laurstar07

msheft: if his acts are above a 30, there is no need to take them again. have him spend the time instead to work on his portfolio. like momwith3 said, you are very lucky to have an instate 5 year program. i got a big scholarship from the maryland distinguished scholars talent in the arts competition, but because it is only a 4 year program, i didnt put that much weight in reasons to stay instate and go to umcp. if he has those stats, give a shot at cornell. there is a very good chance that he'll get in. but like i said before, the portfolio can make or break a decision.

Tzar

Cooper is hard to tell--- a lot is based on a home test which is very subjective - but ideas are mostly what count not technical ability--- for Cornell and Rice- just make sure you have a solid portfolio -- meaning nothing sloppy and a high level of work.

msheft

laurstart07 adn momwith3: U of Illinois is a 4+2 program. He prefers a 5-year BArch. He is not interested in Cornell. His choices: USC, Syracuse, Penn State, and U of Cincinnati. Kansas is a possibility and U of I as a last resort.

SSD

Just got back from Syracuse arch w. S since he has to make up his mind for the fall. They told us last yr. 1,100 applicants, 265 acceptances to yield 120attendees. 50% of decision is based on portfolio. Its worth a visit as they will show you example portfolios. If you attend, they will give you back the portfolio with your grade on it.

astrobaby

We just went through this process and it is not fun. My son looked at a lot of the same schools as your daughter. Not to discourage you but this coming year is supposed to be even harder than the past year. It is hard to chance your daughter without seeing her entire package, i.e. ec's, SAT's, Subject tests, ACT's, AP's, etc. So keep that in mind when you listen to other's comments. My son will be attending Wash U in the fall. He applied to 11 schools and was accepted into 6.

4trees

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.

FatherTuition

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.

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.

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.

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.

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).

Good luck!

xgracyx

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

I think they are esp. tough on international students this yr

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.


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)

NLarchitecture

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..

Tzar

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.

KandKsmom

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!

Anonymus

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.

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.

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)

msheft

Anonymus:

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:

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.

Jrock

Great job, Anonymous!

4trees

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.