<p>Bneg, look for a school that offers a BS Arch as it's undergraduate degree, these tend to have a higher technology content. U o I Champiagne Urbana is one. Also architects don't focus on houses, so you will need to broaden your outlook. University of Washington has a strong sustainability curriuculum.</p>
<p>University of Virginia--Especially strong for history, offers a PHD in arch history
University of California--Berkeley--known for its emphsis on threory
University of Cincinnati--currently one of the top schools, incorporates coop (this migh be good for BNEG gives you the real world balance)
Syracuse University--has always had a good name
California Polytechnic State U., San Luis Obispo--very structured design sequence--has always had a good name
Virginia polytech--don't know
University of Michigan--Ann Arbor--has always had a good name
Pennsylvania State University--don't know
University of Illinois Urbana Champaigne-highly ranked, strong tech, offers a masters with a concentration in structures that will let you sit for both exams
Ohio State University--don't know, but Miami of Ohio has a good reputation </p>
<p>I would also look at IIT though I don't think their emphasis on hand drawing is necessarily a good idea. It is important to be able to sketch and be comfortable with a pencil in your hand but you will be spending 8 hours a day in front of a computer when you get into an office so you need to have those skills and be comfortable in that environment. Also the brick house is second year and I think it is a very weak project. The designs a repetitive and the learning to work ratio is way off.</p>
<p>Some other good schools to consider
Rice in Texas
Wash U in St Louis
Notre Dame</p>
<p>Look at which schools are winning the student comptetiotions, it's not definitive, not everyone enters but... Also look at their study abroad programs. University of Washinton both have Rome programs, U or I goes to Versailles. Also the reputations of school s are very regional. If you know where you want to work, other than the ivies, focus on the local schools.</p>
<p>And btw camac, if you're simply looking for a school that's got reputation in the arch world and is easy to get into, the number one is
IIT, and it's even in the top 5 arch schools with a 5-yr professional program.
Consider also Cornell, RICE (no 1 in the south), Washington U (you get to build on site).
These 3 schools offer a 5-yr pro program, and that's highly recommended tho it's extremely tasking.
You don't need a portfolio for WashU (tho you need one for a scholarship). Wash U has great aid and an acceptance rate in the thirties, so it's worth a try.
You shouldn't have any second thoughts about Rice.
Also Cornell is worth a try.</p>
<p>USC is very good, too, but quite expensive. I don't know much about their aid but scholarships are limited. But it's got a good program - 5 years.
G'luck.</p>
<p>Jrock, I think sustainble design is what we're both fit for. In the book "designing & Building a Solar house" By Donald Watson, you can see that energy conservation is green, is mechanical (all those wonderful collectors), is mathematical (angles of collectors for max. exposure & if you find something on Pueblo Bonito you would cry because it's just too good), and to integrate these into a house plan aesthetically and functionally is ultimately fun in the sense of problem solving. </p>
<p>But I'm really stuck. I don't think there's a program that focuses on sustainable design, or green design, or green building.</p>
<p>There are two University of Illinois- one in Urbana Champaign and one in Chicago. One of Archischool-ranking shows that both are reputable.I've heard that urbana-champaigne's great, but anyone ever heard of the one in Chicago?</p>
<p>Please could answer this question, SRMom3:
What's a typical day at work for you like?
Do you get design contracts often? And when not working on any project, what do you do with the free time?</p>
<p>One of the greatest things I fear in architecture is there isn't much to build anymore, so one may be relegated to waiting endlessly for that contract or restoring historically significant buildings, and getting to design a few residential homes. Okay, this actually depends on the environment, because there's still a lot of work to be done in some parts.</p>
<p>Same thing in CEE as well. If that contract is not coming along, then one is left with the maintenance aspect alone, which could be very boring.</p>
<p>I would also like to ask you if it is possible to design public buildings on your own and propose their construction. </p>
<p>My main focus is to participate actively in the infrastructural development of my country in the nearest future and I can achieve that through arch. or CEE. Truth is, for now, both prospects seem so narrow. What I want to find out really is: Are you fulfilled as an architect? Do you have any regrets whatsoever concerning your career?</p>
<p>I don't just want to be one of the pack. I want to make a mark in my field and that, perhaps, is why I'm so wary of taking what could turn out to be a wrong step. Thanks.</p>
<p>Cool. I've also realised in calmness lies our strength. Let's settle down and do what we know how to do best, hoping that one day, we may find our niche.
Are you going to apply to Cornell?</p>
<p>I'm also applying to Cornell. To the College of Engineering, or AAP. Still deciding. Are you applying to the College of Art, Architecture and Planning or that of Engineering? I think it's possible to transfer between colleges but that may be hard.</p>
<p>How true! But a solid portfolio could help. I don't know how flexible Cornell's program is; is it possible to take introductory arch courses and build up a strong portfolio towards a possible transfer in your spring term? Last year, I would have accepted admission to CALS and hoped to transfer one day. Darn the collegiate system! It actually mirrors the British system. You get admitted into a particular department and not the whole university.</p>
<p>In fact, jimminy, Cornell has finally admitted that they have very very limited funds for international students and it would be preferable to secure external sources of funding. But they still claim to be need blind! Ha!</p>
<p>How competitive is the Rice admission to the architecture program? I guess it could be worthwhile applying to Rice architecture and engineering to others since rice is the best in arch.</p>
<p>They dont claim to be need blind for internationals and are deinitely not. I didnt get any aid if you remember, which is why im going to Rice. My heart was set on Rice anyway!!</p>
<p>Sorry, i didnt read the bit about Rice. Its very competitive. About 35 people are offered admission out of about 350 applicants at a 10% admit rate. 25 people enroll for a yield rate of 60% or so. Im not sure about the acceptance numbers, but theyre about right. Engineering is also pretty hard to get into at Rice. Its the social sciences which is a bit easier.</p>
<p>Jrock, they told me they still give out a few full awards (including internationals); stun them with your portfolio. However, I think they also told me that only 13 internationals got some sort of aid...</p>
<p>I will be going for AAP; CEE just seems even more off topic than what I really want to do. However, I will go for a M.arch with civil eng. for sure.</p>
<p>oh, and for pueblo bonito, i think it's hard to find anything else besides hotels on the internet. The books says that the orientation of the building was based on the position of the sun at the summer and winter solstices to balance the interior temperature despite exterior conditions. The composition of the rooms and thickness of the wall/roofs were also planned to allow absorption of solar radiation (heat) and allow time lag for the walls to release the heat at night. The building also uses its geometry to shield from the summer sun and the winter winds. Everything was mathematically calculated by the Indians using some method that we certainly do not know but can recover. Interesting~!</p>
<p>Hi, does anyone have an opinion about which Architecture program they would recommend? Either Univ. of IL- Chicago, or Univ of IL -Champaign? Should I go somewhere out of state instead? Are they recognized as being that different in the Architecture world given that they are kind of the same state university?</p>
<p>Yo guys! Thanks for all the interesting information.</p>
<p>Bneg, pueblo bonito should be your favourite building in your Cornell interview, and its cool you know so much about it. </p>
<p>jimminy, I would like to point out something. If Cornell wasn't need-blind, they wouldn't have admitted you without giving you any aid. But that is if you applied for aid. It's funny that they didn't give you any aid at all. Dunno what they were thinking when they gave you 0 aid. That's unfortuantely their loss. :D
But I know a guy from my country that got 50% aid, with only a 1350, and another got 75% with a 1420. So I used to think that they were really generous. but those guys were College of engineering applicants.
Thanks for the insight, though. I mustn't underrate any school, at all. What school-leaving examination did you take in India? Did you get the best marks?</p>
<p>Could anyone rate USC's program? I felt that it was too focussed on Californian architecture. And as an international student, I don't think I'd like that.</p>
<p>Archi-girl, I don't really know much about you but as an Illinoisian who would like to study in-state, you should seriously consider IIT.
I don't know much about UIUC's arch program. Same with UIC. But UIUC is more popular.</p>