Yeah they sent me information that allowed me to login and submit financial aid information as well as an ability to see that all my application information had been received. I applied to the Future Initiatives Program-Master of Design Research.

loremipsum_ cool, just added you on fb. berkeley is a really neat town. i've always liked northern cali. it's soo different from so cal, even the weather. oddly enough, it's like another state or something. oh, don't get spooked by the remnants of the 60's. it's cool, i mean they're cool.

i wonder how the open house will be. the thing that sort of concerns me about berkeley at the moment is that everyone has mentioned that it is going through a transition period. i think the dean is very new to the school and over the summer there was an interim chair. overall, there seems to be lots of movement. despite all this, the school is doing well, so i hope that getting this figured out and having strong leadership only strengthens ced.

@ichweiB

Gotcha. That is strange, I never received such an e-mail and neither did my friend who applied to the same program as me. I applied to the MediaSCAPES Program - Master of Design Research. I presume you have not received a final decision yet?

@miamiDC

i applied to the 2yr program at tech. got my undergrad in arch from them in '07.

wonder when we will get our portfolios back.... i sent in self addressed envelopes with adequate postage.

@ichweiB

Sorry... I forgot I had one more question. Approximately when did you receive the e-mail that supplied you with a user-name and password?

Thanks Again!!

@rsw4 - Hi there, just read your other post. I'd definitely suggest visiting schools. On top of believing in The Vibe, I think it's nice to keep tabs on how other people are doing things.
A

does anyone happen to have an update on ucla? that's the only school i haven't heard from. i'm expecting rejection, which is fine, but i'd like to hear from them so i can know for sure... hmm. i wonder if i should just call.

bird - I've got nothing from UCLA here.

Penn is KILLING me. I haven't gotten the financial package yet. Damnit sending mail across the whole country!

I'm heading out tomorrow to visit the schools, but I think PennDesign is the only one I'm seriously considering (aside from Berkeley, where I live). I spoke with a neighbor who's an architect. I like his work. He's a good guy. He said to me: "have a nice trip, but go to Penn." (this over Berkeley, CCA, Pratt)

Razvan

Well, I've almost made up my mind on Princeton. If the GSD sends me a Wait-listed, I'll go to open house of both schools(Not sure whether wait-listed people can attend open house) and make a decision. But 90% Princeton.
How about you? Princeton for the 1st choice?

tzara_ i just mustered up the gumption to call ucla. figured it was ok, since this was my first and only follow up through the app process. i spoke with a girl who said that ucla has made all the decisions and that those who haven't heard should be hearing within a week. i think it'll be a no thanks for me, but it's cool. just tell me already. there should be a thing where schools notify all their applicants before april 1st.

ncro54_ if while you're at penn, you absolutely love the place and want to live in philly, i think it would be a good choice. hopefully they offer you enough money to make it worth considering since i know berkeley offered you a good chunk of dough. wish you'd pick berkeley because, well, it would be nice to have you there, but penn's a good school and it might be nice for you to get away from where you've been living for a while. going into grad school is pretty much like starting a new life. guessing you won't be at the berkeley open house... which is just as well since you were there all summer and pretty much know what all that's about.

Nope. Nothing yet. The login page says they were to send a notice by the end of March. Since MArch people started hearing back and the dates they said they would send info was the same for MArch and post grad, I assumed it was possible we might know as well. I am thinking they must not be exactly on the same schedule. Sorry you didn't get a login email. There isn't really too much information on it, however. Anyhow, I hope we find out soon. I need to start making plans if I am moving to LA or not!

Hirano

Hi. I'm also waiting to heard from the GSD. One of the very few who haven't received anything yet. Last mails were sent out last week so I suggest calling them tomorrow. I'm going to do the same. But at this point, it's possibly a missing rejection, or a missing something in the admissions file case.

Also, I'm sure gsd doesn't invite their waitlisted students to the open house. I'm on the GSAPP wait list and still not been invited to the open house. And that's a generic case with most schools.

Anyone... any suggestions on ' How to get accepted off the GSAPP waitlist !'

Maybe i'll come accross something that really helps.

bird - sweet! thanks for checking in...its def. taken a long time! Also a question for you, since you are this thread's resident Californian Guru...As of yesterday 5pm, I had made up my mind to go to Cornell...but read an email from SCI-arc with my Acceptance at 11pm! Two schools that I totally thought I wasn't getting into...Question is now...how do each of the schools boil down? I've got Cornell covered...I'm 4 min away from the campus and plan on asking a ton more questions...but after checking airfare out to LA... decided that I can't go visit SCi-arc...any thoughts? Or do you know anyone in that program? Thanks in advance!

tzara:

cornell and sciarc are quiet different programs. cornell has been undergoing a lot of changes. Their faculty body is not consistent. SCi-arc grads are jobs over most ivy students and that's probably because the education at SCi-arc is absolutely amazing. I didn't apply there because I didn't know much about the program at then, but I'm regretting tat decision. Would really suggest to talk to grads at both schools before making a decision.

AFernan

Hmm... are you applying from overseas? I think that they sent out their letters by USPS, not Fedex even for overseas applicants. I'm in Japan, and it usually takes a week to reach the U.S. by ordinary air mail, so I guess my "No thanks" letter is right over there, hopefully will be thrown in my box today.
And talking about open house, how about just "come across"? lol

AFernan - I definitely have to do that! I just got an email from SCI-Arc...their open house is 4 days after Cornell wants a confirmation!!! eek..

General Question - do any of you know current M.Arch I peeps at SCI-arc?

tzara_ i do know several folks at sci-arc, in their b. arch program and m. arch program. hmm, i know a girl from high school who just graduated from sci-arc last year, i believe. i'll send both you and hey a message on facebook to start the dialog. she might be able to answer any questions or concerns you might have.

personally, i think i've expressed time and time again on this thread that i'm a sci-arc fan, and i am. wish you could make it to the open house, because you'll be able to see the environment and decide if it's for you. it's strictly an architecture school, so it is both unique and limited in that way. i'm really interested in a dual master's in architecture and urban planning, so berkeley's a better for for me.

anyway, i'll be in touch via facebook so we can get a recent m. arch grad's perspective on sci-arc.

but i would imagine what people say is true, which is that cornell is more theory based. if you like knowing reasons who why you're doing something and not having to feel things out, cornell sound great. however, if you work more intuitively and enjoy the mystery or grey-ness of things, then sci-arc is really good for that. plus, no place beats the sunshine in socal.

bird - thanks!

anytime, i'm happy to help. i really wish other schools would consider what the university of michigan, ann arbor did which is offer to cover up to $300 in traveling expenses. that way, students offered admissions can better decide. i mean it could be the difference of the open house that makes a student decide to attend one school vs. another.

SCI-Arc's pretty cool. They invited me to the Open House, even though I'm a waitlist applicant. I think that's a sweet gesture, and hopefully it means that they're more willing to work with folks who are on the waitlist.

Razvan and Hirano, I got my GSD rejection in the mail on Saturday. I used my friend's address in California to receive admissions mail as I'm overseas at the moment, and I figured it'd be faster that way.

Work has been a little crazy and I've missed most of the latest posts, so forgive me if I'm asking about something that's already been covered. I'm also trying to make a decision regarding Princeton... my ex-teachers and ivy-whorish parent are pimping it out like crazy, and I can see the attraction of the program. It's just that I've always been more personally excited by MIT as I have friends there who can tell me more about the current status of the program.

Both schools have offered money, but MIT's package is more than twice P's... however I also have teachers telling me that this should never factor into my decision as both schools ramp up their aid after first year.

Can anyone tell me anything firsthand about the Princeton program right now (I have contacts to alumni who've graduated more than 5 years ago) to help me do the compare and contrast with MIT? Yale is a distant third contender, but I feel like its direction is too much like my undergraduate program (Berkeley) to pick it over M and P.

Oh and something that kinda illuminated maybe-why Harvard said no... I was just comparing my stats/pf with praxis and it was a little scary how much our profiles, stats and portfolios were so much alike. We've heard how admissions committees pit candidates from the same undergrad school against each other, but I never expected us to be an acute case of that unspoken diversity law. Except for MIT that we both got into, we pretty much traded places at schools... she got GSD, I got the others. As it turns out, we're both Very Happy with our options, so I hope what I'm saying doesn't come across too negatively. :) Just a note that at some point, this is proof that qualifications are what get you in through the door, but it kinda becomes a crapshoot after - how many redheaded hipsters does X school want?

Also by the end of the week, I ill have declined spots at UCLA, Penn, AA DRL to free up some places for people who haven't heard.... I've already taken myself off the GSAPP MArchI waitlist. Good luck to those who're still waiting!

Anyone got the financial aid package from WUSTL??

Hello. Another long-time lurker and first-time poster here. First of all, congrats to everybody that got into some awesome M.Arch programs. I have yet to hear from most of the schools I've applied to (most are Canadian) and I'm wondering if anybody is still waiting on Toronto. I've seen the gradcafe postings and day by day am losing hope in getting accepted there. Is anybody still waiting or does anyone here have any additional info about U of T's admission process, or about the school and program in general?

@aguacate

in my opinion, what tips the scale is the recs. everyone is gonna have insane "stats," resumes and jacked up portfolios. obviously, nobody is going to say anything bad in a recommendation. it's really who wrote them. somebody once told me that, i should get my recommendations from people who are "famous." i thought it was a bunch of bull crap, but patterns throughout the years have shown and proven, that it's how ivys roll. i am not saying everything else doesn't matter, but it definitely is a HUGE advantage. for example, anyone and everyone who has gotten a recommendation from lisa iwamoto(professor at cal) has gotten into GSD.

you sound like a cal grad also...?

fyi, lisa iwamoto is a young(architect age), rising figure in the architecture world, who graduated from GSD. well known enough for everyone at GSD to know who it is, and what she is.

hardkorean, you made a very good point - I did get this advice from many people and was halfway towards pimping myself out to the bigger names - they did know me as one of the better students, I just never ended up in their sections. But ultimately I chose to not to have any recs from professors, or any GSD affiliated alumni. I got seasoned Cal/GSAPP alum instructors/visiting-lecturer-ex-boss to write my letters as I figured they knew my work much better, and could rave more intimately about my awesomeness. Maybe it meant less to have not-so-famous people call me the best student they were recommending, but I took it. :) That choice probably hurt me with the GSD, but it really didn't matter with the others... I guess they were more impartial towards portfolio merit?! Still, that's probably a lesson in architecture networking right there.

Stan Allen's followup email reiterated the point he made over the phone: "The faculty were very impressed by your application, and we are confident you would be a good fit at Princeton. There is a long tradition of Berkeley students doing well here. " Basically, P admissions are so well acquainted with the culture and professors at Cal that they'd be willing to bet on us as long as the work is strong, no matter who wrote our letters.

Lisa's written for at least one overachieving kid who got into everywhere else but H/P last year, but Cal grads are so competitive that it wasn't altogether surprising. hardkorean, if your initials aren't JK then I'm probably gonna need more hints about who you are/if I know you. :)

hm, maybe i will let you figure it out. class of '07 at cal...

i have yet to hear anything from GSD, but regardless of what happens, currently leaning heavily on MIT. also heard us cal bears NEVER get AP at MIT. but whatever. not complaining with half the tuition covered.

So I was wondering if anyone else has been required to submit additional prerequisites (art/arch history courses, specifically) to Yale/Penn/UCLA?

I haven't taken these courses during my undergrad career, and don't see how I can get them completed by the August deadline. Has anyone asked if they must be done before matriculation, or if I could take them concurrently with the M.Arch wherever I enroll?

I didn't get AP (boo...) but my friend did, last year. He minored in Structural Engineering and got the same half tuition 10k deal... he deserved it. This other guy got a full ride - MIT only hands out one of those per year - and was told he'd have gotten AP too if he had taken more practical electives. But I haven't heard of any Cal kids lucking out this time around.

Why would you (or anyone else) pick MIT over the other options? Sorry if that sound too invasive, I'm just hoping to get more people's opinions to inform my own decision... my preferences change by the day. Not good when we have two weeks left to decide!

In any case, I'll be at the MIT/Princeton open houses, maaaybe to Yale in between, so see you guys there!

aguacate + hardkorean -

wow - mini cal reunion :)
as you both know - i didn't get a rec from lisa - never really took any of her classes (tired out her parametric grad class for a few days and decided it wasn't for me so dropped it) and only had her on a review once

it does appear that all our stats are around the same - it'll be the recs and probably the SOP that makes the difference - in that sense, the GSD appears quite incestuous (to be honest, i was never a good writer, so i doubt it was my SOP that made the difference)

aguacate - definitely no hard feelings. i knew that i wouldn't be a good fit at y or p.

see you guys next week!

asecondtrick, I am waiting to hear from UofToronto's MLA program. The admissions office informed me yesterday that they are running a bit behind schedule. They are in the process of sending out offers by regular mail to accepted applicants. It's being done in batches. The initial offer letter will be followed up by an info package sent by regular mail. Hopefully you will hear soon!

I find it interesting that people customized their statement of purpose for different schools. I just did some editing for different length requirements, but overall my message was exactly the same. I really communicated strongly and honestly what I want to do in graduate school and in architecture, and I figured that if schools liked what I had to say, it would ultimately be a good fit for me. In a way it was like a filter on my end, it sort of was a test for the school. In the end it worked out for me, I feel confident that the schools I was admitted to would be very good fits for me and could accommodate my goals, while the schools I was rejected from definitely could not and wouldn't be great fits. I think the best thing to do with personal essays is to say what exactly what you want, and let it go to really find the best school for you. That said if you want to get into as many schools as possible you should tailor it to each school.
Reminder for me, in at Penn and GSAPP, out at Princeton, wait list Michigan.

(Sorry for the slow responses; I'm not on the internet as much as most of you seem to be!)

@kap1720
I applied to the 3 year program at UW, and everywhere else for that matter. Art major currently working in environmental education!

@maryagnes
Yes, the UW open house is this Friday. Hope you hear something from them soon!

@sixtrain
Thanks for your input on the Austin open house! I'll be visiting there next Friday, and am hoping I'll learn enough on my visit to make a fair comparison with UW and U of O. It'll be interesting to hear which way you end up deciding.

As for the SOP question: the fundamentals of my statement stayed the same, but I reworked it for every application for length, to make sure I felt like it really answered their question(s), and to discuss why I thought that particular school would be a great fit. But for the most part, I had an attitude similar to BaaaNaaa's -- my statement of purpose should be really damn honest about who I am and what I want to do, because I don't want to go to a school that doesn't want what I have to offer. I think the schools I got into (UT Austin, U of O, and UW) are all good fits, and the ones that rejected me (Yale, MIT, WUSTL, Berkeley) perhaps less so, so I guess it worked!

does anybody know anything about deferring for a year? especially at michigan?

@aguacate

unlike most people here, i have no idea what i want to do in grad school. as a matter of fact, i am going exactly for that reason: to find out.

i also have a structural engineering background, and i still hope to get my dual masters. MIT, obviously is the only school with a proper civil/structural engineering program (this actually isn't as crazy as it sounds... most engineering masters are 1 year) berkeley offers the best, 2 year architecture/engineering joint masters out there for the price of one, but being a cal undergraduate, didn't see it as the most experientially enlightening opportunity.

media lab is an unbelievable resource that no other schools have. yes, GSD students can come takes classes at MIT, blah blah blah, but naturally, there is a big difference in playing over at someone's house, and living in one.

i like the small class size. even from the emails regarding questions asking me if i need accommodations for the open house, and the small Q+A package from the current student, school actually knows who you are, knows why you are there, and genuinely seems to care for each student like a son or a daughter. clear opposite: GSAPP.

i've always been a believer of collaboration of disciplines, and for all of its non-architecture amenities, MIT is rather a pretty easy choice for me, over cornell ap and gsapp.

of course, if gsd says yes, it MAY possibly raise an eye-brow...

Hirano:

yes, princeton is my first choice. i have been way too excited about it when i got it, and so far they have been the best at communicating and showing they care to be in touch. that kind of attitude matters for me.

but yes, if i get waitlisted at GSD, would be awesome. because i want to have the joy of turning them down.

that's about it.

i guess i'll see you soon

cheers

razvan

Razvan

Yeah, I found that they are so friendly and kind too. And talking about the GSD, I totally agree with your idea of turning down the "offer" of wait-listed ;)

Actually I got a fat envelope from Princeton. Have you received? There are a book of students' works, SANAA studio book, maps ...etc inside. Makes me really excited.

See you soon! and hopefully I want to see your portfolio, so bring one if you can. I'll bring mine.

Curious-

How many of you included a PIC in your port?
I wonder if that affected decisions, like made the AdComms feel like they knew you..?

Like waiters getting bigger tips when they touch the customers lightly.

Villain-

Since I can't go to Houston for the Rice Open House (wasn't invited in any case), would you mind writing a full report once you return? It's like a sealed box in there... can't tell what's going on... they don't seem to have an online course listing....

How many studios are offered a semester? What's the general vibe? etc...

Would be VERY appreciated.

sbeth85,

Rice does have online course listings. If you got to the architecture home page and then select the programs tab on the left side, there are course listings towards the bottom.

For more specifics you can also go to the Rice university registrars page and you can look when and how many courses are offered, etc...

sure Sbeth.. just remind me to do so. I get that same "closed off vibe" from them as well and I'm excited to see what they're all about. they have a pretty packed, 2-day open house.

mugged- thanks, i don't know how I missed those before.

Villain- i'll try to remind you :) I also want to know what the new Dean's vision is for the school, as opposed to Lars'.

Finally waitlisted at GSD... and turned them down. Razvan & Hirano, I know what you mean about the school's attitude, especially when you have a school that is showing genuine interest in you to compare it to. Congratulations on Princeton to both of you, its definitely a place to get excited about!


@ aguacate

I've had a similar conflict of thought between the school I originally wanted to go to (GSD MAUD) and the school I realized would be better for me (MIT SMarchS Architecture and Urbanism). Obviously, it did not help that the GSD took almost two weeks from when I heard from MIT to tell me I was on their waitlist, while MIT offered me a ton of $$$ and a fellowship. I've been doing a good amount of research to see why some people had suggested MIT was a better fit for me. I began to hear about all the changes that both schools are undergoing and their graduates' opinions of them and realized there is somewhat of a concensus that MIT is having great changes, like Tehrani's taking over the department this spring, while GSD is in a bit of an internal political turmoil. I don't want to go to a school where the faculty are on edge and unhappy to be there because they are not getting tenure or the raise they want, I think that regardless of any scholarship, any of these schools cost a lot of $$ and we shouldn't be cheated out because of internal conflicts or other irrelevant issues, when it comes to the education. According to some rankings (for those who look at them) MIT has started to be ranked #1 in architecture research and PhD programs, but more importantly, for me, the people that have joined the school in the last few years like Rahul Mehrotra and Nader Tehrani make it a truly exciting upcoming place to be. My best advice is to talk to people that have graduated from both of the schools you're between and that have kept themselves in the teaching loop. Also, go on their websites and look at the faculty profiles and in some cases their individual firm's webpages, this has helped me get excited about the people and the program.

MBARCH

"GSD took almost two weeks from when I heard from MIT to tell me I was on their waitlist"

This is such standard practice for most schools. I think that you knew when you were not notified with the others that it wasn't going to work out at the GSD. When did you think the GSD owed you an answer? The reason you heard from MIT two weeks ago is be cause YOU GOT IN. Simple. I do agree with your assessment with MIT and Nader's influence...he is a good guy and I think will be a great chair. It is a good place to be.

"while GSD is in a bit of an internal political turmoil. I don't want to go to a school where the faculty are on edge and unhappy to be there because they are not getting tenure or the raise they want, I think that regardless of any scholarship, any of these schools cost a lot of $$ and we shouldn't be cheated out because of internal conflicts or other irrelevant issues,"

Where did you hear this one? I have a number of friends and colleagues that are faculty and students at the GSD ...who is 'on edge and unhappy" to point it is affecting the quality of the student's education there? I think you are going to find healthy competition, probably differences of opinions and strong egos amongst faculty at any good graduate level program. You shouldn't speculate that the GSD is not worth the $$ on something that you probably know very little about. Be happy with what is a great achievement and move forward with grace. It doesn't serve you well to belittle another institution to try and make yourself feel better.

I am going to be at UCLA to visit this week since I missed the open house... does anyone know if I can find a course schedule online somehow? I wanted to sit in on a lecture, since I know their semester just started so they probably won't be having any crits

So here we are, going in to the beginning of April, and I have still heard from only one school. Just spoke with my top choice - decisions have been made and they "hope to have decisions posted by next week" - the same thing I was told when inquiring last week.

Does any one else find this ridiculous , borderline unacceptable? I expected a late response from one program, as their deadline wasn't until mid- February. But all the other programs have had a minimum of ten weeks to review. I understand they are busy, and the faculty certainly have other responsibilities to tend to, but this is driving me insane and I need to vent I suppose.

NC State - no word (next week, maybe?)
GA Tech - no word
UNC-Charlotte - in
Clemson - no word (assuming a rejection here)
Univ of Houston - no word

Few Thoughts:

A trend i've noticed. The outright acceptances & rejections go out first for most programs. The wait list & the ones almost made it to the wait list... take the longest. It is irritating but that's how it is done. Perhaps, if you didn't get in right away and neither got knocked off right away, they do need more time to look at your app.

Schools don't pick the best students but the ones that together will make a competitive studio environment. So among the top applicants they will choose on the basis on what everyone brings to the program. So someone not as good as you might get the chance, because they had better drawing skills and that what they wanted. I think this theory works better for smaller in size programs like Princeton. But this might not be the case at GSAPP. It's 30 vs 100 students almost.