Hi,
I want to pursue architecture major and my top choice is cornell Architecture. My situation is a bit messy and would love to get some feedback back for my ED application!
Stats:
Sat: 1540/1600
TOEFL: 112/120
Portfolio is in the making, and the things is I got into a top architecture college in india but left after 3 months as I couldn’t see my future in this system and culture and decided to keep my application as a first year applicant.
My ecs are independent as I am a gap student and it’s centred around architecture observation and independent research rather than the standard ecs mine is a bit meh. My focus is catered to make the cornell application the first and foremost important application!
I wish you the best but recognize that Cornell is a longshot for any unhooked applicant – even more so for an international student from an over-represented country needing significant financial aid.
I would have recommended staying at your college in India. Even if you graduate from a US college you should expect to return to India after graduation.
ETA: Looks like the Tata scholarship funds 20 students so I expect it is highly competitive. Also is the Architecture program at Cornell 5 years? If so, even if you so get the scholarship, how will you fund year 5?
Is the Tata Scholarship guaranteed until graduation?
As long as Tata Scholars have financial need, Cornell is committed to providing them with Tata Scholarship funding. With the exception of the five-year program in architecture, which requires ten semesters of full-time enrollment, Cornell will provide up to eight semesters of funding.
I’m pretty sure that is saying they will do all five years for architecture, but this is the sort of thing worth confirming.
I also assume the competition for this is incredibly fierce and so would also suggest not in any way counting on it.
Your chances by definition are low, as it is a top, highly competitive program - more so for international students - where you also need to compete for funding. Of course, take your chance to apply because low isn’t impossible, but to me the more important question is, what is your back-up option if you don’t get in?
You may not have a choice. If you were to be admitted somewhere internationally, there are no guarantees that you could stay.
In the US, you would be required to return to your home country after completion of your studies. There is no shortage of architectural majors in the US, such that finding an employer to sponsor an international student would be extremely difficult and challenging.
Also, you might be admitted, but with no funding. What happens then?
Plus, if you attended 3 months of a program, you might be considered a transfer student.
Yep, picking up on this theme, and I am not posting this to be negative, but to be realistic. Let’s say OP does get admitted and gets funding. After the degree, they have 36 months of OPT (assuming none used while studying) to try get a job. Even if they succeed and work for 3 years in the US -after that they need H1B to continue working in the US. This has been a popular route until now for Indian nationals especially, so OP might be thinking that they can just go this route, however, and it’s a big however, the rules of the H1B lottery have changed recently. The lottery is now heavily slanted in favor of those with more skills and more experience (by heavily slanted, I mean up to a 4x greater weighting for those at the high end of the scale) so even if OP manages to find an employer willing to sponsor them for H1B, the chances of getting picked in the lottery are a lot lower than they used to be for fairly recent graduates. And while the numbers are still being finalized and there might be some court challenges to this, there will also be a minimum salary to be eligible for H1B. From my understanding (with a kid about to start an architecture degree I have done a bit of research into this), lesser-experienced architecture graduates are not particularly well-paid and it is entirely possible that the salary being earned after 3 years may fall below the cut-off for H1B entirely.
So the short version is @aunt_bea is absolutely correct that a US degree is not necessarily a pathway out of the “system and culture” that OP wants to escape. There are so many conditions in this one -1. Get accepted 2. Get funding 3. Get an OPT job 4. Find an employer willing to sponsor H1B and 5. Actually get the H1B. Goes back to my original question: what is the back-up option?
Hello, yes the competition is incredible fierce, but as b.arch is the first preferred major for tata funds, it increase in chances for getting the scholarship
Thank you for the honest feedback, it definitely is a definitely high risk! As for your question if I don’t get in, I have more architecture colleges I have thought of to apply for RD, and if could not get in then will have to accept and go to college in india only as it is fine if I can give 1-2 years to take a risk I’m okayy with that!
Yes thank you for being honest! Yes after completion I would be required to go home if it was not a stem major, but as it is considered to be i two extra years to try to find opportunities for work, and definitely it would be hard to find sponsors but the experience and knowledge I gain is honestly so much! If admitted there is low chance of me not being funded as it’s need aware they do consider this when reviewing application and i would be rejected in the first place for that! And yes I have checked as I did not accumulate any credits in those 3 months, I am considered as an first year applicant.
Thank you for taking the time to write such a detailed response. I genuinely appreciate it.
I agree that there are many uncertainties in this path, from admission and funding to OPT and eventually H-1B. I’ve spent quite a bit of time researching those steps, and I don’t see any of them as guaranteed.
For me, though, the value of attending Cornell extends beyond immigration. My primary goal is to receive an education that aligns with the kind of architect I want to become. Even if I eventually have to return to India, I believe the education, research opportunities, and network would still be incredibly valuable.
Regarding employment, I understand that sponsorship is difficult, especially in architecture. My hope would be to gain experience during OPT and then explore whichever opportunities are realistically available at that point. If that ultimately means returning to India, I’m okay with that outcome as well.
I know it’s a high-risk plan, but after weighing the risks, I still believe it’s one worth pursuing.
So do I understand this correctly: you are applying to US (maybe some other international?) universities for the fall 2027 admit year. If you don’t get in /or don’t get enough funding to attend, you will then have to apply to Indian universities again? Is there an overlap between when you will hear back from the US colleges (mid December for ED but up to late March/1 April if you go RD) and when you can apply to Indian universities, or are you looking at a worst case outcome of 2 years before you end up starting a degree program if you end up having to apply to Indian universities again? Are you doing any kind of internship/work experience at the moment while you’re waiting on all this?
Honestly, I don’t think Cornell is the only place someone can become a good architect. There are amazing architects from all kinds of schools.
The reason I keep coming back to Cornell is because the way they approach architecture matches how I naturally think. I’m much more interested in asking why spaces affect people the way they do than just learning how to design buildings.
I also eventually want to explore the Real Estate minor because I’m weirdly interested in the finance and development side of architecture too. I don’t want to only design projects, I want to understand how they actually happen and how design decisions connect with economics.
That’s just the direction I see myself growing in, and Cornell is one of the places that I can do these both simultaneously.
As an architect yourself, I’d genuinely be interested in hearing whether that way of thinking comes across realistically, or if you think I’m misunderstanding what Cornell emphasizes.
Hi, yes if i don’t get in I will have to apply again. If I don’t get in for fall’27 with the colleges I applied for there is no overlapping with the Indian application process, as for Indian application process-to get in an architecture college for 2027 you need to apply in June or till early July and in August you get the results, if you get in it starts from sept onwards. And honeslty I don’t consider my 2 years as getting wasted as it is a process of learning, I do get knowledge and experience of how to make variety of arts and model projects. We will see in mid dec
That’s true, and I don’t think Cornell is the only school that teaches this approach. For me it’s more about the combination of the AAP curriculum, the studio culture, and the opportunity to explore a Real Estate minor alongside architecture. That combination is what makes Cornell stand out to me personally. There are more reasons as to why i specifically think cornell is fit for me, be it the tata scholarship specifically made for lower income students,the interdisciplinary opportunities or the naab certified program.. thank you for your feedback!!
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