maybetoohopeful

Thanks for the advice. In a better economy, I think the suggestion of getting an internship and a part-time job, or a full-time job that's somewhat related, would be great ideas. Unfortunately architecture is being hit hard, and there are no paying internships. I live in NYC, so supporting myself on part-time pay with an unpaid internship is pretty much out of the question. I know that in order to make myself a more compelling candidate, I would have to take a portfolio prep course either in the summer or fall. Most of them are pretty expensive and I'm lucky that I was offered a chance by my advisor to sit in on one for free. I can't ignore, though, that a better portfolio would just lead to a much more expensive school. I would have been happy to burden myself down with loans had I gotten in to those schools the first time around, but now I've had too much time to think about it, and I'm loving the price of the public school. So far two professors have recommended that I attend this school, so I'm 90% sure that I'm going in the fall.

Today I've been swinging from one extreme to the other in terms of deciding what to do about grad school. I applied to 2 "dream" schools and one safety. Only got into the safety. I didn't know much about their program since I spent all my time looking at the two dream schools, and ignoring the safety, so my first reaction was to want to defer there for a year (I don't have to make any deposits or commitments to do that) and re-apply to the two dream schools, plus more for a wider range. I got to the point where I listed all the pros and cons of deferring and not deferring, but ultimately it hasn't helped and I'm still torn. I need some objectivity. My safe option is a good public school that is still building up its reputation. My dream schools are private institutions that already have great reputations, but I would spend all year preparing to reapply, and they are vastly more expensive. I think I can be a stronger candidate for their programs next year, but that would also require finding a job that would look good on my resume and have something to do with my major, and that is looking like a slim chance. Should I take what I can get and not worry about reputation? Or should I hold out and try to do "better?"

I need some serious advice on how to put together a portfolio to apply for a Masters of Architecture program. I applied this year, but didn't get into the schools I wanted, so I'm going to try to defer enrolment at my safety while I apply again to the dream schools. The problem is that my undergrad institution (NYU) doesn't have an architecture program, so none of the professors have had very detailed (or confident) advice to give me on putting together a portfolio. I have a liberal arts background with very little to show for myself visually (though I do consider myself an artistic person). Anyone who got in to architecture school recently, please help me! What did you do? Did everything in your portfolio have to do with buildings and structures? Or was it more abstract and artsy? Or was it something else entirely?

For the masters of architecture program. I got rejected from Pratt, accepted to City College, and am waiting to hear from Parsons. Just trying to get an idea of what to expect. I think I expected too much...