li dandan, i agree about the ivy myopia on this discussion. can we get some more people on here talking about other programs? Granted, I applied to three ivies and would be honored to go to them...i'm still weighing the qualities of the others. not to mention, the attraction of having little debt upon graduating.

anybody have insight on Virginia Tech?

Damn - I'm starting to wonder if the Syracuse letters really are all in the mail. I've never been so annoyed to get something from Netflix (though I guess it was better than some big fat bill). Guess I'll start waiting around for tomorrow's mail....

Still also waiting to hear from Ohio State. Still showing "AcadReview" for my status. Seems like other people heard weeks ago. I did apply there last year and got in. But then there was an illness in my family and I ended up taking a year off. Reapplied instead of deferring, since it was the only way I could submit an updated portfolio and be reconsidered for funding.
Come to think of it, though, I missed me acceptance email last year because they typed my email address wrong. Huh. Maybe there's another e-snafu in the works.

yeah i had NO IDEA they were doing the urban design masters... and it's brand new which is why I didn't know about it.
plus did you see the desks in the grad studios? they have a full outlet strip installed in them!
i am pretty sure i applied just for those desks, my friends that went to uncc, and the daylighting lab... but now i get all that and more.

Sucks about the lack of football though.



NicholasBailey,
i don't know about the program but the state itself really could use some good design things going on. for its proximity to detroit & how detroit is starting to reinvent itself alone i would go there. the cost is outrageous though.
also, no need to impress anyone. now it's their turn to impress you.

In at Cornell M.Arch I AP!!!

Damn - I'm starting to wonder if the Syracuse letters really are all in the mail. I've never been so annoyed to get something from Netflix (though I guess it was better than some big fat bill). Guess I'll start waiting around for tomorrow's mail....

Still also waiting to hear from Ohio State. Still showing "AcadReview" for my status. Seems like other people heard weeks ago. I did apply there last year and got in. But then there was an illness in my family and I ended up taking a year off. Reapplied instead of deferring, since it was the only way I could submit an updated portfolio and be reconsidered for funding.
Come to think of it, though, I missed me acceptance email last year because they typed my email address wrong. Huh. Maybe there's another e-snafu in the works.

thevillian, I got the same "no money" statement... dang it

thevillian, I got the same "no money" statement... dang it

cmyk08- I work with VT grads. they're all products of the b.arch program, so I cant speak to the m.arch directly. they're all super-talented designers, theoretically-minded, but very very adept on the practical side of architecture. They're focused on very poetic architecture that's about the materiality and the "reality" of the building. Blacksburg is very isolated, and it seems like it's sort of disconnected from much of the architecture world. this of course has pros and cons. also, they seem less than impressed by the work of the graduate students, but that might just be a product of their competitive nature.

waqas, and Questionable:

thank you for advice. indeed the program comes through as very theoretical, with obvious manifestations rooted in practice. but given the really tempting size of it, and the faculty members, i'm sure one could still pursue design quests if so inclined. after all, it's masters, not the "do as i say" undergrad.

and hirano:

making it to the open house at princeton?
lol the 2 of us are already 8% of the class.


ooh.

so i e-mailed GSD. yesterday i was like...ok, that's enough guys, if internet is not cutting it for you, patience is not cutting it for me. oh...and my online profile would not log me into the application anymore, so, here's the reply:

"
Dear Razvan,

Since we have not been taking new applications since the deadline, the application system has been closed down. There isn’t a function on it where you can check your application status. Currently, the Committee is in the process of finalizing their list, so I expect all decision notifications will be out by the end of next week at the latest.

Sincerely,
Jill Harrington


Jill Harrington
Office of Admissions
Harvard Graduate School of Design
"


hope that answers the questions about "waves", as well as offer a bit of comfortable buffer. they are indeed taking "ze sweet ass time"

cheers

r

thank you, thevillain. i know the rankings aren't the end-all-be-all for selecting schools, but i can't help notice that VaTech is ranked in nearly every category.

thevillian, I got the same "no money" statement... dang it

I believe a lot of those rankings are based on what practitioners think.. and I'm pretty sure VT's program has a very good standing in the professional world.

@thevillain

I am feeling the exact same way... I am in at the GSAPP also with no tuition help and feeling the constraints of money pulling tight on the decision. do you think there is a large enough gap between UMich and GSAPP to make the debt worthwhile? anyone else want to weigh in?
I also got into the 2g and while 2 is short I think a summer is a req? that would put it at 2 1/2...

where did you get your undergrad? Mine is a B.S. in Arch from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette

In apples to apples comparison, no, I dont think there's a gap between the two programs. but, gsapp is about a network, and being plugged into that. there's just an energy to it. and it's so close to everything, physically and abstractly. I'm a very transient person, always switching from place to place, idea to idea, and I feel like gsapp really plays into that mentality. but 3x the tuition, yesh.

I got a bs arch @ OSU.

@li dandan
I guess this is what it feels like to be a football recruit haha... money, phonecalls, emails... I should have applied to USC and gotten free cars and shit.

@thevillain
I could not have said it better... add in the living expense of NY too. What is the difference in competition for GA's or TA's at both schools? I mean does one institution give more per student ratio than another?

Razvan and Hirano - have you gotten a hard copy letter from Princeton yet? Can I ask what yours said about program length?

anyone hear from UC Berkeley or SCI-Arc yet?

well, I haven't really researched that yet, but I'm assuming UM offers more positions and less $, while gsapp offers fewer positions for more $. remember, gsapp doesn't have an undergrad program, so I dont know what you'd be a GA for.

Here's the 2010 ranking by DI of arch schs in US.
i thought I should just share this info here, since I have it with me. Afterall, architects exist to make the world better right? I may not be realizing my designer dreams anytime soon, but still, I should not be any less helpful cos of this setback.

Hope the info will be useful to those who have been accepted. Here they are.....!!! (* drum rolls * )

2010 Design Intelligence Rankings

Top 10 Grad Arch Schs

1. Harvard GSD
2. Yale
3. Columbia
4. MIT
5. UT Austin
6. UCincinnati
7. Cornell
8. Virginia Polytechnic
9. U of Virginia
10. Berkeley

Skills Rankings

Analysis & Planning
1. Harvard
2. Virginia Polytechnic
3. Cornell
3. MIT
5 U. Cincinnati
5. Oregon

Communication
1. Harvard
2. Yale
3. Cornell
3 Virginia Polytechnic
5. U. Cincinnati

Computer Applications
1. MIT
2. Carnegie Mellon
2. Virginia Polytechnic
4. Columbia
5. California Polytechnic

Construction Methods & Materials
1. California Polytechnic
1. Virginia Polytechnic
3. Auburn U
3. U Cincinnati
5. MIT

Design
1. Harvard
2. Yale
3. Virginia Polytechnic
4. Cornell
5. Columbia

Research & Theory
1. Harvard
2. MIT
3. Princeton
4. Columbia
5. Yale

Sustainable Design Practices & Principles
1. U. Oregon
2. Berkeley
3. UT Austin
3. U of Virginia
5. Auburn

Most Admired M. Arch programs

1. Harvard
2. Yale
3. Berkeley
4. MIT
5. Princeton

@villain

Yeah I actually had the exact same feeling about michigans program with it being 2 years. I actually like the programs that make it 2.5 and give you that extra studio. I would think that more time would allow for a better developed thesis as well.

Im not sure I would want to do 3-years, but I think 2.5 would be good. Although that is why Im also interested in the MS_DR program at michigan as well.

@thevillain - I am just curious, how did you manage to get that many references to dutifully write those rec letters? Where are they from? And they agreed to help you send those letters to that many schools unconditionally?

@ Others - I saw a few (in fact, many) other posters here who have applied to more than 6 schools. How on earth did you get that many references who are willing to spend that much time filling out the form for you??

Hope to get some constructive feedback on this. Thanks guys.

Hi all,

I just called UT. They checked my status and told me that "a decision has not been reached yet." They're hoping for one in the next two weeks.

Hope this helps.

Make sure to choose your future based on a list

@Pyth: I was lucky to have a handful of professors from undergrad that I was close enough with to ask for so many recs. a) they typically write one and plug in variables for various schools and b) I had enough profs to go to that I could divide up the workload (some profs wrote some, others wrote others).

The key was to not ask the "hot shot" profs. In my first go around I did that and I'm pretty sure I got generic letters out of them. This time, I asked people who more intimately knew my work, and I think that was a much better decision.

I've also worked for two boutique firms and the principles of both were more than happy to write a few recs for me. Most of these people I asked are inundated with similar requests all the time, so it's really not a big deal for them. of course, this is all a product of someone with an arch background + working experience. I have no idea how those without such background do it.

pythagoras,

I applied to 7 schools. All my references were studio professors of mine. I only had 4 people, 1 of which who only sent out 1 rec.

Most of the schools allow you to upload it online, which makes it pretty easy. They were all more then willing to send that many, no questions asked. I think it is something they do on a regular basis.

Everyone who's been accepted to the GSD, what program did you get?
MArch1, MArch2, MUD, MDeS?

I'm wondering if they send out their "waves" based on different programs.
Thanks!

Razvan, thanks for the update.

End of next week at latest? Potentially at least another entire week of waiting? :(

tyMArchII, at least as can be inferred from gradcafe, most GSD acceptances currently seem to be MLA, with a few others in the mix (including MArch 1, AP, and 2).

workingHoot:

no, not yet. i think they got sent last friday. at least that's what dean Allen said, and i'm in Toronto. might take a tad longer, regardless of the decent distance. it's borders formalities. i'll post info as it gets to me

sorry, i cannot follow all the postings. you're in as well?

would be awesome.

cheers

r

Pythagoras -
thanks for sharing the Design Intelligence stuff :)

Thanks Greg.

Here's an idea. After this is all said and done. Lets start a thread where everyone can post a short bio, their portfolio, and the schools/programs they applied and where they got accepted/rejected. This could be used as a tool for 2011 applicants.

Also, I meant to ask this in my last post, what are the MIT programs that have received acceptances so far?

@ thevillian - thanks for sharing! Makes me feel much better to know that there are still posters here who bother to help. You truly deserve a place in all those schs you applied to. Im sure you are gonna be an asset to them.
Yes, I come from a non-arch bkgrd, and I don't have that kind of networking to enable me to have a big enough pool of references to write rec letters for me. I have only 3 profs who knew my work and were willing to write my letters, albeit to limited no. of schs.

@ mugged - Thanks man. I know it's one of those "unspoken" duties of a prof. Strangely, the professors I have and the people I know prefer to focus on themselves more than helping others. Somewhat similar to some posters here...like melany. lol !

Cincinnati said thanks but no thanks.

Anyone have an idea when Minnesota is going to send out decisions?

i think it would be more beneficial for them to just read this entire thread. i read the 2009 commiserate one and some of the more useful info was others' commentaries on those "bio" entries

@ praxis99 - sure, that's info for you to make a decision. So what's your final decision? I guess u probably need to go to their open hses before you can make that decision. I'd be caught too, if I were you. But it's an enviable position.

I know there has been some very helpful and healthy critique on almost every school imaginable via this thread...

I am having trouble weighing two schools however: UCLA and Pratt.

Granted, they're not immediately comparable (or maybe they... who knows?)

But seeing as how I haven't heard many people discussing either in great depth, I thought I'd pose this inquiry and dialogue.

Is there anyone intimately familiar with either program that would care to provide some additional perspective?

Pythagoras -

i applied to 5 schools and already took a long time
i also asked pretty much the same people for all the schools...

imsleepy, Minnesota's should be out soon. the department sent the decisions back to the grad admissions office which is currently processing them.

i already know im in because they called me and told me i was still missing 2 letters that they just needed on file lol. proof that the rec letters are worthless? ;)

actually Pythagoras - i had to write one of the recs myself (not fun trust me - it was really hard) - just cus i absolutely needed one from my current employer who asks people to write their own recs
(i thought it would be strange if i didn't have one from him since this is the longest i've worked anywhere..)

i applied to 7 schools and asked the same people to write them. they had no problem with sending them all, the schools just had problems with receiving them. I did use my former boss to write one because my professor refused to use the online system... and one school refused to accept paper ones.

praxis99, careful what you say on the internet - if an Archinect mod who happens to work at a school you were accepted to had access to your IP address here and used it to determine who you are, your admission or enrollment could be rescinded. :P

Razvan- Yeah, I'm in as well. Got the letter from Princeton on Monday at my parent's house in Michigan. The financial portion of mine indicated a program length of two years and I'm trying to figure out what that's about- AP standing or a mistake?

Are you going to the open house?

Greg. - thanks for the advice :)

yeh - i mean we looked over it together and ultimately i wasn't the one to send it - plus since i waived my rights to read the recs - the end result might be completely not what i wrote at all

we'll never know

lol did your boss just want you to write him an outline to make his job easier? that's weird.
But better than a straight up generic letter like "this person is good i think admit them to your school"

in at Cornell m.arch 1! as an international student, it was unexpected to get the same "money a possibility in the next few month" line. I don't think they will, unless I negotiate with them.

I still can't believe I got in anywhere, let alone into three Ivies. I'm gonna go take a cold shower now.

hmm... none of my recommenders asked me to write my letter, and actually i offerred. got one letter from the company owner, i've been working here for over 4 years. another letter from a studio instructor from the sci-arc summer program back in 2008. we kept in touch and he's been a great mentor. you know, like talks shit to me about my portfolio and tell me some stuff is corny. sometimes i listen, sometimes i dont. last minute recommender was a gsi from the berkeley summer program. all three wrote rec's to all of the 7 schools i applied to. i'm crazy about odd #s, 7 being my fave, 9 at a close runner up.

it seems it would be really hard to write you own letter of rec, but it certainly is better than a generic one or one with the wrong name or something crazy like that. of the three letters of rec, the only one i saw was the one from my boss. it was better an much more real than anything i could have fluffed up.

I had no trouble getting letters from my professors. One insisted on seeing my portfolio first. We went through 3 revisions on my portfolio before he agreed to write the letter (but it was totally worth it because he helped make my portfolio so much better!) I'm surprised more professors didn't ask to see my portfolio/essay/resume. I feel like I would want to know what someone is about to submit before I put my name behind it.

Anybody have a crazy professor who you thought might try to blackball you behind your back? I heard a professor tell one of my friends that he didn't want to write him a letter because he didn't want to "jeopardize" their chance at grad school...

ty, I had one of my recommendors confide in me that he wasn't going to be able to write this other kid a very good rec, and what should he do about it? he seemed to want me to tell him that he shouldnt tell the kid, so I did.. and I rationalized it by saying the kid probably knows you wont be very glowing, since you fired him. it was a very weird/complicated situation. then there's the being honest route you mention TY.. I'm not sure where I stand on this.

If you applied to Texas at Austin, go online and check your status.

I was accepted, but don't have email or post from them yet. It says it will be mailed to me.

Yay, Texas!!!