<p>I'm starting my final year of my B.Arch degree, and I want to apply for the one year M.Arch degree at Berkeley, and 1 or 2 other colleges. However, since I've studied in India all my life, I need to know a little about how American Graduate Schools work.
I understand I need to earn a certain number of credits to be able to get my degree. So do all these credits have to be architecture related? Or are some compulsarily so, while I can take classes of other departments for the other credits? I read on the website that 12 out of 24 credits have to be from the deptt of architecture, while the remaining 12 can be from any other. THAT is just what I'm looking for. Isn't it too good to be true??</p>
<p>Also, some help for admissions... I have a good portfolio, good recommendation letters and am working hard for the GRE. However, my grades aren't so good. For various reasons. I have valid reasons for every year, but that sounds like escapism. We don't work on a GPA system here. So will a good everything-else make up for average marks?
If its helps, I'm studying in the best architecture school in my country.</p>