morphoguy

Correction - Syracuse University is near Cornell and has an architecture school (sorry, didn't mean anything against Syracuse). I was just using that as an example of considering what other schools are in the area.

If your wife's program is also important, you should think about how many universities are in the nearby area that your wife could apply to (and what the likelihood of acceptance is). Just as one example, if you decide to attend Cornell, but your wife is not accepted to the architecture program there, then there are no other universities nearby. By contrast, other schools like Brown or Rutgers might have 3-4 other schools nearby that offer architecture programs. So she could apply to several places and increase the likelihood of acceptance. Also, do you plan to teach in the US or return to your home country after getting your PhD? Some universities are more well-known in other countries than others. But like fuzzylogician said, whichever school you attend, if your work/research is good, that is more important than the name of the school.

Yes I got an acceptance to UPenn this morning!! In the interest of anonymity I didn't submit on the results board or report here, but since you asked~ Their visit day is indeed the 22nd. Anyone heard from Maryland or JHU?

Congrats funchaku! great school, great location. I'm not in acquisition but I applied there also... still waiting. Did you get invited to any kind of visit day for accepted folks?

Nope, nothing from Cornell yet. Many schools should be informing this week or next... #$%)*! Let's get this over with already! And good luck everyone...

Cornell undoubtedly has a great program and it is very competitive. They will typically get 120-150+ applications for an entering class of 6. I've applied this year but I know my chances of acceptance are a toss-up! Two of my friends who applied last year, they seemed to be great applicants but were rejected (one of them had some published stuff, and even some funding). It really just depends on what the faculty are looking for and if they think you are a good fit. Next time you visit campus, talk to the profs, especially the ones in the particular areas you're interested in.

Hey, first time poster here - had a Skype interview with two profs from Univ. Pennsylvania a few days ago. I think it went well, it was prety laid back, but they said decisions weren't final yet, there would be notification in Feb. I have a friend from another college who also applied but he hasn't heard anything. His app was probably stronger than mine, so I don't know what to read into that. funchaku, was that what you heard after your interview: they are interested, but decisions were not yet final? that's the impression I got.