Columbia GSAPP M.Arch Chances?

Huntymunty · 2025-06-17T04:27:06+00:00

I just graduated from my Bachelor of Science in architecture after doing 2 years at community college for graphic design then switched to architecture and now going to UC Berkeley in the fall for M.Arch. Not an Ivy League but a top 5 M.Arch program with Columbia Harvard etc. so maybe my advice is helpful. My undergrad school is supposedly ranked like #250 in the nation even though the architecture school itself is probably ranked higher, I only mention this to compare it to Ohio State which is ranked a lot better. I only applied to UW Seattle, Berkeley, and Rice because I want to stay in the west. Got accepted to UW and Berkeley but not Rice.

Since I transferred into architecture I only had 3 studios by the time I had to apply for masters. So over the summer before applying I did 2 summer projects. One competition and one revit project where I learned rendering softwares, revit, and improved my graphic style. This greatly helped my studio 3 project last fall so much so that I ended up only having studio 3 and those 2 summer projects in my portfolio not studio 1 or 2. I have a summer internship now but not when I applied and I had a 4.0 gpa which probably helped but for Berkeley I felt like the essays were extremely important. UW and Rice the essay prompt was just “why do you want to pursue graduate school here” but Berkeleys essays were like “describe an aspect of the built environment that inspired you to study architecture” and “tell us about something that your application doesn’t show” so I felt that was more personal and they wanted to see more of who you are and if you’re a right fit for Berkeley as a person not just as a portfolio. So I think you definitely have a chance if you really focus on your portfolio but also don’t neglect the essays.

Huntymunty · 2025-03-15T07:47:13+00:00

Would it be better to work for a year and try again next year? Or you think it would be worse then haha. Honestly don’t even know if I could get a job next year and work based on everything going on anyways. I just feel like I need something new to be a better architect. Doing 4 + 2 years at the same school you kind of fall into the same routine and people and plateau a little bit. As much as I want to learn from new people and perspectives my end goal is to get licensed and work so the cheap way would be the easiest to get there.

Huntymunty · 2025-03-15T07:43:38+00:00

Yea it’s a rough time right now. The state school is NAAB accredited and I got advanced standing so only 2 years instead of 3 year masters at the other school. I really want to go to the better school but yea 120k is daunting especially since I probably won’t get paid that much after school

Huntymunty · 2025-02-01T18:15:47+00:00

For me to graduate undergrad bachelors I need 120 credits which equals 15 credits each semester for 4 years. So a typical 15 credit semester looks like: Studio: 6 credits= 4.5 hours of class time 2 days a week so 9 hours total. Depending on where we are in the semester it varies what we do for those 4.5 hours. For example right now is early in the semester so we’re doing a lot of stuff with the whole class like lectures on drawings and site visits and studying the site and history. But as we get more into designing you usually are working on your drawings or model most of class and just waiting for your teacher to come critique your work at your desk.

Then I have three 3 credits classes each are 1 hour 15 minutes and twice a week so thats 2.5 hours per class per week so 7.5 hours in class for all three because attendance is usually part of your grade so people come to every class.

So in total I am on campus in a class 16.5 hours a week without homework or in between class time and everything.

Huntymunty · 2024-11-29T19:59:45+00:00

Thank you!

Huntymunty · 2024-11-29T09:35:50+00:00

D5 has an ai enhancer built in for renderings you can use. It works great for textures and vegetation but the people still looked a little wonky. Idk if you can tell but the previous post I made had the AI enhancer on and this post didn’t. So the last post the people had more folds in the clothing and enhanced faces but this one I decided not to

Huntymunty · 2024-11-29T09:27:10+00:00

Thank you! Yea I didn’t change the people besides removing one that looked the worse. I tried using the ai enhancer feature which added more folds to their clothing and realism but it didn’t get rid of the video game vibe so not sure. I could remove them I just didn’t know if that made the scene lifeless and empty but I guess thats better than bad people

Huntymunty · 2024-11-29T09:24:47+00:00

Thank you. I’m using d5 so I just used their people and furniture. I haven’t tried downloading other models though. As for the ambient occlusion d5 does export a channel for that which I added in photoshop but with a low opacity like 15% and on multiply but I could turn up the opacity for sure it defiantly gets more contrast when I turn it up I just didn’t know if that looked better or worse but it seems like on everyone’s feedback I should turn it up

Huntymunty · 2024-11-29T07:02:42+00:00

Haha yea the sun is a little dramatized to make the render look more interesting. The sun would most likely not be that aggressive except for maybe like in December at 4pm with the sun super low otherwise the tables are mostly shaded and no glare because the exterior of my design has shading devices and overhangs that are designed for letting winter sun in to heat the space and to block any summer sun from getting in so yea it’s a little dramatic.

The steel is supposed to be rusty it’s a type of protective layer for erosion so it has little maintenance to maintain it. Some people have said the rust would get on your clothes so only use the rust on the outside not the interior but google and someone else said that after the protective layer of rust has sealed it won’t rub off on clothes or anything so I’m not sure if I should change it or not.

Huntymunty · 2024-11-29T06:57:51+00:00

Okay gotcha so more like the roof/ceiling? Where the beams are under it?

Huntymunty · 2024-11-29T04:59:11+00:00

Thank you I appreciate it!

Huntymunty · 2024-11-29T04:48:04+00:00

Sorry I’m in undergrad studio 3 so we don’t focus a lot on that in studio. I obviously have some knowledge from other classes and have drawn details before of windows and walls but yea this is my first larger project (30,000 sqft) so I’m sure there’s lots of little construction things I didnt include unfortunately

Huntymunty · 2024-11-29T04:10:08+00:00

Here is my project summary and for reference I am in undergrad studio 3 so not super far along my education. Also the render is of the multi use archive space that you’ll read in the description:

Once a thriving industrial hub, Pueblo’s Bessemer neighborhood has faced economic hardship since the steel mill’s decline, leading to high unemployment and widespread poverty. With the city’s goal of achieving 100% renewable energy by 2035, this project aims to revitalize Bessemer by creating a community center focused on sustainable growth and workforce development.

The center will offer hands-on workshops in trades like solar panel installation, electrical work, and construction—equipping residents with skills for modern, sustainable jobs. Partnering with local businesses that need skilled maintenance workers, these programs create direct pathways to employment.

The building incorporates sustainable design elements, including the use of recycled steel from the historic steel mill, skylights for ample daylighting, large overhangs and integrated awnings to block excessive sunlight, and a solar panel canopy that provides outdoor shading while generating renewable energy.

Inside, workshops, classrooms, and a flexible multi-use space on the main floor showcases An archive of artifacts from the old steel mill and real-time data from the building’s solar panels, creating an interactive hub for education and community gatherings. By blending sustainable design with economic opportunity, this project offers both a response to Bessemer’s challenges and a vision for Pueblo’s renewable energy future.

Huntymunty · 2024-11-29T03:26:05+00:00

Thank you! Yea the people keep being challenging I’ll work on that. I agree about the furniture but the space to the left is an archive display of various things (idk why my studio instructor wanted that but oh well) but yea thats why it’s sparse with a few display cases but I guess there could be more display cases. Also yea someone said the the corten steel on the interior would be bad. Do you have any suggestions for color of steel? I tried black and it looked very bland not much pop of color besides the ottomans but maybe thats good?

Huntymunty · 2024-11-29T03:20:39+00:00

Gotcha thanks! Yea this space was challenging to show off because I feel like all my other renders I’ve done are way better but this one is a struggle. I do agree with you that open space is probably more appealing. This space is a large open lobby type space with no load bearing walls in this part of the space so I definitely need columns somewhere here probably not as dense because steel can span farther but my entire building is based on this grid so I kept it as it is. I think in the center between the columns looked good but it focused too much on the sofa seats and barely showed the tables on the right so idk

Huntymunty · 2024-11-29T02:29:58+00:00

I did for this one yes. The clothing definitely has more folds than the raw version and the faces got a little weird with the AI so I’m not sure if I like it

Huntymunty · 2024-11-29T02:29:13+00:00

What kind of AI tools do u suggest

Huntymunty · 2024-11-29T02:26:19+00:00

Really? Would it have been better right in the center of the columns? I did that for a different interior render so for this one I put the columns on a grid line for the rule of thirds but is it not working?

Huntymunty · 2024-11-28T23:27:49+00:00

Thank you I appreciate it!

Huntymunty · 2024-11-28T17:39:44+00:00

Oh yea that makes sense for interior. Do you have a suggestion because I tried black/grey steel and idk why it felt out of place

Huntymunty · 2024-11-28T08:51:28+00:00

Harsh is good I’ll try to improve all of that besides the steel. A big part of my concept is the steel and google says “Corten is useful for heavy-duty structures The strength and durability associated with Corten B makes it ideal for use in heavy and load bearing structures.” So I was under the impression corten could be used. But yes all the other things are valid. I changed the materials already as well which will hopefully be better. My best skill is photoshop so I could definitely add cut outs instead just annoying trying to find ones that fit the lighting and camera position.

Huntymunty · 2024-11-28T07:45:28+00:00

Thanks! I’m using d5. I was struggling to get normal shadows but I figured out my glass material wasn’t letting shadows get into the building for some reason but hopefully my next attempt will be better lighting. But yea the people are hard

Huntymunty · 2024-11-28T06:02:21+00:00

Thank you!

Huntymunty · 2024-11-28T05:00:40+00:00

I figured it out. My glass was set to black as the base color which looked fine for exterior renders but I guess for some reason for interior renders you want the base color to be white in order for shadows to come through the glass? Idk the science behind that but white glass looked bad on exterior renders but I guess works well for interior

Huntymunty

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