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Prospective M.Arch I // Aerospace Engineering degree from UK // any advice?
Hi all,
First of all, sorry for the long email but please do have a read as I am in need of opinion and advice :)
I am going to finish my undergraduate degree on June and I would like to pursue a M.Arch I in US. I have in mind Harvard, MIT, Yale…
First of all, I would like to know if you think I have a realistic chance to get into the program? My qualifications are as follows:
-BEng (Honours) Aerospace Engineering degree from University of Bristol (one of the top 10 in UK).
-Expecting to graduate with a 2:2 class (which according to several website is equivalent to around 3.0-3.3 US GPA) **Quite low, I know**
-Form my high school qualifications I got pretty good grades (around A) . I did two different programs simultaneously (Spanish Baccalaureate and International Baccalaureate (IB) ) in two years. Not sure if is relevant but may be it could help to overcome my low GPA.
-Have an artistic family background (both my parents have had photo exhibitions in the past and my dad used to have a prestigious photographic academy). I have a deep knowledge on photography .
- I speak fluently Spanish and have a good knowledge of Chinese (having myself spent a year in China previous to my university degree). I know is not relevant, but it may be good to my application (??)
- I have work experience (internship) in engineering. Not relevant to architecture.
***My plans for the next few months until I have to send my application is as follows***
-I still don't have a portfolio, I will be moving back home on late June, so would spend all summer and autumn on it until the next application period so I would be working full time on it. Any advice on what could I do using my background? Also, would I have enough time?
-I am not sure which kind of recommendation letter I should get. I can get form my degree final project supervisor, and my boss during my internship and maybe my personal tutor at my university, but none would be relevant to design. Any advice?
-I'm planning on getting drawing classes. I have already done some drawing/painting when I was young, so would like to improve it. Also it would be helpful to get a recommendation letter from the teacher as I do not have a recommender of artistic background.
-I hope I would get a high mark on GRE so I can overcome my low GPA. Would I have time to practice and sit the exam before the deadline? As I stated before I would spend this months only on the applications.
Thanks a lot in advance!
Andrea
anyone? I know is a long message haha but I would really appreciate some advice :)
Why do you want to go into Architecture? Are you unhappy with aerospace engineering?
It seems like there would be many more jobs with better pay and benefits in Aerospace. What gives?
It seems odd to me that you don't want to leverage an engineering background in a field where people are paid to solve problems not too dissimilar from remedying a poorly designed aircraft engine or turbine blade. Strange how analytical and logical thinking is considered "irrelevant."
The obligatory question posed by archanonymous: why switch?
An aerospace or aeronautical engineering degree is not too different from a mechanical engineer, just a few courses in fluid dynamics. A mechanical engineer is not to far from a civil engineer, either. I would look to getting a masters in civil engineering the UK, working a bit in that field, and go from there. The route you have laid out is similar to going up on the roof of your dorm and throwing hundreds of thousands of dollars (pounds) into the wind.
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