Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-Arc)
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Advice?
Just looking to clear up some questions I had...
I'm a second year interior design student studying in Toronto and I was looking into M.arch programs but I'm unclear on a lot of things... the big one being my GPA
I know it's not impossible to obtain a 3.0 gpa but with professors stating things like "I dont believe in giving out A's" and having different TA's marking our projects differently, it's becoming increasingly difficult to boost up my GPA. Someone told me that when applying to grad school your first and second year don't count but I was also told that they look at your cumulative GPA (which I'm assuming is your GPA over your entire course of undergraduate study) I also studied at a different university for one year of my undergraduate study, so I don't know how that will affect my GPA either.
Another thing is a lot of programs require you to take courses in physics and calculus... I have one calculus credit so far but is there any limitation as to what type of physics course or calculus course I take?
I'm also starting to build up my portfolio, but I'm having a hard time deciding what to include and what to leave out. Should I include cad drawings and hand drafted drawings or should I constrict my portfolio to "design" projects specifically?
One other big issue that's been on my mind for a while is deciding on what schools to apply to. I know for sure that I would like to study either in the US or in London (specifically the AA). Is studying in a city you want to work in absolutely imperative? And do M.arch programs usually include coop work terms?
I know I'm being a bit naive but this seems to be the best way to get answers. Sorry if this is a bit long and winded but these questions have been bothering me for a while.
endoo:
those are all good question for someone in your position but I gotta ask, if you are a 2nd year undergrad interior design student, why are you worrying about graduate school so early. It one thing to say yeah I wanna go to grad school but you presumably wouldn't be applying for another two years, which I'm sure you'll learn a lot and increase the amount and quality of work by a lot.
to answer your questions: a 3.0 gpa is only a 'b' average and shouldn't be too hard to get. You would only need to get all "a's" to boost your gpa if it is currently really low. But a 3.0-3.5 gpa isn't all that bad.
If you've had any course in calculus and physics you should be good. Take a general physics course if you don't have, as the will most likely be more useful then the calc course.
I would recommend leaving out the cad drawings and hand drafted drawings unless they are more on the presentation side and less documentation. Grad schools will want to see your design and creative ability, not whether or not you've mastered a computer software.
As for schools I think you need to decided what you would want to get out of graduate school and go from there. Find a school that will suit your needs and allow you to move in a direction that interests you. Studying in the city you want to work in is always helpful, but its not imperative. You can always relocate to anywhere and work assuming the jobs are available.
I hope this all helps and good luck.
But again, enjoy life in undergrad while you can no need to look too far into the future
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