Any opinions on the BAC?

College Majors Architecture Major
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<p>Hey guys,
Here's my situation, I've just finished up my first year at Tufts U. as an engineering student, but have always had a strong interest in architecture. I am currently attending the Harvard Career Discovery program and am loving every moment of it. Though I'd like to wait till I finish the CDisco program to make a definitive decision, I am heavily considering transferring to a uni. which offers a B.Arch. (Tufts doesn't have a strong archit. program)</p>

<p>I began to do some research into colleges and came across the Boston Architectural College (or Center). I was really intrigued by how students can earn credit by working at design firms, and how there seems to be a huge push to connect students with firms. </p>

<p>My stats are: 3.4 GPA (yes, a bit low, but please take into account the engineering major)
Have taken the basic intro to archi. course
have taken calculus 12
won a few national drawing awards
proficient in autocad, maya, blender, alias</p>

<p>Thus, I was wondering if I could get anyone's opinion on the BAC. Also, if anyone can think of any other schools which may fit my profile, I'd love to hear your thoughts. (I'm aware that archit. schools put way more emphasis on the portfolio rather than grades etc, so I'll try to get my drawings/autocad renderings online soon)</p>

<p>Thanks!</p>

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<p>Can you even transfer into a BArch without starting over as a freshman? I am not sure. Maybe someone else knows. But if you had to start again as a freshman, I'm not sure this path and number of years makes sense because you could finish at Tufts (after all it is too late to transfer for next year and so you will have done two years there already) and then do a MArch degree program. It might take about the same amount of time when all is said and done. </p>

<p>I honestly do not know about BAC and can't help with that. Your post caught my eye because my daughter had applied to Tufts planning to study architecture and got in and loved it and strongly considered attending but chose Brown. She also did Harvard Career Discovery. She is planning to apply to MArch programs. I'm just thinking that at this juncture considering you haven't yet applied to transfer, that it might make sense to finish out Tufts and then do a MArch. At Tufts, you can do the BA in Architectural Studies or the engineering program in Architectural Engineering or major in one and minor in the other. You also could do a semester abroad in an architecture program in your junior year, which is what my daughter did. Just a thought of some options. </p>

<p>Maybe someone else can say whether BArch programs take transfers and if so, if they have to start again as freshmen or how that would work, coming from a BA (or engineering) school.</p>

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<p>soozievt, you do bring up a really good point in regards to # of years at Tufts vs. years at a BArch. I think the true reason I even considered transferring was simply because Tufts really doesn't offer that many studio courses (only 2 to my knowledge). And of course, studio work leads to more slides to put into a portfolio. So maybe the real question I should be asking is, what other options do I have in order to take more studio courses, aside from CDisco and study abroad programs (such as the Columbia-Paris one)? Thanks!</p>

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<p>so_ein, the portfolio needn't be just architecture related work. In fact it's meant to demonstrate artistic skills in different media, presentation skills and overall creativity. Therefore you should consider taking any studio art courses either at Tufts or through their association with the Boston Museum school.</p>

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<p>So_ein...plenty of students attend BA programs like you do and go onto MArch programs. Since you ask how you could get more experience and also more things for a portfolio...I'll give an example from my own college kid who is in a BA in Architectural Studies program that doesn't have design studio courses within it. First there are studio art courses. She took the Intro one and also has taken an Independent Study in Drawing with a Studio Art professor (she also attended figure drawing classes on her own). She is taking Sculpture in the fall. In that same vein, you could take classes through the Museum School. I am an alum of Tufts and actually when I attended years ago, and was NOT an art student (I majored in Child Study), I took several Museum School art classes both on the Tufts campus and at the Museum School in Boston. So, you could get art classes that way. MArch programs like to see art work that is not all architectural work and so you could get some pieces in this regard through art classes, plus getting good at drawing will help you in this field. Any 3D work is good to do as well. </p>

<p>Then, in her case, she can take architecture courses at RISD and I realize that is not an option for you. She has been able to take architectural drawing and also digital representation at RISD in their arch program. But in YOUR case, you can do some of this in in the Architectural Engineering program at Tufts. We met with that professor who heads that up at Tufts and surely arch rendering type work goes on there. </p>

<p>Also, my daughter did Harvard Grad. School of Design's Career Discovery, summer after freshman year, like you are doing. She did a lots of arch design work there in studiio that she is using for her graduate school admissions portfolio. In fact, recently, she was rebuilding a model while home briefly from two summers ago to make it better for her portfolio. So, I think you will accumulate arch design work by doing Career Discovery.</p>

<p>Then, in junior year, she did an arch program abroad. She chose Syracuse in Florence. She did a lot of arch work there and has work for a portfolio from that as well. You could look into that program, Columbia's, or others. Columbia's is a full year (half in Paris, half in NYC). She would not have missed a year of her school (she loves it too much and she is also on a varsity sport team) but the Columbia program sounds cool. </p>

<p>Also, for arch history courses, she has had options sometimes to do projects and she has done models and also computer renderings and so can use these for her portfolio. Perhaps in some of your arch classes, you can be given such an option? </p>

<p>Also, maybe one summer you can intern in an architectural firm. That is what she is doing this summer overseas. I don't truly know if she will have portfolio samples from that, but that is not why she is doing the job. She is doing it for the experience itself.</p>

<p>So, you also could piece together such experiences, portfolio pieces, and course work. You are already doing Career Discovery. Look into programs abroad too. Can you do an Honors Thesis at Tufts? She has chosen to do one at Brown in architecture. </p>

<p>I think you will have enough experience and work to be primed to go to a MArch program out of Tufts. Talk to older students and professors there to see how others have pieced together their program at Tufts and how they have accumulated a portfolio for grad school and where some of them have gone onto. I know there are students from my D's college who have successfully gone onto very good MArch programs and I believe you have that potential as well. Get advice too from those at Career Discovery about how to plan your next few years. My D talked to older students at her college in arch and from the get go had a plan of what experiences she might piece together as an undergrad in order to pursue a professional degree later on in architecture. </p>

<p>I hope these examples, plus the options I mentioned for you, can be explored because at this point, I think that is your best bet, rather than starting over in a BArch after two years of attending Tufts. You can become an architect by starting out at Tufts in either the BA in Arch Studies or the Engineering Degree in Arch Engineering (or major in one and minor in the other, which is an option there). As I said, my D strongly considered that path at Tufts but ultimately chose another college.</p>

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<p>soozievt, thanks a bunch on all your suggestions! I am definitely going to try and study abroad and do either the columbia or the denmark DIS program. And though it'll be hard to find the time to take a museum course, I'll try none the less (or simply take studio art courses at the medford campus). Thanks again for your wealth of information!</p>

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<p>hi im going to be a freshman next year, majoring in architecture and i was reading this post and i have a question about study abroad program for Columbia-Paris or other schools..
can architecture students apply to those programs even though they don't go to that school?</p>

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<p>My D did the Syracuse program in Florence and she attends Brown University. At Brown, as well as at many colleges, they have not only their own study abroad programs but they also have a list of approved programs their students can attend through other colleges. For instance, the Syracuse and Columbia programs are on a list of approved programs for Brown's students. </p>

<p>Many of these abroad programs DO take students from other universities. In the case of Syracuse's program in Florence, students came from many other colleges! The fact that the Columbia-Paris program is listed as an approved program at my D's college, implies that it is a program that takes students from any college. You do have to apply to these programs, of course. </p>

<p>However, I am not sure when you ask if architecture students can apply to programs if not attending that school, if you mean BA arch students or BArch students. Earlier, I was referring to BA arch majors, not BArch ones. You would have to check if BArch students could go to another school's abroad program. For instance, in the Syracuse program in Florence, there is a Pre-Arch program (that is for BA students) and their BArch/MArch program. In the former, students were not from Syracuse. In the latter, it was pretty much all Syracuse BArch and MArch students. However, one of my D's roommates while there was a BArch student from ANOTHER university and so I guess that was possible even though the bulk of the BArch/MArch students were from the program's own university. </p>

<p>So, I know for sure that a BA student can do many of these programs if from another college (as long as their own college approves), and am not positive on the BArch/MArch students. Perhaps they only attend their own school's abroad program or perhaps going to another one is allowed but I am not sure and you'd have to ask at each program. I don't know if you are a BA or BArch student. The Syracuse and Columbia programs offer an abroad program for BA students and that is what I and so-ein-quatsch were discussing. Syracuse also offers an abroad program for its BArch and MArch students. Those students mix in some classes with the BA students but not in the studio classes.</p>

<p>I hope this helps.</p>

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<p>I'm a recent Tufts alum. My boyfriend who just graduated alongside me, was an Arch Studies major. Like Soozie, I recommend you make the most of rendering classes at the SMFA, do an internship for credit every semester and summer you can, and choose an architecture-intensive year or semester abroad. My boyfriend did the Columbia New York/Paris program and loved it. Another interesting program to consider is SCI-ARC in Los Angeles as a visiting student (it's a very avant-garde arch/design schol). Remember that most people who go on to become architects DON'T have BArchs, and instead have BAs. Also please remember that transferring after 2 years to a BArch program may not be in your best interest, neither in terms of time or money.</p>

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<p>Lolabelle....interesting about your boyfriend and good that you shared since he came out of Tufts like the OP. What is he doing now that he graduated?</p>

<p>
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Remember that most people who go on to become architects DON'T have BArchs, and instead have BAs.

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</p>

<p>I am not absolutely sure what you meant by this comment. A person with a BA cannot become an architect without doing a MArch degree program. To become an architect, one has to complete either a BArch or a MArch program (and apprenticeship/internship), or in other words, a professional degree program. Perhaps you meant, and I would agree, that a person can start with a BA and eventually become an architect. But to do so, that person has to then do a MArch degree program. A BArch is not required to be an architect. However, just so anyone uninformed who reads your post may think that a BA can become an architect, that is not correct. A BA plus a MArch can, however. My daughter has chosen that route and I think the OP may wish to consider it at this point given he has already completed one year at Tufts and hasn't yet put in for a transfer. If he were to transfer to a five year BArch program, he may have to start near the beginning and the total number of years, after two at Tufts, would be similar to doing Tufts for four years and three years of a MArch program. I agree with you that it would not be cost or time effective if the OP were to transfer to a BArch program. I would not agree with the "MOST architects" part of your statement because I think MANY architects have a BArch and then many have a MArch. I have never heard that more start with a BA. Either route (BArch, BA+MArch, or BArch+MArch) leads to this profession, but plenty have done a BArch.</p>

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<p>Yes, I meant that you don't have to have a BArch to become an architect as you can go on to get an MArch. My boyfriend's professors at Columbia and Tufts have told him that most architects to the BA-MArch route, rather than the BArch one.</p>

<p>My boyfriend is a combined-degree with the SMFA student, so though he graduated with his Architectural Studies degree from Tufts, he still has the one year left to get his BFA. He'll be spending the fall semester at the SMFA, and then will do his spring/final semester at SCI-ARC in L.A. as a visiting student (he'll be able to combine his interest in fine arts with architecture there). He'll probably go on to do a one-year stint at an architecture firm before returning to get his MArch.</p>

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<p>I also just noticed that the OP is an engineering student at Tufts. Have you considered double-majoring in Civil Engineering and Architectural Studies? I feel that would make you a HIGHLY and uniquely desirable candidate in the architectural job field.</p>

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<p>lolabelle, i'm actually an env. health engineer + archi. studies major, but I have and do plan on taking a bunch of struc. eng courses and such.</p>

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<p>I was accepted into BAC and I've decided not to go there this upcoming Fall. I went to the orientation and everything. I just got the distinct feeling that once you go to BAC, your education is over. Most of the students I met and talked to didn't want to pursue higher education. </p>

<p>The good points:
When you graduate, you have enough hours to get the license.
You'll have established yourself in a career and will be making good money.
You wont have to start at the bottom of the food chain when you graduate. </p>

<p>Bad:
It takes about 7 years to complete the entire program.
When you get out, you'll be exhausted. Try working 9-5 and going to school from 7 to 11 for 7 years, you would be exhausted to.
For most people, there is no need to continue education. Yes, you can get a M.Arch but that is equivalent to a B.arch and is geared towards people with a BA degree. That's okay for most but for someone, like me, that wants to continue to this highest degree, why would you want to waste time to go to a school that takes even longer than usual B.arch? </p>

<p>I would try transferring to Northeastern. I met an architect on a plane once and said he transfered from Tufts to NE and it was the best decision he had ever made.</p>