I’m a 27-year-old foreign applicant living in Korea.
Cornell and Rice are my dream schools. I know these universities are far beyond my qualifications, and my chances of getting rejected are extremely high, but I still want to give it a shot.
The biggest issue is that I have a GED instead of a traditional high school diploma.
However, I do have some strengths to compensate for that:
• SAT 1580
• Four years of work experience at a medical-related company (two years paid, two years unpaid)
• Participation in various Korean architecture competitions, with top awards
• An architecture portfolio that I’ve poured my heart and soul into
Instead of attending college, I’ve been working and making a living. I supported myself with my job and, occasionally, with the prize money from competitions. Now, I finally have the ambition to attend a prestigious university, and I regret not pursuing this earlier.
Still, I want to apply. Do I stand any chance at all? I feel like my GED is a huge disadvantage.
Here’s what Cornell says. I’m sure Rice lists their requirements too.
PS - these are top schools but there are many schools - and if you want to go to college, you can go to college, these schools or otherwise.
Best of luck.
A basic preparation for Cornell University includes these high school courses:
4 years of English
3 years of mathematics
3 years of science (at least 2 lab sciences)
3 years of a foreign language
3 years of social science (history, social studies)
Applicants with a GED or High School Equivalency Diploma (HSED) will be asked to submit GED scores, or other applicable high school equivalency, along with the portion of their high school record they have completed. In addition, applicants should submit transcripts from any college course(s) they have completed and scores from any standardized examination(s) they have taken, including state exams and AP exams. The How to Apply page provides more information. Please also be sure to review the Standardized Testing Policy page, and don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any questions.
You might want to consider Columbia University College of General Studies in NYC, which is designed for adult learners and which is not as difficult for admissions as the other schools you’r interested in.
Rice has a fairly high number of international students, so if you can pay full tuition, you might have a shot there. University of Rochester is an excellent college with a high number of international students.
Does this offer an architecture pathway? Though OP did not specify a desired major, the architecture portfolio and competitions + choice of top schools for architecture in the US leads me to think that is the aim.
Financially what is your expectation on how to fund the school. You say you’ve been supporting yourself. I don’t know specific to the schools you list but believe - generally - there’s not much opportunity for aid to international students.
If your goal is Architecture what would be your opinion of attending a “lower ranked” program than those you list that might be more attainable? Those schools are reaches for anyone.
All of the schools on your list are huge reaches for any student – even more so for an international student. Why so focused on prestige versus getting the education you need to enter the profession?
I am not positive but FWIW I think to become a licensed architect in the US one needs more than a four year degree. Be sure to understand all educational requirements.
Also even if you reach your academic goal, there is no assurance that you will be able to stay in this country after graduation.
I think Cooper Union is transitioning back to no tuition but (1)it’s not there yet (currently half with senior year free) (2) you still need to pay living expenses in a very expensive city (D19 lived right near there when at NYU so I know!) (3) the admit rate for architecture at Cooper Union is around 4%.
Don’t know about the others.
Agree there are many other schools easier to get into for architecture (again assuming that is what OP wants) but finances could be an issue.
Their website says that they do not meet full financial aid for ALL students, so I assume they do for some. The advantage of Columbia SGS is that it’s not as difficult to get admitted as the other Ivies like Yale. I would recommend applying there and then seeing how things work out with financial aid rather than assuming that it will be too expensive.
Net price calculators are sometimes not accurate for international students. Also, this student would be independent for financial aid purposes which would further “confuse” the NPC.
If they do the net price calculator, they should view the results with caution…and as an estimate only…and maybe not a very good one.
Most architects do a BA/BA pre-architecture program followed by a 2 years M.Arch program.
Additionally, licensure requires a number of verifiable hours/years of work experience working directly under a licensed architect before a architecture grad can sit for the national licensing exam.
True. However, they do offer a major called “. Archaeology, Technology, & Historical Structures” (ATHS).
“Majoring in ATHS while pursuing a major or minor in studio art is strongly recommended for students interested in pursuing graduate studies in architecture. The studio arts major or minor provides significant hands-on studio experience. Common requirements of applicants to graduate programs in architecture include materials covered by both the Archaeology, Technology, & Historical Structures and Studio Arts programs.”
Might be worth a conversation with the folks at U of Rochester. They’d be the experts on their history in that matter. I doubt that they’d be posting that proposed plan on their website if large numbers of their students weren’t getting accepted to M.Arch programs with that package. But I really don’t know.
