the end, it evens out in costs despite the fact that MIT is giving me a lot more aid - but I just feel bad not taking the offer

Atty: "First - what do people do in their summers of the M.Arch program? Is it super important to intern?"

I will probably work a mindless fun job or work at a summer camp. I will only have 1 summer for my grad program (most likely... some might be 3 year programs) Gotta do it while I still can, I have my whole life to intern.

Questionable -

you think that the studio environment is better at MIT?
why is that?

my stats:

gsapp - yes
yale - yes
ucla - yes

mit - I'm guessing no
princeton - no

gsd -
upenn -
sci-arc -
cornell -
ut austin -
asu -
taliesin -

as of now, I'm going to yale.

pult,

why do you apply to so many schools and take up all of our spots. your back ups are some of our reaches. ucla was my top choice and you just applied to turn them down damn you pult. damn you.

worry less about me taking your spot and more about your own application next time.

it's good that you're going to be in new haven. there will be fewer people to dislike you there. i think as soon as you get there you should spout out all of the places you've been accepted and that you've turned down. maybe people will be really impressed with you and want to be your friend.

haha good point pult. But I do wonder why you applied to so many schools, a lot of which have very different viewpoints on architecture.

Obviously you want to go to an Ivy just to go to an Ivy and it appears that you're Ivy caliber but whats the point of applying to so many when you can only pick one.

Accepted at University of Cincinnati with advanced standing and a scholarship! UC was my top pick, so this is huge.

The tally so far:

Cincinnati - In w/ Advanced standing and $3000/yr scholarship
Ohio State - In (no word about money)
Oregon - In (no word about money)
Kentucky - No word
City College of NY - No word
GSD - No word

CCNY and GSD are pretty much irrelevant at this point because I don't have the Calculus/Physics prerequisites and won't have them before the fall, and right now I have absolutely zero desire to move back to NYC or Boston. Still, I can't help but be very curious to see if GSD thinks I'm Harvard material.

Oregon would be tempting if I were still living and working in NYC and had the money and inclination for a long-distance move, and if they were offering a big scholarship or TA position. At this point, though, it's looking like a long-shot at best.

While Cincinnati is my top pick and I'm almost certain to enroll there if I can find a way to cough up the rest of the money I'll need, I'll still wait until I hear back from OSU and Kentucky before I make a final decision.

congrats about Cincy LIG. You must be pretty excited.

If you don't mind me asking, did they email you or contact through the postal service?

I dont think there's anything wrong with applying to so many schools - even if they are so different in their philosophies... who the f*** cares? They are all great schools and and you will get something out of it regardless of where you go. I'm with Pult - why not keep an open mind and diversify ones options? And why not apply to a lesser tier school that an ivy leaguer might consider a saftie? All the more chance that the person will get a bomb scholarship or full ride.

Aligning oneself strictly on a single philosophy or ideology in architectural education only further makes our industry further obsolete, more insular and esoteric.

living in gin,

big congrats on UC!!!!

just talked to a former TA of mine currently in oregon (portland campus). he said most GA positions go to students that have already put in a semester (or is it quarter?) there already... he's doing one right now after starting at oregon last fall and he seemed to suggest it wasn't super difficult to get. it covers tuition and then there's a stipend too.

i'm also waiting for oregon and ohio state's financial info. i'm angry with ohio state because they put me in the 3 year program even though i have an accredited 4 year architectural degree which JUST SO HAPPENS to be a bachelor of arts rather than a bachelor of science. it's just frustrating cause i know kids from other arch programs with bachelor of science degrees and -- bam -- they're in the 2 year program instead!

oregon's actually cheaper for me to attend as a result, even though i'm an ohio resident... which makes a difference since i'm paying for all my graduate education. sorry for my rant but it's really frustrating me. i would LOVE to be a part of the knowlton school but that really hinders my ability to go there...

Pult, I had not heard from MIT so far but I just got a package in the mail, dated March 12th 2010. I got in, with financial aid and all.

They also included another copy of Uncertain Futures.

i don't like some of the animosity lurking here...the applications are done, the verdics are in (mostly)...let's all just concentrate on wishing each other well and hoping for the best :)

i don't like some of the animosity lurking here...the applications are done, the verdicts are in (mostly)...let's all just concentrate on wishing each other well and hoping for the best :)

I dont get why people get so bitter about other people applying/getting into certain schools. It's a great school, some people get in some dont.. lets not make this a trial. I was not offered acceptance to 4 top schools in my first go around, but you didnt see me bitching about other, clearly more motivated, people getting in.

I'm with Pult on this on. After being blanked, I wanted to come back at this with a fresh, broader perspective. People are allowed to apply to schools with diff philosophies becasue the last thing you want to do is get pigeon-holed. Plus, it doesnt hurt to see who will offer you the most aid, because this is an amazingly expensive venture.