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The Portfolio Room

its different for every college, but yeah like you said, if its not on your letter they won't suddenly spring it on you. I dunno whether its a good thing to have only one interview or not... i guess it depends on who you're being interviewed by. Out of interest does it say who you've got on yoru letter?

i know last year the applicants to places ratio was absolutely ridiculous. apparently the highest amount till this year it looks like. You'll enjoy it though, its a great experience.

Reply 81

crankine

All I hope is that the desk that I'm interviewed at isn't too small to display my portfolio to the two interviewers. Only one interview, according to my letter...

Eek yeah, mine becomes A0 when you open it out to turn the pages.... but I assume they are prepared for that hehe.
I have two, one with the head of admissions and one with the Arch DoS and somebody else - the first one is the scariest because I won't have my folio to give me stuff to talk about.

There has been an increase in applicants this year of 30% for architecture!

Ohhhh :| I didn't know that. I guess it will be so hard to get in... but hey, I like a challenge, and I will try to be laid back about it.... Are you terrified? hehe

Reply 82

dschna

9

I'm not sure whether my one interview is a good or a bad thing. I'll get everything over and done with sooner, and I wont have an interview in which I have none of my own material to talk about.

I'm being interviewed by the admissions tutor and the architecture Director of Studies, James Campbell, who apparently rips the piss mercelessly from people. I'm prepared for that; my art teacher is the exact same...haha.

More applicants, but the faculty isn't increasing in size! The applicant to place ratio will just have to increase...I heard Nottingham's was 30:1?

Reply 83

RocketTown

k100 in general is seeing a massive increase in applicants... i think thats why there's an increase in dual course applicants aswell. Cambridge just dont have the studio space for more than 45ish people in one year so they wouldn't increase the intake. I think you have to have something special about you to get in Cambridge in general, but you can take pleasure in knowing that you'll probably end up in a better architecture school than theirs, if you don't get in. No matter what people say, they only apply to Cambridge because its a ******* brilliant university, and there's absolutlely nothing wrong with that :smile:

but architecture applicants are lucky that they're interested in a discipline where Cambridge doesn't 'rule the school', as it were.

Reply 84

crankine

30:1! Thats crazy.

I have Mr N J Ray about whom there is no information whatsoever on the interweb.. only that he's and Architecture guy who wrote a book. *sigh*

Reply 85

crankine

RocketTown

k100 in general is seeing a massive increase in applicants... i think thats why there's an increase in dual course applicants aswell. Cambridge just dont have the studio space for more than 45ish people in one year so they wouldn't increase the intake. I think you have to have something special about you to get in Cambridge in general, but you can take pleasure in knowing that you'll probably end up in a better architecture school than theirs, if you don't get in. No matter what people say, they only apply to Cambridge because its a ******* brilliant university, and there's absolutlely nothing wrong with that :smile:

but architecture applicants are lucky that they're interested in a discipline where Cambridge doesn't 'rule the school', as it were.

Yeah, I heard that it wasn't that great... in fact, it's been closed down before and all of its courses aren't accredited yet... meep. But the BA is so that's ok.

I'm soooo looking forward to Sheffield, I'd better meet my conditional or I'll have nothing.... But the dual looks immense; its a lot better suited to me and its the only one in the UK :smile:

Reply 86

Je3y

4

What conditional offer did you get from Sheffield?

Reply 87

dschna

9

RocketTown

"...but you can take pleasure in knowing that you'll probably end up in a better architecture school than theirs, if you don't get in. No matter what people say, they only apply to Cambridge because its a ******* brilliant university, and there's absolutlely nothing wrong with that :smile:

but architecture applicants are lucky that they're interested in a discipline where Cambridge doesn't 'rule the school', as it were."

You say that as if the architecture department and courses are worse than they actually are. They're rated within the top five universities for architecture in the Times and Guardian 'league tables', so it can't be such a bad course. Yes, Cardiff and places often appear higher, probably with 'better courses', but I guess you get from Cambridge what you want to get from it. If you set your sights on it, and are lucky enough to be offered a place and stay throughout the course, you will end up with a very highly regarded degree, in the arguably the hardest degree from arguably one of the TOP universities in the UK.

Reply 88

crankine

Je3y

What conditional offer did you get from Sheffield?

AAA in Maths and a Science for dual honours Structural Engineering and Architecture 09

Reply 89

crankine

dschna

You say that as if the architecture department and courses are worse than they actually are. They're rated within the top five universities for architecture in the Times and Guardian 'league tables', so it can't be such a bad course. Yes, Cardiff and places often appear higher, probably with 'better courses', but I guess you get from Cambridge what you want to get from it. If you set your sights on it, and are lucky enough to be offered a place and stay throughout the course, you will end up with a very highly regarded degree, in the arguably the hardest degree from arguably one of the TOP universities in the UK.

I agree with both of you....! I don't think that Cambridge is 'bad', and certainly the degree will be viewed very highly - however, I have spoken to several (real, reputable!) architects who would not value a Cambridge K100 as much as one from, say, Cardiff.

Reply 90

username203376

dschna

You say that as if the architecture department and courses are worse than they actually are. They're rated within the top five universities for architecture in the Times and Guardian 'league tables', so it can't be such a bad course. Yes, Cardiff and places often appear higher, probably with 'better courses', but I guess you get from Cambridge what you want to get from it. If you set your sights on it, and are lucky enough to be offered a place and stay throughout the course, you will end up with a very highly regarded degree, in the arguably the hardest degree from arguably one of the TOP universities in the UK.

Haha, not in architecture. You speak like an academic rather than an architect. Whilst Cambridge is a fantastic establishment, it's just not an architectural school. You have to take everything with a pinch of salt and a little cynicism, because newspaper rankings are written for worried mothers and bear little significance in the real world. Do you really think any newspaper will take the social risk of pegging Cambridge down a few notches, in any subject? Take some real architects' rankings from employers, and you'll see that for example, last year Cambridge was 11th which isn't exactly outstanding.

Whilst the AA and to a lesser extent, the Bartlett, breed architects, I haven't seen anyone of that caliber from Cambridge since.... Christopher Wren? If you even just research their respective fellows and lecturers in architecture, you will get an impression of what I mean. It's just the same as if you want to be an artist, you don't go to Oxford University's Ruskin School of Art.

I don't mean for that last paragraph to come across as aggressive, just you seem to be set on Cambridge like hell for leather, rather than having a genuine passion for architecture itself. It's not my place to intervene obviously, and you're at liberty to disagree, I just think we need to keep everything in perspective. What do you want, to be a great architect or to get a BA Cantab on your CV? I'd go for the former.

:wink:

Reply 91

RocketTown

Arct

Haha, not in architecture. You speak like an academic rather than an architect. Whilst Cambridge is a fantastic establishment, it's just not an architectural school. You have to take everything with a pinch of salt and a little cynicism, because newspaper rankings are written for worried mothers and bear little significance in the real world. Do you really think any newspaper will take the social risk of pegging Cambridge down a few notches, in any subject? Take some real architects' rankings from employers, and you'll see that for example, last year Cambridge was 11th which isn't exactly outstanding.

Whilst the AA and to a lesser extent, the Bartlett, breed architects, I haven't seen anyone of that caliber from Cambridge since.... Christopher Wren? If you even just research their respective fellows and lecturers in architecture, you will get an impression of what I mean. It's just the same as if you want to be an artist, you don't go to Oxford University's Ruskin School of Art.

I don't mean for that last paragraph to come across as aggressive, just you seem to be set on Cambridge like hell for leather, rather than having a genuine passion for architecture itself. It's not my place to intervene obviously, and you're at liberty to disagree, I just think we need to keep everything in perspective. What do you want, to be a great architect or to get a BA Cantab on your CV? I'd go for the former.

:wink:

yeah i agree with all this because there really are two ways of looking at it, the architect and the academic.

The thing i was trying to point out dschna, was this... In all other subjects oxbridge reign supreme. They are the top in teaching and research and rightly so. There is a huge gap (though its beginning to close) between oxbridge and the rest of the unversities in the country. but this just isn't the case in Architecture, where, not only is there no gap... but at least 5 universities are regarded in better light than Cambridge.

The AJ 100 shows that the top schools voted by the 100 top firms in the country as
1. The Bartlett
2. Sheffield
3. AA
4. Nottingham
5. Cardiff + Cambridge

I know this doesn't mean much (as lists generally don't mean crap) but i tend to believe this list a lot more than times or guardian rankings, which take irrelevant information to make their lists.

I've never suggested Cambridge was bad (its not bad at anything... and never will be) but with respect to architecture there are equal and better schools, something not found in any other subject.

There's nothing wrong with applying for the fact that its Cambridge, the degree, the style of teaching, and the fact that the university is one of the worlds best (and the city is really nice). The whole package makes it very much worth applying. To be fair, just having a cantab degree might open doors in certain areas of work... its an amazing thing to have on a CV.But don't get upset that architects don't rate it as highly as academics might.

Saying that, I still plan on applying to write my phd there, because when it comes to research there's no better place in my opinion in terms of resources.

Reply 92

SSze

10

cambridge has phd for architecture? never knew that..

btw, bartlett still hasnt replied after a week sending the task, sign of rejection.. ?

Reply 93

RocketTown

there's no such thing as a phd for architecture... if you have an original research idea which is close to any of the supervisors' field's of research, you can go to write your phd with their supervision. You can apply to do a phd in any subject at Cambridge (with the relevant background in that subject)

i wouldn't be worried about no having a reply from the Bartlett!! the way to think when dealing with university applications is.... the only thing that is a sign of a rejection, is a rejection. Anything else is good news... you don't know how they look through their applications, they might not get to yours till january, and send out your task then. As far as i'm aware most universities do most their application work in the new year, so just chill out :smile:

Reply 94

dschna

9

Christopher Wren studied as an astronomer at Wadham College Oxford, not Cambridge. Besides the architecture department at Cambridge was only founded in, what, 1920?

Anyway, what Cambridge may lack in terms of an outstanding architecture course, it by far makes up for it with the city, opportunities, degree and the style of teaching. Yes, I don't think any Cambridge architecture applicants can deny applying for Cambridge's reputation, but there's nothing wrong with that. In a way, I think that Cambridge, as an experience, even though I'd come away with a degree that isn't as highly regarded as Cardiff's, is worth the sacrifice of a higher caliber degree.

Let's not get into an argument about this...haha (I understand and except everything that has been said).

Reply 95

9mm

12

On the topic of Cambridge being a nice city, I lived there for 5 years, trust me, you get bored of it after just 6 months of living there... there's just so much punting (only during the few summer days that exist each year), two major cinema venues, a load of pubs and cafes and a small shopping centre and many small shops here and there can do...

Reply 96

yeahyeahyeahs

16

SSze

cambridge has phd for architecture? never knew that..

btw, bartlett still hasnt replied after a week sending the task, sign of rejection.. ?

two of my friend last year didnt get a reply after they sent their task off last year. it was consideed a rejection, but hey, its only a week ago. give it another 2 weeks.