voneckht (and others)

I'm also waiting on Berkeley MUD...

How long should we wait before we just call? I'm trying to stay patient, but I'm going to visit Columbia and UPenn next week, so Berkeley better get on it!

Anyone have opinions on graduate MArch program at UCin...

please share

i went to berkeley for undergraduate architecture, and it is VERY interesting to see how so many people are excited to go there...

i am (not so proudly) the living proof that GRE score doesn't matter whatsoever.

what everyone is forgetting to mention, is SOP and recommendations. everyone these days can be very flashy on paper, and have astronomical stats: good grades, good test scores, good portfolio, etc. but those two written narratives can truly make or break an impression about your character and personality.

in reverse order of preference:

GSAPP - waitlist
CORNELL - AP with $$$
YALE - rejected
MIT - in with no AP, but with half the tuition covered
GSD - ?

li dandan,

i would have to disagree with your professor.

Portland is sucessful because of its urban growth rings. look at most cities in the usa that dont have larger cities close by: they all sprawl right out from the center uncontrollably.
Portland has established growth limits to create a Manhattan effect that forces a long term denser scheme. Rather than build out and rape the land, they build vertically and create healthy, dense cities, opposed to Florida, which in my opinion is a sprawl nightmare. That is unsustainable, car reliant, and much more expensive infrastructurally.

Just outside of downtown Portland you have pure, untouched land that will stay that way forever. You can live in the complete country and be a 15 minute trainride into a bustling, youthful, downtown city. Not many places can claim that. Its a case study thats begging to influence because American urban planning and urban renewal has really f'd up our urban cities over the past 100 yrs.

...and i realize it may be too late to implement this into many cities, but there is always growth, and there will always be new opportunities to prevent our mistakes of the past (ie: reinventing detroit).

sorry this is off topic from the thread. i will leave it at that

to check UT Austin you can just go to this website:

http://www.utexas.edu/ogs/admissions/status.html

Just read this in the morning. Hope it would inspire anyone who thought they didn't get into their top choice.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704211704575139891390595962.html?mod=WSJ_LifeStyle_LeadStoryNA

lol sorry ADavin to spark that mini-rant. I think my prof was referring to the fact that growth only really occurs in two cities in Oregon, so it is easier to pinpoint where to implement the UGBs to contain the sprawl. In Florida, it is a sprawl nightmare but it is also several major cities and areas where growth occurs, and florida is too focused on the money involved with growth to truly try and control it (or, were focused on it...) Driving in Florida makes me want to vomit it sucks so bad.
He drew a picture to explain all this. Maybe that's what I need.


-----------


I've been reading this thread this morning:
http://www.archinect.com/forum/threads.php?id=96966_0_42_0_C

And it discusses how worthwhile all the time and money for grad school in architecture will be. It's interesting.

hey all, long time lurker here.

i'm a non-arch background applying to m.arch 1 programs. my results:
mich: in
iit: in
syracuse: in w/ $$

uva: no
yale: no
mit: no
penn: no

gsd: ? (assuming no at this point)

here's my question for all of you: my boyfriend will be headed to uva this summer, doesn't have a choice about it. uva was my dream school, so i was hoping that would work out. now that my options are leaving me with schools that are really far away from uva, i'm less excited about arch. school. is going to arch. school when i'm not totally committed a mistake? or am i making a mistake giving up the offers i did get, if i put off school and rethink my options/whether i really want to be an architect at all? any thoughts are greatly appreciated...

@hardkorean, or anyone else: how does MIT deal with AP? I applied for it and was waitlisted. I wonder if that means I will not have Adv standing if I get accepted off the list. And if I do get AP, if taken off the waitlist, then why wouldn't they've just given me the option of acceptance without AP? (not that I would've taken that).

anyone heard from Toronto yet, MArch...

Yeah that thread is filled with vitriol with a sprinkling of some sane rational posts. Archinect is getting kinda crazy. Maybe it's the economy. But I appreciate some of the post on there, the ones not filled with emotion so much but rational sane comments. Good to be prepared and jump with eyes wide open into the profession. but some of the posts are just unnecessary.

@BaaaNaaa:

I applied to The Bartlett as well as GSD, GSAPP, YSOA etc. I live in London though so it's kind of the opposite to your situation. I have been to the Bartlett summer show for a few years now and you're right, the work looks fantastic, but that is also one of the problems in my opinion. There is a HUGE emphasis on producing beautiful drawings/renders, but often at the expense of any sense of reality. Some of the work the students produce could deservedly hang in galleries, and I would suggest it is closer to an art school that an architecture school these days. That said, Bartlett graduates are never short of work in the UK.

I was accepted into YSOA and GSAPP and have decided not to go to my Bartlett interview. In terms of cutting-edge architectural education, I think the UK was leading the world in the seventies and eighties, but America has taken over, with top professors, incredible facilities and far better funded programs.

That's my opinion.

li dandan, yeah that thread is filled with vitriol with a sprinkling of some sane rational posts. Archinect is getting kinda crazy. Maybe it's the economy. But I appreciate some of the post on there, the ones not filled with emotion so much but rational comments. Good to be prepared and jump with eyes wide open into the profession. Cause I don't want to end up like some of them.

From what I gather it's all what you make of it. Architecture is not structured like becoming a doctor where everything is pretty much set up for you already with your career progression once you get into med school. You have to take initiative with your career in arch. Some make good, some become extremely bitter.


but some of the posts on that thread are just unnecessary.

@thevillain

i applied to MIT for AP, and was accepted for 3.5 year M.Arch. so, i am assuming waitlist is for everyone who applied, regardless of AP or not? but i am definitely going to try to negotiate with them to reconsider me for AP, or find ways to cut it down to 3 at least.

@HK: interesting, when I talked to an admin guy on the phone yesterday, and mentioned quickly that I applied to adv standing, he said I was in a 'different' waitlist group than non-ap people. very confused.

hardkorean - what year did you graduate from Berkeley?

2007

melton,

uva was also my first choice. and it was my alma mater for arch. i got rejected (along with nearly everyone in my class who applied this year).

architecture school (whether undergrad or grad) is really a 110% situation. it's very, very difficult to muster up emotional energy to push through challenging academic environments without the hope of wanting to eventually do something with architecture/design.

as for Cville, jobs are looking hard to come by...as many of my friends are experiencing. but the quality of life there is unmatched to any!

good luck with those life decisions!

passerby, the same can be said for this thread. Archinect has lots of unncessary things / trolls. But the good posts in that thread make it an interesting read.

melton, are you second guessing this because of your boyfriend going to uva or because that was the only school you really wanted to go to regardless of the significant other? I can't tell from your post.

DesGin-

Totally agree! I almost said screw it to Berkeley's application. It was the most tedious unnecessarily confusing application. My favorite was the 12 pages one-sided of your best work. Why not just a portfolio like every school?? Isn't that how you narrow it down by seeing what these kids stuff into their portfolio?

k done w/ that rant

alex11

yea I tried e-mailing Berk MUD but got the auto-reply. Kind of redic since they said we'd know by early to mid-march.

did you hear from Harvard?

@Hellas
Thanks for your opinion-I've never been to the school so it is difficult to gauge what is really going on there-but that is what I had suspected..

That really helps!

@raj12
I went to UC for undergrad in architecture, I have a lot of problems with the school but it depends on what you want and what you want to do in your life/career. The school in general does not particularly nurture original thought and experimentation because it is very settled into a modernist method of design. I struggled with this during my last couple years in undergrad with clashes with some faculty. However overall I loved my experience there, I had some great opportunities to travel and work in the coop program, and I know that there are better professors working with thesis students who will be more accommodating to experiment. Cincinnati is very strong in professional practice development and preparing you for the work force, which is why it ranks so high on designintelligence which is generated by employers. So if this is what you want out of graduate school it may be a great choice. But if you are more interested in theory it would probably be awful for you.

e4d1c: I have yet to hear anything from U of T

Voneckht,
no news about Harvard here either, but at least we know they have notified some MAUD people. I'm not holding my breath for the GSD, but i'm not one to give up hope either...

li dandan, i've been a little unsure about architecture school since i started my applications-- i've loved the studio classes i've taken but have been working in a firm for 2 years and get easily frustrated with the tedium of the day to day aspects of the job. so getting rejected from uva has made me reconsider my decision, and second guess (again) whether this is a field i'm excited about spending my life in. i love design, but i can't spend my life dimensioning floor plans and centering ceiling grids...

I feel you on that. Every other day I'm like "ughhh i don't want to do this" and other days I'm excited about the prospect of designing.
I probably wouldn't do it and spend all that money if you're unsure. Unless you can go for free somewhere it probably won't be worth it quite yet. Maybe going into a slightly related field after school? I'm not sure.

doing bitch work when you first start out is not unique to architecture.

what's happening forum?
been out for a while. here we go.

just to recap:

- Yale - IN, $

- Princeton - IN, $, AP

- Columbia - IN no money (i am Canadian)

- GSD - i applied for AP. no word yet. they either take long over the border, or consider i'm not fit for their AP, thus...waiting for a graceful rejection.


Now, some personal notes:

- none of the $ offered full ride, or anything really close. I still have to pay a considerable amount. They haven't been that cheap either. it's just...enough to stimulate and help.

- i got a phonecall from Allen, but I am certain all princeton adm. do. he only has a few calls to make, and it's creating a great image for the school.


and on MELANY:

seriously...who cares? all the love posts, all the hate posts. if she's brilliant, good for her. can't hardly wait to share the studio space. if she's a hoax: oh well...did she (he) get any satisfaction from this? probably nothing lasting more than a few seconds. a call from Stern does make u warm and fuzzy for a bit, but it's for your PAST work. and we'll all in this for our FUTURE work. so nothing relevant there.

in the end: this is no competition and nothing to prove. buildings are all the same, require same effort and knowledge, and our personal goals differ a lot.


thus: congrats to all accepted, don't give up to all who got turned down. there's room for all of us. it's a nice profession worth enjoying.

cheers

r

everyone waiting to hear from RISD...

called them earlier this morning and they are mailing out packets today.

@BaaaNaaa:

re Bartlett vs. Penn/ GSAPP... are you looking for a post-professional degree? If not, be careful that you don't unintentionally preclude yourself from getting an architecture license in the States. The Bartlett, while a great school, won't satisfy the requirements for a professional degree here.

Regardless, I'm also considering Penn and the GSAPP for the AAD or M.Arch II, barring the GSD deigning to get in touch. At the moment, I'm leaning towards the GSAPP simply because of the diversity of studios on offer there, and the unparalleled guest lecturers, symposia, etc.

@Razvan. I applied to the GSD for AP and also haven't heard. Sent them an e-mail today though asking when we could expect to hear, so i'll let you know what they say...

blanco teko: good point regarding the bartlett.. i am going for an m.arch so it does make much more sense to stay in the country. are you going to gsapp's open house? i'll be there and i am about 90% sure i'll be attending the gsapp..

I'm a Clemson alum, and I love the place. But I have to be honest...most students' viewpoints aren't that open to more liberal lifestyles. I think you'll find more acceptance as a grad student, though. I don't think people will really judge you for being a lesbian, but don't expect to find people with similar interests. It's a very small, conservative, rural southern town, and I think a lot of your reservations about a place like that are somewhat accurate.

Hey All-

thanks for responses to my philosophical question.

It's not that I want to compare Rice and GSAPP (and believe it or not, it's not about GSAPP's being an Ivy... when I visited I genuinely loved the vibe of the school, which was a surprise since I thought everyone would be snobby, and they weren't.)

I guess I'm thinking this because I am dealing with regrets regarding ending up at the 'wrong' undergrad, and i don't want that repeated for grad school.

I actually grew up and lived in Houston until I was 16. I am very familiar with it, plus have friends and my parents there. The only thing is that the 2 times I visited the Rice School of Arch, the studios weren't in session, so I had no clue what the vibe would be like. I did sit in on a jury, and people seemed pretty nice... But how can you compare the course offerings with the GSAPP? Not to mention that try as I might, I can't even FIND Rice's courses?! How is one supposed to compare?

Anyways-
As you were all trying to say... Yeah, maybe Rice IS a better 'fit' for me, despite my wishes. However, how do I reconcile that with my HEART, which is still bummed?

re: miamiDC

when I (and the others who haven't heard yet) click on the link you posted and enter our UT EID we see:

"We have received all credentials required to process your application. Your file has been forwarded to the Graduate Committee for review. "

Could someone who is also in the same boat give that school a call and ask them wtf is up? I called last week, I think they are tired of me :)

This should also scare the living shit out of anyone thinking of going to school in Texas. Gross. Just gross.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/13/education/13texas.html

andimdone: I read that article the day after I was accepted to Rice. it must've been a message from god (aka the 11th founding father.)

@Razvan
and everyone else

all i have to say is
ask for more money
it works
think about all of the people that say:
"i can't get in cause of the money"
and then they don't go to the school
all that money needs to go somewhere
it could be you
i payed 0 for my undergraduate education
and i got 2,000 a semester extra

all of you out there
even if you got all of your school paid for
it doesn't hurt anyone to ask for a little more
you've already got your foot in the door
that already means
that they want you there

god was the 1st founding father what are you talking about.

what is the deal with UT anyway... has anyone really heard from them yet?

"passerby, the same can be said for this thread. Archinect has lots of unncessary things / trolls. But the good posts in that thread make it an interesting read."

I'd have to disagree lil dandan, I can't say the same for this thread. Nobody is telling anyone to kill themselves already, insulting/attacking anyone/anything, or posting some random emotional rants. Most posts on here are relevant. But I do agree it's an interesting read with hidden gems amongst the poop.

lil dandan... lol.

i am mainly referring to all the things related to that melany character and the subsequent spamming of thegradcafe.

haven't actually "heard" from UT yet...but on the website it says i have been accepted...also i got financial aid info off the website

aww that stuff is nothing. with the whole melany thing.

aww that stuff in here is nothing, with the whole melany thing. grad cafe stuff is worse though.

has anyone who got into risd receive their acceptance package yet?

tecture-

i talked to RISD admissions and they told me they are sending the packets out today.

SBeth,

I know you're bummed, but eventually we all have to pick ourselves up and move on, otherwise we'd miss out on incredible opportunities even if they stared us straight in the face.

I don't know if you Rice would be a good fit for you, but I had the pleasure of working with some people that went there for undergrad and the program is solid. I don't know enough about the grad program, but it does have a stellar reputation and everyone that seems to have went there has genuinely loved it. Two of its grad students got the travel fellowship from the SOM foundation which reflects really well on the program.

Good luck!

thanks stuzzie!

i have been wondering whether i hallucinated or not when i got my acceptance call.

will you be at the open house on the 8th?

tecture-

well atleast you received a phone call. apparently they forgot to call me! so when i called in they apologized and told me i was in and that the packet was being shipped immediately.

not sure if i am going to make it to the open house. still waiting to hear back from a school. you going?

Is in anyone considering WUSTL's dual MARCH/MUD degree and attending the open house?

Daubentonia >>

oh, i will. Thank you for the advice; you're not the only one saying it's possible, so I am seriously beginning to hope I could squeeze that full ride out of them ( + money for beers and smokes. lol). I guess the schools are also competing against eachother to snatch students, so more incentive to bid.


Hellas >>

i did email last week. i think i posted the reply a while ago, but here it goes again:


>>Dear Razvan,
[..] 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.
>>

sent Wed 17/03/2010 9:27 AM


so..at the end of this week?

oh well. ...

cheers

r