try a summer program or non-matriculated studio class before applying to graduate school to 'try it out'...

any school worth attending will see through your fabricated interest.

^ I would, but I don't have time.

Thanks for your suggestion anyway.

ITT: Lazy poser asking for help.

Your best bet is to repeat what you stated above...."I don't really have any interest in it at the moment". That should get you in just about everywhere.

Maybe not lazy, but definitely young and naive.

I suggest that, with the money you apparently have, get into commercial real estate brokerage.

Too many people here are DEDICATED, without money.

Potentially spending the next 2-3 years, and who knows how many tens of thousands of $ on something you don't particularly care about is an awesome plan...by any chance would your parents be paying for grad school?

Lol, I'm not young and naive (depending on your definition of "young"; however, the "naive" bit is definitely false). Just experimenting. As I said, if I don't like it, I'll drop out and do something else. Chillz.

So many grumpy old men here.

I'm not gonna knock you for wanting to try out architecture, but you must have some idea of what you want to study or experiment with while you're in school. Whatever that is write about that. Just coming up with a fabrication of crap isn't gonna help you at.

I'm in the same position as you except I have an undergrad degree in architecture. Trying to come up with something to write about isn't easy.

Think about why you wanna do it, besides just to "try it out"

and grumpy old women...you are a fool to apply to grad school to just try it out...and should you, for some reason get in, you are taking the place of someone who, with their passion and desire, would excel and be a positive contributing member to a program. If you are just curious, take the advice above and do a summer program or next semester see if you can sit in on some classes at a school near you so you can see what it is like. architecture school is not for the faint of heart or the uncommitted.

Sorry, but I'm grumpy because I'm applying to MARCH I programs for next fall too. I seriously want to get in, I've done my homework/research, and I am fully committed to completing my MARCH and becoming a working architect. Therefore, I don't have much tolerance for someone who doesn't know anything about the field trying to take an admission spot that I could also be applying for.

I say try it out.

The reason I say try it out is because... it may not be your passion but if you're good at it, you're good at it.

Unlike the previous posters above... having passion and desire does not make you a great architect or even a good architect. Just because someone likes something and is enamored by it does not mean they're some spectacular practitioner of whatever they like.

If you're comfortable with the idea of doing something for 30 years you're not "in love with" but great at "fucking it all night," go for it by all means.

In fact, I think people who are "in love" with their profession and have an "undying passion" for it lack the impartiality to be "great" in the work they are doing.

...I am not grumpy...but being a mere semester away from my M.Arch degree, I think that if you want to try it out, go ahead.

The interesting thing about professional programs is that they are really self sorting. My class started out with give or take 20-25 students. Some dropped out the first semester and never came back. Some transferred out and realized that architecture school was not what they thought it would be...

So if you want to "try it out" no school will have any issue taking your tuition. But education is what you make of it. You can show up, do your work, and get a degree. It is up to you how you choose to utilize your education and how seriously you take your career, whatever that may be...

I am of two minds about this post. For one, I find it hilarious that all my fellow potential M.Arch applicants are so angered by hankd taking one of their spots at a prestigious grad school. If hankd can throw something together and still get into schools while you can't, with all your experience in and knowledge of the profession, then maybe you weren't that good to begin with and should just quiet down. Have some self confidence.

However, I do think, hankd, you are very rash and naive. Graduate school is a big step, especially in architecture. It's a lot of work, and I think you should find out if it's really what you want to do before you blow 20-30k (plus materials, living, etc expenses) on a year of school before dropping out because you can't hack it (unless, of course, Mammy and Pappy are paying, which I am beginning to think may be the case). Try a summer course (most respectable grad schools will make you take their summer course anyway if you don't have any architectural experience).

What angers me most, however, is you fail to understand, at all, the nature of the personal statement. You do realize, of course, it's supposed to be personal, right? You think that writing some boilerplate chickenscratch about playing with Legos in kindergarten will get you in? Think again. I am sure, of course, you trolled some message board when applying to college about your personal essay topic, right? The hubris is palpable. If you really think you can just throw this together and have a shot, then maybe you should narrow your choices to DeVry or University of Phoenix (online education, for those who don't see the ads on the subway everyday while commuting to work) School of Architecture, if they have such a thing.

freeezerburn, of COURSE it's SUPPOSED to be personal. That doesn't mean it has to be. Start throwing me some ideas. Preferably fully-typed drafts that received double thumbs up from expert readers. Thanks!

Btw, neither Mammy nor Pappy are paying for grad school. My secret? I sell my semen online.

Oh, put that in there too.

Better yet, Phillipino Essay Mill. That'll cost what, one or two loads at today's prices?

hankd, personal recommendation.....do a summer program. For what your asking, people do a summer program, not start a course and drop out.

Secondly if you get ideas from here, you will end up with a bad personal statement, the hint is in the name 'personal' statement. Just grab a pen and write down ten reasons of why you want to study architecture, and go from there. Develop it, work on it, and you'll be done before you know it.

hankd-

your situation reminds me so much of my own a few years ago... except I was applying to medical schools, just for the hell of it. My grades and MCATs were decent enough that I'm sure I would've gotten in, plus my work in cytogenetics labs. Meanwhile, a friend of mine whose grades weren't as good has now wound up at a school in the Carribean.

At the end, I thank Gd I didn't apply, because I FINALLY started listening to people who told me, 'Don't go into medicine unless you truly love it. The hours are too long and it's too hard if you don't really want to be doing it.'

It definitely put a wrench in my plans. No more 10-year projection of my life... I spent a few years floating in limbo... and finally I took a plunge and enrolled in a design course, and then did a summer architecture program, and now here I am, frantically trying to apply to M.Archs.

Why did I bother telling you this?
Just to share that it feels damned good to feel like I am choosing my profession eyes open, to know that I want this, and that I'm not just doing this to see if I'd get in. If you have the money and the inclination, go ahead and apply. But trust me, architecture school is HARD. If you don't have the drive and the desire, you'll just be torturing yourself if you choose to stay in. The profession just isn't well-paid enough, for the amount of work needed to put in, for the amount of education. Only a true love of design makes this worth it, at least for me.

If you're unsure of what you want to do, go see a career counselor, or just enroll in an MBA program, which will get you tons of connections, can be taken in many different directions, and will likely make you loads more money than in architecture.

" ONLY PRACTICE ARCHITECTURE IF YOU CAN'T DO ANYTHING ELSE "... i think it's close to a quote by FLW but i've never found it again ... only saw it flashed on a sreensaver late one night during a charrette in calatrava's office ;)

I agree with you, there are a lot of grumpy people on this forum but with good reason - you seem naive. They are also thorough (most the time) and do have subsequent suggestions.

So, I would also suggest you take a summer course. Do your research and pick the right one for you. These personal statements do that exact thing of screening people that aren't fully committed or are "unsure" about their future in architecture. These programs don't want the slightest hint of their accepted students to quit, they want the most committed students.

Anyways, I like the previous idea of writing down your 10 reasons why you want to get into architecture as a start. Have you read any architectural or inspiring books that have a role in your interest in architecture? No books, then how about art, film, etc... How do you see architecture's impact on you and your impact on architecture?And so on.... Whatever it is it's a good idea to establish a character through your statement.