MTorres, just wondering when did you apply to the summer to arch program at GSAPP and how long did it take for them to notify your acceptance. Thanks.

I applied to the program and am waiting for feedback.

MTorres,

I'm in at the GSAPP as well, and plan on finding some sort of sublet as opposed to dorm living. Unfortunate that this thread hasn't received more activity, but hopefully by moving to the top of the discussions, it will.

I have a question on top of MTorres' to those who may have attended the Intro to Arch program in years past, or similar programs at Harvard, Berkeley, etc. Is it worth it for the money? Simple as that I suppose.

Personally I am a 25 y.o. junior architect looking to go back to graduate school, and look at the Intro program as a way to add serious design work to my portfolio, make some connections, add to my resume, and, hey, spend a month in New York (coming from San Francisco). I'm just trying to justify the cost I'm going to incur with this endeavor.

Any thoughts or opinions would be greatly appreciated, and thanks for getting this going MT.

astew426 -

happy to hear you're on board.

have you sent in the studio questionnaire? if so, have you received confirmation on studio section? crickets over here. I'm guessing we'll be informed upon orientation.

good luck on your sublet quest!

hey all,
25/b.sci in arch/ s.o asia
i was wondering if now is too late to begin to apply to the program?
it's only less than 2 months away, & not to mention need some time for the student visa processing after acceptance. does anyone have a similar experience & find the timing is just nice/ too tight/ not advisable?

i'm kinda stuck in an office rut, & need an architecture channel which may or may not open few doors of learning opportunity/ career opportunity later on. thing is i feel like i need this NOW. next year may be a different story, as I may or may not be enrolled in a degree program and whatnot.

your 2 cents? thanks :)

hello there,

22/urban studies (in progress)/austin

i opted for the dorm living due to convenience as everything i have found about the program stresses the amount of time needed and i did not want to commute much.

i have also not heard back yet about studio selection.

morgan2sims -

i received an acceptance letter about 2-3 weeks after applying. go for it. and good luck with your student visa.

linesoflight -

have you heard any details about move in day and/or what res hall theyre putting us up in? thinking it might be wallach hall.

MTorres

since registering for the housing i have only received a confirmation email but i think the building assignments will be sent out two weeks before the move-in date of July 5th.

Will be attending the program as well.

Debating to get residence or sublet a place now..

Also, anyone know if I need student visa coming from Canada? Or can I just say I am on a trip? Thanks.

this question goes to LIG (Living in Gin?) & those who have gone to the program above:

i know it's a non-degree program, but what letter/ certification did you walk away with? did you get any proof (letter of 3 credits, etc) that you attended the program at all? i mean beside your portfolio & body of work.
thanks! i need one more reason to take the leap :)

ok, God willing, I think I'm gonna take the leap & apply for the program. Is an architectural work portfolio necessary for B. Sci in Architecture applicant?

If it is, I wonder how do I send/ post with applications? Or should I ask the admission office? I think I may have asked a lot of Qs already :D

you dont need a portfolio for the application.

btw. residence at columbia is all full now :(

oh no.. where did you hear that? did you call/ email the the housing office directly?

@mitboi, program attendees are not elligible for student visas.
how do you plan to go about it? can u just say 'i'm on 5 weeks trip' to the port of entry officer? i'm worried they'll cut your trip short. OR can you show your program schedule or admission letter to them?

Columbia doesn't give you a student visa for that course, that's the problem. I had to say I'm on trip as I was afraid of them sending me back for student visa so I didn't mention I was going to study at all.

If you're a Canadian, you can travel in the States for up to 6 months without a Visa. If you're a non-Canadian but are from one of the 36 countries listed under the Visa Waiver Program (link), you can stay in the States up to 90 days without a Visa. You'll just simply have to fill out the form.

@mitboi
Are you serious!? Ahh! Where did you hear that?

hi archiwhat, thanks for sharing.
i'm worried that they'll think 5 weeks is too long for a 'mere' trip.. or won't they? it'll be a nightmare if they only give me 3 weeks duration of stay & i have to go back before program ends.
maybe depends on what country you're from, i'm guessing? can i ask what country you're from, archiwhat?

p.s. by now, i guess everyone knows i ask a lot of questions..

unfortunately my country isn't one of the countries under visa waiver program..

morgan2sims

I was worried too so I invented a whole story about my willing to visit all the museums and so on but they didn't even ask me what I was going to do all this time in NYC. Depends on the country, I suppose. I'm from Eastern Europe.

thanks, archiwhat. what year did you attend the program?
do you have architectural background? was the course super intense? can you gimme an example of project you were asked to do? :)

I sent you a message.

woo, nice to see some feedbacks, thanks!

I guess I am just going to show the customs the forms.. tell them its a short summer program.. or is that a bad idea? or should i just tell them i m on a trip..hmm.....

as for residence, i checked: http://ce.columbia.edu/Summer-Sessions/New-and-Visiting-Housing

and its all error url, which means its full.

anyone want to look for summer sublet together?

@archiwhat

can't see the message..
do you mind resending the message again? i've changed the email address in my profile now. thanks

oh and sorry for the inconvenience, btw :)

hmm i dunno whether i was making any sense haha.. i meant to say the old email address is not working anymore.. i've updated my email address in profile page, if you don't mind can you send again to the new one?

pfff it's laaaate where i'm at :P

archiwhat , can i get a copy of the msg that you have to morgan2sims too? thanks!

archiwhat, sorry to ask another favor, but getting some insight into the program would be helpful for anyone following this thread. Could you post your message to morgan2isms for all of our viewing pleasure? If no, then could I get a copy as well? Many thanks.

oh no, just go word that there's a possibility housing is booked for the summer...

*got

btw, fyi i found this info regarding summer housing at international house ihouse-nyc.org for anyone who's interested..
anyone has any experience staying there?
i heard there are also other university dorms open for the summer.. any advise/ recommendations?

@morgan2sims, have you apply to the program yet?

the ihouse is a good find, also close to columbia! good find, I'll look into it :)

i've applied but haven't got word on acceptance yet.
mitboi, can you let me know if u're able to apply for a room at ihouse?
the rooms are non-air conditioned.. wonder how hot it gets in nyc in the summer esp. nights?
only drawback tho they require you to have u.s. health insurance.. acceptance depends whether u have health coverage or not.
hmmm

@morgan2sims, i don't see why you can't apply. i won't try it yet because there is an application fee of $65. i've been looking around craigslist tho.

when did u apply to the program?

i dont think it gets that hot in nyc (i m in toronto) so the weather is similar. but it wouldnt be too comfortable without a/c. it would be too stuffy :(

if you are interested, maybe we can find a 2bdrm together somewhere close to the campus, if it works out.

well, i can apply but not eligible because i don't have u.s health insurance as required for room registration..

are u sure u can find rental apartment for 1 month stay?
thing is, to be honest, i'm not familiar with apartment search in nyc, i think u'll end up doing most of the searching.. ha! :)

hey everyone,
i attended the gsapp intro to arch last summer and i thought it was a great experience. i'll try to answer most of your questions if i can.

money - the program is quite expensive and the costs add up while you are there. at orientation, they will tell you which tools/equipment you need to buy. this is a great time to meet new people and go to china town and purchase them together. however, be aware that you do NOT need everything on the list. try to only buy a few and share other things. your critic will assign you projects and you must purchase all of the materials used in it. some studios had to buy lots of balsa wood and it definitely adds up. oh yeah and there are site visits and so the subway fare will also add up.

studio - they divide everyone up into groups depending on experience level. most students will fall under "no experience". then they just randomly put a group together and give you a critic. i don't think i found out who my critic was until the day of the orientation. (probably because there were people who just showed up the day of and registered). all studios will be working on the same project on the first day, but then critics come up with their own projects after that so everyone will be doing different things.

housing - i recieved an email about two/three weeks before the program started. i got my first choice in housing, which was a double in 134 broadway (or something like that, the building didn't have a name). however, when i showed up, they switched my housing. i ended up in hogan with a single. the building was older, but i got a single room for the price of a double, so i was happy. most of the intro students were in hogan, so its nice to walk home together. plus it's right next to school so it's convenient. most students didn't do the columbia housing. some already live in nyc and others subletted. sometimes it's a hassle to go all the way home at night, but you do get to experience the city more. however, be prepared to not do a lot of site-seeing and be stuck in the studio a lot.

social life - my studiomates and i became very close during the program (especially the ones you sit next to). everyone's really friendly and a little nervous so it works well. hopefully most of you are 21 because everyone goes out for beers together (including the critics). the studio space can get pretty intense because there is so much stuff lying around from peoples work, but it's a lot of fun. there is also a cafe in the building so you can eat lunch with your friends.

projects - you will have to go up in front of your entire studio, present your work, and then listen to comments from your critic and other professors/architects. every time i went up, it was incredibly intense and devastating because i am so shy when it comes to public speaking. but you have to do it so just suck it up. sometimes critics will bring their friends to help critique. also, they will tear your project apart and be prepared to answer all their questions. sometimes they love it and sometimes they hate it, and they will definitely tell you.

hopefully, i answered all your questions! i'll keep checking back to answer more if you have any.

hi m2p,

did u come from arch background? if so, did u bring ur portfolio with you, was anyone asked to show their portfolio/ voluntarily show their portfolios to instructors?
can u tell me more about the project (s) you were doing there?
can i see samples of your work while u were there?
hope u're not regretting to volunteer to answer any questions we have.. :D

btw, many thanks for sharing ur experience above, very helpful.

m2p, thanks for the insight. i feel as though for such a large program (with hundreds of people attending each year), hardly anyone has shared their experiences or thoughts on the program.

as for housing, session Q housing is still available i believe. the one that runs from july 5 through august 13 (additional week from the end of the program), but $1,599 (single) and $1,326 (double) plus $100 application fee.

umm.. seriously?

better look elsewhere..

urban goose, session Q is no longer available :(

ahhhh now session Q is no longer available, i've just checked.

also, are you attending the program as well, urban goose?

so now what?

i've been searching craigslist constantly.. its so hard to find a place.

if u found anything & looking for a person to occupy the other room, i may be interested..

sure, i will look into it.

i dont mind sharing a place n sleep on the couch or whatever, maybe we can minimize the cost this way too.

i am a male, you too right, morgan2sims?

um, no actually.. i'm a female. thought u knew

oh no i didnt.. opps!

anyways, i m trying to find and will keep an eye out for you as well!

i think someone here mentioned, it's hard finding anything on craigslist when u're out of the country. most ad posters would prefer locals?

i'm not sure what other method there is to find a place then.. :(

i've asked thru friends, and they are living in brooklyn, not sure a 30min commute is ideal.

i'm really kicking myself for not applying to residence (session R&S) earlier when it was still available. i filled out the form and everything but didn't submit since had to pay for the full amount by visa right away. i was hoping for a better canadian-usd exchange rate. lol

same thing for session Q ..... damnit

i've also enquired neighboring university dorms for availability, no result. hmmm..

ASIDE from housing, how much should one budget for a month of frugal living in NYC whilst in the program?

if you had a near-free place to stay, could you squeeze through the program for under 4,000?