<p>At Syracuse last fall we were told that acceptance number was intended to yield 96-98 enrolled. They were quite surprised with the 120. I imagine things were a bit crowded.</p>
<p>FYI, Syracuse was the only private to offer my S money without asking, so that might help. S is starting Rice next year. He wanted a school with good overall academics in case the BArch didn't work out. </p>
<p>On admissions, the folks at Rice did mention that the "funnel" that they put applications through is narrower for architecture than for other programs, and this is probably true at other schools as well. I can't remember his stats, but he was strong academically in an honors program and did well on the SATs. I'm sorry for all involved that statistics make up such a large part of admissions.</p>
<p>More importantly, I think, S did practice drawing (in school and on his own) quite a bit (get some David Macaulay books for inspiration), took a summer camp at a local architecture school and interned (read: did filing for) a local architect last summer. Rice mentioned that they particularly look for sustained interest in the field because they favor students to enter their program who are likely to stick with it for the full 6 years. </p>
<p>One thing to do, that will come in useful at application time, is to maintain an art journal. My S had to do this for two years of art class and we were thankful for it when he had to assemble his portfolio. Anyone could do this on their own, though. Get a bound sketch book and start sketching anything at all while also annotating your work with thoughts about the process that you are going through. The drawing itself is not the point so much as developing your faculty for exploring the world visually. Past in cut-out bits from brochures of art exhibits that you visited, magazine articles that made you think, personal mementos that lead you to riff on some new idea, whatever. Write about the ideas and events that are influencing what you choose to draw. Use the space to plan other works, like sculptures, furniture, etc. When you do your portfolio, you can scan some of the best journal pages to show how you have developed technically and intellectually. This would work for any application, not just architecture.</p>
<p>After having just finished an anxious year, I'd say try to not fret the top schools too much. One runs the risk of ending up a "status whore". Try Cornell or Cooper (which would be fun just for the sake of doing the home test) for the heck of it, but I was heartened by how many great programs out there (VTech, Kansas State, UCincinnati, Oregon, Auburn). </p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>i also applied to Cornell ED, Columbia (both arch.) this yr, but unfortunately got rejected
my stats:
SAT: 2210
GPA: 91% - public school in Canada
my portfolio incl. projects i did in Pratt arch. summer pre-college and some studio art pieces</p>
<p>I think they are esp. tough on international students this yr</p>
<p>but i did get in CMU, Mcgill and Toronto Architecture
if you are concerned about the money, Canadian u's are definitely worth a look at.
international tuition is around 15k-20k/yr, with high quality education + international rep.</p>
<p>I would say the top 3 Undergrad arch. programs (in no particular order) are
Mcgill (solid rep and only 5.5 yrs = M.Arch)
Waterloo (competitive 6%? acceptance but 5yr B Sc with 2 yr paid co-op)
Carleton (more of an artsy program, also with co-op)</p>
<p>These threads are great. I just wanted to say that back a few months ago i applied early to VTech's architecture program. I got in, right before i was accepted, the national rankings of architecture schools released there list, tech took #1 from cornell. My stats weren't that amazing (4.26 wgpa, 1330 SAT), but i still got in. Just proves that alot of the application process has to do with what the college is looking for, I think my deciding factor was my satII scores..</p>
<p>Not to say that V-tech's arch program isn't on par with Cornell, I really don't know much about it, but those rankings really don't mean very much depending on what you care about in an architecture school. --However, congrats NLarch-- and you are correct, almost all applications have much more to them than stats- especially for architecture schools.</p>
<p>NLArchitecture, did you accept a spot at VT? I think you are being too humble about your stats...they look really great to me! :) My son is going to be a freshman in architecture there this fall and is thrilled about it. He was really impressed with their program and the school overall. He leaves in about a month and a half- I hope he can handle all of the work and still manage to have a wonderful college experience! Good luck to you!</p>
<p>I was in similar shoes not too long ago. I had been drooling over Cornell's architecture program for quite some time; I'm very blessed to be entering as a freshman this fall.</p>
<p>GPA: 3.87 UW, 4.37 W (Focused on APs, graduated with 9)
SAT: 2010 (definately one of the weaker parts of my app)
SAT II: Math IIC-800, Physics - 730
ACT: 35
-> I have worked at an architecture firm for 2 years. I felt my portfolio was pretty lack-luster, except for one project where I completed gutted and redesigned my closet. And even though I'm from chicago, I flew to NY for my interview, spending around $600 for a 1 night/1 day stay.</p>
<p>I got into Cornell ED, as well as Notre Dame, U of I, and Tulane. I had to withdraw about 5 other apps (Stanford, WashU, Northwestern, CMU, Duke)</p>
<p>Anonymus:</p>
<p>What do you think of the program at U of I? It seems it used to have a great reputation by I rarely see it mentioned now. My son will be a sr in hs and wants to go into architecture. We are in the Chicago suburbs. He is looking at USC, Cincinnati, Penn State, and Syracuse (U of I as backup). We are visiting Cincinnati, PSU, and Syracuse next week. He visited USC last summer.
His stats are similar:</p>
<p>GPA: 4.94 UW, 5.39 W
ACT: 31
SAT Subject: Math II - 800, Physics - 700
He did a semester internship at an architecture firm for credit
His floor plan and design won the district HS architecture competition (6 high schools) and the house is currently being built.
One of his pen & ink drawing was selected by his hs to be in the district art show sponsored by a newspaper
He has been taking art classes since he was 5 years old.</p>
<p>Great job, Anonymous!</p>
<p>While gpa, rigor & choice of hs coursework, stats and portfolio are all important parts of the admissions equation, don't forget your demonstrated level of interest, not only in architecture, but also in the school and their program. Visiting, phone calls and e-mails with good questions give you a boost in the eyes of the admissions staff.</p>
<p>We are visiting U of Cincinnati, Penn State, and Syracuse this week.</p>
<p>Have they moved back into Slocum Hall at Syracuse? When my son visited they were in the Warehouse with promises of Slocum by spring '08. The Warehouse just seemed depressing, the bus ride tiresome.</p>
<p>At Penn State, beautiful new arch building, however pay attention to the acoustics, especially if there are several hundred people in the place. Background and drifting noise was annoying to my son and made it difficult for me to hear clearly (admittedly I have poor hearing). Just something to consider.</p>
<p>My D just finished her sophomore year at Syracuse. They are moving to Slocum Hall this Fall. She has enjoyed the Warehouse but you are correct that the bus ride became tiresome pretty quickly and cut down on extra curricular activities on campus (which already are difficult for arch students to fit into their busy schedule). She is looking forward to Slocum for her third year at Syracuse before going overseas to Florence and London (doesn't know the exact order yet) for the entirety of her 4th year.</p>
<p>U of Cincinnati on Mon (7/14), Penn St on Wed and Syracuse on Fri. It is our family driving "vacation". I hate driving distances so this should be interesting. Flying to all three would have cost us $5,000. Train wasn't much better. Even with gas prices and renting an minivan, driving is significantly cheaper.</p>
<p>msheft, I just saw your post about your son's interest in UC and U of I and your recent college visits. How did your visits go? </p>
<p>My son just completed his freshman year at UC and loves the school. He put in long hours in studio, but still managed to find time for activities and friends. Being a UC student helped him land a job this summer at an architecture firm near our home in New England. My son feels fortunate to have a job where he's participating in actual design work and has learned so much this summer. </p>
<p>He was also accepted to U of I, where he participated in the summer architecture program 3 years ago. He liked their architecture program a lot, but UC's architecture program was a better fit for him and his first choice. If you or your son have questions on either school, let me know.</p>
<p>FYI, someone posted earlier not to put examples of drafting in your portfolio. Not true. Most school will tell you not to or discourage you from doing it, but if you have really good pieces you should put them in there under the condition that they are of your own designs and show off your creativity. I had a bunch of computer drafting examples in my portfolio and I'm going to one of the nation's top programs. Just make sure that you balance drafting out with examples in other mediums.</p>
<p>P.S. Make sure your portfolios are well organized. The layout is something committees will be looking at when trying to decide if the portfolios creator will become a thoughtful architect</p>
<p>I'm trying to find my chances of getting into a good architecture program (PSU or Syracuse). I have good gpa at a 3.7 with an upward trend of about .2 each year after freshman year. I take AP and honors courses. I have taken 4 years of art and my teacher tells me im in the top 5 students based on talent he has seen. I have a strong background in these places, however my sats weren't so hot. I got a 500 on critical reading and 630 on math. I hope schools look past my CR score because I am applying to a more math related field. I know Syracuse requires a portfolio and PSU doesn't. I am an instate student for PSU. Is there any other good programs that have more art-based requirements for admission? and does anyone know what kind of chances I have?</p>
<p>khshockey</p>
<p>As far as chances it's you against the others who choose to apply this year, so hard to say. Best to make your application better. Both programs are small enrollment and they get to choose. PSU does require a portfolio of the last few decisions, so put together something good. Send in applications as early as possible. Make good contact with the Arch departments and stay connected. You're close enough to visit and interview (e-mail and call first to get personal tours of the arch dept) to show your interest. SU will show you portfolios both good and bad of past applicants and will go over yours if you bring it for an interview. Get names and e-mails (even from students) while visiting and contact them later with good questions. Ask first anyway but both schools encouraged my son to sit in on any class or studio while he was there, and they documented tha fact that he did.</p>
<p>You could bump up that CR score by going to your library and checking out a SAT study guide and take that SAT once more... </p>
<p>I'm sending you a PM.</p>
<p>RyanMac, when you mention A- as a gpa, i wonder if they count a wgpa or an ugap. My D has an A- if it's wgpa (but not as good when is uwgpa) her academic load is challenging with AP and honor classes. Thanks!</p>
<p>Mom of 2: Our visits this summer went very well. My son liked all 3 schools. The visits just reinforced his original preferences: USC, Penn State, Syracuse, and U of Cincinnati. He was impressed with U of C's program, especially the co-op program. He decided not to apply to U of I nor to Kansas. He is just applying to the 4 schools. On a 5.0 scale (which his HS uses), his uwgpa is 4.95 and his wgpa is 5.5. His ACT was 31.</p>