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Architecture Personal Statement Examples

What is an architecture personal statement?

Your architecture personal statement should tell the university all about your strengths, skills, experience and ambitions.

It should also convey your enthusiasm for architecture and what aspects of the subject you enjoy and why.  

How do I write an architecture personal statement?

It’s a good idea to start your statement with why you want to study architecture at university. Try to choose a specific aspect that you like in particular and why it appeals to you.

Make sure you back up everything with examples (always show, don’t tell). You need to convince the admissions tutors that you they should offer you a place on their architecture course.

A successful architecture personal statement should be written clearly and concisely, with a good introduction, middle, and a memorable conclusion.

For inspiration on how to write your own unique statement, take a look at some of our architecture personal statement examples above, as well as some of our top rated personal statements .

What should I include in my architecture personal statement?

It’s important to include skills and experience from all areas of your life and try to relate them to hobbies or extracurricular activities if they helped you to build up your academic and practical strengths.

Think about how any work experience you have completed, and how it might be useful in your degree.

University admissions tutors want to know what you can bring to their department and why you would be an asset to them.

You need to be a well-rounded individual in terms of talent, knowledge and experience in order to have a chance of being successful with your UCAS application.

What can I do with an architecture degree?

There are many career options for those wanting to study architecture. These include:

• Building surveyor
• Town planner
• Production designer
• Historic buildings inspector
• Structural engineer

However, there are other areas and industries you could work in where your architecture degree would be useful, such as:

• Estates manager
• Landscape architect
• Commercial surveyor

For more information about careers in architecture, please see the National Careers Service and Top Universities .

Which UK universities are the best for architecture?

Currently, the best UK universities for undergaduate architecture are:

For more information about UK university rankings for architecture, please see The Complete University Guide and the Guardian .

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Sample Architecture Personal Statement (admitted to Cambridge, Cornell, Yale)

by Talha Omer, MBA, M.Eng., Harvard & Cornell Grad

In personal statement samples by field.

The following personal statement is written by an applicant who got accepted to top graduate programs in architecture. Variations of this personal statement got accepted at Cambridge, Cornell, and Yale. Read this essay to understand what a top personal statement in architecture should look like.

Here is the personal statement of the Architecure Student.

I am not particularly fond of tea. However, while working in the Northern regions of XYZ, I realized that sharing a cup of tea was considered a symbol of gratitude by its hospitable populace. This simple gesture transcended the commonplace and made our work for the community all the more personal.

For several weeks I shared many cups of the sugary beverage while volunteering with the Heritage Foundation constructing homes for the people of the XYZ. Their entire dwellings had been destroyed by the floods, and it came to us, a group of young architecture students, to revive this once-thriving community.

The process from etching the lines of chalk for the Women’s Community Centre to seeing it constructed into a beautiful bamboo building to be used for gainful employment is one that affected me deeply. The structures we built stand supported throughout the seasons, representing the enduring strength of the people of the XYZ. By helping to re-establish an entire community affected by an unprecedented natural calamity, I became aware of the power of architectural design to incite social change. Also, the focus on sustainable structures made me realize how designers need to focus on the available resources and capacities of the community they are involved in.

This experience was pivotal in realizing the path I wanted to take as an architect. My fascination with creating and manipulating space, seen from an early age by my experimentation with a Wendy Tent, went to the root of my desire to become an architect. Furthermore, the stories I had heard growing up about my ancestral home in XYZ, a city known for its scorching heat; as well as my childhood divided between XYZ, a country oblivious to any form of energy deficiency, and XYZ, a country struggling with shortages in resources have all served to underscore how design needs to adapt and address the social issues of its environment. This instilled within me a desire to work towards making my homeland self-sustaining.

To channel my proclivity, I applied to the country’s top architecture school, and my joy, I was accepted. During my five years at the XYZ, I studied the fundamental nature of the architectural design. I found its intricacies to be a maze that beckoned alluringly to me. Elected as the Vice President of the Architecture Students’ Association, I was in a position to influence how students would perceive architecture. I led the team representing XYZ and XYZ at the National Architectural Student Convention held in XYZ.

My team was honored with the prestigious Citation Prize for the Rubens Trophy. This victory awarded our design from amongst those submitted from more than a hundred universities. It proved to be a tremendous boost to my belief in achieving the career goals that I had set for myself. It also allowed me to develop a global understanding of architectural design. The following year, I volunteered to go to XYZ, an experience that left an indelible mark on my mind.

I returned with vigor to realize architecture’s power in shaping my community and channeled my motivation into my thesis project. I managed to study the overwhelmingly bustling historic urban center of XYZ and analyzed its context, which resulted in providing macro-level sustainable design solutions. A culmination of my efforts and passion, this project was awarded an ‘honors’ in my thesis.

I followed through with my academic goals by seeking employment at a firm that avidly incorporates sustainability in its design practices. After working at SR Design Works, I was reassured of the practical applications of the theoretical knowledge I attained as part of my undergraduate degree. Furthermore, with a conscious desire to be part of responsible design practices, I became associated with upcoming advocates of green building design. However, at the same time, I also grew aware that to achieve my aims, I would need further education.

While working on individual projects which incorporated the principles of sustainable design, I was exposed to the prospective benefits as well as the limitations of those principles. In light of this nexus, it was apparent that I needed further education to explore all its potential advantages.

Another hurdle I had to overcome in a predominantly patriarchal society like XYZ was to hold my own and work on an equal footing with various people, from clients to retailers; colleagues to contractors. This aspect of my character can be attributed to my mother, who raised my brother and me while working full-time as a real estate agent. She taught me to be independent and not to treat my gender as a disability. I have taken her wisdom to heart and have dared to dream of rising to the zenith in my field.

I realize that many architectural designs in XYZ fail to communicate with their environmental and social context, thus creating more hindrances for its inhabitants rather than presenting solutions. My experience in architecture has made me realize the necessity of greater responsibility and sensibility in building structures in XYZ. I greatly believe in XYZ potential and aim for this country to be a forefront practitioner of sustainable architecture.

I aim to practice sustainable architectural design in its true essence and promote green practices that can help build communities, hopefully sharing many more cups of tea in the process.

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10 Tips on Personal Statements (for Architect Students)

Gone are the days when prospective students applying to architecture schools get away with merely submitting an application form and a high school transcript.

Whether you are applying for entry into a pre-professional Bachelor of Science or Art (B.Sc. or B.A.) majoring in architecture, or the professional Bachelor of Architecture or Master of Architecture, chances are submitting a personal statement is necessary alongside your design portfolio.

But you could be apprehensive about the task of writing a personal statement as the requirement does not come with clear guidelines, unfortunately.

It is usually just one piece of A4-size word document, but a mighty powerful one at that – second only to your design portfolio – as it represents your voice in the eyes of the admissions evaluator.

It is essential to impress the school and show off your skills and suitability all in one place.

Here are some useful tips to get you started:

1. Give Yourself Enough Time

Probably one of the most valuable tips that you can get when it comes to personal statements is to start early.

Give yourself enough time to write your statement.

Research examples of architecture personal statements. Use one which you think is suitable as a reference but never copy.

Ask your current teachers or people in your life for feedback. If you are the only person reviewing your statement, you risk not knowing what it is missing.

2. Understand What the Statement is Asking For

There is no shame in asking for someone to read the question for you, which could help you understand it better. It could be as simple as “Tell us why you want to study architecture,” or “What would you gain from your experience at our school?”

Either way, a personal statement from a prospective architecture student is to convince the admissions evaluator that you deserve a place in their program.

Competition for entry is fierce, and you want to stand out by being yourself – no two persons are alike. So again, don’t merely copy one you found online for free; tweak and add your voice to it.

3. Introduce Yourself

No. Don’t start by saying, “I am (name), and I come from (birthplace). These are standard information already stated in your application form.

Give the school an insight into your personality and how you would add value to their community of young, budding architects.

Are you ambitious? Have any hobbies? Artistic? Work well in a team?

It does not matter what it is, as long as it helps you stand out from others. Writing a personal statement is not the time to be shy about the qualities you bring to the table – write to impress!

4. Craft Skills You Learned

You can write about the extra classes you took outside your school syllabus and how they relate to architecture.

Perhaps you’d enrolled in an oil painting or a woodworking class. Great, add it in!

But don’t just state those skills you picked up matter-of-factly. Go into the details of the intricate crafts you learned in making a piece of art or a unique solution you achieve by applying a tweak to a standard method.

Better still, point the evaluator to the piece you have included in your portfolio. Such cross-referencing can help reinforce the engagement between the evaluator and your application.

5. A Memorable Vacation

You have been to places and experienced different cultures.

Pick one that is rich architecturally, and elaborate on how your experience of walking through an ancient city or a modern architectural wonder made you want to be an architect.

6. Any Work Experience You’ve Got Under Your Belt

If you’ve got quite a bit of work experience, it is crucial to only talk about the relevant experiences that will help set you apart from the other applicants.

Write about something that shows no added value, and the evaluator would lose interest quickly. An architectural technician work experience role would be perfect for showing the school you know exactly what you are doing.

7. Talk about the future

Who exactly do you want to be when you leave architecture school?

Touch on why you want to study at a particular school and how the degree will help you with your future career. Let them know that you’ve got a whole plan set out, and you are determined to achieve it.

8. Don’t sound too academic

Remember, while you want your writing to sound professional, you don’t want it to sound like you have swallowed a thesaurus.

Too many students make this mistake while writing their personal statement, and it is very obvious to the person reading.

Authenticity over everything!

9. Check for Grammatical Errors

This tip is oft-repeated for any writing exercise, but it does not hurt to remind yourself how important this is.

Especially if you are an international student and English is not your first language, have a second pair of eyes proofread your statement.

A grammatical error-filled personal statement can be a real turn-off for the admissions evaluator.

10. Be Yourself

It may sound cliché but writing an excellent personal statement for an architecture school application is really about you.

In your absence, the personal statement represents you, and you want to make sure that it is precisely that.

There is no right or wrong in a personal statement; it is about the things that are uniquely you.

After writing the personal statement, you can start to apply to your school of choice using the complete set of architecture school application documents .

Architecture Applicant?

Writing your best architecture school personal statement.

How to write about a subject not taught in school. This post is geared towards undergraduate applications.

As part of your architecture school application to undergraduate programs, you will be required to make a written personal statement pertaining to your interests, achievements and goals. There is a substantial weighting on the personal statement, though it is not as important (for lots of schools) as the portfolio . In the US , these are known as supplemental essays on the Common Application (not the main essay on the CA, which is more general). 

This is the chance for you to tell the school exactly what it is about you that makes you a candidate in a sea of applicants. This will require a lot of introspection. Generally, the personal statement is a give and take. The ‘take’ is to describe how suited you are for the school, and the ‘give’ is to describe how you may be able to contribute to it. They need to be excited to have you. The US likes to hear more about your extracurriculars than the UK does, and these generally can fit into the first section of the essay structure (see below).

This is one of the few opportunities in your career that you will be able to take the time to delineate your values. It’s best to see the personal statement as a tool for you to understand yourself better, and being able to submit it to a school is simply a bonus. If you are in a position where you’re just filling out a personal statement for the sake of applying to a school, then stop. Take a step back and consider yourself. Explore your values through your writing. The application can come later, and it will be significantly higher in quality once you’ve consolidated yourself.

There is a general structure that you can follow to help you dig up all your values and interests. A starting point.

1. Who are you and what are your interests?

This is the hard bit. You have to remember that the person reading your architecture school personal statement knows nothing about you. Before you go into detail about the history of sustainable design in architecture (if that’s your thing) we need to go into the history of the author.

Most of the time these people reviewing your personal statement just want to know what kind of person you are, what makes you tick, whether or not you’re going to be a fit for their teaching style, whether you’re willing to learn, whether you’ll fit in, etc.

The great thing about this is that if you write honestly and your application is unsuccessful it at least means that you will truly know that the school was never going to be a good fit for you anyway. This first part of the personal statement requires you to open up about you, and does not necessarily need to solely be about architecture.

Who are you as a person? What do you enjoy doing? Where do your values lie? What makes you tick? What’s your history? Do your best not to force this answer out, otherwise it may seem contrived.

It’s highly unlikely that your interests from birth, and reason for your entire existence, is tethered to a deep passion for green roofs. (Also, avoid the word ‘passion’ and other cliché terms – they’ve heard them all before and they only sound insincere).

It’s more likely, however, that you love making fabrics, or painting, or cycling. This is what we need to do here: we need to get to these base interests and build on them in the next section.

This is where you define the trajectory of the essay in general, and become known as ‘the one who was really into fabrics’ etc. Something memorable, specific to you. This is how you will be remembered during admissions decisions.

2. How may architecture help you achieve those purposeful interests?

This paragraph goes a step further. How are these values which comprise your identity relevant to the field of architecture? It will be beneficial to your application if you can make your own definition of architecture personal and intrinsically related to you.

If you’re interested in fabrics, then it’s time to talk about how those garments you made relate to all sorts of different ceremonies or traditions and how spatial and cultural those are. Things which crop up in architecture. It’s time to describe how architecture is in fact all about how materials are stitched together, maybe! 

3. Why architecture school , and perhaps why this specific school?

But why is any of this important? Why should a school care what your values are? Well, for starters, you’re the one who is going to be representing them in their summer show three or four years from now. They need to know that your values which we have just defined are specific to their facilities, their faculty, their program, their output of student work that you saw at their summer show last year. (Note, go to as many summer shows as possible). Cite their specific resources that appeal to you, and let them know your desires to contribute. It’s a give and take.

We’re happy to help you through this process. Personal statements can be daunting, but when done well they will make your entire application fall into place. Application essays can drive your portfolio work/organization, and give you a strong personal theme that will both help you with your outlooks and in the interview itself. These opportunities to introspectively reflect don’t come often enough, yet are extremely rewarding.

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Independent Educational Consultants Association

Passion and purpose in the architecture personal statement.

By Evan Forster, MFA, IECA (NY)

No matter what name it goes by—statement of purpose, statement of interest, or plain old personal statement—architecture school statements are challenging. They often want you to cover a whole lot of information in only 500 words. For instance, Columbia University’s prompt last year was: In a statement of approximately 500 words, describe your background, your past work in your intended field of study, and your plans for graduate study and a professional career . All of that in only 500 words or less? No wonder my candidate Kara, an aspiring architect, had called me in a panic.

“So by ‘background’ do they mean my entire life story plus all of my work, school, and internship experiences?” Kara, wired on venti Americanos, asked. “It says ‘personal’—does that mean I should tell them about my parents’ divorce?”

Here’s the thing: It is important that after the admissions committee has read your statement of purpose, they feel that they know who you are. They need to know what you want to do (your goal)—Kara’s was opening her own “green” architecture firm one day—why this is important to you, what you have done thus far in regards to pursuing that goal or taking an interest in the subject matter, and what you still have left to learn and explore. And right there is the outline for your entire 500-word statement of purpose.

The break down:

Paragraph 1: This is where you get personal. No, this doesn’t mean empty the contents of your diary. This means write about the moment you realized you wanted to pursue your goal. In Kara’s case it was when her family moved from a sprawling home in Greenwich, Connecticut, to a 1,200-square-foot apartment in Manhattan. She found herself wishing she could move the walls around and reconfigure the space to be more open. There! She had her “ah-hah!” moment—the moment she realized that architecture would be a part of her life. This is the type of specific moment that all candidates should search for and write about.

Why? Graduate programs want students who are passionate about what they want to do, not students who are just looking to avoid the real world for another few years. This is your opportunity to show the school why you want this.

Paragraph 2: What have you done thus far to pursue your interest in architecture? Did you explore classes in college? Did you take art or art history classes? When you studied abroad, did you take an active interest in the city’s architecture? This is an opportunity to discuss specific classes you have taken as well as experiences—talk about a particular professor you’ve learned from or clubs you started or joined. Discuss internships or observation hours. But, as I told Kara, do not simply list them; you don’t want to regurgitate your resume (remember, they have it!). Tell the school what’s not on your resume. Dig down deep and discuss specific moments within that internship where you’ve learned something significant and how you plan to apply what you learned.

Why? Graduate schools want students who have already been seeking knowledge.

Paragraph 3: Why do you want to go to grad school? What do you still have left to learn? Discuss skills that still need development or improvement. Kara was looking to strengthen her foundation and design skills with a master’s in architecture. She was also interested in expanding her knowledge of technology and how she could use it in the design process in order to achieve greater innovation. So look at your goals, and then ask, “What do I need to get better at in order to improve my chances of achieving my goal?”

Now here’s the part where Kara asks, “But, don’t I want to appear confident? Won’t it make me look weak to admit that I still have stuff to learn?”

No. Schools want students who are self-aware, who know their strongest and weakest areas. Kara needed to show the school that she knows what she needs to work on and what experiences she needs to gather in order to accomplish her goal. This also demonstrates that she actually will benefit from graduate school—and proves to the school even more that she is a serious candidate.

Paragraph 4: The school-specific portion of your essay addresses why Columbia, specifically. Here it is important to be extremely specific to show enthusiasm for a particular school. Do your research on classes, professors, and clubs, and discuss how they will help you accomplish your goal.

Why? The candidate must prove their desire to go to the school. Being specific about the school demonstrates Kara’s ability to research and gain knowledge—good traits for a prospective student. Additionally, when she got that interview—she had lots to discuss.

Final paragraph: Finish with a few short sentences about how Columbia is going to help you achieve your goal—and how you will contribute to Columbia—to change the planet (by using your master’s in architecture).

Kara, who is now at Columbia, called me the other day. She was still drinking a venti Americano, but this time she was excited—not panicked. She had just interviewed for an internship at a prestigious New York “green” architecture firm and wanted to tell me she had nailed it. And she had applied the work we had done together almost a year ago. She researched the firm, was specific about what she could contribute to its office environment, and communicated clearly to the interviewers how gaining experience at their firm was in line with her long term goals.

Evan Forster can be reached at [email protected]

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• Architecture Personal Statement

Architecture Personal Statements Example

Sample statement.

My parents tell me that I could draw before I could run and this pattern has been evident throughout my life ever since. I enjoy working in many different art media – pencil sketching, watercolour, charcoal – and my greatest pleasure is depicting interesting buildings. My strong interest in art and design lead me to study Graphics and Art as separate GCSEs, and I was awarded at A* in both.

Part of my passion for drawing buildings stems from my need to understand their structure. I have combined Art A level with Physics and maths as I want to have the knowledge and skills to study this in more depth and to pursue a career related to architecture and building design. During the last year I have attended a local college evening class in architectural technology, which has covered the way that the construction industry works and the basics of architectural design. The course also included graphical detailing, the stages of building design and technical drawing as well as a general introduction to surveying, building techniques and the property market.

My choice of architecture as a degree is therefore based on detailed knowledge of what this would involved and I have researched courses across several universities, choosing options that provide a thorough grounding in design combined with an insight into the business skills required.

In addition to my A level studies and evening course, I also work part-time. I feel that gaining experience of the working environment at this stage will be useful wherever my life leads but as an architect, I expect to be dealing with customers and clients on a daily basis. Having a job where I deal with the general public in a fast-food outlet is not the same type of interaction, but I have learned to improve my communication skills, observed how managers diffuse difficult situations and I have come to appreciate the need for good customer services that is always polite but can be firm when the situation demands it.

My time is almost taken up by my studies and my part-time work and to relax I enjoy going to the cinema with friends, listening to music and walking. Sporty I am not, but I keep fit by walking with a club of under 21’s in my local area, hiking between 10 and 15 miles. I find these walks are good for keeping a clear perspective on my objectives and for gathering my thoughts and organising my studying and working time for the week ahead.

Thinking ahead, a degree in architecture should increase my job prospects and would enable me to start working in a field that really interests me. People will always need new buildings and I feel I can make a positive contribution to building design in the future.

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Top Tips for a Cambridge Architecture Personal Statement

Introduction: dos and don’ts.

Cambridge Personal Statements for Architecture is a crucial component of your university application as it presents a unique opportunity for you to differentiate yourself from other applicants. You would be able to articulate your story and explain your interests beyond that of numbers on an admissions test. Furthermore, it gives the interviewer a chance to understand who you are, providing a platform to bounce off questions during your interview. 

They can tailor questions to your personality, interests, and commitment to who you are as a person and your amalgamation of experiences before you. To guide you through the arduous university application process, our Oxbridge application experts have compiled a list of top 10 Architecture Personal Statement Cambridge tips– do’s and don’ts– for your Cambridge Architecture Personal Statement for the 2024/25 application cycle.

General Advice for Architecture Personal Statement

Architecture at Cambridge not only teaches you about the construction and design of structures and buildings but it is also balanced with teachings in the philosophy as well as the history of architecture. You can also expect to be exposed to more modern topics such as urbanism and contemporary culture, being enriched in knowledge in both design and theory. 

As such, your Cambridge personal statement should illustrate how you demonstrate certain key qualities, such as that curiosity, creativity, and intellectual grounding. Moreover, when planning out your Architecture personal statement, make sure you research Cambridge’s achievements in architecture and include it in your writing to illustrate your interest in architecture. 

Furthermore, when you are completing your university applications, you would likely also be applying to four other universities or courses. Hence, it is understandable if your Architecture personal statement is vague and non-specific to Cambridge. The University of Cambridge understands this and will allow you to fill out an ‘Online Supplementary Application Questionnaire (SAQ)’ shortly after submitting the UCAS application. As such, make sure you’ve created another condensed version of your Cambridge Architecture personal statement that can be directly submitted to Cambridge.

Top 5 Tips for Cambridge Architecture Personal Statement

Display interest in both design and theory.

Some students might have the misconception that architecture is a pure art or design-based course, and others might think that they would be only learning about architecture theory. However, the architecture degree offered at Cambridge encompasses both. Hence, it is important to highlight to Cambridge tutors that you understand and are excited about this. You can display this understanding by highlighting that you are excited about both aspects of the course. You can also further elaborate on this by stating similar relevant experiences that you have undertaken because of this interest. For example, this could include architecture competitions or workshops.

Illustrate in your Cambridge personal statement that you are widely read

Oxbridge tutors love when you show that you are deeply versed in reading. This is because it is a simple, realistic, and straightforward way of showing them that you are genuinely interested in the course you want to pursue. Think of it this way– if you are a fan of a certain pop star or celebrity, you would want to find out more about them. Similarly, if you have a genuine interest in architecture, you would have taken the initiative to learn more about it and read ahead. Rest assured, reading is not only restricted to books. It could also include short articles, magazines, or even podcasts, documentaries, or Youtube videos. For example, Architectural digest is a fun way to be introduced to certain architectural concepts. You can also incorporate the consumption of these media in your daily life by tuning in to a podcast instead of your usual playlist on your ride home from school.

Read around the subject you’re applying for

When writing your Cambridge personal statement, architecture should show as your passion. First of all, reading around the subject doesn’t necessarily mean reading books. Podcasts, magazine articles, documentaries or Research Papers relating to the field of Architecture are all great ways to engage with new content. Popping your headphones in on the way to school and listening to a discussion on thought-provoking areas of your subject is far less daunting than being faced with a huge book. Furthermore, you are going to university to study – you haven’t started yet! – and so the person reading your Cambridge personal statement doesn’t expect you to be an expert, just to have an interest! Exploring a topic that you find fascinating and can form opinions about is far more impressive and important than trying to find the most academic text out there.

Reflect on any experience mentioned and link it to architecture

The main flaw that applicants have when writing their Cambridge personal statements for architecture is assuming that Cambridge tutors want the most decorated applicant. This is actually not the case, as what they are really looking out for is the student who most matches the course they apply for. Hence, do not simply state an experience just because you think it is impressive– reflect on how it has shaped you, and extract a quality that you were equipped with. Lastly, link this quality to how it is relevant to architecture, and how it makes you the perfect architecture student.

Leave yourself enough time when writing your Cambridge Architecture personal statement

Although it is easy to leave the writing of your Cambridge personal statement to the last minute, especially whilst you are busy with your studies or other extracurriculars, always buffer enough time to write your Architecture personal statement. This includes factoring in enough time for the completion of multiple drafts. This is because your first draft would never be your best one, and you would want to continuously refine it based on received feedback. Leaving sufficient time for yourself would also ensure you would not miss out on any information you might have forgotten. If you are staring at a blank document and finding it difficult to start, you can try listing out all your experiences and achievements in the past 5 years. Next, list out all the desirable qualities specific to an architectural student, as well as what the architectural course would entail. You can then match your personal traits to the course, and start fleshing out your paragraphs from there. You can also use prompts to inspire your writing, such as: What about architecture excites me? Why do I want to study architecture? What do I know about architecture at Cambridge and its modules?

Top 5 things to AVOID for your Cambridge Architecture Personal Statement

Be misinformed about architecture and what to expect.

Always be sure to research the course thoroughly before applying. You can also speak to current or post-graduate students about how they find the course. Most students’ perceptions of the course that they are applying to are shaped by that of the media, or their limited high school experiences. Hence, this can lead to a one-dimensional, and not a necessarily accurate view of architecture. Having an accurate and realistic understanding of Cambridge’s architecture programme would not only give you an edge if this understanding is displayed in your Architecture personal statement, but it also ensures that you are able to identify if you are a good match for it.

Associate too many qualities with a singular experience

Although it is recommended to always reflect on an experience and explain how it has equipped you with certain qualities, do not go overboard with the number of things you have learnt from a singular experience. For example, it is not realistic to learn time management, leadership skills, compassion, and perseverance all from a two-day camp. Choose one specific quality that you would like to highlight when enumerating your experiences. There is more value in explaining, rather than listing.

Make sweeping statements without showing how it is related to architecture

With all that you have done in high school and more, you might feel pressed to fit everything into the word count. Hence, it is important to pick and choose the points that you would really like to elaborate on and highlight, instead of mentioning everything with a simple one-liner. Avoid general statements that don’t add value to your Cambridge Architecture personal statement, and make sure that you are always linking your points back to how you are well matched for architecture. For example, you can avoid talking about experiences that are completely irrelevant to architecture. If you feel that a certain experience is crucial to you and your journey, try and extract relevant qualities from it. For example, your part-time work taught you to be resourceful or creative in finding unconventional solutions to common everyday problems.

Writing an essay on your favourite theory or architecture

Although mentioning certain books, ideas, or theories is a good way to show that you are well-read or passionate about architecture, do not turn your Cambridge Architecture personal statement into an argumentative essay or informational sheet about a certain theory. Do remember that what Cambridge tutors are interested in when reading your Cambridge Architecture personal statement is you. These tutors are people who are already experts in their field, and would likely know any theory that you are writing on. When reading your Cambridge Architecture personal statement, they want to learn about you and if you are a good match for architecture, not a theory that they can learn from any textbook.

Being cliché and unprofessional

Keeping in mind that Cambridge tutors are reading your Architecture personal statement to determine if you are a good fit for the course, it could come off as unauthentic if you talk about a cliché or movie-like moment being your only motivation to study architecture. It is alright if your reasons for studying architecture are due to amalgamations of small, seemingly insignificant reasons– as long as you show valid and reasonable reasons for wanting to study architecture. Be authentic!

If you’re unsure about what you’ve included in your architecture personal statement Cambridge draft, why not book a FREE consultation with our specialists and book a personal statement check .

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PERSONAL STATEMENT EXAMPLE Architecture Personal Statement

Submitted by Thomas

Study Architecture at Staffordshire

Challenge existing assumptions about Architecture and learn about how the cities of the future will look!

Architecture Personal Statement

From a young age, I knew that I would pursue a career in design. Whether it was creating and designing my flawless dream car or producing my own handcrafted mechanical paper guns; scissors, a roll of cello-tape, and a set of colouring pencils were the main tools that never left my hands. However, it was only until recently that I decided to guide my career path in the direction of Architecture .

Having completed a work experience placement at McCready Architects, one of Northern Ireland's leading architectural practices, I acquired vital knowledge and experience of what its really like to work as a professional Architect . In the office, I was given the opportunity to use ArchiCAD, a specialist CAD package used to produce 3-dimensional sketches of structures and buildings. This was the highlight of my work experience as I was able to apply the CAD skills I gained from my A-Level Technology and Design course, and put them into practice. I learnt that there is a lot more to being an Architect than just design. Overall, this was a great opportunity as it highlighted to me the practical side, as well as the technical side of the profession, and gave me an insight into the life of an Architect.

My interest in Architecture became focused last year when I went on a weekend trip to London. Here, I was given to chance to observe and appreciate the outstanding, beautiful structures and buildings that the city had to offer. Canary Wharf, was the most thrilling part of the trip for me. Its modern, futuristic style opened my eyes to the skill and craftsmanship behind the jaw-dropping structures and buildings the area had to offer.

The modern side of Architecture especially appeals to me, however, this trip also gave me a chance to admire many of the historical monuments and landmarks such as Big Ben and St Paul's Cathedral. Seeing the difference between the styles in the various parts of the city sparked something within me, a desire to pursue a career in Architecture. As well as studying for my A-levels, it is important to me to have a good balance between working hard in school and other extra-curricular activities. One of my favourite things to do in my spare time would definitely be playing the drums.

As well as playing along to my favourite bands, I am presently working towards gaining my grade 8 qualification. I have had the opportunity to play at many recitals for the Lisburn School of Music, and an Open Day for my school. Playing in a band with other members is quite a challenge but helps me display my coordination skills and work effectively with other band members to put on a top performance. I would also consider myself quite an active person as I play hockey for my school's 1st XI. Playing hockey not only keeps me fit, but has also helped me gain and improve my communication and team-working skills which are important attributes needed on and off the pitch. Being in the sixth form and realising that it is important to set a good example, I put myself forward and was elected as a school Prefect. This gives me the responsibility to look out for the younger pupils so they can see me as a figure they can look up to. These are key qualities that would serve me well for this course.

I would love to pursue a career in Architecture because it will allow me to bring together all of my strengths; determination and a growth mindset, enthusiasm and a positive attitude, creativity and a fascination for the field of art. Studying Architecture is a prospect that I am looking forward to and I am very excited for the wide array of career opportunities that this course will offer me. My dream is to be behind a structure or design that people will one day stop to admire.

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Master of Architecture

M.s. advanced architectural design, m.s. computational design practices, m.s. critical, curatorial & conceptual practices.

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M.s. architecture and urban design, m.s. urban planning.

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Application Process & Requirements

The 2024 admissions deadline for PhD and Master’s programs has passed and the applications are closed. The application for 2025 admissions will be available in September.

Applications for the non-degree programs Intro to Architecture and Shape of Two Cities: New York Paris are open and reviewed on a rolling basis.

Columbia GSAPP is committed to attracting the best talent from a wide range of geographic, cultural, and economic backgrounds, and employs a holistic application review process that considers multiple factors with the intent of creating a class enhanced by diverse voices. Applicants are considered for their academic merit, potential, and individual experiences, and are selected to shape the best possible educational environment in the School’s studios and classrooms for the student body at large.

Each degree program offered by Columbia GSAPP has unique admissions requirements. Please select your program of interest below, and carefully review the program-specific application deadlines, processes, and requirements, as well as the admissions policies. If you need any additional help, please reference the FAQ page or contact the Admissions office at [email protected] .

Prerequisites

Application Deadline: January 3, 2024

All Master of Architecture students must complete prerequisites before the start of the program. Please review the M.ARCH Prerequisites webpage for full details.

All applicants must have an undergraduate degree from an accredited college or university by the time they start the M.ARCH program.

All applicants must have fulfilled a minimum of 45 credit hours of general studies in the arts, humanities and/or science at their undergraduate institution.

History/Theory Course Sequence: All applicants must have completed a 3-point survey course in architectural history at an accredited college or university dealing with any of the following periods: classical to Renaissance, Renaissance to modern, or modern.

Building Technologies Course Sequence: All applicants must have completed a 3-point course in general physics or two 3-point calculus courses at an accredited college or university.

Applicants who have no prior background in architecture must complete a course in architectural graphic presentation (this could be one term of architectural studio or a studio in the visual arts such as drawing, painting, or sculpture) as a prerequisite for the Core Studio Sequence, before registering in the M.ARCH program.

Application Steps

• 1. Online Application
• 2. Letters of Recommendation
• 3. Personal Statement
• 4. Transcripts
• 5. Portfolio
• 6. Resumé/CV
• 8. English Proficiency Requirement
• 9. Dual Degree Option
• 10. Application Status

Online Application

Create and complete an online application.

A fee of $75 (payable by Visa or MasterCard) is due at the time of application submission.

Letters of Recommendation

Three letters of recommendation are required for all degree program applicants. GSAPP does not have a special form for letters of recommendation. Recommenders may scan and upload recommendation letters to the online application. Letters received directly from applicants will not be accepted.

Letters of recommendation are due by the application deadline.

Personal Statement

Transcripts.

An academic transcript/record from each university attended and credit earned is required for all applicants. All transcripts must be received by the application deadline. Applicants should upload a digital copy or scan of their transcript/s to the online application. We allow digital copies of transcripts for review purposes only.

Please note that the applicant may upload unofficial transcripts at the start of the application process. Once an applicant has been admitted and has indicated acceptance of our offer of admission, certified and secure online official transcripts must be submitted directly to Columbia from the applicant’s prior institution(s)’ Registrar Office. Please note that incoming students for the 2024 year will be contacted with specific instructions on electronic submission from prior institution(s) for receipt of these documents. Only if a prior academic institution is unable to submit certified and secure online official transcripts, an official transcript in a sealed envelope must be sent directly from that institution’s Registrar Office to Columbia. Columbia will use its verification vendor to verify the applicant’s degree and transcript with the prior academic institutions and/or the relevant country’s Ministry of Education. Applicants will be asked to consent to participate in this verification process by submitting an authorization and release form.

GRE test scores are optional for the 2023-2024 Admissions cycle.

MSUP applicants who do not have strong analytical background or professional experience are encouraged to submit GRE results to supplement their application.

Applicants who have prior score results may submit them as part of their application. GRE scores are considered valid for five years after the test date.

Applicants should contact ETS to have official test scores sent to the GSAPP Admissions Office via Institution Code 2164. GRE scores are valid for five years after the test date. At this time there is no minimum required GRE score for admission.

English Proficiency Requirement

All applicants whose primary language is not English must submit English Proficiency Exam scores (with the exception of Introduction to Architecture applicants).

Applicants whose primary language is not English and who have successfully completed two years of study in an English-speaking institution may waive the English Proficiency requirement.

Columbia GSAPP accepts TOEFL, IELTS, and Duolingo test results. Self-reported scores must be verified by requesting official scores to be sent directly to GSAPP.

TOEFL: Applicants should contact ETS to have official TOEFL test scores sent to the GSAPP Admissions via Institution Code 2164, Dept. Code 12. Scores sent to any other institution code will not be accessible to GSAPP staff. TOEFL scores are valid for two years after the test date.

IELTS and Duolingo: Columbia GSAPP accepts IELTS and Duolingo test results as alternatives to TOEFL scores. Institution school codes are NOT required for IELTS and Duolingo.

Please see the Admissions FAQ page for additional details.

Dual Degree Option

The following programs are approved for dual degree within GSAPP: - M. ARCH & M.S. CCCP - M. ARCH & M.S. UP - M. ARCH & M.S. HP - M. ARCH & M.S. RED - M.S. UP & M.S. HP - M.S. UP & M.S. RED - M.S. HP & M.S. RED

The following programs are approved for dual degree with other schools at Columbia: - M.S. UP & Master of Business Administration (with the Business School) - M.S. UP & Juris Doctor (with the School of Law) - M.S. UP & Master of Science in Social Work (with the School of Social Work - M.S. UP & Master of Science in Public Health (with the Mailman School of Public Health) - M.S. UP & Master of International Affairs (with the School of International and Public Affairs)

Program requirements, including suggested course sequences can be found here .

Application Status

Prospective students are strongly encouraged to review application policies and procedures before submitting an online application. The GSAPP only accepts applications online.

Applicants may check the status of their application after submission by logging into their account with their email address and password and reviewing the status page.

Application Deadline: January 15, 2024

• The M.S.AAD program is a second/post-professional degree in Architecture. All applicants must have a first professional degree, B.Arch, M.Arch, or equivalent degree (5 years, eligible for licensure) by the time they start the M.S. AAD program.
• 7. English Proficiency Requirement
• 8. Application Status
• The M.S. AUD program is open to both pre- and post-professional students, and encourages applications from a range of backgrounds interested in exploring urban design. All applicants must have an undergraduate degree from an accredited college or university by the time they start the M.S. AUD program. Please note that the M.S. AUD is not a professional architecture degree and does not in itself qualify for licensure.
• 4. Resumé/CV
• 5. Transcripts
• 6. Portfolio
• The M.S. CDP program is open to both pre- and post-professional students, and encourages applications from a range of backgrounds. All applicants must have an undergraduate degree from an accredited college or university by the time they start the M.S. CDP program.
• 5. Portfolio M.S. CDP
• 6. English Proficiency Requirement
• 7. Resumé/CV

Portfolio M.S. CDP

A digital portfolio is required for admission to the M.S. CDP program. The digital portfolio should be in a single PDF document, 20 PDF pages or less (including the cover pages and table of contents, if applicable), and should not exceed 32 MB. The digital portfolio should be optimized for viewing on a standard size computer screen. Digital portfolios must be uploaded at the time the application is submitted. Portfolios should contain reproductions of original drawings, prints, graphic design, or sculpture.

The M.S. CDP portfolio can be architectural design, computational design or multi-media, and include text.

The M.S. CCCP program applicants must have a minimum of a four-year bachelor degree or equivalent from an accredited college or university by the time they start the M.S. CCCP program, including no less than 4 classes in architecture, architectural history, or a related form of aesthetic or cultural practice.

Applicants who do not hold a B.Arch or M.Arch degree or the equivalent should demonstrate a substantive interest in architecture and/or urbanism through providing evidence of work in history, theory, criticism, research, design, editing, events-coordination, visualization, exhibition work, or curatorial practice.

Visual acuity and interest in undertaking independent research and original projects are crucial for all applicants and the submission of a portfolio of writing or visual material is intended to provide the admissions committee with evidence of an applicant’s areas of interest and/or skills as well as preparation in the field he or she intents to pursue. It is not, however, necessary to have extensive experience in order to be admitted, but in the absence of such a background it is very important that the character and strengths of a prospective student’s work and research interests are documented and conveyed.

• 5. Portfolio M.S. CCCP

Portfolio M.S. CCCP

A digital portfolio is required for admission to the M.S. CCCP program. The digital portfolio should be in a single PDF document, 20 PDF pages or less (including the cover pages and table of contents, if applicable), and should not exceed 32 MB. The digital portfolio should be optimized for viewing on a standard size computer screen. Digital portfolios must be uploaded at the time the application is submitted. Portfolios should contain reproductions of original drawings, prints, graphic design, or sculpture.

M.S. CCCP applicants have the option of submitting writing and/or visual material to fulfill the portfolio requirement.

The M.S. HP program is multidisciplinary in nature and expects all students to engage in preservation in depth from many perspectives. Applicants are expected to demonstrate a commitment to historic preservation as a profession and students should have a basic knowledge of the history of architecture.

All applicants must have an undergraduate degree from an accredited college or university by the time they start the M.S. HP program.

Part-time Option Columbia GSAPP now offers a part-time option for the MS in Historic Preservation degree . Specifically designed for active practitioners in the field who wish to maintain professional positions while studying, this option is based on the same academic requirements and allow students to complete a MSHP degree over the course of four years (eight semesters) instead of two years (four semesters) of full-time study. Please see the application requirements below, and select the part-time option within the online application form.

• 5. Resumé/CV
• 8. Dual Degree Option
• 9. Application Status

All applicants must have an undergraduate degree from an accredited college or university by the time they start the M.S. RED program.

M.S. RED applicants may hold undergraduate and graduate degrees in a wide range of fields. While graduate and professional academic preparation in development-related disciplines, such as architecture, finance, law, urban design, historic preservation, civil engineering, or urban planning is highly desirable, it is not essential for admission to the program.

• 6. GRE/GMAT

GRE test scores are optional for 2024-2025 admissions.

MSRED applicants who do not have a strong background in finance, statistics, or analytics, and who do not have at least two years of relevant professional experience, are encouraged to submit GRE test scores to supplement their application.

GRE Applicants who chose to include optional test scores should contact ETS to have official test scores sent to the Admissions Office via Institution Code 2164. Scores sent to any other institution code will not be accessible to GSAPP staff. GRE scores are valid for five years after the test date.

GMAT Applicants who chose to submit optional test scores may submit GMAT scores in lieu of GRE scores. Applicants should contact GMAC to have official test scores sent to the GSAPP Admissions Office via Institution Code: QF8-73-53. Scores sent to any other institution code will not be accessible to GSAPP staff. GMAT scores are valid for five years after the test date.

*Applicants who wish to report an unofficial score are required to request an official transcript for verification in order to complete the application. Official scores sent directly from a testing agency are considered official. Scores uploaded by applicants are considered unofficial and will not fulfill application requirements.

The M.S. UP program prepares students from diverse academic backgrounds for careers as professional planners. Applicants typically, but not exclusively, have majored in architecture, engineering, sociology, political science, geography, economics, or urban studies; many also come from backgrounds in the humanities and pure sciences. The admissions committee reviews all applicants comprehensively, considering their undergraduate academic achievements, personal statement, and related experiences.

All applicants must have an undergraduate degree from an accredited college or university by the time they start the M.S. UP program. Once a member of the GSAPP Admissions Office completes a preliminary review, the M.S. in Urban Planning program office assigns each application to three reviewers including a minimum of two full-time Urban Planning faculty members. The program seeks applicants with strong critical thinking, analytical, and writing skills. The application deadline is January 15, 2023 for entry in the Fall 2023 semester, and the GSAPP Admissions Office notifies applicants with decisions in March 2023.

Please note that deadlines for dual degree programs outside of GSAPP are set by their respective schools. Separate applications need to be submitted to each program and applicants need to be admitted by both schools to pursue a dual-degree program. Please consult each respective school’s website for details. Part-time Option Columbia GSAPP now offers a part-time option for the MS in Urban Planning degree . Specifically designed for active practitioners in the field who wish to maintain professional positions while studying, this option is based on the same academic requirements and allow students to complete a MSUP degree over the course of four years (eight semesters) instead of two years (four semesters) of full-time study. Please see the application requirements below, and select the part-time option within the online application form.

• 3. Personal Statement MSUP

Personal Statement MSUP

Ph.d. in architecture.

Application Deadline: JANUARY 4, 2024

The Architecture Ph.D. Program is administered by the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GSAS). All application instructions, deadlines and procedures are available on the GSAS website .

Eligibility for admission to the program is generally limited to students holding a Master of Architecture degree or a five-year Bachelor of Architecture degree plus a Master’s degree (or equivalent) in the field of architectural history and theory. Students who hold a Master’s degree or equivalent in another field are considered for admission if they can demonstrate a strong background in architectural history or related disciplines of the built environment.

All prospective students must apply using the online application. Printed applications are not available.

A complete application includes:

• Transcripts of all previous post-secondary education
• A statement of academic purpose
• A curriculum vitae or résumé
• Three letters of recommendation from academic sources
• For international students: Examination scores to fulfill the English Proficiency Requirement
• A sample of scholarly writing, 30 pages
• Payment of the application fee

Please contact the GSAS with all admissions questions.

For program questions, applicants may reach out to PhD committee faculty regarding particular research interests.

Ph.D. in Historic Preservation

The Historic Preservation Ph.D. Program is administered by the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GSAS). All application instructions, deadlines and procedures are available on the GSAS page .

Eligibility for admission to the program is generally limited to students holding a Master of Historic Preservation degree. Under certain circumstances, students who hold a Master’s degree or equivalent in another field are considered for admission.

• GRE scores are waived for 2022 admissions

Optional Portfolio: Applicants are encouraged to submit an optional portfolio if it speaks to their research interest in experimental preservation approaches that explore material intersections of the PAAST (Preservation Art Architecture Science and Technology) with urgent contemporary environmental and social issues. For more information on the Optional Portfolio, please review the FAQ .

Ph.D. in Urban Planning

Application Deadline: DECEMBER 14, 2023

The Urban Planning Ph.D. Program is administered by the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GSAS). All application instructions, deadlines and procedures are available on the GSAS page .

The applicant must hold a master’s degree in urban planning or in a related discipline and have excellent academic credentials (a grade average of B+ or better). In addition, the applicant is required to have completed at least 90 points of undergraduate liberal arts courses in the social sciences, humanities or natural sciences, and the equivalent of the core courses provided in the master’s-level curriculum in the Division of Urban Planning, Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation.

Fellowships are awarded in recognition of academic achievement and in expectation of scholarly success. Graduate fellowships include teaching and research assistantships.

• GRE scores are optional for 2024 admissions
• A sample of scholarly writing, 8-10 pages

For program questions, applicants should reach out to the Chair of the PhD sub-committee.

New York / Paris

Application Deadline: Rolling Admission (January–July)

The New York/Paris program is designed for students who have completed their sophomore year at an accredited college or university, or students who have received a bachelor’s degree. Previous study in architecture, planning, or preservation is not required. Undergraduate students must have the written support of their home institution.

• 2. Personal Statement
• 3. Letter of Recommendation
• 5. English Proficiency Requirement
• 6. Application Status

Letter of Recommendation

One letter of recommendation is required for New York/Paris program applicants and Visiting Scholars. GSAPP does not have a special form for letters of recommendation. Recommenders may scan and upload recommendation letters to the online application. Letters received directly from applicants will not be accepted.

Application Deadline: Rolling Admission (January–June)

The Intro Program (Intro to Architecture, Intro to Historic Preservation, Intro to Real Estate, and Intro to Urban Planning) is a 5-week, 3-point intensive course (non-degree, not for credit towards a degree, and not eligible for full-time student status).

• Participants have the option of choosing a focus on Architecture, Historic Preservation, Real Estate, or Urban Planning, which may be selected in the application form.
• Into to Architecture will be held both online and in-person, allowing students to choose their preferred mode of study; Intro to Urban Planning and Historic Preservation will be held in-person; Intro to Real Estate will be held online.
• Admitted students are invited to apply to the Hilyard Robinson Scholars Program . Recipients receive full tuition scholarships for GSAPP’s Intro to Architecture summer program.
• Applicants should have completed an undergraduate degree or currently be enrolled at an undergraduate institution.
• 2. Transcripts
• 3. Optional Recommendation
• 4. Application Status

Optional Recommendation

Non-degree program applicants to Introduction to Architecture and Special Students have the option to include letters of recommendation, but they are not required.

GSAPP does not have a special form for letters of recommendation. Recommenders may scan and upload recommendation letters to the online application. Letters received directly from applicants will not be accepted.

Decarbonization at Scale

The 2-week, 2-credit course seeks to foster a curiosity and solutions-driven mindset through a series of actions – open dialogue, consultation, exploration, and reflection – and to create a dynamic feedback loop that leads to transferable and scalable outcomes.

“Decarbonization at Scale” is open to current and recently graduated Master’s degree students in the United States or Canada. Candidates must either enter the final year of their Master’s degree studies, or have graduated in 2024.

The application is open to students in the fields of Architecture, Landscape Architecture, Urban Design, Urban Planning, Historic Preservation, Structural/Civil/Construction Engineering, and Real Estate Development.

Application Opens: February 15, 2024 Application Deadline: March 22, 2024

• 1. Application Status
• 2. Online Application
• 3. Transcripts
• 4. Two Letters of Recommendation
• 5. Motivation Letter
• 6. Reflection Paper
• 7. Four-page Portfolio

Two Letters of Recommendation

Two letters of recommendation are required for “Decarbonization at Scale” Holcim Foundation Fellowship at Columbia GSAPP: 1 academic recommendation and 1 academic or professional recommendation.

Recommenders complete an online form and upload recommendation letters directly to the online application. Letters received from applicants are not accepted.

Motivation Letter

A 200-word maximum motivation letter is required for “Decarbonization at Scale” Holcim Foundation Fellowship at Columbia GSAPP. Please address the prompt:

• What do you hope to gain from the Holcim Fellowship at Columbia GSAPP?

Reflection Paper

A 800-word maximum reflection paper is required for “Decarbonization at Scale” Holcim Foundation Fellowship at Columbia GSAPP. Please cover both of the themes below:

• The reasons for self-leadership and collaboration within future careers.
• Value of contextual learning for reaching Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and advancing the construction industry.

Four-page Portfolio

A digital portfolio is required for admission for admission to the “Decarbonization at Scale” Holcim Foundation Fellowship at Columbia GSAPP.

The digital portfolio should be in a single PDF document, 4 PDF pages maximum, and should not exceed 32 MB. The digital portfolio should be optimized for viewing on a standard size computer screen. Digital portfolios must be uploaded at the time the application is submitted.

Visiting Scholar

Application Deadline: Rolling Admission

Persons who wish to use the facilities of the University to pursue their own research may be named visiting scholars.

In order to be eligible for visiting scholar status, applicants must be currently affiliated with an accredited academic institution.

“Visiting scholar” is a courtesy title and does not signify a formal association with the University. Individuals named to these titles may not claim a University affiliation for the purpose of applying for grants and contracts and should not represent themselves in their publication and correspondence as having a University affiliation.

Visiting Scholars are not eligible to take courses at GSAPP for credit.

We only accept a limited number of Visiting Scholars and are unable to provide an invitation letter until an applicant has submitted an online application and has been approved by the Provost’s office.

• 2. Personal Statement Visiting Scholar
• 7. Application Status

Personal Statement Visiting Scholar

A personal statement is required for admission to each program (with the exception of Introduction to Architecture). In approximately 500 words, describe your background, your past work in your intended field of study, and your plans for study and a professional career.

The statement must include the applicant’s affiliation with an accredited academic institution. Applicants must demonstrate a solid academic reason as to why they must be in person at Columbia to conduct their research. They must also specify which on-campus resources and archives will be accessed as part of their research.

Special Student

Application Deadline: August 15 or December 1 of each year

Individuals may be eligible to take courses in the Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation. These students must be admitted by the Office of the Associate Dean of Admissions as Special Students (non-degree candidates).

Studios and visual studies courses are not open to Special Students. Courses in the Real Estate Development program are also not open to Special Students. Lecture classes are open to Special Students with the permission of the Associate Dean of Admissions and the faculty teaching the course.

Special Students receive library and computer access for the semester(s) in which they are enrolled. They receive a transcript from Columbia University with the course name and grade(s). Special Students pay the current per-point rate for degree programs for the course.

If a Special Student wishes to apply for matriculation in any of the graduate degree programs at a later date, the student must submit an application for that program by the deadline. The Admissions Committee does not treat the applicant preferentially. In some cases, students who take courses as Special Students and are admitted to a degree program may be awarded advanced standing. Those who wish to apply for degree candidacy are therefore urged to do so at the earlier possible time.

• 4. English Proficiency Requirement
• 5. Optional Recommendation

Prospective students must submit an application online to be considered for admission. Only one application per admissions period is accepted. Multiple applications to different programs will not be processed unless they are applications to an approved dual degree program.

Applicants are expected to use their full legal name when completing the online application.

All candidates have the opportunity to complete a GSAPP scholarship application included with the application for admission. GSAPP scholarships are based on a combination of merit and financial need. This form must be submitted through the online application. Candidates will not have access to the scholarship application once their program application has been submitted.

GSAPP does not grant deferrals, nor does it conduct spring term admissions. Candidates will only be considered for the semester listed on their application.

Files or materials sent during previous application periods are not saved for future applications. Those wishing to re-apply must re-submit all of the required application materials for their new application to be considered complete.

Note that the applicant must submit all materials directly, not through an agent or third-party vendor, with the sole exception of submissions by the U.S. Department of State’s Fulbright Program and its three partner agencies IIE, LASPAU and AMIDEAST, and by the Danish-American Fulbright Commission (DAF), Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst (DAAD), and Vietnam Education Fund (VEF). In addition, the applicant will be required to attest to the accuracy and authenticity of all information and documents submitted to Columbia. If you have any questions about this requirement, please contact the admissions office at GSAPP.

Failure to submit complete, accurate, and authentic application documents consistent with these instructions may result in denial or revocation of admission, cancellation of academic credit, suspension, expulsion, or eventual revocation of degree. Applicants may be required to assist admissions staff and faculty involved in admission reviews in the verification of all documents and statements made in documents submitted by students as part of the application review process. 

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Architecture in the Land Down Under, Chinese Applicant Personal Statement Sample

I earned my first Bachelor’s Degree at Hong Kong Baptist University in 2013, in Architectural Science. I also earned an Associate Degree in Environmental Conservation. I completed my Bachelor’s Degree at Curtin University in Australia in December of 2016 and since that time I have been gearing up for your Master’s Program at XXXX. Sustainable, environmentally-friendly architecture stands at the center of my interests and I feel strongly that my education so far as given me a solid preparation on which to excel in your program. I am extremely favorably impressed with the intellectual and professional strength and diversity of your program at RMIT. I also very much like the location of your Institute. I appreciate how RMIT Architecture is renowned for its extensive, long-standing links with industry. Thus, I see RMIT as the perfect springboard upon which to launch me on a highly successful career for many decades to come working as an architect in my native Hong Kong, Australia, and points in between.

After completing your program, I look forward to working as a registered architect for the balance of my professional life. I could not be more passionate about sustainable architectural design and my dream is to inspire countless others, stirring the imagination on the cutting-edge of sustainable design, creating better living conditions for all - one structure at a time. I want to have a life-improving impact on many communities, especially in Australia and Hong Kong. I feel strongly that Hong Kong has much to learn architecturally from Australia and vice versa.

Nothing excites me as much as the process of designing practical solutions and achievements that help to better living condition for mankind generally speaking as well as at the local level. I pay close attention to changing or evolving understandings of the nature of 'luxury' within architecture since I place a priority on comfort, convenience, and aesthetic appeal, especially when accomplished in complete harmony with our natural environment. I am giving my life to sustainable architecture because of its most positive, life-changing impact on people and communities.

Both Australia and Hong Kong are experiencing a housing shortage. Thus, the need is urgent to rethink and retool to meet the escalating demands of society in such a way as to preserve natural beauty and resources for generations to come. It is time to rethink – imagine- new forms of contemporary housing in accordance with the exigencies of our day, especially with respect to the environment. Fully fluent not only in Cantonese but also Mandarin, I will be an architect with a broad communicative reach and capacity that will help me to excel throughout our part of the world, from China to Australia. Most people in Singapore and Malaysia, for example, speak either Cantonese or Mandarin.

I thank you for considering my application to your competitive program at XXXX.

Heroines of Architecture

There are some very impressive female architects alive today. They come from all over the world, and make our buildings gob-smackingly cool. Here are just a few of the many that deserve space on this page.

Rocio Romero

A pioneer on the trail of affordable and sustainable housing, Rocio Romero is a Chilean-American architect. She is best known for her minimalist prefab homes, which arrive flat-packed and can be constructed in as little time as one month.

Dwell Magazine called Romero’s “LV” homes “the perfect $100,000 house,” which must be true because there are now more than 300 of them across the world (mostly the U.S., France, Chile, and Canada).

Romero’s work, which also includes a line of home accessories and furniture, has been featured in a number of publications and museum exhibitions, including the Walker Art Center, The Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles, the Triennale di Milano and the Vancouver Art Gallery.

Zeynep Fadillioglu

Zaynep Fadillioglu is a Turkish architect who began a career in computer science only to eventually realize she loved architecture. Her initial success came as a designer of restaurants. In fact, Fadillioglu has designed over 20 establishments that can still be found in such cities as London, New Delhi, and Abu Dhabi.

Fadillioglu is best known as the first woman to design a mosque. Fadillioglu received international acclaim when she unveiled the Sakirin Mosque in Turkey in 2009.

Fadillioglu made sure that the mosque honored women by ensuring that both the men’s and women’s upper galleries were equal in terms of both size and beauty.

Over the course of her career, Fadillioglu has been awarded a number of honors, including the House & Garden International Interior Designer of the Year (2002), the Andrew Martin International Designer of the Year Award (2002), Modern Designer of the Year Award (2005), and The Wifts Foundation International Visionary Award (2011).

Victoria Meyers

Victoria Meyers is a founding partner of the firm Hanrahan Meyers and she has led the design of a number of award-winning projects including the Won Buddhist Retreat, Infinity Chapel, White Space, and the Digital Water i-Pavilion. Meyers is especially well known for her residential projects, urban master plans, and her public buildings.

She has received a number of awards over the years, including an American Institute of Architects award for her Buddhist Retreat. She was named one of Buildblog’s “Women Making an Impact.” Meyers is also the author of the popular architectural text “Designing With Light”.

Itsuko Hasegawa

After receiving her degree in architecture from Kanto Gakuin University, Japanese architect Itsuko Hasegawa was invited to take the prestigious position of assistant to Kazuo Shinohara at the Tokyo Institute of Technology.

In 1979, Hasegawa formed her own firm, Itsuko Hasegawa Atelier. She has since been responsible for the design of a number of award-winning buildings in Japan. Her most famous projects include the Sumida Culture Factory, the Niigata City Performing Arts Centre, and the Himi Seaside Botanical Garden.

Hasegawa is an honorary member of the Royal Institute of British Architects, and in 1986, she was awarded the Design Prize from the Architectural Institute of Japan. She has also been the recipient of the Avon Arts Award and in 2000 she received the Japan Art Academy Award.

Yasmeen Lari

Yasmeen Lari was the first accredited female architect in Pakistan. At age 15, Lari left Pakistan during a family vacation in London, and ended up enrolling in school there. She was initially rejected from architecture school for not being able to draw. However, after two years of art classes, she was accepted into the Oxford School of Architecture.

At the age of 23, Lari returned home and opened Lari Associates in Karachi, Pakistan. Though she initially faced challenges because of her gender, she soon became president of the Institute of Architects in Pakistan in 1980.

Her most notable projects have all been in her native country. They include Naval Officers Housing, the Taj Mahal Hotel in Karachi, the Finance and Trade Center, and the Pakistan State Oil House. In 2011, Lari received the Pakistani “Wonder Woman of the Year Award.”

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Sample Statement for Admission to a Master’s Degree Program in Architecture.

I have thoroughly enjoyed the work that I have undertaken to date but, naturally, hope to progress to the full role of professional architect. My work has involved several projects, roles and tasks including, design, preparation of plans, interior, time spent on the construction site, and liaison with clients and regulatory authorities. I believe that this experience, with my undergraduate degree, provides an excellent foundation for success in the programme and beyond.

The meld of aesthetic, engineering and computational skills and knowledge are an ideal fit for my talents and interests which I hope to apply to achieve my own personal and, I believe considerable, professional potential and to provide an excellent service to my future employers and clients.

I am very much excited by the way that rapid advances in technology have increased public expectations regarding their communities and the buildings constructed in those communities. One expects buildings to be designed and constructed according to rigorous standards of workmanship and safety. Thus, I shall always labour to account for those features that may enable financial efficiency and enhance user satisfaction.

I’m particularly interested in the free-form possibilities permitted by the CAD software change not only the method of designing but also the design itself. Digital design has had a direct influence on the vocabulary of forms used in architecture. Free form models are realized into building-creating design. Without computer simulation and the use of precise CNC manufacturing, these forms could not have been realized. Frank O. Gehry is a good example, a pioneer in the application of digital information to the representation and realisation of complex buildings and the further potential provided by the digital revolution.

I have particular skills in making physical models and also the latest CAD software including AutoCAD, 3D’s Max, Rhino and Revit. I am currently learning how to use Grasshopper as I intend to incorporate parametric design in future projects.

I regard the responsibilities of an architect are quite breath-taking, combining as they do so many disparate skills and taking into account the needs of so many with direct and indirect interests in a project. Architecture is fundamentally important in everyone’s life, it impacts on the daily environment of many and its fruits will stand perhaps for generations. I am particularly excited at the rate and kind of developments being achieved in tools, materials and techniques and I devoted part of my undergraduate research to such ideas. I see architectural research as fundamental in improving the well-being of all in its scope. I also note that the skills and characteristics of an architect overlap considerably with those called for in effective research. These include critical thinking, exceptional ­planning skills, the setting of challenging but achievable goals, collaboration, originality and creativity. I certainly hope to play a part in future advances in the field. 

I seek a highly challenging but supportive programme and regard yours as the ideal ‘fit’ for my purposes. I am drawn by the prestigious reputation of the department and its faculty, the opportunity for involvement in real projects and the connections with prominent practitioners and firms. I am also impressed by the ‘cutting-edge’ teaching facilities, the professional success of faculty members and graduates and the curriculum content. As an Iranian who is well-travelled, I am aware of the importance of cultural norms and expectations in building design, I am also drawn by the emphasis on such considerations in the curriculum. I feel that I shall certainly be able ‘add value’ to the programme in the matter of cultural considerations as well doing so from my professional exposure and experience of digital applications.

To summarise: I hold a relevant degree and have acquired broad relevant experience; I have experience of successfully applying the most recently developed digital tools; and I have research experience which I am very keen to extend. However, my main recommendation is my genuinely passionate interest in architecture and the exciting developments both in progress and ahead of us.

Thank you for considering my application to Architecture at XXXX University.

Help With Your Statement in Architecture

There are two principal challenges in Architecture today that stand at the forefront of academic concerns: sustainability, on the one hand, and environmental friendliness on the other. Over the last 15 years, I have had the privilege of helping dozens of architects from around the world to be accepted to graduate studies in architecture, most at the Masters level. I especially remember the statements that I worked on for Koreans and Saudi Arabians as well as Europeans and Latin Americans. An architect from Dubai was special, given the accomplishments of that city. For each one, sustainability and environmental friendliest stood at the forefront of the themes that we worked through the statement, each in the context, of course, of that applicants’ particular career context and trajectory.

The opportunity to help an Iranian man with an application to Berkeley will forever stay with me, due to his experience in Bam as a volunteer, within 24 hours of one of the most devastating earthquakes in Iran’s history. It is a special honor for me to help you; together, we are building tomorrow by helping you to get accepted, based on an eloquent explanation of your long term plans concerning your contribution to humanity in the field of architecture. After you fill out my  Online Interview Form , I will ask you some specific questions by email if I need any further information. Please also send your resume/CV and or rough draft if you have one.

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Maya Lin is best known as the designer of the haunting Vietnam Memorial in Washington D.C. Since then, this daughter of Chinese immigrants has designed a number of other notable structures, including the Civil Rights Memorial in Montgomery, Alabama, and the Wave Field at the University of Michigan. She has also exhibited several other design projects across the world. Throughout her career, Lin has won several awards and honors for her work, one of the most recent being the National Medal of Arts awarded by the President of the USA. In 2013, Lin completed her largest work to date, “A Fold in the Field”. It is part of a sculpture park in Auckland, New Zealand.

Statements of Excellence for Admission to Graduate School in Architecture

Architecture  has the potential to be especially noble work. According to the World Bank, for example, educating all children worldwide will require the construction of 10 million new classrooms in more than 100 countries by 2015. At the same time, millions of existing classrooms are in serious need of repair and refurbishment. I would like to encourage designers and architects to partner with students and teachers to envision the classroom of the future.

Another special interest that I have in this area deals with the way in which buildings are a major source of global demand for energy and materials that produce by-product greenhouse gases (GHG). The raw resource extraction, manufacturing, transportation, construction, usage, and end-of-life stages of building products each generate significant GHG emissions. Slowing the growth rate of GHG emissions and then reversing it is the key to addressing climate change and keeping global average temperature below 2°C above pre-industrial levels.

Zaha Hadid is easily most famous female architect in the world. Hadid was born in Iraq, and educated at the American University of Beirut in Lebanon (mathematics) and the School of Architecture in London. Throughout her career, Hadid has continuously experimented with new spatial concepts and designs. This professional strategy that has resulted in multiple prestigious awards.

In 2004, Hadid became the first woman to receive the coveted Pritzker Prize for a pavilion in Zaragoza, Spain. She followed this with back-to-back Stirling Prizes in 2010 and 2011.

Some of her most famous works include the Riverside Museum in Glasgow, Scotland; the aquatics center for the London Olympics and the Guangzhou opera house in China. Hadid is currently working on the Hadid Tower for CityLife in Milan, and a building that will reportedly be a centerpiece for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.

Kazuyo Sejima

Kazuyo Sejima is a Japanese architect known for her clean and modern designs. Her career began in 1981, when she graduated from Japan Women’s University with a Master’s degree. After short stints with two other firms, Sejima established SANAA with colleague Ryue Nishizawa.

SANAA’s work is characterized by clean and modern elements, and often include large windows, glass, cubes and marble. Over the course of her career, she has designed several projects throughout Japan, the USA, and Europe, including the New Museum in New York and the Glass Pavilion for the Toledo Museum of Art in Spain. Sejima has received more than twenty-two prestigious awards throughout her career, including the 2010 Pritzker Architecture Prize.

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