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2011 M.Arch applicants, commiserate here!

1335
Laurem

@maryagnes

I'm training for a half marathon as well! I use the word "training" very lightly. I ran one in the fall so I'm just trying to beat my time from that one.

I didn't apply to any schools where I currently live so I'm also anxious to know where/if I will be moving! My lease is up on April 30th so everything will be happening very quickly.

Mar 3, 11 2:38 pm  · 
 · 
NYer

Business trip for two weeks...testing the limits of my stamina...the workload however, has done nothing to quell the urge to check archinect/gradcafe/email every 5 minutes.

Mar 3, 11 2:39 pm  · 
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jamesherm

okay, so where'd you folks apply? should be interesting for comparison's sake while we're playing this waiting game horrorshow.

me:
harvard gsd
mit
ut austin
parsons
pratt
iit

hit it.

Mar 3, 11 2:56 pm  · 
 · 
deletedusername

Harvard
Yale
Columbia
Princeton
UCLA

Mar 3, 11 3:03 pm  · 
 · 
abyssinian

Columbia
Cooper Union

Mar 3, 11 3:05 pm  · 
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cmarshalle

First acceptance just came! In at Miami University Ohio....the waiting is finally over and this was my first choice.

Applied to:
Ohio State
NC State
Miami U Ohio
U of Miami

Business undergrad with minor in music.

Mar 3, 11 3:08 pm  · 
 · 
NYer

Princeton
Columbia
Yale
UPenn
Parsons

Mar 3, 11 3:17 pm  · 
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aag2022

columbia
mit
berkeley
u oregon
ucla
sci-arc
wash u
u mich
parsons
pratt
upenn
ohio state
u of utah

my boyfriend also applied to grad school this year so I had to apply EVERYWHERE. kicking myself for not applying to CCA

Mar 3, 11 3:27 pm  · 
 · 
maryagnes

UW
Oregon
UC Denver
UPenn
Syracuse
Cornell
Rensselaer
Yale
WSU
Wash U

Also kicking myself for not applying to CCA. I have a friend who goes there, and she absolutely loves it. Have visited a couple of times, and it's a really great atmosphere.

Mar 3, 11 3:32 pm  · 
 · 
Laurem

GSD
Yale
Berkeley
AA

Mar 3, 11 3:39 pm  · 
 · 
NYer

@aag2022 and maryagnes:

I applaud you both on getting all of those apps out. 'Tis no easy feat. :)

Mar 3, 11 3:40 pm  · 
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johnlem87

That is a lot of schools, your applause is accompanied!

WashU
U Oregon
UC Berkeley
MIT
UT Austin

Wish everyone luck! These past few days I have been the most unproductive employee. I've considered leaving early everyday just to check my mail! This is disgusting!

Mar 3, 11 3:48 pm  · 
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arketkt

Harvard
Yale
Princeton
Columbia
Cornell

I hate this wait and I'm literally going to lose my mind. Has anyone made any contact with Cornell at all? I have not received a single email or update of any sort.

Mar 3, 11 3:50 pm  · 
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maryagnes

@ arketkt - no recent (as in the last week) contact with Cornell, but the week before last, I was told that my file was "ready for review", so that certainly didn't make me think they were any closer to decision-making time.

As for the number of schools, yeah, it was a hell of a lot of work. Hoping it paid off. All I'm asking for is one school. One school...

Mar 3, 11 3:54 pm  · 
 · 
jamesherm

has anyone heard anything substantial from pratt?

i got a letter just sort of confirming that i had applied several weeks ago, but nothing since then, and no online application status? every other school i applied to had some kind of status check, even if just to see when recommendations were received.

Mar 3, 11 3:54 pm  · 
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deletedusername

Now that we know where everybody is applying, post, or repost yer ports!

http://www.issuu.com/arquiteuthis/docs/alexdahm-work

Mar 3, 11 3:59 pm  · 
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arketkt

@maryagnes, hm I have not received that email, did anyone else you know get contacted by Cornell?

Mar 3, 11 3:59 pm  · 
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Luthien

I did not get contacted by Cornell.

Mar 3, 11 4:09 pm  · 
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jamesherm

it always surprises me that people are so willing to post their portfolios online.

a guy in my studio regularly steals ideas from portfolios he's seen on issuu and claims them as his own.

Mar 3, 11 4:20 pm  · 
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Jumperman18

B.Arch University of Arizona '09

Harvard GSD: M.ArcII, MAUD
UCLA: M.ArcII
MIT:SMarcS
Columbia:MSAUD
UMich:2G, MUD
Yale: M.ArcII
Princeton: M.ArcII (why not)

Mar 3, 11 4:33 pm  · 
 · 
deletedusername

@mr. minimal

I know what you mean, but if he's stealing other people's ideas from the past, he'll always be one step behind what he should be doing on his own right now. That, and he clearly leads a banal life barren of creativity and self-discovery.

jus sayin'

I like the idea of seeing work from other people that one would not ordinarily interact with and gain some perspective on what the priorities and skills of their peers are. I think in the long run, the benefits of that far surpass any two-bit hack ripping off ideas that I came up with two years ago. After all, there is no way to every really "steal" ideas, only images and tangible objects. Even then, ownership has largely vague implications across cultures, generations, and disciplines. I find that the more I share ideas or am willing to give up my own, the more readily new ideas flow to me.

I've had friends in studio that worked feverishly in their respective corners of studio without so much as discussing their work even though it was quite noteworthy, as if the students in class were not going to see it at the pin-up in the days to come. What's the point?

Design disciplines (let us include music under this umbrella for argument's sake) are notorious for trying to claim ownership and possession of their ideas (which is reasonable at times), but let's not get into an argument about intellectual property.

Mar 3, 11 4:35 pm  · 
 · 
m2p

just received an email to check GSAPP website for M.S. Historic Preservation
still waiting on M.Arch I decision

Mar 3, 11 4:40 pm  · 
 · 
Underslept

BFA Visual Art and Theory at UBC.

Portfolio

Berkeley
CCA
Pratt
U of T at Austin
Oregon
Dalhousie

I'm stoked about CCA. I can see myself going there if I can get funding.
I'm expecting a rejection from U of T next.

@mr. minimal

Over a month ago I also got a giant full color guide to all of Pratt's departments. Why? I already applied! It came shortly after the confirmation and I actually thought it was an acceptance package. It was just so big! They'll email us.

Mar 3, 11 4:57 pm  · 
 · 
jll3

After seeing the two acceptances on gradcafe for WUSTL I went out and checked my mail, and mine was there as well. So happy that my first response was a good one, especially with a non arch background.

Mar 3, 11 4:57 pm  · 
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aag2022

as yet another example of my neurosis...

@lomas3 do you mind me asking where you live? I'm in brooklyn and wont be home until late tonight...

Mar 3, 11 5:02 pm  · 
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Laurem

@aag2022 I will check your mailbox for you. Unless you live out in Coney Island or something.





... just kidding. You don't need to worry about finding me outside your apartment.

Mar 3, 11 5:05 pm  · 
 · 
deletedusername

@persimmons

I can't remember if I ever commented on your portfolio, but it's solid work from a non-arch background. One thing I personally like to see is if you have a photograph (especially one with plenty of nuances such as a silver gelatin print), BLOW THAT BABY UP! Make those photos LIVE on the page. It's especially nice if you have them printed on matte paper with a semi-gloss/glossy toner because the image almost feels embossed on the page. You did so with the "Layers" project which is nice, but I personally don't like small photos together in a row unless they are describing some sort of narrative. I guess I always think of the way comic books are structured, that's why. :)

Your diagrams and digital drawings are nice and clean, but don't be afraid to use more cross-diagramming to interrelate them across the page. Check out the drawings and work that Chris from The Bartlett has posted on the archinect school blog and you'll get the idea. That takes it to an extreme, but I like that old adage that legibility does not imply communication, or something to that tune.

Mar 3, 11 5:06 pm  · 
 · 
jamesherm

@arquiteuthis

those are all compelling points, and i almost entirely agree. and yes, this individual is a terrible designer and an exhausting human being. to clarify, he doesn't just steal ideas in some nebulous sense, he has repeatedly repurposed others' actual images and text.

i suppose i just see a distinction between displaying one's ideas briefly to a relatively small group of people (at a pinup, for example) and making a body of work available for the unscrupulous at large to actually take and rebrand as their own.

so I see you're at UTA. i am as well, but in the process of desperately trying to leave. are you graduating in may?

Mar 3, 11 5:07 pm  · 
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aag2022

Hah! I was just asking to see what I should be expecting based on my location.

This place makes me crazier than i ever knew i could be!

Mar 3, 11 5:08 pm  · 
 · 
pzuro

GSD M.Arch II
GSAPP MSAAD
MIT SMarchS, Arch + Urbanism... first choice by far
Princeton M.Arch II

@ mr. minimal: if said two-bit hacker has the self-awareness to realize that his own work is unworthy, and realizes further that he might as well cut his losses and appropriate others good work as his own, then more power to him. if he steals my ideas for commercial purposes, and does well with it, i will most likely see it published, and subsequently sue the shit out of him for a healthy settlement.

"good artists borrow, great artists steal."
-pablo picasso

Mar 3, 11 5:10 pm  · 
 · 
jamesherm

@persimmons

i had the exact same experience with the Pratt catalog. and i got a letter thanking me for applying and restating the application requirements. pretty sure i had to know those to apply.

from "IT'S HERE SO EARLY WOO" to "um, thanks Pratt." in about 5 seconds.

Mar 3, 11 5:11 pm  · 
 · 
maryagnes

Sorry, guys, did not mean to throw you off. I sent Cornell a message inquiring about a material I thought I had forgotten to send. Their reply was that it had been received, and that my file was ready for review. It was not a mass email. Sorry for the confusion... Breathe easy.

Mar 3, 11 5:20 pm  · 
 · 
jamesherm

@pzuro

true, though it's not easy to keep up with every publication that could conceivably be duped into believing your work was his.

i'm also thinking of other situations such as, say, the grad school application process, where the plagiarism of portfolio work is not only potentially damaging to its author, but to other applicants.

hypothetically, say arquiteuthis' portfolio is just so absolutely kickass that any school anywhere would snap him up without hesitation. the only people who will see it are those on his admissions committees. if arquiteuthis makes this ultraportfolio available to the world, as long as johnny two-bit doesn't apply to the same schools, he could swipe it and be accepted using the same material.

which would be unfair, and he probably wouldn't be able to cut it, etc., but that doesn't help the poor sap who busted his ass, legitimately applied, and whose spot got taken by the thief.

(just to be clear, i'm really not trying to argue with anyone. i've just been thinking a lot lately about how strange it is that interviews aren't a part of this process for us.)

Mar 3, 11 5:32 pm  · 
 · 
mitboi

^ this hypothetical event sounds familiar :S

Mar 3, 11 5:37 pm  · 
 · 
jamesherm

did it happen to you?

Mar 3, 11 5:40 pm  · 
 · 
Laurem

I wrote a pretty kick ass personal statement... I hope someone reads it.

Mar 3, 11 5:40 pm  · 
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mitboi

mr. minimal.. search keyword "porfolio" (yes, no t) on the forum.. you'll see what i'm talking about :P

Mar 3, 11 5:42 pm  · 
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jamesherm

ah. hm.

Mar 3, 11 5:47 pm  · 
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AmeliaP

hahahaha, this is how it turns into a 50 page discussion. ive had like 50 updates today sent to my email.

I applied to:

Pratt
Parsons
USC
U of Oregon
U of Washington

I also had that wonderful pratt moment with the course guide. so cruel...

Haven't heard ANYTHING yet. I'm guessing that means that Parson's is a no. AND my family are going out of town for 5 days and stopped the mail at their house!!! I used their address...YOU THINK YOU'RE STRESSED...

Mar 3, 11 5:49 pm  · 
 · 
AmeliaP

@mr.minimal

DITTO. we should have interviews. so much of making it in this profession is how you communicate in person. (i would rock an interview)

Mar 3, 11 5:52 pm  · 
 · 
Laurem

I had an interview (job) the other day and the person conducting the interview told me that someone else had come in with the installation I did in their portfolio. 4 of us did the installation... I'm the only one who interviewed there. It was published online.

It's not going to hurt me of someone rips off the work I did, but it could potentially keep someone else who deserves a spot at an office or grad school from getting in.

Just sayin...

Mar 3, 11 5:58 pm  · 
 · 
deletedusername

@mr. minimal

No, I graduated last May. I read your post on another topic describing graduate life at UTA, and I must say, I am very sorry. UTA is not an ideal place to live a graduate lifestyle. I had a reasonable undergraduate experience with a few speed bumps, but that may be expected in an architectural education.

Having said that, I hope to hear that your efforts for transferring turn out positively!

By the way, this is the post mitboi is speaking of, although I hate to re-open those wounds for someone who clearly made a poor choice. http://www.archinect.com/forum/threads.php?id=103201_0_42_0_C

At one point I had a variation of my portfolio with a graphic sensibility very similar to another publication on issuu (although it was a MUCH LESS blatant adaptation as the link before the jump) and I was flamed for it significantly. The content layout was drastically different, but I had mimicked a diagonal line pattern and overlapping text to develop a more structured and spatial feel to the layout of the page. After that, I turned off *two* layers on each document, and re-upped what was essentially the same document.

Oh well! It's the nature of the process, and it makes sense why people fiercely defend their shit. I would think that the event of somebody getting in after ripping off another dutiful applicant is very rare, but I wouldn't know!





Mar 3, 11 6:02 pm  · 
 · 
israelias

EMAIL FROM WUSTL. IN!!!!!!!

Mar 3, 11 6:27 pm  · 
 · 
mitboi

@Laurem, I agree with you.

Sometimes you need to be proud that ppl are copying your work. It means that it was damn good! Its the later fact that the person may be taking up another's space who worked hard, honestly and genuinely.

oh well. the world is not fair. what can you do.

Mar 3, 11 6:57 pm  · 
 · 
Underslept

@arquiteuthis

Thanks for the feedback. I think i really undersold myself with my port. I'm a photographer and I love really big photos, which was an obvious problem with the portfolio. Funny thing is, I don't mind that photo page. It's not a narrative but I wanted to demonstrate both range and consistency through a series, and the detail on the printed portfolio came through quite nicely. I just laid them out like I would hang them on a wall. That being said, every photo I put in there is either from a medium or large format negative, so it is kind of ridiculous presenting them so small; they do lose something. I went full page for the layered ones because I wanted them to be presented as something more experiential... and my prints of them are four feet tall.

Ever seen fujiflex and color metallic prints? I think they might be right up your alley. They bring a black and white night shot to life indeed.

@mr. minimal

"those are all compelling points, and i almost entirely agree. and yes, this individual is a terrible designer and an exhausting human being."

Oh man, when I first read this I thought it was in response to arquiteuthis' comments on my portfolio. Haha, I can take criticism, but I think that might have thrown me into a pit of despair.

Mar 3, 11 8:31 pm  · 
 · 
jetvancake

look! a duck!

Mar 3, 11 10:32 pm  · 
 · 
Luthien

now we have a winner for the best post

Mar 3, 11 10:45 pm  · 
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aag2022

Im done with the craziness! my washu letter was waiting for me!

Mar 3, 11 10:58 pm  · 
 · 
sasazuka

I applied to:

CCA: IN
U of W: IN
Berkeley:
City College of New York:

I have no delusions about an immediate, highly-paid job and am terrified of debt, and so applied places that would be cheap (with the exception of CCA, but they have decent scholarships). Now I am regretting not applying to some of the more prestigious East Coast programs as I know they have lots of money available for a few people. (I can swing both CA and NY residency, and WA after one year).

Did anyone else apply to City College? Living in NY people were always talking about what a good program it is, and for a resident is (as far as I know) the cheapest architecture program around. Except, of course, Cooper Union. When I talked to the school they made it sound like it was ridiculously competitive, but no one seems to be applying on Archinect. Just curious.

CCA: I am really excited about the program, but has anyone heard of anyone who DIDN'T get in? Not that that should mean anything to me, I just wonder if they accept everyone and have heard nothing about numbers.



Mar 4, 11 2:33 am  · 
 · 
LinkOne

***NEWSFLASH***

Theres a Princeton 3 Year M Arch acceptance on Gradcafe.

Anyone else hearding anything?

This is excruciating.

Mar 4, 11 5:29 am  · 
 · 

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