Hi, I just need help choosing what colleges to apply to. I got a 3.84 unweighted and a 4.4 weighted. I took 12 AP classes, I am also co-president of our schools Red Cross Association and vice president of the model UN. I have 219 Volunteer Hours and am in the math club. I am the founder and president of our school’s Architecture Club. I also am a sports editor for our school’s newspaper. I want to double Major in Architectural design and in Urban planning. Anything helps!
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Here is my full Bio:
Demographics:
Immigrant
Rising Senior
Competitive Public High School
African/Arabian Female
Intended Major(s)
Architectural design
Urban planning
GPA, Rank, and Test Scores
Unweighted HS GPA: 3.87
Weighted HS GPA: Around 4.49
SAT Scores: 1590 (800 Math, 790 Reading)
High School doesn’t rank
Coursework
9th: No AP’s
10th: AP comp: 5, Ap world: 4, Ap human Geo: 5
11th: AP lang: 5, AP chem: 5, Ap Research: 5, AP statistics: 4, AP Calc Ab
12th: AP phys, ap Lit, Ap calc BC, AP Spanish, Honors Engineering Physic
Extracurriculars
VR/AR Global Student Design Competition - third place
The Radical Design Project - Winner
Math Club VP (2022)
National Honor Society - Vice president
Best Of Sno - Journalism/Reporting First Place Award
co-president of our schools Red Cross Association
founder and president of our school’s Architecture Club
219 Volunteer Hours
Essays/LORs/Other
Good essays
Good LORs (APLAC and AP Stats teacher)
Cost Constraints / Budget
Need scholarship or Merit Scholorships
Low income family
Schools
Safety
UWashington, Colorado State University, School of Mines, CU Boulder
Likely
Cornell, CMU (ED1 or ED2), UCSD, UCLA, UWaterloo, Vandy
Reach
MIT (EA, takes between 6-10 students from school each year), Stanford, Cambridge, Harvard, UPenn (may ED1)
UPenn is definitely my favorite college by far, but I’m not sure if it’s worth the risk to ED1.
Welcome!
Have you checked out the architecture forum (Architecture Major - College Confidential Forums)? There’s a pinned post that is very helpful to determine what kind of architecture degree you’re looking for: Architectural Degree Plans. Although this is not my area of expertise, I suspect that it is quite challenging to do a double major with architecture as there are a lot of required courses. That does, of course, depend on whether you want a BA/BS in architecture, a B. Architecture, or you study a different field (like urban planning) with the intention of getting an M. Arch. The Architectural Degree Plans post will be much more helpful in describing the differences. Also, @momrath and @bgbg4us might also pipe in with their thoughts.
So I have a few more questions for you, besides what type of architecture major you want. What is the budget that does not include any loans, for you or your family? Do you prefer large, medium, or smaller universities? Urban, suburban, or rural? What parts of the country would you like to be in? Are there any must-haves in your college experience? Or any dealbreakers that you absolutely cannot have present?
Any additional information you can provide would be helpful in providing suggestions. Also, what state are you in? Many states have reciprocity agreements with other states for discounted tuition.
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Here is my full Bio:
Demographics
Immigrant
Rising Senior
Competitive Public High School
African/Arabian Female
Intended Major(s)
GPA, Rank, and Test Scores
Unweighted HS GPA: 3.98 (B in first semester 10th grade Spanish)
Weighted HS GPA: Around 4.6
SAT Scores: 1550 (800 Math, 750 Reading)
High School doesn’t rank but I would be #3 or 4 in STEM in a class of size 400+
Coursework
9th: AP Calc BC: 5
10th: AP Stats: 5, AP CS A: 5, AP Chinese: 5
11th: APUSH: 4, APLAC: 5, AP Physics C Mechanics: 5, AP Macro: 5, AP Micro: 4 (will not report)
12th: AP Gov, AP Lit, AP Spanish, AP Bio
Took Lin Alg + Multivar in 11th grade year, will take Differential Equations 12th grade
Most rigorous course load every year by far
Extracurriculars
USA(J)MO Qualifier x2
USACO Contestant
DECA Qualifier in SEM
CS Club Treasurer CS Club President
Math Club VP (2022)
YAK Club VP (2022) - volunteering club
MathCounts Coach (2019-Present), ~300 hours
Research w/ Professor, submitted a paper as second author to top NLP conference (2021-Present)
AIME Qualifier multiple years
Essays/LORs/Other
Good essays
Good LORs (APLAC and AP Stats teacher)
Cost Constraints / Budget
No constraints
Schools
Safety
UToronto, UT Austin (EA), UCSB, Purdue, UW Madison, UIUC, UWashington
Likely
Cornell, CMU (ED1 or ED2), UCSD, UCLA, UWaterloo, Vandy
Match
UCB, UMich, USC
Reach
MIT (EA, takes between 6-10 students from school each year), Stanford, Cambridge, Harvard, UPenn (may ED1)
UPenn is definitely my favorite college by far, but I’m not sure if it’s worth the risk to ED1.
Ok, I saw you just posted as I was posting. Thanks for the additional information. Has your family run the Net Price Calculator at these schools? If so, that needs to be the first step. If these schools are affordable, then that’s great. If not, however, they need to be removed.
You’re going to be a super strong applicant, but I wouldn’t call Cornell or Vanderbilt likely for anyone. UCLA is generally a reach for everyone, too. You will need to run your UC GPA, which do not include 9th grade. @Gumbymom or @ucbalumnus are our resident UC experts.
Most of the private schools on your list meet full-need, but most of the public schools do not. Can you afford Washington or the other Colorado schools? Also, I’m not familiar with the aid pictures for Waterloo and Cambridge, but if it’s the way that most US universities treat international applicants, then how are you going to pay for those?
If you are interested in a B. Arch, it would need to be accredited by NAAB. Here’s a list of all NAAB accredited programs (https://www.naab.org/accredited-programs/accredited-programs/). It also shows which schools offer an M. Arch. Those schools will often (though not always) offer a B.S./B.A. in architecture.
Do you have a safety? By this I mean, a school that your family can afford, that you’re extremely likely to be admitted to, and that you would like to attend? If not, that’s where we need to start.
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Well, I honestly preferred big urban Universities/colleges that are less competitive and expensive, the highest I was willing to risk was the School of Mines. But recently a lot of counselors and teachers have encouraged me to try more prestigious universities. Budget-wise, I come from a low-income immigrant family, but I have about $30,000 in scholarships. I am trying out other scholarship opportunities (full ride or $100,000) and am waiting to hear back from them. I am currently in Colorado.
Use the net price calculator on each college’s web site to see if financial aid will make it affordable.
If not affordable on need-based financial aid, then the reach / match / likely / safety assessment must be made on the basis of the large enough scholarship offered at the college, not admission.
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If you’re low income, the “competitive and expensive” schools may turn out to be the most affordable. You need to run the Net Price Calculators for all of the schools on your list, and see what they project your out-of-pocket to look like. (Example: https://srfs.upenn.edu/costs-budgeting/estimate-your-costs ) You really can’t make good decisions about ED applications without having these cost projections in front of you.
Among schools on your list, I’d be wary cost-wise about CMU - don’t submit a binding app there if you’re not 100% sure it will work financially. Also, UW-Seattle is highly unlikely to be affordable, even with the maximum OOS merit. (Or did you mean WashU in St. Louis? Good aid and good architecture there.) UC’s will not be affordable, and the application is different from the common app - a lot of extra work for no reason. If you want a large, urban, elite CA school, stick with USC, as long as the NPC is favorable. (If you need further convincing to take the UC’s off your list, consider the housing woes as well: UC housing crisis forces students into multiple jobs to pay rent, sleeping bags and stress )
As AustenNut already said, you also need to figure out whether you want a BArch (which is typically a five year program, but allows you to become a licensed architect without grad school) or if you want a pre-professional architectural design program that will be broader and more flexible, but will require grad school if you want to pursue professional architecture. Have you prepared a portfolio?
What makes UPenn your favorite? They very much favor ED applicants, so if it’s your clear favorite and the financial aid projection is good, then I don’t see why you shouldn’t apply ED.
Would you apply to the School of Environmental Design at Boulder? This could be a great program for you, since it combines architecture and urban planning, and lets you fine-tune your focus as you move through the program.
Since you like urban universities, consider these also:
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Northeastern U: the School of Architecture has multiple programs that may interest you: Undergraduate Overview - Northeastern CAMD
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Syracuse U: Architecture and Journalism are both very strong, plus the Maxwell School of Public Affairs is where Model UN was invented Large-ish and urban. Doesn’t guarantee full-need-met aid but would be very likely to fill any gap with merit.
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U of Utah: could be very affordable with WUE reciprocity and merit, and the College of Architecture and Planning could be a good fit Programs – College of Architecture and Planning Urban university, has a great Honors College with in-depth Praxis Labs that could complement your interests Praxis Labs – Honors College
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In terms of elite urban universities with architecture/urban planning programs, why are Columbia and/or Barnard not on your list?
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As mentioned above, WUSTL College Of Architecture - Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts — Washington University in St. Louis
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If you have a portfolio and are interested in a BArch, consider Rice University. Their School of Architecture is top-notch. (It’s a six-year program - four years at Rice, a full-year practicum placement, and then a final academic year.) It’s a mid-sized urban school with very generous financial aid.
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You have very strong credentials and will be a strong applicant no matter where you apply. And even though many of your reach schools are among the most competitive/rejective in the country, you stand a definite chance of acceptance. Those schools are often some of the most financially generous to families in need. But they are not likely for anyone, so it’s important to have a balanced list (which means at least having safeties, and then optionally having schools that are likelier than your reaches, and then (optionally) any reaches.
By the way, how did you select the colleges on your list? Most of them are very well-known for computer science and was wondering if that influenced your thoughts at all.
Is the $30,000 in scholarships for one year only? Or is it $30,000 per year? Or is it $30,000 that can be $7500/year for 4 years? All scholarships are different, which is why I ask.
From your list, these are the ones with NAAB accreditation:
- UCLA: M. Arch
- UC – Berkeley: M. Arch
- USC: B. Arch, M. Arch
- UIUC: M. Arch
- Harvard: M. Arch
- MIT: M. Arch
- U. Michigan: M. Arch
- Carnegie Mellon: B. Arch, M. Arch
- U. Penn: M. Arch
- U. of Washington: M. Arch
- Cornell: B. Arch, M. Arch
The reason why I’m harping on the NAAB-accredited schools is that if they offer a B. Arch, it usually is a 5-year program (and some universities, like Tulane, will give architecture 5-years of scholarships rather than 4 years of scholarships as they do for all their other majors). If you don’t do a B. Arch, then you will need to get an M. Arch. If you get a B.A./B.S. from a NAAB-accredited school (which does not accredit for B.A./B.S), then you are more likely to be able to do your M. Arch in 2 years rather than 3 or 3.5 years. Financial aid for grad school in architecture is very opaque (and others can better address it), but my impression is that aid is far more easily obtained for college than it is for grad school. So choosing a school where you could save a year of costs could be very financially valuable if you don’t do a B. Arch. And if you do a B. Arch, then that’s saving several years of grad school expenses, but the curriculum leaves little room for many electives.
You can absolutely attend the other schools on your list and still become an architect. It just means that you would have 3-3.5 years of graduate school after getting your Bachelor’s, in order to get your M. Arch.
U. of Colorado at Denver is accredited for the M. Arch. I’d take a look at their programs and see if it’s a fit. This is your only in-state public that is NAAB-accredited.
Some historically black colleges & universities (HBCUs) offer fabulous merit aid to top candidates like yourself. Most HBCUs are in southern states, and the list you created only includes one school in Tennessee and one in Texas. You’d be extremely competitive for a full-ride to Tuskegee (B. Arch), but it’s smaller and rural. Florida A&M (FAMU) is in Tallahassee, a much bigger city, and it’s a bigger school that might have more of the feel that you liked at some of the larger publics (offers B. Arch and M. Arch). You’d probably get at least tuition there. Howard is in D.C. (B. Arch) and may provide very good merit. Hampton (M. Arch) is in Virginia and right in a major metro area. @ChangeTheGame might have some additional insight on some of the HBCUs.
Schools that will almost certainly meet your budget based on their scholarships are U. of Louisiana – Lafayette (M. Arch), Louisiana Tech (M. Arch), and Texas Tech (M. Arch) and probably UT – Arlington (M. Arch), UT – San Antonio (M. Arch), Prairie View A&M (M. Arch) which is another HBCU, and U. of Houston (B. Arch, M. Arch). Some of those are in bigger cities/metros (Houston, San Antonio, Arlington), but I’m not quite sure they’re the locations you were originally looking for. But if you like the school otherwise, and the NPCs/scholarship charts indicate the price is affordable, then any of them would be a good safety if you’d be happy to attend.
Ok, this is turning into a novel so I’ll stop this post here. I’ll be back with more possibilities.
Edited to add in Cornell as NAAB-accredited.
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At one point I see “Low income family”. At another I see “no cost constraints”. I will assume that the former is correct.
If the $30,000 in scholarships is in total to last through the four years of university, it is not really all that much, although it will help.
Are you a US permanent resident or citizen? I see that you are currently in Colorado. If you are both a US permanent resident or citizen, and officially a resident of Colorado, then this will both reduce your costs at public universities in Colorado and put you in a WUE/WICHE state (WUE is the undergraduate part of Wiche).
My understanding of the term “safety” is that you know you will be accepted, you know that you will be able to afford it, and you would be willing to attend.
I do not think that U. Washington, UIUC, UW Madison, or UT Austin out of state are safeties. I do not think that Cornell is “likely”, although I do think that it is worth an application. I think that admission at Toronto and Waterloo is likely, but affordability is far less likely (unless you are Canadian). UCB out of state is a reach, and affordability is very unlikely unless you have some other major source of money. Affordability will also be an issue at all of the other Universities of California – they give very little financial aid to out of state students.
You are a strong student and have done well up to now. However, I agree that running the Net Price Calculator is important for you. Affordability might be just as much of an issue as admissions.
If U.Penn is clearly your top choice, then you should run the Net Price Calculator and see if it is likely to be affordable. You can find it by Googling “Net Price Calculator University of Pennsylvania”. You will most likely need help from your parents to input the required information.
Top ranked universities such as U.Penn, Stanford, MIT, and Harvard are more difficult for admissions compared to many other schools. However, they have very good need based aid which might help you quite a bit.
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Are you trying for the Boettcher or Daniels scholarships? That may really change your list (for the better).
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These are some additional possibilities that go in rough order from safest to least safe with respect to the admission/affordability combo (Ohio State might be more likely for admission than some of the others, but in order to get the full ride, it would be much more competitive). These are primarily all city schools (with varying degrees of urban-ness), though Charlottesville, VA is not exactly a big metropolis, but it’s a great college town.
- U. of Arizona: B. Arch & M. Arch. You’d get very big merit aid and Tucson is a definite city.
- U. of Kentucky in the state capital of Lexington offers an M. Arch and is likely to give you some big merit.
- New Jersey Institute of Technology: B. Arch & M. Arch and it’s located just outside of New York City.
- U. of Wisconsin – Milwaukee (M. Arch)
- U. of Cincinnati (M. Arch) in Ohio has a big focus on co-op programs.
- U. of Nebraska – Lincoln (M. Arch) is in the state capital and would probably find some very good merit aid for you.
- Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago offers both a B. Arch and M. Arch
- U. of Virginia (M. Arch): This is not only a public ivy, but one of the few public schools in the country that meets need for out-of-state students.
- U. of Miami (B. Arch & M. Arch) in Florida offers lots of good merit aid (full tuition) and offers very good financial aid.
- Tulane (B. Arch, M. Arch) in New Orleans would probably be really interested in a student like you. They used to be much more generous with merit aid but have been moving more towards needs-based aid. But as you’d be a prime candidate for both, it would be the exact type of thing they’re looking for. Tulane likes to have a lot of demonstrated interest if you’re serious about it, though, otherwise they will likely pass you up.
- Ohio State (M. Arch): The full rides are extremely competitive, but I think you’d have a shot.
- Washington U. (M. Arch) in St. Louis, as @aquapt mentioned, would be another good possibility.
If you’re interested in elite northeastern schools, Yale (M. Arch), Princeton (M. Arch), and Columbia (M. Arch) are other possibilities.
And I forgot to mention it in my previous post, but Cornell (on your list) is also accredited for the B Arch and M. Arch).
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You have an excellent profile but your categorization of your UC chances is very optimistic.
UC’s are test blind so your SAT score will not be considered. You also need to calculate your 3 UC GPA’s using only 10-11th a-g course grades. Only AP/IB classes taken 10-11th count for the extra honors points.
https://rogerhub.com/gpa-calculator-uc/
Repost with your UC GPA’s.
UCSB definitely not a safety but more of a Target.
UCSD closer to a High Target while UCLA and UCB are Reach schools but possible.
Below are the UC admit rates using the Capped weighted GPA and not major specific. Competitive majors will have lower admit rates.
| Campus | 4.20+ | 3.80-4.19 | 3.40-3.79 | 3.00-3.39 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Berkeley | 30% | 11% | 2% | 1% |
| Davis | 85% | 55% | 23% | 10% |
| Irvine | 60% | 31% | 14% | 1% |
| Los Angeles | 29% | 6% | 1% | 0% |
| Merced | 97% | 98% | 96% | 89% |
| Riverside | 97% | 92% | 62% | 23% |
| San Diego | 75% | 35% | 5% | 1% |
| Santa Barbara | 73% | 28% | 4% | 1% |
| Santa Cruz | 91% | 81% | 46% | 9% |
Best of luck
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Note that no UC has a BArch program, although UCB and UCLA have MArch programs. California publics with BArch programs are the two Cal Polys. Cal Poly Pomona is in WUE for discounted tuition for western region residents, but probably no financial aid beyond that.
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@Mea2, You’ve already received an overload of good advice, so I’ll just summarize. I believe you would be a person of interest to many architecture programs, even some of the most selective, especially if you have a solid portfolio. In order to focus your search I suggest you answer the following questions:
- What degree are you interested in pursuing?
As mentioned the undergraduate architecture degree can either be a Bachelor OF Architecture (BArch) or a Bachelor of Arts or Science (BA/BS) IN architecture, architectural studies, environmental design. The BArch generally takes 5 years and is narrowly and intensely focused on architecture, which may make double majoring difficult. With the BArch you may begin the process of becoming a licensed architect, which usually takes 2-3 years.
The BA/BS is generally a 4 year degree. With a BA/BS you will need a MArch to become licensed. The MArch can take from 1.5 to 3.5 years depending on the program and your undergraduate degree. Those that have schools of architecture may offer continuous programs from BA/BS to MArch, though admittance to the MArch program may not be guaranteed.
Very few colleges/universities offer undergraduate degrees in planning, though many architecture programs both BArchs and BA/BSs offer individual courses in planning.
- Are you eligible for enough need-based aid?
Many of the schools on your list only offer need-based aid, and many can be quite generous. It’s important that you and your parents run your family’s finances through the colleges’ net price calculators to determine how much need-based aid you would be likely to receive. At some schools you may also be eligible for merit-based scholarships. These tend to be less easy to predict than need-based aid.
If you are not a U.S. citizen, then the availability of any type of financial aid becomes a greater challenge.
Aid is available for MArchs but it is generally grant-based and difficult to predict. If you choose the BA/BS+MArch (or Master of Planning) route, you should start thinking about finances now as the MArch can be an expensive degree.
- Are you “likelies” really likely?
Not only do you need to get admitted, but you need to receive a substantial amount of aid. This complicates the reach/match/safety categorization.
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Do you qualify for Questbridge? Is the deadline past for this year?
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You can get an application fee waiver from Ohio State.
The full rides (Eminence/Morrill) require supplemental applications.
Admission: extremely likely
Affordability: reach
You are likely to be offered the National Buckeye and Maximus. Full rides are reaches.
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Please clarify your budget situation. You describe yourself as both low income and as having no cost constraints. Your 30k scholarship is nice, but that will cover maybe one year at an instate school.
Your likelies are REACHES. Cornell, Vandy, CMU, UCLA and UCSD are reaches. Cornell, Vandy, UCLA are high reaches. Your matches, except for Boulder (I assume it’s Boulder) are REACHES. If it’s UC Berkeley, it’s a high reach. USC and U Michigan are absolutely not matches for anyone. You have to remember that just because your stats are in the top, that is no assurance of anything. You’re out of state for the public schools you listed, which makes them reaches, at least for those schools. You’re well qualified, but so is everyone applying to them.
You must factor in acceptance rates. All you offer will get you to the gates, but getting in is the tricky part.
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How will these be affordable? Maybe Mines…but the others? Not so sure.
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Which is it? You posted both of these as well as completely different lists of possible colleges. Which one should we be looking at?
“Cost Constraints / Budget
No constraints”
OR
“Cost Constraints / Budget
Need scholarship or Merit Scholorships
Low income family”
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