<p>My son is a high school senior this year. He is wanting to be an Architect and study at UT Knoxville. He knows that he has to submit a portfolio next month and he has not even started working on it. He has been told over and over that it is a very intense program and requires a lot of work. He can draw but is not an artist. It seems to me that if his heart was really in to being an Architect that he would be practicing on his drawings. I keep asking him if he is really sure that this is what he wants and he says yes. But recently he did say that sometimes he considers getting in to the medical field. </p>
<p>Can anyone give me advice that I can pass on to him? He is a good student and is not afraid of hard work. I just don't want to spend thousands of dollars on something that his heart isn't in. I would love to hear from any Architecture student or anyone in the field. Thanks...</p>
<p>My son is the same way. He will be applying to schools with arch programs that don't require portfolios because he didn't practice his drawing, either (he takes fantastic pictures, though). Also, he has other schools on his list that give a Bachelor of Science in Architecture degree instead of a Bachelor of Architecture. There is more flexibility in the BS degree (but he will probably have to get an MArch if he chooses that route).</p>
<p>He says he is dedicated to being an architect, but, who knows? He's still a kid, and things do change. All of the schools on his list will give him the opportunity to change majors if necessary. Whatever happens, he will get an education!</p>
<p>My son has wanted to be an architect for as long as we can remember. In HS we all thought he was doing the right thing by taking a very rigorous course load and filling his one open slot with what our HS calls their architecture series (I, II and II) in 10th-12th, and had only taken studio art in 9th. The architecture courses were really nothing more than drafting classes, so when it came time to apply to schools he also had no portfolio prepared and a limited art background. He really had no choice but to apply to schools that did not require portfolios and I was very concerned at how he would handle the design studio courses given that he had no background.</p>
<p>I spoke to him today and he told me that 30% of the architecture class has already dropped out, but he absolutely loves it (he was in studio when I called tonight) He's already had a critique which according to him went very well compared to the other kids in his class. He wishes he could only take architecture classes and dreads all the core requirements. </p>
<p>So far things are going well for him without the art background, so there is hope.</p>
<p>My son is also a senior in HS and wants to be an architect. We visited Penn State this summer. They do not require a portfolio. The reasons given----they did not want to spend the time looking at over a thousand portfolios, they also thought it puts students at schools that are financially strapped and don't offer art classes, and they felt they could teach someone the art skills. I know there are schools around the country that face budget issues and end up cutting out things like art, music, etc. Their reasons were very plausible. Both my son, my wife, and I were very impressed with Penn State and its architecture program.</p>
<p>NASHVILLE MOM, BArch programs are very studio intensive, students practically live in them. All the schools my S toured had open door policies and he was allowed full access to classes and studios -he spent most of his time in the studios. I feel the time observing classes, studio and crits really cemented his decision to go into arch. He re-routed his college tour itinerary to backtrack to one school for a second day and ended up attending. What I'm saying is encourage your son to visit as it will give him the real deal about what it's all about. As far as drawing goes the folks at several schools where my S asked about it told him that they will teach the students to draw, that's part of why they are there. All said portfolio was more about creativity and expression.</p>
<p>pageturner, Don't give up on schools that require portfolio. S met enrolled students at both CMU and Syracuse that submitted portfolios that were ONLY photographs.</p>
<p>jjcddg, Wow, 30% already? Care to say which school? </p>
<p>msheft, That arch building at PS is so cool..</p>
<p>Thanks 4trees. CMU and Syracuse have been off and on the list for a few weeks now. It will all depend of whether he can get the portfolio together in time (there was also an issue of a crashed external drive where he was saving all of his digital photos...it's out for possible recovery)</p>
<p>The beauty of the big state schools of architecture is that your son may waste a bit of your money, but he won't waste a lot. Your first studio classes are like electric shock therapy. They are designed to weed out anyone who isn't really committed. My first year I was up all night every Thursday night for the entire year. A project a week. By the end of the first year 50% of the class had dropped out. I loved it. There was great camaraderie in the studio, and the sense that you were all in it together.</p>
<p>I don't think drawing is a total requirement, and he will pick it up along the way. He will find out very quickly if architecture is for him.</p>
<p>4trees- Tulane (he was torn between Penn State and Tulane, but with merit and financial aid Tulane ended up being half the cost) Tulane was evacuated during the hurricane and they missed a week of school. My son explained that all of the studios were accelerated when they returned and he thinks that is why so many kids dropped out so early. If I remember correctly your son is going to Wentworth. I think an atmosphere where everyone on campus is subjected to long hours in studio (like Wentworth) is different than a campus where the architecture students live with students in other majors who only attend one hour of class for each credit.</p>
<p>jjcddg,
Now I remember. Ya, it must have been a tough beginning for kids at Tulane with the evac and all that went with it. I can see how that added to the number of kids that backed out of arch. Glad to hear your son is sticking to it and hope it all settles down for him from here on. My son has a hs classmate at Rice, -there they stayed on campus but it still was very disruptive. Yes, my kid is at Wentworth, so far says everything is great, I'm guessing his "weather event" will be a good old nor'easter later this winter!
From the blurry cell phone pics of models I receive quite often I imagine he is up to his armpits in glue and cardboard scraps most of the time. Son was surprised to hear from hs classmates at other colleges who are taking only four core classes, with only 12-14 hours of class per week, says he wonders what they do with all their free time.... One friend, now a senior at U of Oregon (non-arch), told my son that he knew of arch majors there, but had never actually seen any except for move-in days. I'm sure your son was warned, as my son was, that arch is a huge commitment. I'm certain they will both do fine.</p>
<p>Design is in my blood. My dad is an Architect, my sister is an Interior Designer and to top that off my mom was an Art Major. There has never been any question as to what career path I would take. So I wonder as to your son's commitment level if he is questioning such diverse majors/fields. I would continue to question your son about his goals and his plans for life after college NASHVILLE MOM. Ask him what he really wants out of his life. My dad always tells me, "The man doesn't find the profession, the profession finds the man." I don't know if this is an acceptable alternative for your son (but it's what I tell my friends to do when they can't figure out their majors), but suggest he apply to Colleges and Universities as an Undeclared. That way he can take time to adapt to college life. He can take Art and Architecture electives and then get a grasp on what he will really be doing in the Program. Architecture is a very demanding degree and requires total commitment on behalf of the student. If he does choose to pursue Architecture I wish him the best of luck!!</p>
<p>haah rick, i think i win: last year i spent every sunday, tuesday, and thursday awake working in studio depending on whether we had a project due monday, wednesday, or friday. this year so far, ive only pulled one legit all nighter before the final project was due. hopefully that'll last until december!</p>
<p>Duby, i don't know what an architectural engineer is. I work with structural, civil, mechanical, electrical, and acoustical engineers, but I have never heard of an architectural engineer. Do you end up in architecture or engineering?</p>
<p>Architectural engineering is a major that realtes to all engineering fields but specializes in construction. I want to go into construction management</p>
<p>Duby, i guess construction management makes sense for an architectural engineering degree, since you will be trained in both architecture and engineering. We are also a big construction company and it is interesting to see the variety of majors that we hire to train as project managers. The majority are construction engineering or construction management majors, but we also hire architecture graduates, and civil engineering graduates. The skill set is not as specialized as architecture and we have had success with all of these majors. We recruit at a lot of schools, but the ones we have had the most success at are; Purdue, Texas A&M, Iowa State, Colorado State, and Florida. We hire them after the summer of their sophomore years for summer internships, and by the end of their second summer we have them signed up for full time employment after graduation.</p>
<p>The entire construction industry is rapidly changing. Many of the major contractors have decided that the architect's drawings have deteriorated to the point that they now want to produce their own documents. The rapid rise of Building Information Modeling (BIM), has given them a tool with which to do this. The result of this is that construction firms are now hiring significant numbers of architects, particularly those with Revit skills (the dominant BIM package). Take as many courses as you can in this area.</p>
<p>All the above is simply to say that the architectural engineering major sounds promising,but if you want to go into construction management, there are many paths you can take. I would suggest you start talking to construction firms in your area about possible summer internships since it will give you a good idea about the skills involved.</p>
<p>BTW in our firm construction graduates start in the mid 50's, while architects start in the mid 40's, but they are pretty much equal after about four years. It really comes down to what you enjoy doing.</p>
<p>thanks and when you say Colorado State is that CU- Boulder? and what does the outlook look like for construction management with the current crisis?
Thanks</p>
<p>The average salary for a PM varies. A new PM with 8 to 10 years of experience would get perhaps $80k a year + a car allowance of perhaps $8k per year + a bonus of 20%. A senior PM (20 years of experience) might be making $110k per year + a $10k car allowance + a 35% bonus. A senior architectural PM with 15 years of experience would be making $90k + a car allowance of $8k + a bonus of 30%. These numbers are for our firm, but I think they are pretty competitive for large commercial offices. I think the job outlook for graduates in the next year is still OK, you are just going to have to search for a job rather than just deciding among your five offers.</p>
<p>What is the most lucrative job? Firm owner. You can make serious money in this industry if you get to the ownership level of a significant company. We have a 1200 person architectural office in town, and the top four partners are getting compensated in the $2 to $4 million per year range. How do you get to that kind of position? You bring in significant amounts of work to the firm, either through your sales skill or your talent. The top people at most firms are either sales people, or design people. Definitely worth aspiring to.</p>