michpc

hey all, good way to pass the time, and glad to see other HP people on here . I did my BA in History of Architecture at Syracuse. Honestly, it wasn't the best program as it was tossed around between Arts & Sciences and Architecture. Seems to be improving now as they've appointed a full-time director for the major who was an awesome professor when I was there. However I loved it there anyway, met amazing people, and wouldn't have gone anywhere else (though if I had to go back I'd try to do a better job of being less shy and connecting with faculty!) Cumulative was 2.98 (thank you freshman year Physics, etc!) and I think 3.41 in my major. Between 2006 and now I took a few classes at BU, with 3.67 for those. In addition to the programs you see in my sig, I'm waiting to hear from Oregon, of course, E Mich, and George Washington. Really, no idea what I'm going to do at this point! Glad to hear good things about Oregon, but I'm not entirely sure I could handle the weather! I knew it was a rainy winter and dry summer, but when I saw over 8" average precipitation in Eugene for December, I nearly fell out of my seat. But I guess we'll see how things go!

I'm not an MFA hopeful, but just some words of encouragement: I saw a bunch of acceptances via email to PennDesign over a week ago, and so I was expecting bad news on the website notification day, but it turns out I'm in! So don't give up hope even if others have already received acceptances!

towering inferno

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bloody mary

I think your best bet is to contact departments directly and ask whether or not they require a specific OS and/or other specs before you take the plunge. I love my MBP and would wholly recommend it, but you should really find out what you'll need for sure before making that kind of investment.

My sister is in her first year of grad school at Temple and she lives in Rittenhouse Square and LOVES it (I've been to visit her a few times and love it too!) It's an easy walk to the Broad Street line, and it's just an ideal area to be in when she's not in class. Shops, parks, and restaurants everywhere, and at least in my Boston-area opinion, the rent is very reasonable (she lives alone in a large studio apartment). She would definitely agree that campus itself is safe, but I don't think she would want to live nearby and I don't think any of her classmates do/would either.

I sent handwritten thank yous on cards I'd laid out myself (created using my photography on MPIX) to my recommenders after I'd finished my last application. I think sending that right away helps remind them that you haven't forgotten about them now that you're finished with apps. I also updated them via email when I got my first acceptance, and will do the same when I've made a final decision on where I'm attending. It seems some here send gifts, but the consensus when I googled was that this was a no-no, so I'm still up in the air on that. One of my recommenders was the faculty adviser for the rugby team I was president of in college, so I'll probably at least buy him a beer at our next alumni weekend in the fall!

It sounds like you have a really strong application! Hang in there, hopefully notifications go out ASAP. Waiting SUCKS.

Thanks for the tips, everyone!

That's a great suggestion. I'm hoping to do something similar, as I have admin experience (unfortunately).

i had a lower undergrad GPA, so I think that taking post-grad courses through an extension school during the time I've been working since college really helped me as I had a 3.67 for those courses. I think it's definitely a good way to show you're serious and can excel despite a lower undergrad GPA.

So, you get an email offering you a spot in the program you've applied to; you're in! Is there any etiquette involved in that? Are you supposed to respond and say "thanks, I'll be in touch!" Or are you just supposed to limit correspondence to whether you'll be accepting or not, and asking about visits, etc? Sorry, it's been 9 years since I applied to undergrad and even then I think most notices came in snail mail form! (wow, 9 years!). THANKS!

not yet! However, I'm pretty sure Penn is a reject as others were contacted last week by the program directly, and I'm awaiting the website results. So not officially, but very probably. I may be waitlisted at Cornell (waiting to hear back on an email I sent as I got an invite to the open house cryptically saying that I should have been notified of my waitlist status, yet I have not received any such email). My undergrad degree was in history of architecture, but I spent 4 years working as an admin for an investment firm, lol. I think my saving grace has definitely been that I took some grad classes at BU's Preservation Studies program and did really well, but ultimately decided I wanted to leave Boston (and not pay BU tuition!).

Well, whatever way we find out, good luck to you!

Female? If you want to look nice: Merrell and Keen make nice tall leather waterproof boots that are also insulated. If you keep them polished, they should last for years, and are super comfy. Great with jeans or tights and a dress. For pure snow protection, something like Sorel Joan Joan of Arctic (I totally want these if I end up at UVM or EMU), or something from LL Bean perhaps. I love my Bean Boots because they are good in spring and fall rain/mud with thinner socks, and winter with warm wool socks. Another thing I love for pure comfort are Goretex sneakers, which are great when the sidewalks are damp/snowy but you don't really need half your legs covered. Can you tell I like footwear?

I haven't heard anything from Oregon either. Having a low undergrad GPA and being 5 years (when I start) out of undergrad, I applied to 8 schools because I was scared I wouldn't get in anywhere...now I have the opposite problem...I actually am going to have to make a decision! ha! I wish I'd just get something back from the rest soon enough so I can really hunker down and make this final decision. Do you know if Oregon does their notifications by email, snail mail, website, etc?

I'm 26, almost 5 years out of undergrad, so I DO miss undergrad, and I WON'T miss: - the job I hated (they did me the favor of 'terminating' me back in December, wahoo!!) - the job I hated - the job I hated (sorry, had to repeat that a few times) - working in the financial sector; it's gross and made me feel dirty. It's all about making the rich richer and ruining the lives of those who are not rich (jaded?) - 9-5 - just all of it what I will miss: - Boston and Cambridge, but I am ready to try somewhere new! - Cambridge mostly...it's so beautiful here - the bonuses - yeah, mostly just the money! I had a minor crisis when I was fired, but now that I have acceptances, there is light at the end of the tunnel, and I can't freakin' wait!

I received an email acceptance/open house invite from the School of Public Policy and Administration for the Historic Preservation program on Tuesday. Not sure what program you've applied to, but it seems like these things vary a LOT from program to program at every school.

Am I the only one who finds that ridiculously aggravating?

Brookline is definitely more young professionals, but it's also more expensive. The other downside is that if you have a car, you cannot park overnight on streets (there are a lot of rich people in Brookline). You need to either have an apartment that comes with a space, or rent one somewhere else. That has always kept me from wanting to live there. Between BU and BC, it's hard to avoid undergrads completely, but Brookline will be a better bet than the less expensive and somewhat more dense Brighton and Allston. I wouldn't discount them completely though if you will be able to see apartments in person. I have a friend who has an inexpensive 1 bedroom in Brighton on Washington St. near Comm Ave and it seems clean and quiet.

I may be a dissenter here, but yeah I think it's worth it. If you know this is truly what you want to do, then it is an investment. Many people will pay the same or more than that in car loans in their lifetime, and that's a car, not your life. But ultimately, it's whether YOU think it's worth it or not.

yikes! Sorry to hear about your experience at SCAD. Mind if I ask what you don't like about it? I've applied to 8 schools, and have heard back from Clemson & Charleston, Delaware, and Vermont. Still waiting to hear from the rest. I'm scared about decision time!!

and if you have an Android phone, download Boston Bus Map. The MBTA has GPS installed in their buses and some of the subway trains (not green line yet), so you can tell if your bus that's supposed to come at 5pm is actually running 20min late, etc. It rocks.

Yes, Lower Allston is much less undergrad oriented, and the 66 bus runs quite often to Harvard Square and Brighton/Brookline. There's not a lot to walk to there (except for gas stations and such), which I guess is the only major downside. This is my 5th year living in the area and I've apartment hunted three times, so if you have any other questions, feel free to ask .