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Admissions prospects for SO

aagarch

Hey all, 

My (hopefully) soon to be fiancee would like to become an architect. She currently has close to a 4.0 at the school she is currently attending. She has taken and done well in a studio drawing class as well as Calculus. Also, she did very well on the SAT, so I'm sure that the GRE won't be an issue for her. 

Unfortunately, though, she failed out of two schools just after finishing high school. She took a year off of education between those schools and the one she is currently at, but she did not transfer any credits from the universities she previously attended.

I was wondering: does her previous failure preclude her from getting into a decent M. Arch program? Specifically, I'm curious to know if she could get into any program in NYC. I will be starting at a large law firm there in about a year, and it is unlikely that I will be able to move from NYC for at least a while.

 
Jan 24, 14 1:44 pm
curtkram

i don't see any reason why she would include the schools that she did not graduate from on her application.

in fact, instead of saying "she failed" i would say "she did not graduate."  doesn't that sound much better?

Jan 24, 14 1:52 pm  · 
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aagarch

No, as in she received around a 1.0 at these school and was forced to leave. I was wondering if architecture schools would factor these classes into her overall GPA.

Jan 24, 14 3:04 pm  · 
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natematt

I've never heard of a school transferring credit towards gpa... Is that even a real thing?

Jan 24, 14 3:16 pm  · 
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aagarch

Like, in law school admissions, your GPA for admissions purposes factors in any college class you have taken before graduation, including, for example, classes you took in high school at a local community college. In LS admissions, there is a distinction between the degree GPA that appears on your transcript and your LSDAS gpa, which factors in every class you have taken anywhere, and the only GPA that matters for admissions purposes is the LSDAS gpa. For this reason, my SO would never be able to get into a decent law school, if for some reason she wanted to. I was wondering if M. Arch. programs determined GPA in a similar fashion.

Jan 24, 14 3:17 pm  · 
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curtkram

i wonder if maybe you're not the best person for your fiance.

it sounds like you're girlfriend is doing quite well.  she has nearly a 4.0 gpa.  she's even good at calculus! (i'm not sure how that's relevant, but it sure is impressive!)  you should be telling the world how great she is, instead of dwelling on a couple stumbling blocks she came across along the way.

when she submits an application to attend the new school, she will probably only submit the school she is attending, where she received or will receive her undergraduate degree.  she will likely have to have that school send her transcript to the new school admission's office.  the rest of her past can stay where it belongs.  which, by the way, is in the past.

if i were her, i would rather hear about how i didn't graduate from a given institution rather than being told i'm a failure.  it sounds like she has been able to move on quite well from those days and a has a lot to be proud of.

Jan 24, 14 3:26 pm  · 
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acetaminophen

Your SO may want to contact the schools she's interested in attending. I'm not part of any admissions committees, so take my anecdote with a grain of salt.

Judging from my experience in the application process (I applied in December), your SO may be required to list every institution of higher education in which she was enrolled, as well as her GPA at those schools. However, overall GPA isn't calculated the way it is for law school admissions. She may have to explain the gap in her education. Her portfolio will be of utmost importance, and her personal essay should explain her academic history. Her letters of recommendation should give graduate programs confidence in her abilities. 

Jan 24, 14 3:28 pm  · 
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curtkram

i didn't see your most recent post before my previous, however, when you apply to law school, don't they only know the classes and schools attended that are relevant towards the degree you're trying to get?  if you spent a year at a community college learning underwater basketweaving, or took a night class to learn how to bake a cake, you wouldn't have to disclose that.  it's not relevant, and i'm pretty sure there isn't a national database of kids's grades being held by trans-union or experian.

Jan 24, 14 3:44 pm  · 
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aagarch

Yeah, don't get me wrong, I think she is great and smart. It's just that a couple of academic mistakes at the age of 18 can preclude you from entering law or medicine. It's good to hear that Architecture schools are more holistic and may be more forgiving of past mistakes.

Jan 24, 14 4:37 pm  · 
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Volunteer

Oh, give it a break. Law school admission standards have been falling through the floor for the last several years. If a person can fog a mirror they can get into a fairly decent law school. There is no way you are in the same league as physicians and surgeons. Get over yourself. Have your girlfriend go visit the deans where she might want to enroll and be honest with them.

Jan 24, 14 8:19 pm  · 
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aagarch

Not that it matters at all, since this forum is supposed to be about architecture, but the law schools that are easy to get into are shitty, whereas all medical schools are at least pretty good.

i appreciate the information, though it's  amazing to see how quick some of you  are to jump to the conclusion that I'm disparaging either architecture schools or my SO. Relax a little.

Jan 25, 14 2:14 am  · 
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It depends on the school. I've been researching schools to apply to this year and some want you to list every university you have attended and the dates, whether you graduated from them or not (they didn't ask for gpa at them though). Others only want you to list relevant degrees obtained, but from what I can tell this is only for programs that require you to have some sort of undergraduate education in the field of architecture first (ba, bsc),  so I'm guessing that if your gf is not studying her undergrad in architecture, that she would have to list her full academic background.

Like most here, I'm not on an admissions committee or anything but the portfolio seems to always be the most important part of an application. People do not get into a program based on grades alone. And besides, the fact that she did so badly, took some time off and then came back and owned school could be spun in the personal essay into a positive thing.

Jan 25, 14 10:15 am  · 
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