kiwibird

As a former student in Columbia's HP Program, I can say that the acceptance rate is quite high. Many of my classmates did not score well on the GRE (pretty average, like 140s and 150s) and had pretty mediocre undergraduate grades (around 3.00). Judging by the quality of student work, student commitment to scholarship, discussions, etc., I would say the admission standards are quite low. Don't let the name scare you. The rigor of the program is not at all commensurate with other programs there/at an Ivy. It sort of seemed like the program took anyone to be honest.

I have had the same issue with SAIC. You talk to one person and they give you one day, another gives you something totally different. The director told me my dept. sent letters out on a certain day, and after 2 weeks and not receiving mine I called again, only to be told they were being sent out that afternoon. Still haven't received it.

That scholarship is for "new and continuing graduate students." If you received it, you are accepted.

It means you have been accepted. Note that it says, "will award to NEW and continuing students." I had to call the school and pressure them into giving me an answer over the phone since I have other schools pressuring me to choose. Then I received that e-mail but still no official letter, however, I know I am accepted. I think decisions just went out last week (so they said. I was told by the director of graduate admissions that they went out three weeks ago and learned differently when I called again).

I only know a bit about a few of the schools, but I would say it is important to consider the architecture of where you want to study because a lot of your work in classes will be focused on that. Not to say that you won't study other types of course, but obviously, geography is important. With that in mind, consider what your specific career goals are because each school is very different, I think, in how their curriculum is structured. A lot of them sound similar, but if you look closely at the classes and electives, you might find differences that are very important. Think too about the types of internships available and how that will prepare you for work. That's all probably really intuitive, but sometimes it helps to hear it. I like to make lists (maybe compulsively)- seeing it all laid out helps me. Obviously, if you got funding anywhere or there is potential for funding, then that plays a big part. I know at UO there are GTF positions and I believe you can apply for them second year if you don't get one at first. I have a friend that has a GTF and she has all tuition paid plus a 5000$ per term stipend, the benefits of a union, and health insurance. This might vary from department to department. I don't know, for me, I think the most important factor is the architecture and the experience I can get from a place (both employment/internship wise and personally). Again, depending on your concentration, consider other departments as you will probably take cross departmental classes for electives. For me, I would want to be sure the school also had a strong planning department, for example. Good luck with making a decision and if you want to know anything more about UO, I can at least answer those questions!

I don't know what track you plan to follow for your MS, but if you get a chance, I highly recommend taking a class from Don Holtgrieve. He teaches in geography but there are two classes he offers that are part of one of the tracks- North American Historical Landscapes, and one called Field Studies in Human Geography. The latter is a summer course and is four Fridays spent in the field. He is an amazing wealth of knowledge and all of the field trips are spent at historic sites throughout the state and discovering the history of rural and urban Oregon. Congrats again on UO! This forum has made me miss Eugene.

Congratulations! You have quite the list to choose from

Acceptance from Columbia yesterday. Waiting to hear about funding. Also still waiting to hear from SAIC. They are taking soooo long, which is a bummer because now the two schools I am in would like to know my decision soon. I just wish I had the full picture with acceptances and funding!

Yay! Way to go!! I can't remember, did you apply to other schools or just UO?

Everyone is always a little freaked out about the rain, but I have to say honestly, it is not that bad. First off, it is so mild (temperature wise) that you can be outside year round without freezing or having it hurt to breathe like it so often does during the east coast and midwest winters. Additionally, the rain brings the most beautiful green springs and summers and the fall season is to die for. I loved walking around Eugene in the fall- the fresh, crisp air and the leaves. And you can't beat being an hour and a half from either the beach or mountain depending what you feel like! The winters can feel a bit drab toward the end, but it can feel that way anywhere. I live in Toronto now and I have cabin fever like I have never felt before simply because it just isn't hospitable to be outside for long periods of time. Don't let the weather scare you away- it's a great place

Oh, Portland. I miss Portland so much. I grew up there and lived about 22 of my years there. I must say, of all of the places I have been, there is no place like Portland. I wish I had looked into UO's programme a little more now. I didn't realize the studios took place in Portland. I think I was anxious to get out of Eugene after living there for five years. I wanted a new and more exciting adventure, but I must say, I miss the simple and, not slow, but moderately paced life I had there- gardens, bikes, Spencer Butte hikes. My interests are like yours- adaptive reuse and sustainability. I originally applied to PSU last year and was rejected for urban planning. I didn't plan for that at all and applied nowhere else and that is how I ended up doing distance ed at SCAD. I am considering an urban design certificate at PSU through their urban planning department as an option as well for this fall. I missed all of the deadlines again this year, having not realized how truly horrible the instruction at SCAD is until mid January (my second term). I wanted to give it a two term chance but now it looks like I might take the next year off or do a certificate. Anyway, I have rambled on once again. Good luck and keep us updated on UO! Oh, if you haven't heard of an organization called the Architectural Heritage Centre in Portland, I highly recommend. They put on some really interesting events, including an annual tour of homes (or maybe kitchens, but the owners show all), of different eras that have been preserved as is or restored to match their original period. There were some amazing mid century homes last year. I think it is coming up in the next month or so.

Just curious about everyone's stats and where you all have applied (something to pass the dreadfully slow wait time). Here are mine: BA University of Oregon, Geography with a minor in Environmental Studies GPA: 3.15 overall, 3.72 in major Currently working on MA at Savannah College of Art and Design and running away as quickly as possible GPA: 4.0 Applied to: Pratt (historic preservation): accepted, waiting on funding SAIC (historic preservation): Columbia (non degree post-bac short programme in urban design): University of Toronto (archives and records management): Would love to hear about the rest of you!

I don't mind if you ask what I don't like at all, in fact, I would like to share my experience with as many people as possible so they are not stuck in this position. I will try not to be long winded with this- there isn't much I like about the school! Basically, the programme is either understaffed or under-regulated (maybe a combination of both). In many instances, the teachers are sub par professionals that work in some aspect of the preservation field but are not even that highly educated (one of my teachers only had a BFA!!!). Some of the classes are only offered online, which is not an appropriate teaching method for this subject (I am doing the all online programme which is part of my mistake). I have heard from others that I have talked to that do combination online/on campus classes that the on campus classes are better, but not much. I have complained to the administration about teachers that disappear from the online courses for weeks at a time with no feedback, grading, etc. and they seem to think it is just how it is and they can't do much to help. I have gone to two deans and a chair and no one cares that I am unsatisfied (or that other are- there are a group of about five of us that have been formally complaining since October). In addition, the material is not challenging at all. One of my classes this term has a 50 page book and that is it! Totally unacceptable for graduate level work. The lectures for this class don't add much either- maybe about 30-45 min per week of additional information. For the most part, the classes are not well laid out and the lesson plans and deadlines are determined not by the teacher, but by whoever designed the course. Often times we are given tests with information that was never covered. When I have complained, the teachers remove the wrong answer from the grade books because, as I have been told by three of them, they don't write or see what is on the test until after they are taken. It's mind boggling and these are just a few of the issues I am dealing with. It is impossible to connect with teachers and admin (expect to spend about an hour each day making calls and writing e-mails demanding a response), and even when you do no one cares. They blame other departments or other people in the administration and when I talk to them they blame someone else. No accountability and no desire to give students their $3500 worth per class. One of the reasons I wanted to go to SCAD was a study abroad programme in France. I began enquiring immediately after my first term started and they got rid of the programme for graduate students this term! They said it had ceased a while ago and when I enquired as to why it was still on the website they gave me some excuse about how they are reorganizing the programme and just hadn't removed it. The whole experience has soiled my love for the subject matter and I am now at a point where I feel like I need to re-evaluate my chosen path. I applied to Pratt and have been accepted and am waiting to hear from SAIC, but I am honestly not that excited about doing this at an art school. There are very few public institutions that offer this as a master's and the ones that do are really amazing schools like Columbia, Cornell, etc. that I would never get into. I feel a little stuck at this point, especially having just wasted nearly $40,000 at SCAD and feeling like I have learned absolutely NOTHING. OK, maybe a few things from extensive research I do outside of class to try to learn, but I can't give any credit to the school. It feels more like a first year undergrad class- lots of busy work, quizzes, discussion points, and no real critical thinking. At this point in my education I expected to be doing a lot of long papers, critical thinking, and so on. Sorry for the rant, but I hope that gives you some idea of what is going on here.

I went to U of O for my undergraduate studies and they do send out responses later than a lot of schools (as do all Oregon schools). I have been on the planning thread as well and no one has heard from UO or PSU as of yet. On a side note, I studied geography there (human and cultural) so I have some experience with professors that cross teach in preservation. I think it is a pretty good programme, although Eugene lacks a lot of the architectural character one might expect to find when they are studying. A lot of really cute old houses mixed with brutalist concrete buildings in an empty downtown. There is something sweet about Eugene, though, don't get me wrong. Anyway, I digress. I wouldn't worry too much about not hearing yet!

Where did you apply? Have you heard back from any schools yet? I am currently enrolled at SCAD in the historic preservation MA and it is TERRIBLE. I applied to Pratt and SAIC this year. Still waiting to hear from SAIC.