Chance me for Architecture Grad Schools [international student]

[georgiadrakoulakou]

Hello! I am an undergraduate architecture student from Athens, Greece and I would like to get chanced/ receive advice on areas I should improve in order to pursue a master’s degree at a top american university. Feel free to suggest me matches as well.

Demographics

International student
State/Location of residency: Athens, Greece
Highschool Apolytirion: Evangeliki Model Highschool of Smyrna (2014-2020)
MArch: School of Architecture - National Technical Universitiy of Athens (2020-2026)
Environmental Studies Minor: Deree - The American College of Greece (2025-2026)

Cost Constraints / Budget: In need of fincancial aid (I am probably eligible for it need-wise)

Intended Major: MArch II

GPA, Rank, and Test Scores

HS GPA: 20/20 (which converts to 4.0 in the american GPA scale)
NTUA GPA: 9.1/10 (which converts to 4.0 in the american GPA scale)
Deree ACG GPA: N/A (this is my first semester, but I got a 92/100 on my first midterm exam)

Work experience:

Giorgos Aggelis Architects – Part Time Junior Architect: November 2024 - March 2025
Katerina Daskalaki Architects – Full Time Internship: September - October 2024 & April 2025 - currently
Private Tutoring – Part Time Job: 2020 – 2024 (private tutoring 4 Grade 6th-10th kids in the subjects: Math, Physics, Chemistry, Greek, Ancient Greek)
Digital portfolio creation – Short Time Job: November – December 2023 (Adobe Photoshop, Adobe InDesign, Computer filing, worked with Greek artist Despina
Meimaroglou)

Awards

Stavros Niarchos Foundation & Deree ACG Merit Scholarships: Received a 1400€ scholarship from SNF and a 35% tuition fee decrease (biggest percentage available) for pursuing the Parallel Studies Program at Deree ACG
“Christos Papakyriakopoulos” and “Nikolaos Kritikos” merit scholarships and awards: Received a 800€ for having the best performance in math in my year - NTUA – Academic Year 2020-21
11th place in National Chemistry Student Contest - 2018
2nd place in National Seismograph Creating contest (teamwork): 2018
2nd and 1st place in international contest Purple Comet Math Meet: 2016 & 2017
Several distinctions in National Math contests held by the Hellenic Mathematics Union: 2014-2017
1st place in entrance exams for Evangeliki Model Highschool of Smyrna: 2014

Publications:

Drakoulakou, G. and Argyri, P. (2020) “Are autonomous vehicles the future
of mobility?”, Open Schools Journal for Open Science, 3(3). doi: 10.12681/osj.23358.
Drakoulakou, G. (2018) “School’s contribution to prevention of earthquakes”, Open Schools Journal for Open Science, 1(1), pp. 3–8. doi: 10.12681/osj.17378.

Extracurriculars

Volunteering
Open House Athens 2025: Volunteer Tour Guide at «10AM Lofts» in Kerameikos – April 2025 (got suggested by my team leader to become a team leader myself in the next year’s event, so in OHA 2026 I will have a leadership role, not a tour guide)
Wanderlust / all passports: Artefact Athens – Volunteer Assistant supervisor – November 2024
Open House Athens 2024: Volunteer Tour Guide (in person & livestream) at «Transition»
Residence in Tzitzifies – April 2024
Butterfly Effect: Artefact Athens – Volunteer Assistant supervisor – October 2023
Connecting Education & Workplace: Architecture mentor at Evangeliki Model Highschool’s after school club – Academic Year 2022-23
Volunteering at Kefalovriso, Argolida: Architecture students’ group, Local improvement
society, Vrilissos: landscape architecture, forest cleaning, signance installation – April 2022

Public Speaking & Conferences
NTUA Researcher’s Night 2023: Volunteer Assistant – September 2023
Ag. Dimitrios’ ΙΕΚ Seminar: Speech at “From the Round School by the visionary architect Takis Zenetos, to Europe, through Erasmus+” seminar & short film presentation – January 2024

Workshops & Seminars
Achieving the Transition to 100% Renewable Energy: May 2024 - Online Course - U.S. Green Building Council
Mapping Athena’s Street: NTUA & MSU – intercollegiate urban design workshop – May 2024
GoGreen – Contemporary, almost zero- energy workspaces: September – October 2023 - Online course – Technical Chamber of Greece & Eurotraining
1st Student Conference about Mathematics: HMU – Speech Title: “Applications of Math in
Biology” – December 2018
European Student Parliament of Science: Toulouse, July 2018
Greek Student Parliament of Science: Voted as one of the 6 delegates to represent
Greece in the European Student Parliament of Science in Toulouse – April 2018
4th Mediterranean Student Conference: Fondazione Ellenica di Cultura Italia & Comunità
Ellenica di Napoli e Campania in Naples – Τίτλος: Hellenic-Roman Civilization and European Idea – November 2017

Languages:

Greek - native
English – C2 (University of Michigan)
German – B2 (Goethe Institut)
Spanish – Entry Level

Design Software:
Autodesk AutoCAD 2D & 3D
SketchUp
Rhinoceros 3D
Twin Motion
Lumion
Adobe InDesign
Adobe Photoshop

Essays/LORs

I have very strong essay writing skills
I already have LORs by 1 highschool professor and 1 employer and I am definitely getting 2 more (1 from the university professor I am working on my diploma thesis with and 1 from my second employer). I can possibly get 2 more from my supervisors at the prementioned volunteering events.

Schools
My top pick is Yale. I am also considering MIT, Harvard, and Columbia

[Momofthree24]

I’m confused. From what you’ve written, you are already working on a MArch degree in your home country. What are your reasons for wanting to come to the U.S. to receive another Master’s degree? I’m not sure what the licensing requirements are in Greece, but typically architects here don’t get a second Master’s degree in Architecture.

The schools you’ve listed are all high reaches with acceptance rates lower than 5%.

You should create a strong portfolio of your work to submit with your application. Some schools require this.

Good luck to you.

[Mashinations]

Adding to @Momofthree24’s questions - have you researched your list of schools to see if they meet financial need of international students in Masters programs? Getting in is irrelevant if you’re unable to afford it. You have an impressive resume but so does everyone else attending those schools.

If your goal is to come to the US for school and potentially stay here for work, I might also suggest reaching out to a couple of major firms (HR Office) and see how frequently they sponsor Visa’s.

Agree that when it comes to getting into an MArch program the most critical component is likely to be your portfolio.

[georgiadrakoulakou]

In Greece, the degree takes 5 years and is equivalent to an integrated master’s degree in architecture. We are not able to seperate it form our bachelor’s degree, meaning basically that every architecture graduate in Greece has a master’s degree or MArch I. The additional master’s degree I want to pursue is MArch II and essentially covers students whose background is solidly architectural, and want to deepen their conceptual/design skills

[georgiadrakoulakou]

In Greece, the degree takes 5 years and is equivalent to an integrated master’s degree in architecture. We are not able to seperate it form our bachelor’s degree, meaning basically that every architecture graduate in Greece has a master’s degree or MArch I. The additional master’s degree I want to pursue is MArch II and essentially covers students whose background is solidly architectural, and want to deepen their conceptual/design skills

Harvard, Yale, MIT do have the possibility to give out need-aware fundings with even full funding possible. As for Columbia there is merit-based aid, and sometimes full fellowships. There are also external scholarships to consider and research

[Momofthree24]

Thanks for the explanation. In Greece, are you required to get a second professional degree for licensure? Unless you are wanting a career in academia, I don’t much see the point of a second professional degree. Just my opinion(as a registered Architect).

[Mashinations]

Based on the “5 year program” in Greece it almost sounds like a Bachelor of Architecture program in the US. My understanding from the BoA program is that in some cases those students do go on to pursue an MArch. I’m not sure the benefit of that second degree since either allows for future licensure. (??) You would know more than me on that point for sure…

RE: OP - as stated further up, the schools you list are all very much reaches for any student, with very low admittance rates. The best you can do is shoot your shot for them and see if you get admitted. If you’re interested in any other MArch programs that might be available at other schools - Accreditation - NAAB Website.

I’m not big adherent to rankings but you’ll find that there are good number of mid/high ranking schools (but not T-20) that have very well respected Architecture programs (Virginia Tech, Syracuse, U-Michigan, UVA, Cal Poly, etc). Those might be a little more challenging financially though.

[georgiadrakoulakou]

Thank you for your interest! You do not need a second degree, you just need to pass an exam at an organization called the technical chamber, once you graduate. I am considering a career in academia, which is why I am researching further education opportunities.

[georgiadrakoulakou]

Thank you for your feedback!