-22/Male/mixed ethnicity (african/caucasian)
-BFA Visual Arts/York University (Toronto)/2010
-gpa: 3.5
-gre scores: N/A
-3 letters of rec. All from professors
-Portfolio: http://www.megaupload.com/?d=BSJ8RP19
(I actually don't know how I managed to get in, I thought I'd be a stretch for all of them. Anyone care to explain?)
-No prep programs
-Applied to: UBC M.Arch (in), UBC MLA (in), U of T MLA (no word yet)
-Going to check out UBC end of April
-Final Decision: I just sent in my acceptance form to the UBC M.Arch program yesterday.

22 female
background: first year studio in architecture, and sculpture electives
recs: 2 letters professors, 2 letters professionals
applied to: Princeton (out), UofM (in), WashU (in), Parsons (in), Columbia (in), Yale (in), Penn (in)

likeliest decision between Yale, Parsons

35

BA Studio Arts and History from a New England small private college

gpa 3.8

gre 1250

3 letters of rec, (1) Depatment Head from major, current boss and (2) landscape arch that I collaborated with on projects

no prep porgrams

Applied MLA I to:

GSD (accepted)
UPenn (waitlisted)
Berkeley (no word yet)


GSD was my first choice and I'll happily be relocating to Cambridge in August.

good thread!

26/F/ white/Eastern European Jewish American
BA, Oberlin college, Studio Art 2007
3.72 GPA
UC Berkeley Summer [in]Arch program
gre: 600 v, 700 q, 3.5 writing
Recs: from two college art professors, one summer arch program professor (who teaches at two schools I applied to)
portfolio: http://issuu.com/ncro54/docs/march_rosenbergnaomi_portfolio

Schools Applied to:
CCA ----------in w/renewable merit scholarship
Columbia -----rejected
Pratt ----------in
SAIC ----------in
UC Berkeley --in w/first year fellowship
UPenn --------in (conditional on completion of prereqs)

Choice between UPenn and Berkeley. Waiting to hear from UPenn about money and visiting to feel it out.

- 24/m/white
- BS Art & Design, MIT, 2008
- 4.0 (on a 5.0 scale)
- 1290 (590v, 700q, 4.0 writing)
- 3 rec's: 1 studio prof, 1 planning prof, 1 former employer
- Portfolio: http://timdudley.net/arch/Timothy%20Dudley_Portfolio2009.pdf
- MIT, Columbia, UPenn, UVA, Berkeley = No
GSD, UMaryland = no word yet (But I've pretty much given up on GSD)


I'm seriously worried about my across the board rejection. I've got the degree, the grades, what I thought was the portfolio, and about a year of experience at a firm. I'd love to hear some encouraging (but still honest) words, as I'm starting to reconsider my decision to enter architecture.

Hey Tim don't be discouraged yet. The only reason I'm writing is because I sat back thinking the same thing last year when I got wait listed pretty much everywhere I applied. Use the year to add to your portfolio and try to attend school portfolio sessions and email profs that you would be happy to learn from. Many people have to apply many times to get to grad school and the economic times are helping.

shay: Thanks, it's good to at least know I'm not the only one. I just hate having my life on hold.

-27/m/asian american
-Architecture, UC Berkeley, 2007
-3.15
-1180 (560v, 620q, 3.5 writing)
-4 rec's: 2 profs, 2 former employers.
-Portfolio: http://issuu.com/timmybearterritory/docs/archinect_port2
-Yale, Princeton, UT Austin, Berkeley (1st choice) = No :(
-GSD, UW Seattle = donno yet (probably not)....

Pretty much the same situation as tim's (well, my name's tim too)...
Perhaps I applied schools way beyond my caliber, or I'm just not good enough to stay in this field. This can be a good opportunity for me to reconsider my major again.

stasis: wow, really surprised you received all 'no's'. I mean, all the schools you applied to are super competitive, but your work's pretty slick.

wow stasis, your portfolio is good

I have about the same GPA as you too and I'm applying to the same schools as you. I guess I have no hope for Yale afterall...
and berkeley is my first choice.

stasis: As others have said, nice portfolio. Your work is good (specifically I really dig the 'in-between space), but the layout is fantastic. If this is the type of work that gets you rejected - I can only imagine the caliber of acceptees this year.

ive seen portfolios that are not as good and got into ivies. but gpa and gre were higher than stasis.

your profile makes me want to cry, stasis. I guess i have to suck a lot of dick to get into a good school.

Fellow Cal alum here. Stasis your work is good and you took 101, I think the problem was mainly that you applied to all the schools that don't love the Cal grads.

You seem to have gunned for the practical/craft programs instead of the theory programs like MIT or GSAPP, is that right?

Yale is really weird with their acceptance policy, Berkeley doesn't like to accept their former students, Princeton is just too competitive for most people, and UT Austin is also weird...

Anyway, my point is that you didn't get in not because you're not good, but because your portfolio didn't cater to those programs. Don't be discouraged.

^ thats very uplifting, but he also got rejected to his own school by BERKELEY?? how you make sense of that?

you have a good portfolio and you got your own professors to write for you. UNLESS...they wrote bad reviews for you?

I wish you can call those people up and ask why you were rejected. If they say your portfolio isn't strong enough, then I'll be little appalled. I guess i'll just put some images up on some white pages.

Thank you everyone for kind encouragements.
I've contacted every admissions offices to learn more about my unsuccessful application and hopefully, I can prepare better for the next time. Come to think of it, I have not been as aggressive as others mentioned. I should have gone out there and contact people in each grad schools I applied.

adrasteia,
Yes, I wanted to get into more balanced programs such as GSD, Yale, and Berkeley (though cal is more practical, I think) and tried to stay away from Theory heavy schools.

Perhaps I should have applied to GSAPP. All my professors are columbia graduates and they tried to emulate Columbia curriculum here. I think Cal undergrad is becoming west coast columbia.
Most of us spent the majority of semister to come up with rigorous design process and did not have much of finished buildings, which drawn a lot of fire from reviewers, the other Cal profs. I did not want to have the same experince in grad school, hence I've been looking for more balanced programs.

As someone pointed out earlier in the other post, my works don't show much of refined architectural products. I do realize that my drawings aren't as detailed as others here. If grad schools I applied are kin on that aspect, they might have shunned me because of that.

vyan,
I can deal with other rejections, but I'm really bummed out by the rejection from my alma mater.. she doesn't know how much i love golden bears.. well, i contacted the office but they're closed for spring break now.

"I've contacted every admissions offices to learn more about my unsuccessful application and hopefully, I can prepare better for the next time."

...have you gotten any response? I'm considering doing this as well.

I'm also trying to figure out how to access the letters my recommenders submitted. I made a point to not waive my right to view them on the applications so I could go back and check them out in the event of my rejection (which is where I'm at now). Has anyone done this successfully?

well, i've only e-mailed Yale, UT Austin, and Cal.
I heard from Yale that told me that the advisor will write to me around 2nd week of May. Cracking into recommendation letters seem very dangerous and I have never heard any applicant could access them.

Tim, would you be interested in taking a summer intro studio at Columbia, Berkeley, or at GSD? it seems taking summer studio can enhance one's chance to get in.
Since i'm already an architecture major, it seems awkward for me to take one of those studios.

vyan,

Berkeley doesn't like to accept their former undergraduates. Their philosophy is pretty standard of architecture schools, which is to spread their gospel as far and wide as possible!

Frankly though, as a designer it doesn't really make sense to go back to the school you already did your undergrad in... cost/time/prestige-wise I understand the allure of Cal (I applied there as well this year), but I think that if you've already learned what Berkeley has to teach, it's better to expand your horizons...

Stasis, your port does look good... I wonder if maybe this year, your grades/GRE scores weren't quite competitive enough, given the large number of applications and the top notch schools you selected and all that...?

Tim, I think there are a few simple things you could do to improve the presentation of your work. You've included quite a few images of the outcome of each design exercise, but not necessarily very much about why it is the way it is... what are the motivating factors? Is the work based on some aspect of the site, social or formal relationships, or the outcome of some sort of system, iterative process, or technique?

Instead of relying on the text, you should produce a simple diagram or two that gets at the most important ideas behind each project... For example, in the artists loft project, you describe a series of massive walls as the generating formal element, but the importance of these walls isn't really all that clear from the images; maybe a few axonometric diagrams that explain simply how these walls work to create spaces individually and together would be helpful...

Anyway, hopefully you guys aren't too discouraged. A year spent working, maybe entering a competition or two and refining your applications should stand you in good stead for next year.

- 25 White Male
- B.S. Architectural Studies, University of Utah 2010
- 3.58 gpa
- 360v 590q yeah not a fan of the gre
- 3 awesome letter, 1 from distinguished professor, 1 from young award winning professor, 1 from current boss and firm owner that i have worked with for four years
- portfolio http://issuu.com/swegin/docs/issuu

- applied to Univeristy of utah (accepted), UC Berkeley, USC, MIT = rejected GSD= who knows, still waiting but expecting rejection
- It looks like i will be staying at the University of Utah
- It was a real eye opener to get rejection after rejection, fell free to let me know if you see any red flags in my stats or portfolio, I am planning on completing my degree at the University of Utah, but I would like to know why i received all of the rejections

swegin,
I like your consistent presentation style, but I think you can benefit from consistent layout too, like having title and texts in one designated spot. I think both yours and mine have little crowded layout that we should space things out.

Perhaps you can show your design process more explictly.
Knowing not much about hip hop culture, it would be very informative for me to learn how you define hip hop artists status and determine their hierarchy (by # of record deal, # of record sold, etc).

congrats on your admittance to Utah. I love your football team and they should have more national attention.

ok here's my stats:

23 female of "mixed" background

Bachelor of Architecture, 5-yr. program with minor in architectural history and spanish

3.6 GPA

1300 combined GRE score

3 very good rec letters written by past architecture professors (2 got their masters from columbia, 1 taught at clemson)

i applied to the GSD, GSAPP, Clemson, UPenn, Pratt, UT Austin and got into all with scholarship money (GSD was my reach and i--luckily--got in!!)

right now it looks as if i'll be going to the GSAPP, but i really can't decide which program will be right for me...also i reside WAYY down south and i'm afraid to move up north lol...cost of living is scaring me

anyone know how good the chances are for someone like me to get on-campus graduate housing at the GSAPP?

STATSSSS

. 22/Male/African-American
. B.Sci - Architectural Studies/ University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign/2010
. 3.5 GPA
. 1200 combined GRE w/ 4.0 writing (I LOATHE THESE TESTS)
. 3 letters of rec (2 design profs, 1 structures prof)
. folio link should be up tomorrow :)
. Studied at L'Ecole Nationale Supérieure d'architecture de Versailles (France) Junior year (longest running arch. exchange in the country)

. Applied to:
Berkeley...(OUT)
Columbia...(OUT) (top 'reach' choice)
Cornell... (IN)
Parsons...(IN)
Syracuse...(IN) (top 'realistic' choice)
WashU (OUT) (this one was a lil' redic.. I saw some folks with horrible portfolios from my school get in)

. Most likely will attend Syracuse. Going to Cornell would be amazing but they haven't offered any financial support yet. On the other hand, Syracuse offered adv. standing, $16,000 scholarship, and a research internship + stipend. A no-brainer right? Or am I being crazy not to go to the 'Ivy'?

// 24/M/White
// BFA Design/UMass Amherst/2008
// 3.35 Overall / 3.79 Major
// 720 Q / 520 V / 4.5 W
// 3 Recs / 3 Prof / 1 GSD / 2 GSAPP
// issuu.com/loremipsum/docs/final-12-15
// None, but nearly 5 years of solid work experience.
// Results
/ OUT - Princeton, Columbia, Yale, Cornell, UVa
/ IN - Berkeley, UPenn
/ SILENCE - GSD, UCLA
// Headed to Cal and Penn open houses. April 5th and 12th.
// Waiting for financial information.

The portfolio above is the expanded version that I sent out to every school I have either not heard from or been rejected to... take that for what it's worth. Penn and Berkeley both received condensed versions. Ultimately, I feel like I made it too long winded and spread out relative to the content.

Before I applied I visited every school on my list and felt that Berkeley was the strongest fit in terms of the school-vibe. This was last summer. My dog peed on the graduate admissions floor (sorry!).

I would be very happy to accept to either program if I feel that I can manage the cost.

- 22/m/Caucasian
- ms arch/bowling green state university/2010
- 3.5
- 1000
- letters from two profs and one lecturer
- http://issuu.com/mbuyer/docs/final_grad_portfolio_to_size

- WUSTL - waitlisted
Parsons - rejected
RISD - rejected
Pratt - accepted (3yr)
GSD - rejected
Northeastern - rejected
IIT - accepted (2yr)

- I will probably go to Pratt since that was my number two choice anyways and I love Brooklyn.

hm, this is all very interesting, seems like a tough year.
I know that this advice is given a lot on archinect, and I would go against that - do not be afraid of text.

I noticed a lot of the portfolios are presenting projects with very little context, mostly what the studio requirements were and a bit of data.

I think it would help if you tried to articulate your thoughts into a few paragraphs that explain what the project meant for YOU, what you achieved - this can help the reviewers know better what kind of standards you hold for yourself and what your evolution is like.
Unless you can do that with crystal clear diagrams, which I think is much, much harder and requires a different order of conceptual thinking.
Anyway, write more, carefully and judiciously, it's an extremely useful exercise, and don't think you'll bore the audience, they will read at least some of it.

- 28, female, filipino
- undergraduate from ucla, graduated in 2005, major: economics, minor: music history
- gpa = 3.125
- gre = 490 verbal, 590 quantitative, 4 analytical writing
- 3 letters of recommendation (1 from 2008 sci-arc summer program instructor, 1 from 2009 berkeley summer program gsi, and 1 from the ceo of the commercial interiors firm i’ve been working as a project manager at for about 4.5 years)
- portfolio link: http://issuu.com/its.bird/docs/bird_m.arch_portfolio
- i participated in lots of preparatory programs/courses as follows:
1. beginning architectural drafting course in the fall of 2007 at los angeles community college- waste of time
2. completed physics and arch history prerequisites at el camino collge in the spring of 2008, completed calculus requirement during undergrad since i was an econ major- glad to have gotten prereqs out of the way ahead of time
3. sci-arc, making + meaning, summer 2008
this program pretty much sealed the deal for me and confirmed in my heart of hearts that i’d rather be studying architecture than be doing anything else. the program didn’t have a digital component at all, and the conceptual models we made were the primary focus. it was loads of work and not much sleep, also the most fun i’ve ever had academically. my criticisms would be the lack of a digital component and the fact that the program felt like a whole lot of making without much meaning. it wasn’t till the end that the process started to make sense.
4. LAIAD for half a semester in the fall of 2008, completed 1 project only, had to quit due to emergency surgery
5. structural weaving course at otis college- another waste of time and $
6. lighting design and diy graphic design courses at art center in pasadena- loved it and was beneficial towards my portfolio.
7. uc berkeley, [in]architecture, summer 2009
this program was heavy on the digital component. all of the projects included autocad or illustrator work. personally, it was perfect for me since the sci-arc program lacked the important digital stuff. i would say that the sci-arc program was much more fun and hands on with the design process. because of the art and crafts, model making focus at sci-arc, the environment helped me think conceptually when it came to the more practical approach berkeley offered. my criticism for the berkeley program is that unfortunately, i had a studio instructor who didn’t care and was discouraging. also, since this was the first year of the summer program, the 2nd project didn’t seem to have a well thought out focus leaving many of us students dazed and confused. however, i am almost certain that my participation in this program was key to my acceptance at berkeley. so for those who are really interested in attending berkeley, i do believe that although there is no guarantee, participating in their summer program may provide you with the edge needed to get into their program.
- schools applied to:
1. mit (reach) = out
2. u of mich = in + $5k for first year, cancelled my trip to the open house last minute because of berkeley
3. cca = in + $8,500 scholarship, i already mailed in the form saying i wouldn’t be attending and will be enrolling at berkeley in consideration to those on the waiting list.
4. risd = in, but irrelevant because of my decision to attend berkeley. again, in consideration to those on the waiting list, i already mailed in the enrollment bill with a note saying thanks for the offer, but i’ll be enrolling at berkeley.
5. ucla = no word yet, though it is irrelevant at this point since i wasn’t hoping to go here because i already went there for my undergrad. i’m ready to get up out of la la land. heard a rumor that schools don’t like to accept their own undergraduate students for graduate programs, so rejection is likely.
6. sci-arc = no word yet, though also irrelevant at this point.
7. berkeley = in w/ fellowship covering all tuition and fees + $10k stipend for the 2010-2011 academic term
- the only open house i plan to attend is berkeley’s. it would be a good time to visit the department again, ask questions, see old friends, make new ones and spend time with my sister who lives in oakland. my mama is also really excited about this and will be joining in the fun as well.
- final decision = 110% berkeley, they made me a generous offer i can’t refuse and wouldn’t refuse anyway. it was definitely a top choice so the decision was easy. plus, my being accepted coupled with their offer served as a sign to me that berkeley is where i belong. going in to the m. arch application, i was hoping to stay in cali and am ecstatic to be moving to the bay area from los angeles.

in conclusion, that ladies and gentlemen, is an outline of my entire journey leading to my final destination as an m. arch student at berkeley starting this fall 2010. i have to say, that it feels great to know that all the hard work, time, $ and sacrifice has paid off. now, i just have to keep on truckin’ with the architorture for another 3 years. i welcome the pain gladly since it hurts so good. :)

if anyone has any questions or needs help with anything, please feel free to reach out. probably the only components not included in the above trajectory are my essays and resume. i can email those to whomever might be interested. i know that my gpa and gre #s are quite weak, so it’s possible that my essays were received well. they did have a social justice angle that berkeley may be keen to. this is of course only speculation as i still find myself having to reconcile how i got soo lucky. i know this was a very tough year for applicants, so i have a difficult time analyzing the reasons why some people have been admitted while others who are just as deserving have not. everything happens for a reason, and i would encourage everyone to see this as an opportunity either way. seriously though, hit my up via email if there’s any way i can help. i’m hear to spread some love as much as possible. best wishes to all ♥

i'm practicing for arch at night marathons and stay up as late as possible on days i don't need to wake my ass up early for work... this makes no sense though since i'll be losing enough sleep for a lifetime in the 3 years as an m. arch student, i'm sure! can't believe it's 4:27am

Final tally and stats:

23 yrs old. Male. White.
BA Architecture, Lehigh University. Phi Beta Kappa

I currently work for a small boutique arch firm owned by a Lehigh professor of practice.

GPA: 3.79
M: 710 V:530 AW: 4.0


Portfolio:
http://issuu.com/adavinmorley/docs/ugrad_portfolio

LOR's: 3 - All from Lehigh: 1 from dean, 1 from boss/former professor, 1 from former advisor.

IN:

WUSTL -IN (3+)
UO - IN (AP Eugene)

UVA - Waitlist

GSAPP -No
Yale - No
Princeton - No
MIT - No
Berkeley - No
GSD - No

Brutal results with the Ivies, but no worries. WUSTL was one of my top choices from the start.... good luck everyone! I am so glad to have had this thread to help me through the entire process!

Swegin: I think that the GRE is absolute B.S.! It does not measure intelligence one iota, but when schools have 500 - 600 (or way more for some schools) applicants, they are looking for some quick determinants at the beginning. I think at least close to a 500 in verbal might be important to get into a graduate program, if you are a native English speaker. Just a thought, could be wrong...

29/ Male/ White
B.A. History
Minors: English and American Studies

15 hours completed at University Colorado in an interdisciplinary Masters program, won't be finishing now...

undergrad GPA: 2.8 (literally failed out of school when a sophomore, so hope to you "rocky past" students), but 3.8 in final two years (some schools only asked for final two years)

grad GPA: 3.8

Q: 570 V: 680 A: 5.0

My portfolio was effective in demonstrating my desire to explore and experiment. For option 3 I think this is important, they are not expecting me to be an 'architect' let alone a visual representation expert. My portfolio was mostly a collection of experiments and revelations...

WHAT ABOUT THE STATEMENT OF PURPOSE/ HISTORY STATEMENT!: C'mon this is huge, I was able to put to rest past experiences and how they have influenced me and my desire to make a social impact as an architect. IF you write, "I played with Legos when I was a little kid," forget about it.

LOR: 3 to 4 - Very, very strong, specific all from Professors, but from different eras of my career, etc. IF you studied abroad (STUDY ABROAD! It helps), try to get a letter attached to that, architecture is all about the senses and experience, or otherwise known as travel. IF you read this and are still an undergrad, do something unique (independent research, etc.) with a specific "mentor" professor. That is a letter of rec that you will have for the rest of your life, and it will be a good one because that "mentor" will write about you in an intimate way, not just, "oh yeah, I remember that kid, he was like a top 10 student in one of my classes, wrote a pretty good paper on FDR." Being anonymous does not help...


Berkeley = in, fellowship
CCA = in, scholarship
UO = in
WUSTL = in, funding (?)
Texas = denied
Cincinnati = denied
UW = denied
CO = ?

Hope this helps without coming off as too egomaniacal, although I have to admit that I would not be writing this right now if I had a job!

Good luck others - DO A SUMMER PROGRAM if you are on the fence... I did Cal's. I WOULD NOT HAVE GOTTEN INTO CAL IF I DID NOT DO THEIR PROGRAM, I REALLY BELIEVE THAT. As of now it looks like they have taken at least 10 students from their summer program, 2009... This is probably what goes down at Texas and UW also for option 3s, just presuming...

31/female/white

BArch/CCA/2008

3.8

Q: 600 V: 480 A: 4.0

3 recs, one studio professor, two employers

http://issuu.com/jesskleinman/docs/kleinman_jessica_portfolio

Option 1 (1 year post professional) UC Berkeley (In!) and going to Open House on April 5. No word on fellowships, grants or financial aid yet.

jess,

like your portfolio a lot

thanks guyforget - i actually have a similar story - dropped out of college the first time around. i was also pregnant my last semester at CCA. so, yes, there is hope for all!

21/male/white

Undergraduate Architecture degree from Edinburgh University, Scotland.

GRE: 750 verbal, 720 quant, 5.0 writing

GPA: 1:1 (UK degree system)

1 year work experience at London office

In: Yale, Columbia, Penn (w/ scholarship), Royal College of Art, Architectural Association.

Out: Princeton, Harvard

Going to Yale.

My portfolio

23/female/white

B.S. Design in Architecture-Arizona State 2009
B.A. Spanish Language- Arizona State 2010

4.0 gpa

Q 790/V 590/A 4.0

4 recs: 2 professors and 2 employers

U Mich- In
Rice- In
WUSTL- Out
GSD- Out

Michigan Open House- The facilities were amazing and all of the students and faculty were very friendly and generally pretty enthusiastic about being there. I was a little worried by how big of a program it is, especially when my host mentioned that there are two groups of students there: a group of students who were just getting by and not very engaged in studios etc, and then another group that was producing good work. It reminded me a little too much of my own undergrad and worried me.

Rice- I was impressed by the accessibility of the professors and dean. They all seemed connected to the students. They were excited about the work that was going on there. The entire open house struck me as very comfortable... It just felt genuine. There is a definite focus on problems much bigger than a single building and the examples of thesis work leaned towards the mega-scale. However it was balanced by smaller initiatives such as the Rice Building Workshop. I think their attitude was summed up best when one of the students compared the Rice program with others... He said where other schools may use their endowment to bring in crazy technologies and facilities, Rice uses its endowment to bring together the best students (with impressive financial aid) and the best professors and lecturers and allows them to feed off each other to create great discourse.

Final Decision: Rice

- 36/Male/White

- Cal Poly San Luis Obispo - BArch 2000

- GPA 3.45

- V 510 W 690 A 4.0

- 3 - Brian Healy - Brian Healy Architects
Elizabeth Whittaker - Merge Architecte
Karen Lange - Cal Poly thesis professor

- Licensed Architect - Massachusetts
LEED AP

-Sheldahl MArch II Portfolio

- GSD MArch II - In. about 50% Grant. Only applied to the GSD.

- Open House was very much geared toward attracting the MArch I students, which I understand since it is the bulk of the program. I am already very familiar with the program and the school, so probably not a good person to ask for an impression at open house. It was all very familiar.

- I will be attending the GSD starting Fall 2010

-- 27 / Male / White as a Saltine

-- B.A. Mathematics / California State University, Fullerton / 2010

-- 3.30 Major / 2.99 Overall

-- 750 Quant / 640 Verbal / 4.5 Writing

-- 3 Letters of Rec. - 1 from my Mathematics Advisor & Professor, 1 from a Mathematics Professor, and 1 from a Design Professor (UCLA M.Arch Alum.)

-- Port: http://issuu.com/jgaumer/docs/jg2010marchportfolio

-- One Three-Dimensional Design Course at CSU Fullerton, 2 Years at a Landscape Architecture firm, 5 years at an Architectural Engineering firm

-- Sci-Arc - IN (M+M Required, aid pending)
-- UPenn - IN (Summer Studio Required, $4400/year)
-- UT Austin - IN (No aid is even needed to go here)
-- CCA - IN (Summer Studio, $10k)
-- UOregon - IN
-- UC Berkeley - OUT
-- UCLA - OUT
-- UWashington - OUT

-- Visited Sci-Arc multiple times and I loved everything about it, and I always have.
-- Attended the UT Austin open house, loved the city, loved the students, and loved the faculty. While the program was *great*, it at times seemed a bit too practical for me, the point of not requiring a thesis. What did compensate for this though, is how flexible the program is. It seemed that I could actually find the more academic side of architecture there, if I put in the initiative to find it and aim my time there, in that direction. The option to do a thesis is there, just not required, but what they do have in lieu of the thesis is a wonderful residency program. On top of all of this, the school is cheap, very cheap, and they have just about the best paying TA ship I've ever heard of at an architecture school.
-- I visited CCA, and I really did dig it. Of course, SF is a great place to live, but beyond that the facilities were awesome, students seemed pretty relaxed and happy to be there, and there is much possibility for interaction with other disciplines. I can see this place being something really badass in a few years.

-- I will be notifying Sci-Arc shortly, that I will be attending M+M and their M.Arch 1 program in the fall. I'll see you in Downtown LA!

23 . female . white american
B Des in Architecture from UF '09
GPA: 3.14 overall
GRE: 1140 total, 4.0 in writing
3 rec letters, all from professors

In:
Clemson
UNC Charlotte
ASU
UF
Minnesota

Out:
UPenn

Attending: UNC Charlotte for their brand new Urban Design program. I will be doing a dual masters in urban design and architecture. Despite the "youth" of the programs (architecture was started in 2001ish and urban design restarted a year or two ago), they seem to really want it to be great.
brand name isn't everything, kids.

23 Female, White American
B.S. Arch University of Cincinnati

GPA 3.5
GRE 1390 (710 Verbal 680 Quant 4.0 Writing)

3 Recs from Professors

In:
UPenn
GSAPP

Out:
Bartlett (London)
Princeton

Waitlist:
Michigan 2G

Going to the GSAPP!

23 male
bs arch: portland state university

3.6 gpa
average (1100?) gre

3 letters from professors

in with aid at wash u, penn, michigan

out at mit

going to wash u in st. louis!

-25 / female / white

-B.Arch + M.Arch (our program changed to a M.Arch so we magically received 2 professional degrees )/ Wentworth Institute of Technology / 2009

-3.7

-V 500 / Q 670 / A 4.5

-4 recommendations: Thesis Advisor, Assistant Department Head, Employer (Architecture), + Employer/MIT Media Lab Professor

-http://issuu.com/kennanrankin/docs/kr_portfolio

-Harvard MAUD - In w/15,000 p/y
-Architectural Association DRL - In
-Columbia MSAUD - In w/12,000 p/y
-MIT SMArchS - Out

-Will be at the GSD Fall 2010

28/F/white
env. design/2007
3.9
720 M/660 V/4.5 W
3 letters/ two professors/one boss

applied to all M.Arch 1 Programs

in:
ubc $$$
uva $$
ucla
gsapp

out:
yale
gsd
ut austin (grrrr two years in a row!)

...think I will be seeing a few of you at GSAPP in the fall.

Oops, I guess I don't follow directions well.
- http://issuu.com/kennanrankin/docs/kr_portfolio

- 23/Male/Korean
- B.S. in Architectural Studies/U of Illinois Urbana Champaign/2009
- 3.6
- v580 q800 w5.0
- 3 professors
- http://issuu.com/jten/docs/march_leejaeyual_portfolio
- Wash U in St. Louis - in (5k)
Michigan - in (10k)
UPenn - in (dual with MLA and MArch, no money)
Cornell - in (25K with AP)
MIT - in (half tuition)
GSAPP - waitlisted
GSD - out
Princeton - out

- Went to MIT and Cornell Open houses.
Very satisified with MIT Open house. I felt Cornell is concentrating only so much on their b.arch program. Could not really see M.Arch students work where they were building some structure model that is due this week.

- final decision - MIT
I had hard time choosing between MIT and Cornell where I had more money and less time at Cornell, but after attending their open houses, it helped me making decision

25, male, white, can run a 6-min mile
bs arch ohio state
3.72
1200 gre


in:
ucla
sciarc
rice $
maryland
gsapp $
cornell
michigan $

waitlist:
upenn
mit (3.5 years..yeah, no)

no:
gsd
berk
ut


so. I sent my acceptance to Rice and sent Sarah a note. BUT. I'm contemplating asking for another year to work. it says on their site 'no deferrals' but I'm thinking of asking anyways. does anyone have any experience with something of this nature, or advice on how to proceed without offending anyone?

- 23, fem, mixed eth
- b.a. history art/architecture, brown university 2008
- 3.8 overall, 4.0 in major
- 690v 710m 5.0w
- 3 recs: a professor (the dept chair in my major); an art gallery owner; architecture firm internship supervisor


applied to M.Arch 1 programs:
GSAPP - In
UT Austin - In
UW - In
MIT - Out


I'm going to GSAPP. After a year I'll probably try for a dual degree in urban design.

I did one prep course, SciARC's M+M, but I didn't end up using, or even keeping, any of the work I did there for my portfolio. It was a good experience overall, but I would probably have gone elsewhere for summer prep if I were to do it all again.

23, female, white
ba arch '09 miami university
3.5 GPA
1300 GRE

horrible, horrible writing score on my GRE though, but it really was insignificant overall for those of you that might be stressed about it next year... at least it didn't prevent me from getting into my favorite schools...

IN:
OSU (3 yr) + $$
miami university (2yr) + $$
university of oregon - portland program (2 yr, still haven't gotten financial aid info)
WUSTL (2.5 yr) + $

OUT:
UW
RISD

RECS:
2 professors, 1 employer

i'm 99% sure i'll be in st. louis this fall. i have until sunday to decide. it's hard to walk away from the money but i was blown away by WUSTL's faculty. not happy about the cost, but the loans will be manageable. you only go to grad school once and i'm willing to make some sacrifices for it. thinking about dual degree in arch + landscape, really liked dorothee imbert in st. louis last weekend.

email me if you want to see my portfolio.

26/f/nepalese
B.Arch Ryerson University
3.0 GPA
terrible GRE

IN [MLA]
UPenn +6500
RISD + 6000
UofT (full ride)

Recs - mentor, prof, employer

RISD final decision.

portfolio http://issuu.com/priyankabista/docs/portfolio

22/f/Asian
BA in Art, Art History
3.35 GPA
770 Math, 700 Verbal, 4.5 Writing
Recs: lab supervisor, art professor, summer studio instructor

Portfolio of mostly drawings and paintings, one project from UT's Summer Academy.

IN:
UT
UCLA
Rice (full ride)
GSD (less than half in grants)

OUT:
GSAPP
Berkeley

Currently leaning towards Rice bc of the full ride. Still second-guessing myself, though.