<p>well, I think a stunning portfolio is a sure hook anyday, esp. into the more prestigious [so-called] programs.
schools which do not require pfs look at the scores, eg, miami, cincinnati…
in my case, my pf was really woeful [in retrospect], and i got in for fall 2005 at USC, IIT, washU, and NeU[if that counts] with a 710/710[sat1] and 730/740/740[sat2].</p>
<p>feeling very unsure/uneasy, i postponed college, changed location, worked very hard on the pf during this summer, making huge improvements, retook tests, etc, but now, it seems like i’ve lost the interest in arch…</p>
<p>but decent scores + decent pf, should do the job. and the last thing, which i think is the most important of all is: passion. honestly, i think someone with a not-to-good pf, but shows a passion to learn more and more, a great passion for arch [enthusiasm], will make a very good impression.</p>
<p>conclusion: i don’t know which schools your son applied to but i hope this will help. in my case, i think i had the passion [something i could live or die doing, crazy about design, i could relate to it], my scores/grades/recs, and last, the pf [i think my background + relative inexperience + energy made it seem amusing/interesting].</p>
<p>bottomline, i guess, is just having the perfect balance between passion, pf[=portfolio], and scores [which i think matter less relative to transcripts/recs]</p>