Jump to content

dalek

Members
  • Posts

    14
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Profile Information

  • Location
    Brooklyn
  • Program
    Historic Preservation

Recent Profile Visitors

1,731 profile views

dalek's Achievements

Decaf

Decaf (2/10)

1

Reputation

  1. Hi! I will also be attending Columbia beginning this fall (MSHP)! I don't know of any groups at the moment, but I bet an e-mail to GSAPP admissions might prompt them to start a Google group for people to get in touch. Are you in NYC already?
  2. For anyone still waiting to hear about the terminal MA in English at Columbia: found the committee will be meeting on May 15 to review applications. I'm not going to push them to review earlier, but wow, that is so late in the year.
  3. I called a few weeks ago and was informed of the rolling admissions but was afraid to ask. I don't want to push them into an early 'no' decision. I know this is silly, but somehow seems justified. Congrats on your acceptance! California, let us know how it goes!
  4. Have you heard any news about the MA yet? Still waiting for this decision as well.
  5. I am currently a grad student living in NYC with very little funding. I chose to live in Brooklyn, which is actually not far from anything. My partner attends Columbia and it only takes 45 min on the subway. We live relatively comfortably considering where we are, but there have been many difficult adjustments. We went from living alone to now having two roommates. We went from a landlord that cared to one that couldn't care less about anything. We paid a massive fee to get the apartment we are in and it is not rent controlled (this is in part because we moved from Canada and had to find a place quickly so you can avoid this with a lot time and effort). The food situation was bad for us for a while, simply because we like to eat fresh and healthy and the grocery stores all seem to have the worst produce ever. We started ordering Fresh Direct which saves us time and money and all of the food is very fresh and guaranteed for a certain number of days. We rarely eat out because we have found it is expensive and mediocre at best. We do save a lot of money this way, and I would say it costs only $500 per month to feed the two of us really awesome food. We came from a large city and the city was and continues to be a shock to us. It's dirty, it's loud, people are pretty rude and uncouth. Some days I have trouble making sense of whether or not school is worth this. But for me it's only one more year, and my partner equates it to living under a bridge for one year for a million dollar payout. We will see. If you would like to know neighbourhood specifics, tips and tricks to avoid realtor fees, grocery stores, fun thing to do, or anything else, feel free to PM me. Best of luck!
  6. I am actually in the School of Architecture, so if it's the cream of the crop, that's too bad. While I agree that the departments vary and therefore experience varies, I have yet to meet a person in any department/program that has been happy with the quality of education at Pratt. Transferring out of the school is exactly what I am doing next fall. I am simply warning anyone I can so they do not lose $50,000 on what is essentially a year of independent study (or as you note 'what you make it.') The issues are not limited to bureaucracy either, it's first and foremost a quality of education issue, and the lack of availability/engagement from professors outside of two hour classes each week that is driving me to a much better school this coming year. It's a great place to go to school if you want a credential after your name without doing any real work. I simply hate the idea of other people being swindled by the 'education' or 'connections' at Pratt. When I moved to NYC to go to Pratt I was so excited about its great name and expected to be challenged or at least have people support me in challenging myself. Most of the students are incredibly lazy and the 90% of the teachers are just looking to do the minimum required (show up to class).
  7. Take the processing of your application as a note of how the school is. They don't care about you and you will spend your entire education fighting bureaucracy and teachers that just do not care. Also, if you are getting aid or funding, don't count on getting it for at least four weeks after each term starts. The appeal of NYC is not worth the trouble and angst you will endure at Pratt. It will take away your desire to even do anything fun because it consumes you. I am not exaggerating when I say that I have not met or spoken with one person that feels even partially satisfied with the education here. This place is a degree factory robbing you of your money and giving nothing in return. I have actually begun to acquire legal counsel with some others to sue on the basis of educational malpractice.
  8. Has anyone applied to, heard back from, or previously attended this program? I am interested to hear anything anyone might know about it. Cheers!
  9. Has anyone applied to, heard back from, or previously attended this program? I am interested to hear anything anyone might know about it. Cheers!
  10. Please, please, please do not waste your time or money at Pratt. The program has a good name but it is terribly unorganized and getting good professors, I mean instructors, is a matter of luck. I feel held hostage to the program and wish I had known better before I made the decision to pour nearly $100,000 into their academic system. If you want an easy degree without any real learning then Pratt is the place. If you actually want to be an expert at something and feel stimulated and supported intellectually, go somewhere else. Pratt is a great place to get an unpaid internship filing your teacher's papers.
  11. The applicants and enrollment for preservation programs has been dropping country-wide (I was recently researching this for my chair). Admissions are not generally that competitive, especially when you get to the art and design schools. I don't think the GRE scores are weighted much at all. The field wants to grow and needs people to make that happen, so if you have a strong personal statement and some experience (internship, volunteer) you have a really good shot.
  12. NYU has a program in London, focused on historical and sustainable architecture. What aspect of the field are you most interested in? It varies greatly depending on what you want to do (planning, materials conservation, history). It can even vary by era of architecture you are interested in and objects you are interested in preserving.
  13. Pratt is a terrible school. Don't waste your money. Seriously. I just lost a year of my life and $60K and have nothing to show for it. Most of my friends feel the same way.
  14. The academia work only ends with a professional degree if you make that decision; however, if you want to continue on in academia, DO NOT go to Pratt. I am a student at Pratt now and there is some cross over between my program and library science. Overall, it's a horrible school. You will most likely feel the way many other master's students do after a semester or two: depressed and completely uninspired. There is no real emphasis on learning or academic inquiry--most students in my master's program seem to have barely passed fourth grade writing. I will say that Pratt has a lot of connected teachers so if your goal is to work in NYC, then by all means, fork over the $60K in exchange for the networking (you would have great internship opportunities). If you believe NYC is not the centre of the universe, want to live/work somewhere else later in life, or want to actually get something for your tuition, go elsewhere. Seriously. I have been here for less than a year and just finished applying to a bunch of different master's programs. Some of my peers that I respect are staying just to get the piece of paper, but have acknowledged they will need a second master's upon completion of their current degree. Others are also leaving because they want to be competitive in their field, or continue on in education. This all sounds gloom, but I wish someone had warned me.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. See our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use