@ bartleby I have 4 years B.Arch. degree from outside US. It is a prof. degree. I don't know whether i can be licensed architect in US after March2 degree from Upenn. March1 AP can be more suitable for me. But i am not sure how the quality of the degree is in Cornell.

Just admitted off the wait-list @ Georgia Tech!

NC State - wait list
GA Tech - in
UNC Charlotte - in
Clemson - ? (thinking no...)
Houston - ?

@delirious - on page 49...I have an account of the Cornell Open House....As far as the "quality of the degree" at Cornell...its great!

I'm surprised that you even had that concern...and regardless of the fact that the program is highly ranked and is an ivy... the school is notoriously rigorous and challenging in general...how could the "quality" be any lower than other schools?

I was at the Cornell Open House and agree that the program is unique and strong. I accepted their offer while I wait for Yale to get back about their Wait List decisions.

pepto

Congrats! Do you mind me asking what number on the waitlist you were? I also just got into Clemson off the waitlist today..

Hey, so is that the case with Waitlists? They tell you your numerical ranking?

Ga Tech told me what number I was on the Waitlist, Clemson did not. Syracuse emailed me for interviews to determine your ranking. It all depends on the school..

Just emailed UVa about their waitlist for that matter... got a very speedy response that said I should be notified about my status next week... did not tell me anything about a ranking or process (I asked).

miamiDC,

Robin told me last week I was #10 on the waitlist. Hopefully you'll get some good news soon. Congrats on Clemson!

pepto how did you find out? Are you going for the 2 or 3 yr program? Congrats, are you going to go to tech?

I think I just wound up calling at the perfect moment. I had a deadline coming up, and needed to get an update on my wait-list status. I talked to Robin Tucker, who had apparently just gotten clearance to admit some folks off the waiting list. If you haven't heard anything come Monday, you might want to call - Robin is very nice and extremely helpful.

Not 100% sure if I'm going to Tech - still need to see what NC State has to say as they were my initial first choice. But I am starting to lean towards GT at the moment.

@tzara @wsmith2153 What do you think about Cornell NYC program. As far as i can see, there are not so many options to choose in studios. I am an AP. So it seems like only practising architects will be responsible for M Arch studios.

I am a little worried about that. And NYC is really expensive to study. How the accomadation will be in NYC program? I have symphaty for Cornell and really want to go there. I just don't know how to make the compare it with Upenn.

1 year in Upenn or 2.5 years in Cornell. Damn it. Hard to decide.

delirious-

you said before that you wish that UPenn had admitted you for more years... can't you call them and ask? If you got accepted into an M.Arch 2, it clearly means they think highly of you- maybe they will let you drop down to M.Arch1 with Advanced Placement.

Also, do you want to be licensed in America? 1 year at UPenn M.arch 2 will NOT license you. Only an M.Arch 1 can license you for the States.

my stats

- 23/male/undisclosed
- B.A., double major in econ and math from a top school in NYC
- 3.7 GPA
- 1450 GRE (800Q, 650V, 5.5W)
- 4 letters of rec, two from profs, one from an employer and one from a student
- my portfolio is too awesome to post here, sorry, and apparently it was also too awesome for the schools i applied to because they all rejected me :P
- no design programs/studios, not like i need any with my natural talent
- applied to harvard, yale, princeton, columbia, mit, uva and cornell. rejected from all because they knew i was too amazing to become an architect
- didn't attend any open houses
- final decision: blow up the schools and the rest of the earth with hydrogen bombs and watch everyone drown in an ocean of blood from my spaceship as i wank off. j/k i guess i'll do something productive with my life that also pays the bills and not waste time studying architecture. good luck to everyone else tho

btw my portfolio was mainly artwork, not much architecture at all, i guess that may be the reason i was rejected. beautiful and ingenious artwork is not enough - u also need to show u can churn out amazing 3d structures obviously. thus, having realized that before even applying, i wasn't expecting to get in at all, so i'm not bummed. i don't like architecture anyway, it's boring

peace

hellraiser - why did you apply to an M.Arch program in the first place? I m curious. The fact that you were willing to invest time, and money on applying to so many grad schools shows that you had a thing (or two, or perhaps, much more) for architecture. Why are you making these remarks now? I meant no malice, and really hope that you can reconsider your decision to drop architecture. Anyway, the economy is recovering and you can definitely get a job with your ivy league degree in economics and maths. Just don't be one of those wall street bankers responsible for the subprime crisis by selling some exotic financial products. Your creative talents can be used in better ways. If you have made up your mind to drop architecture, all da best to u!

Any GSD MArch2 students NOT accepting their spots for this fall? It would make packing for GSAPP easier if I knew something definite either way...

Hello everybody,

I am an international applicant and I have received admission offer from some schools in which there are SCI-Arc, Iowa State university (with TA, Fellowship and 50% tuition scholarship for the 1st year), North Carolina State university and University at Buffalo-SUNY, all of them are 2 YR Masters.
I can only know them from their website and it would be very helpful if anybody says which one has more prospective outcomes regarding finding job, better cities and more importantly modern but practical curriculum not a very conservative and classic one. Here are the expenses for international students (for 2 Yrs):

SCI-Arch:$90,000
ISU: $24,000
UB: $60,000 (still waiting for TA decisions)
NCSU: 65,000$

I think about ISU but I am willing to pay if one of the others is really much more worthy.

Please help, especially US applicants
Many thanks in advance

Maritra-

What is a 2 Year Masters?

Do you already have a B.Arch from your own country? If you want to get licensed in the US, you will need to do the M.Arch 1, which is usually 3 years, unless you have advanced standing.

Anyways, SCI-Arc is the most well-known and progressive of all those schools, I believe.

The thread has been quiet for a few days.

Is anyone else still deciding? I am torn between two school - neither of which I am 100% certain. Considering this is a significant and expensive decision, I am also entertaining the thought of reapplying. Anyone in a similar situation?

I've considered reapplying....

6 schools
results: 1 waitlist, and 1 accept for a "currently" non-accredited school...

wondering if i should give it a go next year....

Hi

Clearlyambguous - where are you wait listed.

I'm also wait listed and that is my only hope. Or else i'll be reapplying next year.

AFernan - waitlisted at UWashington.

It is necessarily true that you have to do a MArch I to get licensed here. If you have an advanced degree from another country (most other countries have 6 year programs)....you can have NCARB review your transcripts and give you credit for your degree. Of course..this is going to cost you some money..but nowhere near what it cost to do the extra time for a MArch I.

I have a Master's from my own country, so I have been accepted in advanced standing (ISU) and 2yr tracks (UB, SCI-Arc & NCSU). yes SCI-Arch has great reputation (even here) but it seems very challenging and so practical curriculum. what's your opinions about the oyher 3 (UB, ISU & NCSU)

@delirious - From what I understood, the Cornell NYC program is in constant flux and movement. Yes, at the time you take it there might only be practicing architects teaching the studios....or it could be professors only or both...in any case...does it matter? I think that the idea of taking a studio from someone who's constantly in the working world is great! It won't limit opportunities, it'll probably make them instead. I'm an AP too and I have no qualms about this.

In terms of expense: the NYC studio I think is only one semester and the cost of study in NYC is the exact same as it is if you were on campus...they try to even it all out. This summers NYC program (from what I've understood) is offering housing for those kids, unless you want to go out on your own and find an apartment.. So that shouldn't be an issue.

I'm hoping that you're able to make a decision (or have already) sorry for not posting earlier!

Please help me, doesn't anybody have an oponion or know something about this 3 universities?

Iowa State University (ISU)
University at Buffalo, SUNY (UB)
North Carolina State university (NSCU)

please, any comment would be appreciated

It is necessarily true that you have to do a MArch I to get licensed here. If you have an advanced degree from another country (most other countries have 6 year programs)....you can have NCARB review your transcripts and give you credit for your degree. Of course..this is going to cost you some money..but nowhere near what it cost to do the extra time for a MArch I.

The process is EESA - Education Evaluation Services for Architects --

https://www.eesa-naab.org/

They evaluation your foreign education and determine its equivalency as it relates to the NCARB Education Standard.

Contact them.

Dr. Architecture

Thanks for clarifying Dr.....I completely botched my post now that I re-read it days later..

It was supposed to read "It is NOT necessarily true....".

I am getting old.

Maritra,

I dont have a whole lot of experience with any of those schools, but I have visited both NC State and UBuffalo. Buffalo had some really interesting student work going on, and the concentration areas (GRG's) were great in my oppinion. The campus is really nice as far as urban universities go. I ultimately decided against applying there - mainly because I can't handle the cold or the out-of-state tuition. Although it is fairly affordable for non-NY students.

I love NC State, they were my first choice when applying to grad programs. Beautiful campus, and the arch program is really closely tied to the other creative disciplines in the College of Design. Seemed to be lots of collaboration and overlap with other majors, and the graduate group is pretty small and tightly knit from what I could gather. The students turn out some beautiful work. I wound up on their wait list (and I'm still there), but don't think I'll be waiting around any longer as I have a couple of other options.

Don't know too much about Iowa State other than location - haven't been but it seems there isn't alot going on in that area. If you can afford it, I would probably tend towards one of the other more urban schools - but it's hard to say no to that kind of scholarship from ISU i'm sure. Hope some of that is helpful.

Thank you Pepto,

I have received another admission, this one is from University of Colorado, Denver (they offered me $1500 scholarship), do you have any experience about this one?

Oh my,

I just found out that VirginiaTech has accepted me, it must be my best addmission, I think I have to choose this one, pepto any experience? anybody any comment>

Oh my,

I just found out that VirginiaTech has accepted me, it must be my best addmission, I think I have to choose this one, pepto any experience? anybody any comment>

Sorry, no personal experience with either one of those programs.

soooo... i am having difficulty deciding between sci arc and university of michigan. i had to pay my deposit at umich to keep my seat while waiting on financial information from sci arc, plus the whole thing felt rushed. i went to umich's open house, and it was pretty amazing. i was impressed. there was a great diversity in the work which was good. i was not able to go to sci arc, but i have been familiarized to the campus with video and emails by a student there. umich has given me money would equal a decent car and the possibility of being a TA would help immensely. sci arc wasn't able to offer me anything since they don't have the funding of a state school. but, i am pretty torn at the moment. any perspective? i have interests in fabrication which is why both programs work for me. they both are pushing that front aggressively. of course that is not the only thing, which is why umich is so attractive. what do you all think of michigan in the perspective of careers beyond school in comparison to sci arc? does it hold up?

down&2theright

I decided to attend michigan in the fall as well, so I can let you know what I found out from some alums in my area. I was also pretty impressed from what I saw at umich's open house. I think they offer a lot of future possibilities and from what I was told their name travels pretty well all over the country. A former alum, now on the east coast, told me that a lot of her classmates ended up pretty much all over the place (chicago, nyc, boston, philly, dc, la, and also abroad in varies cities) She told me that a bunch of them also decided to continue on in education by getting phd's or other advanced degrees in architecture or urban planning. She also said a few stayed in academia by getting teaching positions (if you wanted to go that route) and others branched out to other fields such as graphic design, etc.. It definitely sounded like the possibilities were endless and really are driven by what interests you. Fabrication is also a big interest of mine, another reason why I choose michigan. From what I saw and was told, I feel they offer a good base for using fabrication as a framework for further exploration and integration into the built environment.

these are all just my thoughts on the program of course, and while I am also somewhat familiar with sci-arc, I didn't apply there and don't know about perspective career options from them.

good luck and maybe I'll see you in Michigan this fall

thanks for the response, and it looks like michigan is the better choice for me. just have to make sure to bring the A-game :) see you there.

Hi every body,

anybody has any opinion about NCSU, Iowa state university and VT?
is any of them much better university or much worse? which one has better career opportunities after the study?

help, any comment would be helpful

has any GSAPP MSAAD waitlister heard anything???

any gatech waitlisters heard anything??

Hi everybody,

I wanted to ask if waitlisters heard any good news from Syracuse?

To Maritra: Does VT send you an email or was it via postal service ?

Thanks for the help!

Hi everybody,

I wanted to ask if waitlisters heard any good news from Syracuse?

To Maritra: Did VT send you an email or was it via postal service ?

Thanks for the help!

lithos,

I'm a Syracuse admit. I got an email on Thursday with an attached classmates list. If you're hoping to get off the waitlist, that seems like a bad sign for you. Sorry. But maybe someone will get off a waitlist somewhere else and a spot will open up. I learned yesterday that I'd gotten off a waitlist, but I'm set on Syracuse now.

Good luck!

lithos,

I saw my acceptance in my guest account page in April 20th, they e-mailed me 2 days later. do you have any experience about VT or ISU or NCSU? or maybe an opinion

hey all, just stopping in to say a few words in response to what guyforget/Tyler had to say about WUSTL (I only skimmed over p49-50). I'm a current student, about to complete my first year of the 2yr M.Arch program...

On the ideological issues raised (modernism, etc): In short, WUSTL is a bit of a smörgåsbord--everything is available, and students have the freedom to tailor their study from a wide variety of critics, studios and elective options. I definitely don't think this place fits the "glass/steel/modernism" characterization at all...though if that's something your interested in, it's certainly available. From my point of view, one of the strengths of this school is the diversity of discourses that you will encounter.

On sustainability: I think WUSTL takes a far broader approach to the issue than anywhere I considered during my search (not to say other schools don't share our broad understanding and application of the term). Apologies in advance if I overdo it, but here's a list of things that immediately come to mind on the topic of sustainability:
-Carl Safe's design/build studios that work in underprivileged areas of St. Louis, like Pagedale,
-Christof Jantzen's adaptive re-use work/studio (Jantzen, by the way, is the School's I-CARES professor, and principal of the LA office of Behnisch),
-Paul Donnely's unparalleled Building Systems II course (Paul is VP of Technology at HOK and longtime WUSTL faculty),
-the comprehensive studio requirement, which has students develop a project from concept to coordination of building systems (at the option studio level),
-Derek Hoeferlin's work/studios that deal with water and specifically New Orleans (at the urban and architectural scales)
-Ken Tracy's digital fabrication studio and electives that focus on material efficiency and the potential of improving environmental performance w/these techniques
-numerous elective offerings that focus on building envelope performance (performative skins, depth of surface)
-Gay Loberbaum's Alberti program, which has been educating St. Louis youth on architecture and environmental issues for the past 9 years,
-and so on...

On diversity: In my current studio the mix is about half international students (China, Taiwan, Korea, India, Canada, Turkey, Costa Rica), and half US students. In the School as a whole I think the population of international students is rather high...maybe 40%? The half of my studio that is from the states includes one guy from St. Louis, a few from Illinois, a few from Florida, two New Yorkers, someone from Arizona... The US students in this small sample (one studio) are mostly from state schools. In the School as a whole, the mix of people with private vs. public school undergrad educations is probably close to 50/50. Of the other schools I looked at, this mix of private vs. public was typically more like 70/30 private to public. Not sure if this addresses exactly what you mean by diversity...

Open House is a great event, but I can understand how you could arrive at the generalizations you did based on the brief time spent here. I'm only posting to add a more nuanced view, based on the relatively short amount of time that I've been at WUSTL (8-9 months). Hope some of you find it helpful. Best of luck with your decisions!

sorry, used the wrong account (a joint account) on that post...should've come from just me...

Lithos,

I emailed Speranza about the waitlist because I was also assigned to it and she told me that they received a lot of acceptances so they would not be taking anyone from the waitlist. Hope this helps.

Is Iowa state university so unconsiderable that nobody has a opinion about it? compare to VT? any help? I am getting more and more clueless

Maritra - One reason you may not be receiving any comments about ISU is that their primary degree is the Bachelor of Architecture, not their Master of Architecture. To best determine if they are the school for you, contact them directly.

Iowa State University
Director of Graduate Programs
Marwan Ghandour
Phone: (515) 294-3543
Email: marwang@iastate.edu

wanted to close the circle- got rejected off the waitlist at Rice. officially rejected from 3/3 schools. glad to have finality after a year of contemplating applying.

best of luck, sbeth! i think you have a really positive approach so i'm sure you'll do well in whatever path your decide to take. everything happens for a reason!

oh, by the way, i was awarded that fellowship from berkeley for being "challenged." hahaha. oh yeah, and for adding "diversity" to the institution. it's like reparations for coming from a colonized nation or something... i'm crazy.

"Recipients of the Graduate Opportunity Program (GOP) diversity fellowship demonstrate academic achievement despite challenges such as social, economic, or educational obstacles and contribute to the diversity of the campus."