<p>I am curious as to how the GRE is weighted in realtion to portfolio, GPA, work experience etc. I recently graduated from the University of Illinois - Champaign/Urbana with a Bachelors degree in Architecture. I will be applying to a number of schools for the Fall 2010 school year. My GPA is not the greatest, but my design work seemed to excell at UIUC. I also have work experience in both Chicago and New York, both internships. Here is my list of school which I will be applying to.</p>
<p>I’d second WUSTL and also suggest Cornell and Virginia. Princeton seems the odd man out in your list. The program is very small.</p>
<p>Re the GRE: My son was told just take it and forget about it. Portfolio and educational experience seem to be the most important elements in admissions.</p>
<p>einnob and momrath thanks for the suggestions, and I will consider WashU. </p>
<p>FOR einnob and momrath…</p>
<p>What do you think between WashU and UMich? I really like the aesthetic and style of the work from UMich students, has that sort of Diller Scofidio/LTL feel. Also, some of the faculty that used to teach at UMich came to UIUC in the past year, and I like their way of instruction. I’ve been on the WashU site but the examples of work they have from architecture students is limited, and the samples they do display are not that appealing. I requested information from WashU about their graduate program. Do you guys know any specifics about WashU and its architecture program, why it is considered such a good school that has a higher ranking over UMich?</p>
<p>THIS QUESTION FOR momrath…</p>
<p>Is your son currently enrolled in graduate school? What schools did he consider applying for? I have heard mixed reviews on the GRE weight. My portfolio is really strong. The work I did at UIUC was, in my opinion very good. I received design award nominations 3 times out of 6 studios. To add to the portfolio I also have examples from the firm which I worked for in NYC which has work that is also good. My main downfall is my GPA which is 2.93/4.00. I will be taking the GRE this month, and will try to do the best I can, but usually standardized tests are not a strength for me. Any input that you or your son might have would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for all of your suggestions!</p>
<p>I visited both Wash U and UMich last year with my daughter. Both are very strong programs. The Wash U M.Arch is quite a destination school for UIUC B.S. Arch Studies grads. The faculty and administration are aiming to build a very strong program. It was the most impressive of all the presentations we attended. The UMich program is much larger and certainly also very impressive. They both seemed to have lots of design/build opportunities. Both Ann Arbor and St. Louis would be great places to live and study.</p>
<p>In terms of the GRE, my daughter was told pretty much the same. Portfolio is the most important, gpa and gre are secondary, but will definitely be part of the decision. Finally, faculty and architecture work-related recommendations are a piece of the puzzle.</p>
<p>asorel, Yes, my son is in his first year of his M.Arch at Cornell. He’s really enthusiastic about the program – the students, the faculty, the facilities. His other top choices were Michigan and Virginia. He also liked Cincinnati and WUSTL but didn’t have the opportunity to visit. In the end he decided to stay in the Northeast.</p>
<p>You might consider taking a GRE prep class just to familiarize yourself with the test. My son – who is very arts and humanities driven – worried about the math but ended up doing fine. I have never heard anyone say that the GRE is a significant factor. I’m sure each school has a “no lower than” level, but I don’t know what it is.</p>
<p>From observation of the make up of M.Arch classes (many schools post the backgrounds of their students on line) my guess is that the departments try to achieve a balanced class. It’s the same as undergraduate admissions, but with even more categories to fill because they also consider the age and experience demographic. What I mean is that they look for a balance by gender, age, experience, ethnic background, education etc., etc. Again, it’s just my observation, but I believe that having a background in architecture and architecture in your portfolio is more important that the schools lead you to believe and that will be a plus for you.</p>
<p>Each place is different and may vary over the years. When I applied to grad schools the GRE was not important at Columbia, but was a big deal at Rice. When you have a portfolio to look at it seems like a standardized test would be secondary, but that is not always the case.</p>