Hey everyone! I’ve got a question to my fellow architect. Currently I’m a student with a 3.2 gpa from the university of Virginia school of architecture. I was wondering how screwed I’ll be when it comes to applying to grad school in a year and a half when my gpa is slightly higher (maybe a 3.35 or something)? What do you guys think my chances are at a top school like Harvard GSD, YaleSOA, MIT, or UPenn? Also any advice for someone like me with no work/internship experience at a firm to better their chances?? What do you think my other options are?
TED
Jul 24, 19 6:16 am
Stay at Virg for MArch 2 year then do 1 year masters at top school
Non Sequitur
Jul 24, 19 7:17 am
everyone and their dog wants to get I to the top schools and many of them have stellar grades. You’ll need a seriously bad-ass portfolio and refernce letters if you want to have a fighting chance in those schools. Extra important is that you’re unlikely to get merit scholarships so you’ll be paying sticker price and no march, regardless of the name, is worth 100ks price.
Employers don’t care about grades. They care about production skills. Look for a reasonable school for cheap instead of the bullshit dream schools everyone is so hot and heavy about.
Non Sequitur
Jul 24, 19 12:44 pm
I most certainly did. 1.25/10
threeohdoor
Jul 24, 19 12:45 pm
No, it seems like someone has a job...
Non Sequitur
Jul 24, 19 1:24 pm
Ding ding ding... and not just a job, but a PA career.
SneakyPete
Jul 24, 19 6:15 pm
I went to a less-than-ivy grad school and I'm doing just fine. How about you keep your shitposts to yourself
, alina?
Non Sequitur
Jul 24, 19 7:32 pm
Nope.
Spacerbot
Jul 24, 19 10:52 pm
This. Thanks. You sir are living in real world :)
wahoo2020
Jul 24, 19 10:46 am
I understand that money is a crucial aspect, but dont these schools offer 100% financial need based scholarships? For instance depending on how much I or my parents make I would only have to pay a small portion of the cost of attendance? Or do grad schools not offer that at all?
thatsthat
Jul 25, 19 10:01 am
I don't think you can get a financial need scholarship in grad school. Schools typically offers government loans. To my knowledge, there are no Pell grants or anything like that for grad school either.
Dangermouse
Jul 25, 19 3:43 pm
i got 22k/year in need based grants from the gsd. i think it depends entirely upon the school
GridBubbles
Jul 24, 19 1:37 pm
To be honest, I think its easier to approach this sort of dilemma with a realistic set of expectations. I too was concerned with "prestige" when applying for grad schools, but in the grand scheme of things it honestly doesn't matter. Unless you're some sort of genius that will be the next Zaha, or Rem or whatever high profile architect, the reality is that most students are just closer to the average than they are outliers in the distribution of talent.
So the question to ask yourself is, are you chasing the name of the school or do you value employable skills? If it is the latter, then any grad school is fine (employers couldn't care less about grades), they only care about your employable skills (ie. decent portfolio with good graphical ability, technical knowledge of buildings, construction, drafting programs, etc.). If it is the former, all I can say from experience is that its not as glamorous as they make it out to be. Again - set real expectations.
3tk
Jul 24, 19 3:25 pm
Grades matter only in so much as they are respectable. It's the portfolio that matter most. Working in between may help you focus more on what to get out of school as what you can do in studio at school will more than likely differ than what your day-to-day will be at work. It will also help inform you on which programs to look at.
Yes, the competitive programs will surround you with everyone that has 'passed' the test to get in, and (hopefully) share similar interests in design. Part of the value of a school is the network they give you both in alumni and in your peers - you want to find the right community to be a part of for the length of your career. As a (grad) Hoo, UVA has served me very well. Many of the undergrads I knew ended up at UPenn, YaleSOA and Michigan (Jeana/Anselmo?), all with success. The other as some have alluded to is what type of work you would like to pursue after graduation - the programs are distinct enough its worth considering.
Marc Miller
Jul 24, 19 5:48 pm
I'd contact someone on the Young Architects Forum. There are plenty of former grads in that organization who'd be glad to talk to you, describe their path and eventual outcome. I'd also suggest talking to people in the Dean's Forum. Granted those fokes are "older," but will also have some perspective on what they see from grads leaving the program.
Talk to your alumni relations person and she can help facilitate those conversations. She might even have some real numbers about how former grads fared applying to grad programs for your edification.
Spacerbot
Jul 24, 19 10:55 pm
I’m new here. Is Young Architects forum a different site? Trying to find it. Appreciate a link :)
Marc Miller
Jul 24, 19 11:33 pm
Those are alumni groups specific to UVa.
Volunteer
Jul 24, 19 6:56 pm
Are you an in-state student? If so stay at Virginia or go to Virginia Tech for your Masters as a change of venue. There is no reason to spend an insane amount of money on an exclusive private school when, honestly, no one cares.
flatroof
Jul 24, 19 7:11 pm
A UVA student going to VT? ew.
Volunteer
Jul 24, 19 7:46 pm
I live fairly close to UVA. Several students every year transfer down to Tech. In some cases the transfers find the engineering departments at Tech a overall better fit for their interests. Not to mention former UVA President Teresa Sullivan did an enormous amount of damage to the school.
Marc Miller
Jul 25, 19 8:45 am
Yeah, it was annoying how Ryan had to make the public apology she should have made in the 1st place. But she certainly didn’t do damage to A-school, given it’s expanding presence across campus and national profile.
wahoo2020
Jul 24, 19 7:53 pm
@flatroof
Lol no, Im attending the undergraduate architecture school at UVA
Volunteer
Jul 25, 19 9:09 am
Some rankings put Virginia Tech ahead of Virginia for overall program quality. In any event the advantage of going to a different school for graduate school as opposed to undergraduate and being exposed to different philosophies and mindsets is invaluable. The OP if fortunate that he can do that within state and not incur absurd amounts of debt by going out of state.
thompson's gazelle
Jul 31, 19 7:43 pm
Although this is 6 years ago, I got into one of the schools you mentioned and another top 5 school (only applied to two) with a GPA less than 3.3. In hindsight, my portfolio had been sub-par (graphically--my projects were okay but not excellent) and with a GRE score of 650V/800Q (older version) which isn't super high.
I think your essay and recommendations count a lot. All my letters were from people who graduated and in some cases taught at the school I ended up going to. Also the school I went to seemed to have a handful of its favorite undergrad programs. I did go to one of those colleges, which I think counted as well.
Hey everyone! I’ve got a question to my fellow architect. Currently I’m a student with a 3.2 gpa from the university of Virginia school of architecture. I was wondering how screwed I’ll be when it comes to applying to grad school in a year and a half when my gpa is slightly higher (maybe a 3.35 or something)? What do you guys think my chances are at a top school like Harvard GSD, YaleSOA, MIT, or UPenn? Also any advice for someone like me with no work/internship experience at a firm to better their chances?? What do you think my other options are?
Stay at Virg for MArch 2 year then do 1 year masters at top school
everyone and their dog wants to get I to the top schools and many of them have stellar grades. You’ll need a seriously bad-ass portfolio and refernce letters if you want to have a fighting chance in those schools. Extra important is that you’re unlikely to get merit scholarships so you’ll be paying sticker price and no march, regardless of the name, is worth 100ks price.
Employers don’t care about grades. They care about production skills. Look for a reasonable school for cheap instead of the bullshit dream schools everyone is so hot and heavy about.
I most certainly did. 1.25/10
No, it seems like someone has a job...
Ding ding ding... and not just a job, but a PA career.
I went to a less-than-ivy grad school and I'm doing just fine. How about you keep your shitposts to yourself , alina?
Nope.
This. Thanks. You sir are living in real world :)
I understand that money is a crucial aspect, but dont these schools offer 100% financial need based scholarships? For instance depending on how much I or my parents make I would only have to pay a small portion of the cost of attendance? Or do grad schools not offer that at all?
I don't think you can get a financial need scholarship in grad school. Schools typically offers government loans. To my knowledge, there are no Pell grants or anything like that for grad school either.
i got 22k/year in need based grants from the gsd. i think it depends entirely upon the school
To be honest, I think its easier to approach this sort of dilemma with a realistic set of expectations. I too was concerned with "prestige" when applying for grad schools, but in the grand scheme of things it honestly doesn't matter. Unless you're some sort of genius that will be the next Zaha, or Rem or whatever high profile architect, the reality is that most students are just closer to the average than they are outliers in the distribution of talent.
So the question to ask yourself is, are you chasing the name of the school or do you value employable skills? If it is the latter, then any grad school is fine (employers couldn't care less about grades), they only care about your employable skills (ie. decent portfolio with good graphical ability, technical knowledge of buildings, construction, drafting programs, etc.). If it is the former, all I can say from experience is that its not as glamorous as they make it out to be. Again - set real expectations.
Grades matter only in so much as they are respectable. It's the portfolio that matter most. Working in between may help you focus more on what to get out of school as what you can do in studio at school will more than likely differ than what your day-to-day will be at work. It will also help inform you on which programs to look at.
Yes, the competitive programs will surround you with everyone that has 'passed' the test to get in, and (hopefully) share similar interests in design. Part of the value of a school is the network they give you both in alumni and in your peers - you want to find the right community to be a part of for the length of your career. As a (grad) Hoo, UVA has served me very well. Many of the undergrads I knew ended up at UPenn, YaleSOA and Michigan (Jeana/Anselmo?), all with success. The other as some have alluded to is what type of work you would like to pursue after graduation - the programs are distinct enough its worth considering.
I'd contact someone on the Young Architects Forum. There are plenty of former grads in that organization who'd be glad to talk to you, describe their path and eventual outcome. I'd also suggest talking to people in the Dean's Forum. Granted those fokes are "older," but will also have some perspective on what they see from grads leaving the program.
Talk to your alumni relations person and she can help facilitate those conversations. She might even have some real numbers about how former grads fared applying to grad programs for your edification.
I’m new here. Is Young Architects forum a different site? Trying to find it. Appreciate a link :)
Those are alumni groups specific to UVa.
Are you an in-state student? If so stay at Virginia or go to Virginia Tech for your Masters as a change of venue. There is no reason to spend an insane amount of money on an exclusive private school when, honestly, no one cares.
A UVA student going to VT? ew.
I live fairly close to UVA. Several students every year transfer down to Tech. In some cases the transfers find the engineering departments at Tech a overall better fit for their interests. Not to mention former UVA President Teresa Sullivan did an enormous amount of damage to the school.
Yeah, it was annoying how Ryan had to make the public apology she should have made in the 1st place. But she certainly didn’t do damage to A-school, given it’s expanding presence across campus and national profile.
@flatroof
Lol no, Im attending the undergraduate architecture school at UVA
Some rankings put Virginia Tech ahead of Virginia for overall program quality. In any event the advantage of going to a different school for graduate school as opposed to undergraduate and being exposed to different philosophies and mindsets is invaluable. The OP if fortunate that he can do that within state and not incur absurd amounts of debt by going out of state.
Although this is 6 years ago, I got into one of the schools you mentioned and another top 5 school (only applied to two) with a GPA less than 3.3. In hindsight, my portfolio had been sub-par (graphically--my projects were okay but not excellent) and with a GRE score of 650V/800Q (older version) which isn't super high.
I think your essay and recommendations count a lot. All my letters were from people who graduated and in some cases taught at the school I ended up going to. Also the school I went to seemed to have a handful of its favorite undergrad programs. I did go to one of those colleges, which I think counted as well.