28/M/US (and Europe as well)

B.Arch in 2007 (emphasis on Fine Arts, took minor in Linguistics and Western philosophy)

Working experience of 7 years. Currently working on one the largest project across the US as an architect and BIM Designer. 

GPA: 3.6

GRE: dont even remember, but it was quite poor tho. I suffer from dyslexia :(( 

Portfolio: Unfortunately I am restricted to show it up. It shows my current designs at my job, my personal works, 2 competitions, and my fine arts works. I have spent 5 months on it.

Recommendations: 1) My professor (GSD guy), 2) The head of my current design team (professor at pratt)  3)Principal of the company 

Traveling: have traveled across Europe, Caucasus, Russia, and far east. studied post soviet housing and industrial buildings in Baltic states.

Applied for March II

OUT: GSD, Yale

IN: Pratt (with $)

Wait list: SCI-Arc (wtf???) and Columbia

Final decision:

No interest in Pratt, I'll wait for Columbia. Not sure about Sci-Arc. Otherwise I'll go for another lap. I will never surrender!!!

I think I got out from the schools because of my GRE scores. And I suspect it was also my essay wherein I addressed my dyslexia and how I see world and architecture itself through that curtain. The way we've forgot metaphysical issues of architecture and they way I see a need to "relink" them back... well, I know, a bit over philosophized. I suspect it seemed too overall to admissions and their superficial and hipster minds ... They ask you to be more specific. 

but how the f#ck one can be specific about architecture?

p.s. 2 years ago I got admitted in sci-arc... but I didnt go for some personal reasons. my GRE was the same and my old portfolio was nothing compare to the current one! So how come sci-Arc arc admitted me in two years ago and now they put me on the wait list?!!

Where is a logic here? I was better equipped in terms recommendations and portfolio for this year than then!

Is everything OK in LA?! Is it too hot down there?!

28/M/ US

B.A Studio Art 

Gpa: 3.1

Gre: 150v/ 155q

Recs: 3 for Sci arc: 2 professors of Art, and one Artist. Only had 2 for Columbia

Portfolio: non-arch background, message if interested

March 1: 

IN: SCI- Arc ,no($), but was waived from taking Making and Meaning

Out : Columbia 

Final Decision: 

Sci- Arc, I only applied to schools that focus on the conceptual and experimental side of architecture. Unfortunately, one of my recommenders bailed out for my Columbia app so I felt at a disadvantage against other applicants with only 2 recs.  Another consideration I took was applying to only semester based programs.  In my opinion the quarter system is too rushed and you are unable to comfortably develop ideas in only 8-10 weeks.  

As far as paying for school , I will do half in fed loans, and have lucky parents to cover the rest. 

Already sent in my acceptance, cant wait to be in sunny La, and learning from the amazing practicing/faculty at Sci-Arc. Will be going to the open house on the 14th. 

23 / F / India

Bachelor of Architecture / July 2013

Don't know my GPA (we have a different grading system) But in my transcripts I got 7.17/10

TOEFL: 107 / Haven't given my GRE. (worst decision I could make) 

3 Letters of rec: all of them were my professors

Applied to: MS Architecture & Urban Design - Pratt (accepted with a $10,000 scholarship, is that the lowest amount they give for scholarships??) How much $$ did they offer the others going to Pratt? (if you don't mind me asking)

also accepted in CCNY (urban design, no $$), NYIT, Intro to Arch summer program in GSAPP, Cardiff (UK), Oxford Brookes (UK), Nottingham (UK)

Final decision: Pratt - summer 2014 (wanted to attend the GSAPP summer class but it clashes with Pratt)

TIPS: for all the procrastinators out there (like me), start your portfolio at least 6 months before you think you should. I waited until the last second (literally) to submit all my applications (and barely made it)

NEVER underestimate yourself. I wasn't expecting to get into a single university and because of that, I didn't bother applying to any great universities. Although the most of you make it seem like getting into Harvard and Columbia is a piece of cake, you never know. It's better to apply and get disappointed rather than regret not applying at all.

22 / M / USA

BA in Architecture and Italian Studies / May 2013

GPA: 3.95

GRE:  168V 165Q 6.0W

Recs: 5 from undergraduate faculty [including department chair, former graduate chairs, alumni of all the schools]

In: GSD MArch I, Yale MArch I, PennDesign MLA I + MArch I AP

Aid: GSD $$$, Yale $$$, PennDesign $$$

Final Decision: GSD

I'm super excited.

23 / M / USA

B.S.Architecture (4-year), May 2012 / 2 years work experience with a 10-person high-end commercial firm

GPA: 3.1 (my weak-point)

GRE: 155V / 161Q / 4W

Recs: 3 total, 2 from undergrad professors (one from a renowned Chicago FAIA architect, and one Yale alumni), and 1 from my Boss (principal of firm, IIT alumni)

In: PennDesign (M.Arch 1 +$$$), SCI-arc (M.Arch 2 +$$$)

Final Decision: PennDesign

Tips:

• I started all my stuff in the summer (with due dates for applications usually around Dec 15th - January 1st). I usually ended up going to the library after work and spent the first few months researching schools/faculty/other student portfolios and brainstorming for my essay, then the next few months writing my essay and putting together my portfolio in conjunction (both my essay and portfolio played off each other). Try to finish all your stuff a few weeks before the due dates, giving yourself some buffer room to finish any additional applications, work with technical difficulties uploading/printing, etc.
• Don't be afraid to change some of your past projects for the sake of your portfolio. You've learned a lot since that one student project from back in the day, so spend some time cleaning it up a little bit and bringing it up to your current standards.
• Be sure to find a professor/english major friend who is willing to bounce your essay off of you every other week. Your essay is key and people seem to usually underestimate its importance.
• Let your recommenders know a month, better yet 2, ahead of time and be nice about it. Schedule a meeting, sit them down, explain your situation, your schools and your ambitions, and remind them what you did for their class/firm/etc. They will be that much more willing to write a strong recommendation.

25 / M / USA

B.A. in Environmental Design (2012) + 6 months work experience at a very small hospitality firm. 

GPA: 3.02 (Cumulative) Very weak, but my architecture GPA was 3.5

GRE: 158v / 156q / 2.5w  Got test anxiety on the first essay, I didn't even finish the first paragraph. Didn't have the $ to retake at the time, this was poor planning on my part.

RECs: Award winning architect who went to Penn, Professor and Department Chair (American Studies) and Fulbright Scholar, Vice Chancellor of my University (former professor in architecture). 

IN: PennDesign (M.Arch 1 + $) , RISD (M.Arch 1 +$$)

OUT: GSD, YSOA

Most likely going to Penn, though RISD has a shot, as they're reevaluating my FinAid offer.

What helped me most: 

START EARLY. People will inevitably underestimate the time and iteration a great portfolio and personal statement take. I was VERY lucky to get portfolio reviews from design principles at Gensler and Zaha, but I only had something to show them because I started my portfolio early (around March 2013). I spent 2 months on it, then let it sit for a while, clear my mind of it, and then redesigned, then let it sit for a while again...so on and so forth.

For all those reading this for the 2014-2015 application cycle, good luck!

- 23 / Male / Canadian

- B.Sc (Architecture, Psychology) / University of Toronto / 2013

- GPA: 3.37

- GRE: Q: 157, V: 166, A: 5.5

- Portfolio: http://issuu.com/jamesjosephbergin/docs/jamesbergin_portfolio_01

- 3 / Professor (2), Supervisor (1)

- Schools: Rice SoA (Accepted; Funding to be determined; Advanced Placement), Harvard GSD (Rejected), University of Toronto (Accepted), Cornell AAP (Accepted; Scholarship), Columbia GSAPP (Accepted), Pratt Institute (Accepted; Scholarship).

- Undecided, but only seriously considering Cornell AAP or Columbia GSAPP.

- Tips: I'm originally from Ireland actually, and before graduated I attempted to apply for programs in the U.K. It was a disaster. This time, I put a lot of effort into my preparation for the GRE and portfolio and geared the portfolio to the places I was most interested in (Columbia, Cornell, Harvard). I also got a chance to focus on research through a job at my alma mater. Having a substantial amount of time off between graduating and attending grad gave me a lot of time to think about what I actually want out of this, but also a chance to really prepare the best applications I could. My advice is to give yourself ample time to get a grip with what you really want and which schools can help you achieve those goals, and spend time preparing for the tests and building a protfolio - there is no substitute for have the time to prepare, revise, and perfect.

I wasn't satisfied with my tips from earlier and I can't edit my original post anymore for some reason, so here is a list of my revised tips.

My first experience with applications was when I applied for schools in the UK. I estimated 4 months would be sufficient, but it was a disaster. It was simply not enough time, and I was so preoccupied with finishing out my undergrad that I really hadn't had much of a chance to let things crystallize.

My advice is to leave yourself a window of 6 to 8 months for the application process. Initially, spend a good deal of time deciding what it is you really want out of graduate studies in architecture. Do you want to be able to enter directly into practice? Is research something that is important for you? Do you see yourself wanting to branch later on in your career? Find the schools that best match your own goals, and once you have decided which you will apply to, contact potential reference letter writers.

Next up, try and start writing you personal statements early. Potentially even before you research schools, do a preliminary draft of a statement that reflects what you think your strenghts are, and what you are interested in. This can guide you search for suitable schools, and will help you clarify what it is you're all about. Tailoring and writing new statements for schools should start with ample time, after you have decided where you will apply. I recommend sending a personal statement to your letter writers, so they have some kind of information about you and how you see yourself professionally.

As for the standardized tests, unfortunately my experience is restricted to the GRE. If you have the cash, do a prep course, otherwise make sure you have 3-4 months to prepare and work through a few preparation manuals. Take the test at least two months before the applications are due, so that if it is a disaster you have time to weigh your options and retake if you wish. Start reading the news, and go back over past course work editing your own writing so that you can ace the Verbal and Analytical section. For Quantitative, practice practice practice.

For the portfolio, make no mistake, this is likely your first professional publication, and you have no idea the horrors that margin off-setting, colour fidelity, and legibility can bring. First of all, a top-notch portfolio cannot be done without ample time; leave yourself at least 6 month to prepare one. The first thing you need to do, is select which projects are going to comprise your portfolio. Decide which are strongest, and if you can make this decision with the help of someone more experienced than yourself; remember, a handful of quality projects is much more impactful that a slew of half-baked ones. Next, start bring the weaker, most likely earlier, projects up to the level of your current work and expertise. Do not denature them of the features that mark them as earlier work – its a delicate balance, but if, unlike me, you can strike it will go a long way to showing your capacity for progress and self-directed growth. Lastly, try to weave the portfolio into a document that is both beautiful, but also has some overarching message, such as personal development, interest in a particular area of design, or in research. Telling a story in this way can help make you stand out, and can reinforce whatever you say in your personal statement.

Good luck!

I get to boast too!

30 / M / USA

B.S. City and Regional Planning /Cal Poly SLO, 2006

Professional Experience / 6 Years Urban Planning

GRE / Took it in 2010 (old scoring), combined score of 1060, 4.0w

RECs / 2 supervisors, 1 Professor

IN / Cal Poly Pomona (MLA, 3 years)

OUT / University of Washington (MLA)

Tip: Pursue professional experience before entering grad school, but don't wait until you're 30.

Ok, time to do this.

- 28/F/Californian

- B.A. in Architecture/Berkeley/2008/3.4 GPA

-5 years experience in arch'l firms (1 year modular, sustainable housing + 4 years multifamily affordable housing and institutional work)

- 640/770/5.0 (old scoring)

- http://issuu.com/emmaramoy/docs/portfolio2014_digital_minnesota  

- 1 employer, 1 professor, 1 arch'l lighting consultant (Columbia M.Arch) with whom I've worked and have a good relationship, + 1 more employer (GSD M.Arch) at schools that allowed four letters

- IN: UCLA, U of Oregon (AP, Portland program), U of Washington (AP), Michigan ($, AP), Minnesota, Tulane ($$, AP)

-OUT: Columbia, UVA, GSD

-It's coming down to Michigan, Oregon, or Washington. I'm heading up north this weekend to check out Oregon and Washington, and then I'll have to make a quick decision! Not sure if I want big or small. Not sure if I want all that snow. Not sure which will offer me the best opportunities within my areas of interest (affordable housing, inequality).

-TIPS

Clearly, the East coast doesn't love me, and I wasn't set on them, either. Still, glad I applied, as it suggested that my list of schools was appropriately challenging.

Really glad I worked in professional practice for 5 years. Not sure if it made a difference in where I got in, but I'm sure it will affect my experience at school.

I worried a lot because I don't think my portfolio is my strongest suit (I have to force myself out of my natural science mode), but apparently it's good enough :) I do believe I had an excellent SOP that was highly influenced by my experience -- a couple of the schools specifically mentioned this. It felt very different than applying as an undergrad because I have developed a distinct, clear vision.

I gained a lot from attending open houses after being accepted. It was great to talk both to the current students and professors in the program, as well as to the other applicants about their decision and their undergrad experiences. These trips were totally worth the time, money, and stress at my job.

- 23/F/USA

- BA in Architecture/ University of Kentucky/ Spring 2013

- 3.7 GPA

- GRE - V: 147 Q: 145 W: 4.0

- Portfolio (ignore the dash on cover page...)

- Director of College of design at UK and other professors professors (alumni for UPenn and Sci-arc)

- IN:

UIC + tuition waiver

Pratt + $

UPenn (tiny $)

USC

SCI-arc

OUT:

UCLA  :(

GSD

Yale

MIT

- I have actually decided to work for another year (hopefully in a different city) and reapply for Fall 2015.  UPenn, USC, and Sci-arc were just too expensive. Pratt was my bottom choice and after a while I decided I didn't really want to live in Brooklyn.  I thought UIC was going to be the one, but after visiting this past weekend it just didn't feel like a good fit and it was not what I expected at all.  I come from a theory background, but it was just a little too much.  

That being said, any critique on my portfolio is welcomed as I will be starting the process of reapplying about... now.  I think my personal statement was not nearly where it needed to be and of course the GRE scores could be better.  UCLA is where I really want to go, so any tips for what that program may be looking for would be great! 

-TIPS

Listen to everyone when the say coincide your portfolio with your statement and what not.  I had to rush mine in the end and while I did get into 5/9 schools, things did not turn out the way I had expected. And the GRE is a bitch.  Also, try to narrow down your search to schools you absolutely want to go to, even if it means doing some fall visits.  Pratt turned out to be a waste of my time and I thought I would like UIC, but turns out I didn't... I will most likely apply to less schools the next time around. 

^ I didn't get a sense of what your interests or pursuits were. Fine body of work but they were all over the place.

What'd you write for the statement? What do you want to do in grad school that isn't possible or feasible out in the field right now? Taking out the issue of licensing, what did you put down as the drive or insatiable curiosity itch for the next few years? Since your background is in architecture, there ought to be some unifying concept or theory that pops out. If not, then it might not be time to go back to school yet. 

Apparently it seems that It's Ucla or nothing , but if your going to reapply to some of the same schools you got into try deferring instead of turning them down, bc I hear if you reapply they may feel insulted or maybe wasting their time. That's just FYI . 

I did the Ucla summer program and learned what they are looking for in terms of Soi and portfolio maybe try to sign up for jump start and get to know some of the profs and get a letter of recommendation from one of them  , could be a good investment if all u want is Ucla 

@retinald

I agree with you (another reason why I have decided to work again) and at the time of applying I was definitely all over the place with what I wanted to do therefore my statement was broad and not detailed enough.  Research and fabrication are two reasons for wanting to return to grad school (I had little to no fabrication experience from undergrad).  As for theory/concept I try to design to the urban context of the project and through design and program bring something back to the community at hand.  Of course, not all of my projects reflect this because they are from various stages of my undergrad.  I also have an interest in materials and how they can be more sustainable while also being right for the design. Such as using materials that are found in the area instead of shipping a slightly different material on a gas guzzling barge or something. The incorporation of newer technologies is another interest...  I feel like I'm better at knowing what I don't like.  How can you bring together differing projects into a cohesive portfolio.  Some of these projects followed the ideals/execution process of my professors, which was a great learning experience.

Question though, are we expected to know exactly what our own theoretical/conceptual views are before going to grad school for 2 or 3 years?  I wanted to continue school so that I could further develop how I understand/view architectures role in the world and my own role within architecture.  I am going to try and find a new job at a smaller office where I can be part of the design process, but what of those who are stuck drafting or diagramming?  Will this type of work experience really help you figure out what you believe architecture should be (the drafting type)?   

@ROB4

Unfortunately I will be out of the country for two weeks out of July, so I won't be able to do Jump start program.  I have looked at their workshop opportunities and will be considering taking the portfolio / Statement workshops (depends on where I live in the coming months).  UCLA seems to be a very balanced and well rounded program, I visited during their fall open house and really enjoyed the professors as well as the student work.

Thanks for the feedback!

You wrote all of that out but I didn't sense it from the portfolio. The projects just seemed to be projects, standing in isolation. 

It's your body of work in the end and there's nothing preventing from revisiting (if you want to preserve the original) and expanding upon it. Too many of them lack context, especially when you wrote about community and urban design, so adding elements here and there would help unify larger ideas into the buildings themselves. What materials were chosen? Why clear and transparent in one and opaque another? The renderings don't explain decisions.

You probably won't figure out your own theory or personal design style anytime soon. But there still needs to be a focus that pushes you forward instead of sitting back and waiting for something to appear. Unlike non-majors who are switching in to start afresh, you had a few years to grasp the field and pick a point. What if you don't find what you want to do in grad school--then what? Don't necessarily bet on school providing clear answers in the end.

- 22/M/USA

- BS in Architecture/ University of Illinois Urbana Campaign/ Spring 2013

- 3.73 GPA

- GRE - V: 161 Q: 161 W: 4.5 (or something like that)

- Recs: 3 studio professors

-Portfolio is not up on ISSUU currently but it may appear later

- IN:

UIUC +TA (tuition waiver + stipend)

Michigan + $

Cincinnati + $ & GA for years 2+

Washington

Virginia Tech

OUT:

Decided to go to UIUC again for M.Arch even though 6 (or 7 for a joint degree in Civil Structural) years at one place is a long time. Too hard to pass up on (mostly) free education. I have no undergrad debt and I don't want to start now. Had I not got money at UIUC, would have gone to Cincinnati even though Michigan and Washington were my top choices. To me, 80k-100k debt is not worth it. I have connections and opportunities already built up at UIUC so I figure I should take advantage.

Part of me regrets not applying to some of the Top Top schools but the ones I would stand of chance of getting into, I would not have gone to. Perhaps one day, I'll try to get get an MS Arch somewhere with a "name."

-TIPS

I had my professors look over my portfolio and personal statement repeatedly. I think I got like 5 statement edits out of them. That helped a lot and I would recommend doing that.

Start Personal statement early, its hard (or I think it is anyways) to really nail down what your main interests are. I was/am interested in a lot of things so getting down to the basis for all of that, the underlying interest I suppose, was hard.

Start EARLY and edit what needs to be edited though I would never change the concept of a project, just the drawings to get them up to par.

- 26/M/USA

- BS in Environmental Science - Small Liberal Arts College in PA

- 3.15 GPA

- GRE - V: 160 Q: 159 W: 4.0

- 4 years environmental consulting experience with oil spill biological/geochemical assessments

- Portfolio of well-developed charcoal landscape drawings and GIS maps

IN:

UPenn (MLA I - tiny $)

Cornell (MLA I - $)

OUT:

GSD

UBC

WL:

UW

I have decided on UPenn. I was incredibly impressed by their open house. Richard Weller has a great vision for the department that meshes very well with what I want to accomplish with my MLA.

Cornell, while substantially cheaper, failed to impress me. The lack of cross-collaboration and physical distance between the LA dept. and other design depts. concerned me. Also, when I sat in on the Urban Ecology class, they were physically mulching and weeding the grounds around the Plant Sciences Bldg. If I'm paying ivy league tuition, I do not want to be paying to do groundskeeping manual labor. I'm not saying I'm above doing manual labor, just that the flow of money should be reversed if this is the case. I was also concerned that this is what they presented to a prospective/admitted student. They did not put their best foot forward.

UW does not make decisions regarding the wait list until after the April 15th deadline, which I can't hold out for since I've received other offers.

-TIPS

Start early and research, research, research. Talk to everyone: professors, students, administrative staff, alumni, industry professionals. Read books written by the professors you may be studying under. Applying to grad school is a job. Hold yourself to the highest standards. You should feel proud about what you send off.

34 / M / USA

BA Economics / UCSD / 2001

3.42 GPA

164 Q, 162 V, 4.0 W

Recommendations: one from a summer program professor, one from a community college arch professor, one from boss (architect).

Work experience: I've worked in finance for 10+ years, mostly in the nonprofit sector, and am currently the director of finance at an architecture firm.

IN: GSD ($$), UCLA ($$), Columbia ($)

OUT: UC Berkeley, MIT

DECISION: GSD

TIPS:

Everyone is giving a lot of good advice, so I'll focus mine specifically toward those coming to this from a totally different / non-design background, like myself:

1) Do a great deal of research on schools. It's really important to visit schools, and to talk to as many people as you can. Get yourself out there. If you live by an arch school, attend their public lecture series. Ask people what they think of this-or-that school. I asked UCLA people what they thought of UC Berkeley, and vice versa. I asked people about how to structure my portfolio. I talked to students, faculty, administrators, working designers, retired architects--anyone who was willing to lend me some time. By getting myself out there, I learned a great deal about where I wanted to apply and how to go about it, and there were a lot of things that surprised me. You can't do this in a vacuum.

2) I highly recommend doing a summer program somewhere; many schools have them (UC Berkeley, UCLA, Harvard, Columbia, Rice, and others). I did the program at UC Berkeley and learned so much from it. In particular, it helped me determine that I did indeed want to do this, and it gave me the bulk of the work I used in my portfolio.

3) Don't think of your non-design background as being a deficiency--think about how it can make you stand out. How has your background shaped your thinking? How does this show through in your work? What unique ways of thinking will you bring to the school that arise from this? You want to leave an impression.

Hope this helps someone out there!

Ha, Siesta. Guess I know who you are.

As a fellow [In]Arch student, I was also rejected by Berkeley...-_-|||

Anyway, see you in Gund Hall this fall.

So you've decided! See you in a few months!

24 // M // USA

BA: Political Science + Art History, 2012

GSD CDisco 2011

3.17 GPA (a few Cs my freshman year, 3.7 junior/ senior year)

151 Q // 151 V // 5.0

Recs: Yale Ph.D (professor), Berkeley Ph.D (professor), MIT Ph.D (boss) 

Work Experience: Background in woodworking/ construction, most recently working for an audio company designing/ building speaker enclosures

IN: Michigan ($$) // UW ($$) // SCI Arc ($$)

OUT: GSD // Yale // Berkeley 

WL: UVA

Choosing Michigan for the noteworthy faculty and pedagogy of the school, and it's proximity to Detroit -- an amazing piece of American history badly in need of innovators and entrepreneurs for urban renewal -- very exciting. Taubman has better and more fabrication equipment than the Ivy's and really emphasizes making as a means to experiment with form. SCI Arc would be cool also, but Michigan seems like a better fit for me. I started my application process last September, and taught myself Adobe programs on weekends and weeknights. It seemed daunting at first, but it's easy to pick up with tutorials. Thankfully my body of work was basically already done and documented. I went back to a few CDisco projects and redid/ polished them. If you're good at photography, use that skill to showcase your work (as oppose to taking cliche pics of sunsets or beaches). This is the opportunity to show (not tell) what your strengths are, and what you can add to a program. I feel my mission statement emphasized this, and should reflect a desire to learn, not a desire to get into any top school. Think about how your interests/ skills can broaden the language of architecture at the school you want to attend. If you're actually invested, getting into a great school shouldn't be too much of a problem (even in my case, with average GREs and a GPA on the lower end). Don't get too caught up in rankings -- they often arouse romantic visages more than they should. With that said, do your research. Each school is different and it's often difficult to pin down exactly how one school differs from another. I was lucky enough to have a former GSD faculty member give me a few minutes to talk about various programs and review my portfolio. Lastly, keep the portfolio as simple as possible -- keep refining until you can't. Eliminate excessive design in the format, and make it easy to read. Less is more. 

26//M//USA

BS in Architecture & Environment Design, 2012

GPA 3.36

NO GRE

Applied to Woodbury University.

Got IN ($4,000 of scholarship per year) $30,000 a year. (2 year program)

Not going there.

 If I take the GRE and rework on my portfolio I think I could get accepted at other schools. So I will be applying to USC, Cal Poly Pomona, and UCLA this fall.

Good luck to everyone who got accepted and if not there is always another year to reapply.

CHEERS! 

- 24/M/Canada+US

- BA in Cultural Anthropology / University of British Columbia (2012)

- Berkeley [IN]ARCH summer program (2013)

- 3.7ish (Different grade system in Canada but it works out to something like this)

- V:165 Q:156 W:5.5

- Recs: 1 studio prof from [IN]ARCH, 1 arch history prof, 1 anthropology prof

- Portfolio

IN:
- Michigan ($$$)
- Berkeley ($$)
- University of British Columbia
- University of Toronto ($)

WAITLIST:
- Harvard

OUT:
- Princeton

DECISION: 
- Berkeley!

TIPS:

(I got a lot out of reading the posts from previous application cycles so I'll do my best to offer as much advice here as possible. I apologize for the length of this post)

Statement of Interest/Intent

I think this is an under-appreciated component of the application. This is your chance to make a compelling case for why you should be offered a space in the program, especially if you come from a non-architecture background. I followed the rough outline of explaining how my academic background prepared me for graduate education in architecture, what I wanted to accomplish during the degree, and how I thought my experiences in each specific program could help me meet my long term professional goals.

I started by writing without any restrictions to try and figure out why I really wanted to go to architecture school and what I wanted to get out of the experience. Most of it was bad but eventually some good ideas emerged. At first, I wrote what I thought admissions committees wanted to hear. But after a series of drafts, I began to arrive at my deeper, more honest motivations. It helped me to read through my old undergraduate papers to try and trace the progression of my academic interests. I ended up uncovering a reoccurring focus on the intersections between the social world, digital technology, and the built environment. I used that discovery as the foundation for a story of how I became interested in architecture and design. I then articulated some specific research goals I wanted to pursue and explained the reasons why each program I was interested could help me meet those goals.

I ended up with much more content than I could use. Over the course of a few months, I slowly edited it down to length. I spent a long time refining each and every sentence to ensure my language was precise and persuasive. At one point, I just let it sit for a few weeks so I could come back to it with fresh eyes. I also gleamed some useful writing tips from the following books: Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott, On Writing Well by William Zinsser, and some of the information in Graduate Admissions Essays by Donald Asher (but not the actual essays).

Letters of Recommendation

Make sure to reach out to potential letter writers who know you well. Ask potential referees if they are willing to write you a strong letter. In my opinion, it's much better to have someone tell you up front that the letter won't be strong so you have time to find someone else. Give the letter writers as much time as possible to get your letters together (at least a month and ideally longer). Be ready to send them a package with your statement of intent, transcripts, cv, draft of portfolio, etc, so they have specific material to refer to. If at all possible, try and meet with your letter writers to discuss your motivations and remind them of some your accomplishments. This website has useful information about recommendations and grad applications in general. 

Portfolio

Like others have said in this thread, the portfolio is the most significant aspect of your application. Fortunately, it is also the area where you have greatest amount of room to improve your chances.

Because I came from a non-arch background and didn't have much work to choose from, I tried my best to highlight a small number of projects and place them in a clear and compelling layout. I ended up leaving out a lot of projects I didn't think we're my best and reworked a number of drawings. I really tried to use the "less is more" maxim in my graphic and layout choices. Before starting, I set up a rigourous set of organizing principals for the whole portfolio: including horizontal through-lines, a consistent grid and set of margins, consistent font sizes and hierarchies of information, a short word limit for each project, a system for captions, etc. The specifics ended up evolving but I strived to keep an overarching visual logic that was consistent throughout the entire portfolio. 

Before you start, I would recommend really looking into what your final format needs to be. Chances are you will have to produce several variations, possibly for print as well screen. It's much easier to optimize each version at the beginning rather than frantically trying to change the margins on an almost-finished portfolio. I would also recommend setting up a system for managing, linking, and naming files before you start. I had two workflows and two "master" portfolios: one for print and one for screen. For each one, I had an InDesign file with different margins/bleeds and different colour management settings. I would optimize every drawing and image in Photoshop or Illustrator to the correct colour space and resolution needed for print or web and then link that file into InDesign. It's important to understand how your printer handles colour (especially black), line work, and bleeds in advance. I did my printing with the online company Blurb and was happy with the result. They have a custom InDesign template and useful tutorials on their website. Be careful if you're ordering in December because their production and shipping time is slower than advertised near the holidays.

GREs

From what I've heard the GREs don't matter much unless you totally bomb one of the sections or need to compensate for a lower GPA. I decided to write the test in the summer, rather than in the fall and I'm really happy I got it out of the way before I was occupied with my portfolio and the other parts of the applications. If I could do it again, I would have devoted less time to studying for the GREs and more time on the higher impact sections like my portfolio.

General

1) If you come from a non-arch background, I think there is a lot of value in doing one of the many summer programs. Most importantly, it lets you figure out if architecture school is really the the thing you want to do. You can apply yourself for a short but intense period of time and come out with some great projects, connections, and a much stronger idea of how to think and communicate in visual and spatial terms.

2) Give yourself twice as much time as you think you will need—for everything. First, your portfolio and statement will benefit from multiple iterations over weeks and months. Second, unexpected things always come up, whether it's a printing error in your portfolio, the post office being closed, or a transcript that never arrives. I thought I gave myself lots of time but still came dangerously close to missing a few deadlines.

3) I don't know how much this really matters but I treated my entire submission as a designed project. I had a consistent format and hierarchy of information across my portfolio, CV, statement of intent and all other components of the package.

4) When it comes down to making a decision, I recommend doing everything you can to visit the schools you are considering. I almost didn't go because of the cost and challenge of scheduling visits around work commitments. But I'm very glad I did. As much as you can research the programs from a distance, more subjective questions like departmental culture, faculty engagement, pedagogical nuance, and whether you feel "right" in that school and city, are really hard to pin down without actually going to the schools and talking to people. 

5) Take care of yourself during the application process. It takes a long time and a sneakily large amount of work to complete your applications. The process is full of waiting and uncertainty. If you're anything like me, it's hard not to attach a insane amount of pressure on the result of the applications. It's really easy to become obsessive about the process, worry about your chances, and spend too much time lurking on archinect and grad cafe. No matter what happens, this process does not determine your value as a person and should not interfere with your ability to be a happy and functional human being. Make sure to sleep, exercise, eat, and see your friends and family. Remember that the very worst that can happen is you will have another chance to apply the next year as an even stronger applicant. That's not so bad in the grand scheme of things.

I hope some of this is helpful to future applicants.

 23/M/USU - originally from Puerto Rico

- BFA in Interior Design (2013)

- 3.66 GPA

- V:155 Q:144 W:4.0

- Recs: 4 Studio professors

- Portfolio

IN:
- UIC 
- USC ($$$)
- Upenn ($$$$)

OUT:
- GSD, Yale, UCLA

DECISION: 
- Going to Upenn with a full ride, couldn't be more excited since it's my dream school and I wouldn't have been able to afford it otherwise!

25/M/US

B.Arch '11

GPA 3.57,  V166 Q156 W4

APPLIED TO FIRST-PROF MLA PROGRAMS

IN:

UT Austin   $$$

UGeorgia   $$$$

UPenn   $

Berkeley   $$

GSD   $$

Penn State   $$$$

LSU   $

Cornell   $

VTech   $$

OUT: UVa

DECISION: Penn State!!!

Just a guess , but if he reapplied to the same schools he got into and turned them down , then either he got waitlisted or rejected . Unless its from a low demand state school , but if its from an ivy or private then forget it , they have too many other applicants that won't waste their time . But I could be wrong haha 

Sort of missed out on all the excitement surrounding the acceptances but wanted to post to enrich the thread a little bit for next year. Go archinect!

23 / Male / USA

B.Arch UIUC 2012

GPA: 3.70

V 158 / Q 146 / W 3.5

http://issuu.com/mojrzanowski/docs/michal_ojrzanowski_portfolio

2 from former Professor's I was closest with and influenced me most / 1 former employer

IN: Michigan ($$), Columbia ($$)

WL: Yale

Out: Harvard

I decided to go Michigan! The Open House they organized for admitted students played a large part in making me comfortable with my choice. It's the largest M.Arch program in the US but studio sizes are intimate which actually gives a huge variety of choices to pursue. There's so much going on at the school that I'm really going to have to do some soul searching to see what I want to dive into- which is a good problem to have.

My strategy was to only apply to a handful of programs I really respected and would want to go to. Sure, I wish I had applied to 1 or 2 more programs but no use dwelling on that. I've found that putting together a portfolio is more mental than anything else so the best thing you can do besides giving yourself plenty of time, is to discuss your work with others. While you need to be strategic about what to include, trying to please schools leads to self doubt that will eat you up. Keep things in perspective and remember that the portfolio represents YOUR interests/ sensibilities and schools will either appreciate that or pass.

Penn is not a selective school; the incoming class is ~60 students, which means those who post on this thread, i.e. those confident enough in their skills to present them to the general public, are most likely going to be accepted (if you doubt this simply count the number of PennDesign rejections on any one of these similar threads). Virtually none. Most likely, PennDesign distributes acceptance letters to a large number of applicants relative to those they believe will matriculate. Why? High caliber applicants will statistically be considering offers from other Ivies, i.e. more attractive options like the GSD or Columbia, two ivies that also have huge incoming classes. Above average applicants will be considering schools like Michigan, Pratt, Rice, Wash.U, Syracuse, etc., but will be tempted by the lure of an ivy education, i.e. PennDesign (note also how they have cleverly branded themselves a "design" school, which they are, but you get what I'm saying). Still further, Penn will accept applicants who are average to above-average, and offer them little to no financial aid. Penn relies on these second and third-level tiers to continue financing the machine, because they know the only way they will attract tier one students is by offering a free ride, thereby nullifying that student's income-earning potential. In other words, Penn is a school you accept an offer from either because a) it really is the best school you got in to, and you're going to pay for it, or b) you are confused by the school's status as a private institution in the ivy league athletic conference and you forego offers from fantastic public schools like the afore-mentioned. 

Consider what you believe to be the culture at each school; you will arguably learn just as much from your fellow classmates as you will from your professors. What are the caliber of first-year professors at a school that must divide its incoming class into 5 different core studios? Are they time-tested intellectuals or temporary, provocative green thumbs who fetishize visualization and architectural shock value (take a look at the Dean's work).

The only really impressive thing on this thread are those students that reject schools like GSD, Columbia and Penn in favor of more economical and architecturally grounded educations, or those students that are accepted to MIT, Princeton or Yale. Sorry I even ventured on to this thread.

Yeah, sorry you did venture into this thread. What do you know about PennDesign anyway? First of all I imagine you're referring to the "shock factor" in the architecture chair's work, not the dean [the dean is an urban planner]. I don't even understand what you mean by "What are the caliber of first-year professors at a school that must divide its incoming class into 5 different core studios?" What does that mean?

It's called PennDesign because it is a design school. It even has a department of Fine Arts. Btw it has probably the world's best Landscape Architecture department. And let me name some of the high-caliber faculty across the school for you: James Corner, Richard Weller, John Dixon Hunt, Laurie Olin, David Leatherbarrow, Marion Weiss, Stephen Kieran, James Timberlake, Cecil Balmond, Roland Snooks, Enrique Norten, William Braham, Joshua Mosley, Winka Dubbeldam, etc. If you don't know any of these names, you should, because they're pretty high-caliber people. 

Been lost a while after the college results.  Nevertheless, here's my stats for this year.
 

 23/M/Nepal - originally from Puerto Rico

- Bachelors in Architecture 2011 + 2 years experience

- 78.71 %

- GRE - V:148 Q:155 W:3.5

- Recs:  1 Professor + 2 from the workplace

- Portfolio :

http://issuu.com/blindmanche/docs/web-chitrakar_sagar-portfolio/1

IN:

- WUSTL ( 50% funding )
- Parsons ( 50% funding )
- Syracuse  ( 50% funding  + Research Internship )
- SUNY ( 5K funding )
-Cincinaati ( Advanced Placement + No funding )
 

OUT:
- MIT - Yale - Princeton - RICE -

DECISION: 

This was my second go for Grad. Schools and I was hoping to get some good offers. Indeed I did got some,  but still the rest of the money to pay was way too much for me. I was about to lean to Syracuse and was within my budget but then later due to the length of the course (3.5) it went over my budget. Hence I dropped all the offer. 

Recently, i was offered job by this amazing company MAP ( http://mapdesign.co/ ) as an Associate Architect and I am working for their office based in Kathmandu. I hope to pursue my education after I garner some experience in the field.

TIPS :

Get your portfolios reviewed by professionals and I feel that one ought to have experience outside the school or rather outside architecture to get that extra punch. And seriously, don't worry about GRE grades, make your portfolio stands out.

Hey Sagar

I have to say I REALLY like your cover haha.  Portfolio covers always bother me when they're just some meaningless abstraction or just TOO understated.  Covers never receive too much attention in portfolio reviews/critiques even though they play a huge role in setting the tone for the whole document.  Yours expresses a lot about you without being glitzy or blunt and its so simple that I feel silly for pointing out how much better it is than most.

 23/M/Nepal - originally from Puerto Rico - ignore the Puerto RICO :p TYPO

Hi I have a small enquiry....I got a toefl score of 99 and the minimum requirement at harvard gsd is 92 with a sectional requirement of 23..

The problem is i got 21 in reading and the remaining i crossed the 23 mark.

should i be taking the test again?

please help!!

Am willing to study masters in Architecture in USA, but challenge is my GPA is 2.57, can i be offered admission into any university in USA like uc Berkeley if my GRE and TOEFL score is high? Please I need your response.

Guys, please advise me best graduate schools from these, for Master of Architecture program. I am looking for curriculum which has the strongest program of specialization in sustainability.

M.ARCH (Master of Architecture)

1. University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign - (Has specialization of Building performance in it)

2. University at Buffalo (Has specialization of Ecological practices in it)

3. Arizona State university (Has electives in sustainability subject)

4. University of Arizona (Has electives in sustainability subject)

Considering all aspects.. like excellent job opportunities, landing up in good jobs early,  top notch payscale , how good is the university overall, course, curriculum, location and overall ranking?

Which one is first class in all aspects? All in all, which one should I prefer?

Thank you.