Aftermath

When I was applying for architecture graduate schools last winter, I told myself that I'd post up the portfolio and the results regardless of what results I got. So, these are the results. A portfolio that's no longer viable and 4-of-4 rejection letters. If I sound bitter, it's because I am bitter. Nonetheless, a promise is a promise. Well, here's to sleeping better after I post this and can get it off my consciousness. Cheers.

First, the portfolio. It's not the best viewing method, but I cut down the portfolio to post as picture files. Few pages of the portfolio are missing, but they're mostly cover pages, eye-candy photos, and table of contents. Altogether there isn't much to look at, if it helps here's a link to the higher-quality slideshow. I only had 3 projects. The first one was a conceptual build-up of typography and manipulation of its space. The second was a labor-intensive work of luthiery and fascinating an instrument facade into a visual space. The third is an easy piece that encodes calendar information into spacial context; basically, it's like a watch that tells time except it tells the month and the date.

As for schools, I applied to four programs. They're Harvard, Princeton, Yale, and MIT; and I didn't get into any of them. Why these schools? Go big or go home. That was the spirit. I wasn't going to settle for less. Personally, I've always been interested in only 1 school: MIT. I like the other 3 programs as well, but I believed I'd find a good home at the MIT program. My grades and GRE were fine. Speculating, my essays were weak for Harvard and Yale. But architecture admissions rely heavily on portfolio. And in most cases, the portfolio speaks for itself and the rest of the application are supplementary.

So, that's that. My last application was submitted early January. I received all my results by mid-March. I remember the last of its days. Ever slipping, I finally cracked.

What's next? Who knows. Life, perhaps.