Hello! As you can probably tell, I’m applying for Architecture. I’m a California resident in a top 3 public school.
My choices are (in terms of preference):
Calpoly SLO (MCA ~4400)
UT Austin
USC
Calpoly Pomona (MCA ~4400)
CMU
U of A
UW
UO
Virginia Tech
Pratt Institute
Rensselaer Polytechnic
STATS:
My weighted GPA is a 3.55 (very rough Freshman year), and my super-scored SAT is 1470. 5 APs over the course of my time in high school.
I held two internship positions this summer in Architecture firms. Got rec-letters from both. I also love to volunteer my time at my high school - big focus on mental well-being among the student body. I am a TA for my AP Environmental Science teacher.
Varsity soccer at my high-school and black-belt in Taekwondo.
My portfolio is very strong, as there is a big focus on climate change and my solutions to it. Mixture of pen, pencil, charcoal, wood structures, graphic design, and watercolor.
All my essays are about what I experienced at my internships, my volunteering, or my hard start in Freshman year. From my perspective, they’re all pretty good.
2 strong teacher recommendations, 3 very strong outside recommendations.
My one “pop” is that I featured with a very popular Spotify artist (500,000 listeners/year) in new music of his, and he wrote me a recommendation letter.
I got both my internships through some luck. After talking to my art teacher about what my plans were for college, he connected me with a friend of his who owned a small firm. I got my second internship from my boss from the first.
Keep searching! Ask your teachers. Look up some local architecture firms.
Don’t give up on USC my daughter had a 3.4 but a very strong portfolio and recommendations and got in. She is on the Dean’s list and made an A in studio. Your portfolio will overcome your HS GPA. Good luck !!
Did you look at Cooper Union? They extended their application date to 1/30/19. The arch acceptance rate is only 6% but acceptance weighs heavily on the home test much more than on your grades.
@aVeryHappyChild Congrats. I am surprised by a few of your denials and acceptances. I don’t know where you are planning. Of the list, I would recommend CMU. But then not everyone likes it. Did you get any money from the ones that accepted you?. That should be taken into consideration.
My daughter has decided to go to Cal Poly SLO for architecture. We visited the campus and she did not want to look at other places.
@bk1366 Congratulations to your daughter; SLO campus is easily my favorite and the program is one of the best! She’ll thrive, I bet.
I was leaning towards CMU, but as of late they’ve offered no financial aid. RPI/Pratt/UO have offered a good amount of aid, lowering tuition to ~45k for all of them. CMU remains at 74k, so that’s definitely a big factor. I was going to go ahead and email them since we most definitely can’t pay nearly 400,000 dollars for my education.
@aVeryHappyChild, I think you need to explain your problem to CMU and see what they come back with. Whether the difference between CMU @ $400K and the cost of your other options is workable really depends on your family’s financial situation.
It’s interesting that your other choices are one each from three different types of architecture schools: Pratt (an art school), RPI (a tech school) and UO (assuming this is Oregon, a design school within a large university). They are all good choices, but quite different in emphasis and environment. If you haven’t visited all three, try to do so. Pratt and RPI have higher ratings than UO, but Oregon is very well respected among design focused west coast firms. If you’re looking for a vibrant program that balances design, structures and tech, then Oregon should be a serious contender.
I would also pursue the UW (assuming that’s Washington) waitlist for the same reasons.
