lewisandclark:

According to what I was hearing at the UCLA open house from the student "handlers", the $8000 additional charge is to make sure the school can maintain it's level of quality. I suppose that means professors, resources, etc.

I wasn't able to get a straight answer out of anyone about specifics, but it sounds like they want to make the school into a sort of semi-private school that can spend money outside of asking the UC board for approval.

But I will agree with you, other than the budget concerns I was pretty smitten by UCLA. Coming from a school in Texas that was basically a parking lot it was definitely different to be on a campus like that.

Penn vs Columbia? Any insight not related to money or location?

tzara, sonali, mobility et al -

I haven't heard from UCLA either. Called the architecture office, and they said they were "halfway done with decision letters". WTF.

I asked if they're pretty much just sending rejection letters at this point. The person at the admissions office said most of the accepted applicants have been notified, but the admissions committee is still sending out further acceptances, and is working on putting together the wait list.

This seriously pisses me off. UCLA was the first application that I sent in, yet despite this "head start", they're still ridiculously behind with responses. What gives? I'm thinking to myself that they just need to F*&ing reject me or something already so I can move on with my life! ARG!!!

I agree 100% with Panda on this one. What are they doing over at UCLA...sitting around with their thumbs up their asses. They've had our stuff since Dec 15th, bogus!

UCLA is a joke! If they said that they'll organize a waitlist, then what are they thinking about how applicants will decide? within the few hours?

ditto on all the bullshit about ucla and that's my alma mater. although my decision is done, it would still be nice to get a formal rejection. schools should make a rule to send out all accepantances, rejections and waitlists before the open house. that's just rude! grr!

but on the real, those who have been accepted to ucla are fortunate and should consider their program. i love that campus and perloff hall is in a great location with that courtyard and what not. also, if you're considering a dual master's m.arch/urban planning, then yes. it's a great program! i'm not bitter or talking shit on the program, though it is disturbing that they haven't bothered to notify applicant of their decisions in a timely fashion. very unprofessional...

The emotions of applying to UCLA:

1) March 14-I'm sure they will send more notifications over the next few days.
2) March 20-Why are they taking so long to do their jobs?
3) March 23-Maybe they will let me know of their decision if I call or email.
4) March 26-I can't believe I haven't heard anything. This can't be good.
5) March 30-Okay, I must have been rejected. Look at other schools/reapply.
6) April 6-Back to step 1, and repeat 2-5 at a much faster rate.

My continuing desire to go to UCLA must be a mental illness, right?

Anybody have some insight to share from the GSD open house today?

Does anyone have anything to add to lewisandclark's post about UCLA's open house?

What did people think about the general quality of the curriculum and the amount of interaction between the professors and the students? Did you feel that they were approachable or good teachers, despite the relative fame a lot of them have?

How about the students and the work... did they seem generally happy to be there?

On the flip side, if anyone has any questions about Rice's open house I'm happy to answer.

Need some advice!

I'm deciding between UW, UT Austin, and U of O. Visited UW last Friday and really liked it. Visited UT Austin yesterday and loved it, plus they gave me $$$. I have tickets to fly to Oregon tomorrow for the open house in Eugene on Monday, but at this point I don't think there's much of a chance that I could like it better than Austin, at least not enough to make it worth the price difference. So do I go anyways to satisfy my curiosity and confirm my choice, or stay home and save myself $300 and 3 days of my life?

Any thoughts???

adrasteia:
I apologize in advance for the long post. I'll try to touch on some of the things you asked about UCLA without repeating lewisandclark's post.

Sunday was a casual event, they loaded us up on the buses and we did a circuit of LA that included, Mark Mak's house in the Venice canal neighborhood, the Morhphosis Office, Denari's Alan-Voo House, and the Hodgetts + Fung Office for beers.

The nice thing about the Sunday excursion was that we were able to listen and talk to former UCLA M.Arch students that now work for Denari and Mayne's offices.

Being fairly recent grads (2-3 years) they were able to comment on the program and emphasized the commitment of the professors to the studio they taught. I asked about how often the heavy hitters (lynn, denari, mayne, etc) are in the studios teaching versus out somewhere else, and everyone seemed to say they are regular fixtures within the school, and aren't just names on the website for show.

We also met with Mark Mak and Craig Hodgetts, both who seems like very nice people, Mak let a bunch of grubby grad students paw around in his home for cryin' out loud! They both were very approachable and had alot of interesting things to talk about in our time with them.

Monday was mostly just presentations about the academic program, we only left the darkness of the decafe for shrimp pizzas. What impressed me about the school was the depth of talent in the faculty, everyone seems to be very intelligent and skilled at their specialties. The courses discussed seemed to touch on the many fundamentals of the discipline, while giving a nice heaping dose of funky freak-me-out. The faculty seems to be very supportive of the students, and everything had a laid back attitude, which I think has something to do with the California sun.

It was the first day back, so there weren't many students milling about in the studio and there wasn't any work in progress to inspect. But the items in the gallery all looked very impressive and thought out. The students that found their way to the free booze at the BBQ all seemed happy and well adjusted for arch. students, keeping in mind that it was the first day back.

My only concern was maybe the resources in the fab shop. Our student tour guide said that lazer cutters (3 of them) usually need reservations 2 days in advance and regular hand tools like hammers and screwdrivers are almost non-existent and wander off when they do appear. But really, who doesn't wait for lazer cutters?

All in all I was very impressed with UCLA, and I just have to confirm my spot now.

Re: Apartment near GSD.

Hey all! I posted a comment earlier advertising an available room in an apartment near the GSD for next year. It's taken! (Sorry, I'm not sure how to remove my earlier post.)

HOWEVER, we're now looking for summer subletters, for July and August (and June is possible), so let me know if you're interested.

Thanks!
Lian

Andrasteia-
Me me me! Please let me know how Rice's OH went... I have this fear that the school will be all about repurposing local Houston bayous... Would you care to comment on faculty/student interaction, is there an interesting breadth of classes, do the people there seem happy, are there travel studios, what did the studio culture feel like, was it very computer-based or was there a mix of models, what are the facilities like?

Pythagoras-
Thanks for responding :)

No, I shan't be taking a summer course, Making + Meaning felt like enough. I already know that what did me in was my rudimentary grasp of InDesign and Photoshop and my therefore unsophisticated port. Maybe the GREs didn't help so much (V-570, Q-690, W-5).

So far I'm:

GSAPP- out
UCLA- out (thank GD they FINALLY SENT THEIR stupid email, now I can finally relax, except for....)

Rice- waitlist

Anyways, if I don't get into Rice, I will stay in my current Arch technology program, and MIGHT start a MA in Urban Planning if I like the program in Haifa, at the Technion. Or maybe I'll do a MA in Sociology for kicks... (you get a free MA if you make aliyah=assume citizenship.)

@Sbeth85:

I really don't think your GRE's affected your application. I just got into U Miami (Florida) with a HUGE scholarship ($22,000 per year!), plus a $2,000 assistantship if I choose to take it. with a 3 on the writing section. What schools you are accepted to is related to what your particular strengths are. My CAD skills were way too dodgy to put in my portfolio, but I was accepted with mucho benefits at at school that values hand-drawing, which is my greatest strength.

You might have benefited from applying to more schools - If you choose to re-apply to US schools next year, you might want to look into arch schools that will place greater emphasis on non-digital design work.

Photoshop and In design are very difficult to learn, even if you have taken a class in it...I consider myself an expert, and have my own CS4 software license.- However, it took me a good three years to master Adobe. Using CS4 to make projects that you would ordinarily use Powerpoint or a word processor for is excellent practice-the next time you deign a resume or a presentation, do it in In Design instead.

Best of luck getting off the Rice waitlist! I am currently waiting on Sci-Arc, sitting on pins.

Hi, I stumbled on this thread while I was looking for information on U of O's Eugene grad day tomorrow. It seems I have lost my admission packet and I was hoping someone here could tell me when and where it starts in tomorrow.

Thanks!

anyone have any thoughts on the Wash U open house?

loquat:

registration for Eugene grad day is from 9:00 - 9:30 tomorrow morning in lawerence hall. talks start at 9:30....

ecarob,

Wash U's open house really blew me away. I thought it was very very impressive. Very legitimate program. I will write more later after UO open house tomorrow and my visit to UO Portland campus on Tuesday.

Cheers everyone

Did anyone who went to the Wash U open house get to meet a second year (M.Arch 3?) named Christina? --- I talked to her the other day and she shared how much fun everyone she met was! Its definitely a great program from all I've heard through her.

Cornell's starts tomorrow! See some of you there :D

Wash U's open house was excellent, and I will be attending the program. I was thoroughly impressed with the faculty, diversity and quality of work, facilities and students, and I actually like St. Louis!

Yeah, it was definitely thorough and really nice. I think I might have been sitting at Christina's table for our fancy dinner, what do you say Zephyr? Student work was really good, they put on an incredible event!

@ zga guyforget - Did Wash U elaborate on how their program integrates sustainability into their overall curriculum? And also on the Master of Science in Sustainable Design and Digital Design which is going to be established this fall? I am also curious to know more about the International studio exchange program they have with the various countries. Would you have more info to share? Thanks!!!

I must be candid with the sustainability thing, and I am sure there will be backlash on this page, but they were 'talking' about it like everyone else. I do not think that Wash U. can promote sustainability while they also promote a sort of ego-driven design process. This is to say that the work the students are doing is almost intimidatingly impressive as it integrates very complex forms and shapes, some of it was quite beautiful, some of it was awkward and atrocious. My belief is that sustainability has to begin with a sort of humility and frugality. There is, then, a fundamental conflict between architecture, which is to build, and sustainability that has to question our building.

There were very brief discussions of rehabilitating and refitting already existent buildings/ areas, but I think that visiting students brought it up. Wash U.'s interest in the singular building is pretty evident in the work being produced there. Also, when they have speakers like Weil Arets (he's also an endowed visiting professor I think) discussing how he thinks the automobile is a wonderful thing and is designing buildings to house seven Ashton Martins to all of the prospective students, it has to speak quite clearly about where their interests are.

I came away with the feeling that Wash U. (and i am saying this on a wide sample of work that I saw, both student and teacher) is still very glass, steel, and sky scraper oriented in their approach - lots of glass walls, not many windows. In a word, modernist. This is not to say that the work was not impressive, and even inspiring, but I do not agree that these philosophies are so easily integrated with sustainability. Sustainability has to begin with questioning the purpose of the building. If the purpose is to entertain the ego of the designer and possibly tourists some day, then it is not sustainable - it is an artistic exercise.

Exchange programs are incredible, the real deal. One can spend two semesters in great places. It is an incredible program overall. The teachers are not wasting your time or money, they are their 100% hard corps from what I could tell. They spent 14 hours on Friday talking to us, over and over.

Can't tell you about Digital - they have a nice little fablab and great library. I know that they are interested in letting their students work with media that they are comfortable with, and that they teach hand drawing and modeling in the first fall for option 3s - I liked this approach A LOT. Their core studios for were very appealing - so much so that I am still considering, but there is something still amiss, although I cannot put my finger on it exactly. Hope this helps, even if I do piss some people off.

Harhainen -

Thanks for the post. I'm glad to hear about the involvement of the faculty. Are you coming in from a 4 year degree or no architecture background? Did you get to meet Hitoshi Abe at all or speak with the professors one on one?


Sarabeth -

I'm out on vacation right now but I'll write up a post on Rice's open house tonight.

guyforget - great post. Thanks for being so candid. I have to agree with you in general: sustainability is like "the new black"-- everyone wants it and wants to seem knowledgeable about it but, pen to paper, sometimes it doesn't actually flesh out in the design. I think its important that if the concept of sustainability is really important to the student, regardless of school, she should be prepared to do a lot of her own investigation into the subject. Its an overwhelming concept within an overwhelming field.

P.S. - So glad you got to meet Christina! :D

tzara_ i just remembered that i have a friend who is also attending the cornell open house. i just sent you both an fb message. hopefully, your paths cross while you're there.

guyforget_ thanks for your ramblings :) it reminded me of why i think berkeley is ultimately the right place for me. i think that inherent to berkeley's philosophy is the advocacy for people and mother earth. it's called the college of environmental design, afterall. the social justice and sustrainability aspects are super important to me. i really don't want to me a corporate architect or corporate anything after school, so yes. as someone going into this profession, i know i'm going to be broke anyway, so might as well give back while doing something i love. i know the dean is pretty new, but i think she hit it right on the nose when she talked about the fact that students at berkeley are usually there as advocates. they're usually the ones who are intersted in changing the status quo. i'm definitely interested in a program that knows architecture and design cannot exist in a vaccum and are therefore always within the context of the social sciences. anyway, are you still undecided on berkeley vs. wash u?

A couple days ago I got a phone call from Ohio State offering me some scholarship money if I reconsidered my decision to enroll at DAAP. I'm already committed to DAAP, but it's still nice to be asked.

Meanwhile, I haven't heard squat from Kentucky. I finally called them up this afternoon and they should I should be getting an email from then by the end of the week. Even though I've already made my grad school choice, it would still be nice to get some closure on this whole process.

Final choice: GSAPP. hope to see some of you there in the fall :) good luck to all of you out there who have yet to make the final decisions...

I'm still deciding. Wash U., regardless of certain things that I really disliked, has incredible student work and I know that I will get an incredible education there. As long as they are willing to participate in a discourse about certain issues, I am not worried about differences in perspective - they can lead to a richer experience, in fact. Also, the tuition is pretty much guaranteed for 3+ years, while at Cal, although it could end up being much less, it is not guaranteed and could end up being considerably more than Wash U. - I know right now that I can do Wash U. and leave under or around 60k in debt, very manageable.

I will say another thing that might disturb others, or whatever, the core studio work at Wash U. was better than the work at Cal, and I have been able to see a large sampling of both. Perhaps it's because of the added semester at Wash U., that they can 'slow' it down a bit and allow for more in-depth investigation, etc. It is hard to say, this is clearly a subjective qualification, and this probably changes every year or something. The advanced studios, I'm not so sure, nor am I sure about thesis or degree projects. I was talking with a person at the open house who thought the degree projects at Wash U., were in fact, NOT very good, and she made a convincing case.

One more potentially 'controversial' statement. The diversity of the student body at Wash U. pales in comparison to that of Cal, and this is something that I am not enthusiastic about. there seemed to be a pretty steady demographic there, with a bit of a mix of other backgrounds. This goes for age too, where there seemed to be many, many straight out of undergrad 22 year olds. Again, sorry to offend, but it is nice to have a solid representation of students with life experience under their belts - felt like a bit of a bubble at times, which I suppose all higher education institutions are culpable of, some more than others I guess.

Alright, that's it for now, but I'm working through these things. Again, Washington University is an impressive institution that has clearly showed interest through a very attentive attitude. It would be nice if all institutions were able to put forth the effort that they have, and I highly recommend that people apply, because if admitted, it is a nice option to have!

Just wondering if any of the Georgia Tech wait-listers out there heard anything today? I know they mentioned we should hear early this week.

andrasteia-

i eargerly await your description of the Rice OH... as I've mentioned, it feels like a very hard place to get a feel for- 1. the website is a little clumsy and 2. when i visited there were no studios and i crept around like an intruder, so didn't get to speak to anyone.

sweetpotato-

see, perhaps your drawing skills were stronger than your cad ones, but by virtue that you're a CS4 expert, i am sure that showed through the delivery of your port! mine was incredibly infantile, compared to the others i've seen here. it feels a little unfair- i was pre-med in undergrad, not a computer graphics person! so if they don't expect cad skills, why would they expect that I know InDesign?

So, unfortunately, despite the fact that i believe my hand drawing is very strong, it was not shown to the greatest effect due to my lack of Adobe skills. THAT'S what I wish they'd had taught me over the summer... I guess Making and Meaning isn't for computer, it's more for hand stuff. I think the Berkely program might have been better for people needing computer help.

I only applied to 3 schools because those were the ones I wanted to attend. Since I am already in a program, I figured why waste money on schools I wouldn't leave this current program for?

-Anyways, good luck on Sci-arc, i am STILL incredibly impressed by their program... students who know how to get off their butts and fabricate things with their hands, PLUS make slammin renderings. good luck.

Also-

I am sad to see you all go, drifting off 1 by 1 as you make your final decisions.... good luck to everyone as they depart this sacred thread.

@guyforget - I hope your decision making goes well. I went to Berkeley for undergrad architecture and, while I'm not incredibly well versed on its grad architecture program, if you have any questions about Berkeley, the architecture facilities in general or my experience with the faculty/grad students, please don't hesitate to ask. I do love (and miss!) Berkeley and the experience I had there quite a bit!

On a side note, did anyone attend the UPenn open house today? I know it's a bit early to ask, as events are probably still happening, but if anyone can post some of their thoughts about their visit to Penn, that would be amazing.

Thanks!

Thanks Hayelle, I love Berkeley too, I live here now and have been able to spend an unusual amount of time in Wurster for an applicant/ prospective student. I LOVE the campus at Cal, very comfortable. And I don't know why Wurster gets a bad rap, I find it to be a very comfortable place.

Perhaps I should revise an earlier statement. Perhaps instead of saying that Wash U. core work was better, I should say that it seemed a bit more thorough and completed. Again, I think that this is because of the extra semester, and there are different approaches and teaching methods.

Where are you considering graduate school? Penn? Did you apply Berkeley?

Sbeth85 - On Rice's OH:

I'm going to try to answer your questions candidly point by point:

The program is small but not as small as I thought it was - there are about 70 students in the program, and maybe 10-15 core faculty. I was able to speak with the faculty and found the professors to be all very approachable and friendly because of the size of the program. Dean Whiting was remarkably friendly and cool; she is not egotistical in the least, which was great.

I can't speak much on the coursework yet since I haven't read all the material they gave us. I can confirm that there is mandatory sustainability coursework, but the word was not actually brought up once as far as I heard. The 4 core studios are:
1. a modular exercise that turns into the a building. 2. a study on structure that ends up as a building 3. a building, I can't really remember. 4. an urbanism studio.
The travel studio has been going to Hong Kong for the last few years, and I'm not positive but I think that was the only option.

I would say that there is a very solid foundation in the coursework, and contains all that is necessary for a good architect, but breadth-wise I would say that other programs probably have a greater and stronger range of coursework. However, it was also mentioned to me that it might be possible to have actual input into the curriculum and faculty as a grad student because the program is going through a flux and due to the size of the school, if that is true that is a big plus.

The students I encountered were all very enthusiastic about the program. They spoke highly of their experience and some of them expressed that they wished they were there longer.

Each studio has its own room with window walls to the hallway, so it's not one big open space. It was a mix of computer modeling and physical modeling... one or 2 people worked with hand drawings. Many people did conceptual physical models, but all the final renders I saw were Rhino based.

I was most impressed by the approachability of the faculty and how much the students liked the program; it seemed that if you came into Rice with an agenda you could really learn a lot here. Additionally I would say I was unimpressed with the option 1 student work, but thought the 2nd and 3rd year work was good.

You also might be happy to hear that I was told the waitlist is shallow, so good luck!

I am deciding between UCLA, this school, and a GSAPP program. Does anyone have any insight they'd care to share about the caliber of the UCLA admits vs. the Rice admits? It seems from the thread that UCLA is harder to get into... is this the case?

guyforget-

your earlier post was very fascinating... people use sustainability so often, but do they ever think of critiquing their own work, or the necessity of building in the first place? which would be antithetical to the profession and bad for business... very interesting thoughts. have you seen any schools that deal with these questions?

Tyler (guyforget), did you see Bruce Lindsay's session on sustainability? Very grass roots, community based focus. That's part of what I like about the program at Wash U: they are tackling issues on all fronts, looking at proposals through both lenses. A lack of digital, form making would not be good, as such thinking can actually contribute greatly (in different ways) to sustainability (performance, material technology, ecological integrations through parametric design, etc.). Sustainability isn't just about cutting out the fat and using cobb. Just look at Upenn's program, and you'll also see this way of thinking about sustainability.

That said, I don't entirely disagree with you. Weil Arets was a testament to what you were saying, but he isn't representing the whole program. I have to say, he does extremely good work, very German, even if for a rich demographic.

andrasteia-

thank you for the write-up :)

i can't tell if flux is a good thing or bad thing...

Why weren't you impressed with the Option 1 work?

I believe the most recent SOM Fellowship winner was from Rice, as well as one 2 or 3 years ago... pretty amazing odds, considering the size of their program. That's 1 indication of caliber.

Thanks for the insider info on the waitlist!

THE VILLAIN!-

What did you think about Rice? Agree with Andrasteia?

hi sbeth, sorry I've sort of checked out of this thread. this deciding where the next big step of my life is going to take me is weighing heavy on me right now. before this weekend it was rice and gsapp. and now, I think I can say, it will be rice or nowhere.. gsapp's $ is just not worth the insanity of going there.

for the most part I agree with what andrasteia said. the faculty are very nice people. current students, even more so. everyone is very smart, and very contemplative. it seems like there is a big emphasis on being a critical architect. most people would paint gsapp as a very theoretical program, but I got the sense that rice is even more of a 'think tank'. that's just a product of it's small size and less breadth as andrasteria mentioned. maybe not that there is as much'theory' as gsapp, but that theory might be your only choice given the interests of the smaller faculty. something I need to think about as a tainted 'professional'

mentioning an agenda is a good point as well. I fear since, academically, I'm a little unclear as to where I want the arc of my grad studies to go that Rice might be a bad choice for me. but, if you generally want to teach in the future (which I might) I think it's a great place to go.

I got very little sense of where people go after rice. I stayed with a recent grad of the program and he said only one fellow grad received a job offer as an un-paid intern. you can credit that to the current economy or whatever, but still it'd be nice to know if Rice grads are highly regraded outside of houston/texas/south/us.

all and all, I think it's my best option right now. I'm just a bit nervous about packing up and leaving everything in my live behind for Houston.

sorry if this is a bit rambled.. please ask more questions if I didnt paint a clear enough picture.

also, I would agree: some of the option 1 work was a bit weak.. but it seemed more the product of an uninteresting core 1/2 studio brief.. not the actual students. I found the students to be very talented and, as an option 2, I am a bit worried they'll be better than me by next fall (in terms of academic studio work).

and, the flux is a good thing. trust me. everyone complained about how 'tired' Lars (old dean, 15ish years) was getting, and how much energy Sarah is bringing.

thevillain_ wow. very pensive, you are. i think you bring up a valid perspective, in that it is completely possible to get in to great programs and then decide that maybe your priorities have changed.

school will always be there, so i think if you're happy with where life has taken you, then that's definitely something not to be taken for granted. you're still relatively young and can always go back to school in a few years if you decide. maybe i'm reading too much into your last post, but the vibes i am sensing are that of uncertainty. though, i suppose that's pretty natural since you are thinking of taking a big step.

i learned at berkeley's open house that only about half of the m. arch option 3 students go on to their second year. so sad... i think coming in, you have to go full throttle, balls out, just give it 110% and really be 'in it' just to make it to the next year. you know what arch school is about though, so your case is different.

anyway, i think it's soo great that you're really self reflecting about such a huge decision. best of luck and keep us all updated. take care :)

did anyone make it to the Pratt open house? If so, do you have any interesting impressions?

The flux is indeed a great thing. Sarah Whiting is highly regarded, and in fact several of the students I talked to said they applied specifically because of her.

I thought the option 1 work was unimpressive in execution as well as content, and those two factors make up 95% of the quality of architecture work. That may sound harsh, but again I thought the 2nd and 3rd year work was very good. So my thought was that the students improve greatly while at Rice, which speaks to the quality of the teaching.

I think at this point I will probably give up on Rice... it has to do with my placement in the program. Hopefully that open spot will go to Sbeth85.

thevillian, where did you do your undergrad? And yikes, that statistic sounds really bad. Only 1 person out of 25+ has an unpaid internship a year later?

Finally rejected from UCLA. I'm pretty disappointed, but relieved that the wait is over. I was surprised to see that the letter was dated 3/30/10 though. Looking forward to checking out the 2011 commiserate here thread in a couple of months.

@adrasteia: too bad to hear you'll be declining Rice. I just dropped my acceptance in the mail today.. so it's Rice or bust. hope to so you there in the fall Sbeth

also: I went to ohio state for a bs arch.

..hope to SEE you there in the fall Sbeth..

Well, this thread has almost come full circle. A year ago (as of tomorrow) this thread was first started.

As a celebration, I think we should have our 'final lists' of sorts. Where we got in, where we didn't, and where we are going to go or if we're going to try again last year.

Me:

B Des in Architecture from UF '09
GPA: 3.14 overall
GRE: 1140 total, 4.0 in writing

In:
Clemson
UNC Charlotte
ASU
UF
Minnesota

Out:
UPenn

Attending: UNC Charlotte for their brand new Urban Design program. I will be doing a dual masters in urban design and architecture. Despite the "youth" of the programs (architecture was started in 2001ish and urban design restarted a year or two ago), they seem to really want it to be great.


Congrats to everyone on their acceptances, good luck on your decisions, and godspeed if you're going to try this again for next fall.

@ li dandan - Congrats on your decision and gaining acceptance to UNC Charlotte! : ) For the dual masters program, do you have to pay the regular tuition for the second degree i.e total tuition = tuition for M.Arch + tuition for U.Design. Or are you charged just the tuition for M.Arch and you pay the additional tuition fees for the extra year you are in school?

I've always been keen on a dual masters (yes, I love torturing myself) but I need to figure out if it's worth the money.

The villain- Bird is right, you definitely do sound pensive... a little resigned, maybe? Did you really have your heart set on GSAPP more than on Rice? I'm still struggling with it myself...

Even if I DO get in (thanks to adrasteia), I don't know how I'll react... I really was just so entranced by the GSAPP, all my excitement was tied up in it. Rice is a mystery, to me....

Villain- could you clear up what you meant about theory, and there not being enough or something? I didn't understand what you said.

"maybe not that there is as much'theory' as gsapp, but that theory might be your only choice given the interests of the smaller faculty. something I need to think about as a tainted 'professional'"

Could you also elaborate on what you mean by a 'think tank'? In what way? Is everyone navel-gazing? What, is GSAPP NOT a think tank?

And when you said everyone was smart... did you mean, like on the same level as those accepted into the other top programs? Did anyone talk about the selectivity of the school, or how they felt it compared in quality to the other programs?

Were people EXCITED and PSYCHED to be there? DId they seem worked to the ground? Was there a diversity in the projects?

About Houston-
I personally believe that enjoyment in a certain place is 90% about the people, and the people in Houston are amazing. Everyone is warm and genuine, it's an easy city to get around in (except for rush-hour traffic, but that's not like LA's), and Rice is genuinely gorgeous. I was born and raised there and still have a very fond place for it in my heart.


Adrasteia-

so if it's not Rice, where are you off to again? Part of me hopes I will get the spot you've vacated (that'd be fortuitous), but the other side of me still wishes I get a flat denial- I don't look forward to grappling with the decision. (If you don't mind, would you also care to comment on the questions I asked The Villain about Rice above?)

no, not resigned. just trying to figure out what's ultimately important in the life of an architect (the kind I want to be), and tailor my next step accordingly.

I dont really know how to describe the theory aspect.. it seemed like there was a lot of contemplation. There would be a lot of time spent being critical of your own work and the work of others. at gsapp, you'd get this, but a large portion of your time would be spent just making stuff. quickly. moving from one idea to the next. I didnt get this since at rice.

Sarah mentioned 'think tank', and that term stuck for me as the best way to describe it. you will be reading a lot. perhaps writing a lot. a lot of talking. a lot of listening to phd's talk to you about ideas. this has pros and cons in my mind.

yes, everyone there is as smart as your ivies. The specific people I met even more so than any ivy I've been to. they seemed to get what's important at this particular stage in their careers, and that is not 'name-brand' education. the school is selective, from what they tell us (12 admits per program v. 250+ applicants).

the quality of the work might be an issue. I wasn't blown away by it. others weren't blown away by it. but the ideas behind everything were pretty strong, and you could probably make some beautiful stuff if you work hard.

the students were VERY excited to be there. most grads were very upset that they'd miss Shara's tenure there, and there is a strong undercurrent feeling that she's really going to make Rice the place to be.

Students work hard, but it was on their own terms.. not like they were forced to kill themselves. Relative to an elite school of arch everyone was pretty laid back.. there's a bar literally 25' from the studio that sells $0.95 drafts.

I think i'm ok with the idea of Houston at this point. it's just the distance from my east-coast 'network' that scares me.

at any rate, I dropped my offer acceptance in the mail, so any lingering Rice people: I'll see you there in the fall.

and SBeth: if you are feeling so unclear about the school maybe you should just pop in.. assuming you are in Houston. Everyone is very nice, unpretentious, and I'm sure would be willing to show you what they're all about.

goodluck

Has anyone submitted their acceptance to UCLA yet?

I filled out their intention to register form.

Is that all I have to do? Surely there's a deposit I should put down... right?