Hi prospective archies and those who have professional knowledge and experience in the field of architecture!
Unfortunately I have been denied admission to my dream school, Cornell University. However I am currently writing an appeal to them. Not really relying on that, so in the meantime I have to make a serious decision between IIT and SLO…
I know Cal Poly very well considering I live 3 hours away and know the faculty. I know it is ranked 2 from DesignIntelligence due to its hands on practice and eco-friendly teaching. Setbacks: I have a ton of students from my high school ( about 35 kids) who will most likely attend the small school, on top of kids I know outside my high school who will be there. I would like to meet new people of different backgrounds, but SLO is definitely does not have a diverse student body.
IIT: Chicago is a great place to study architecture! Vibrant city with beautiful people. However, the students at IIT tend to lack a social life to my liking as a Californian ( needs to be constantly entertained). Although it is what you make it, it does mean I’ll have to go out of my way to meet people off of campus (remember I am out of state and know nothing about Chicago life). Additionally, the school’s ranking is not very high, mediocre. But when I visited, it had a very nice studio culture unlike Cal Poly. There are also renown architecture firms in the city, but then again not sure of the job outlook there.
Pros: I will be able to immerse in the city for inspiration and meet new people (very diverse student body).
Ultimately, which school, along with location and job outlook, would be more realistic in a job setting of an architect. I want to be able to work in a large firm like Gensler or SOM (SF or Chicago), and I am not sure which school will gain skills for a large and prestigious firm.
Thanks for reading!
Right now the whole field of architecture is in a funk but I expect that things will be better by the time that you graduate. In that case, Chicago is really a great place to be an architect. We take it very seriously here and as far as I know, IIT students are well regarded in the area since a number of major architects are Studio Professors at IIT.
As far as diversity, IIT is definitely all that. While a large number of our students are from the Chicago area, there is a significant population from all over the country and a growing number of international undergraduates too, not to mention the graduate student population.
You are correct that the social life can be a bit missing but I would say that in the 32 years i have been a faculty member at IIT, the social life and student activities have grown significantly. Ultimately, it is all in the students’ hands to make a vibrant campus life for themselves.
Cal Poly SLO is hardly “small”, it’s got 20,000 students! You’ll never see those 35 kids from your HS unless you seek them out.
SLO also has one of the best architecture programs in the country.
While Chicago definitely has better examples of modern and postmodern architecture than San Luis Obispo… you always have Spring breaks to go, and most importantly, SLO has National Student exchange where you can attend a semester or a year at Queen’s (NYC), West Chester U (near Philadelphia), UMass Amherst (and the 5-college exchange), in Montréal either at Univesité de Montreal or UQAM (if you speak French), in Florida at Miami (death of urbanism incarnate) or at NCF (if you’re intellectual-weedy-quirky), UMN-Twin Cities (pretty cool for architecture too), Cleveland State (Cleveland is trying to emulate Pittsburgh in terms of urbanist renewal), or UWashington (just cause Seattle’s cool…)
http://www.studyabroad.calpoly.edu/programs/nse/index.html
@xraymancs @MYOS1634 Thank you both for your insight!! Could you both also where most students get hired at each school? And if it is possible to intern during the school year? (could be easier for chicago since it is close by and has free U-pass, but i heard its possible at slo too) Which firms come to your career fairs, and how often do you have the fairs? Also, I am thinking about transferring to Cornell, which school do you think will be most appealing to them?
@syddasquidd, I’m sorry that Cornell didn’t work out, but you have two good choices. IIT’s BArch is still in the top 20 (#15), so I wouldn’t be too swayed by the rankings. There are more similarities than differences in the schools and I’m sure that both have similar job placement opportunities.
Internships during the school year are difficult for BArch students as the studio workload is intensive. CalPoly has a co-op program. I’m not sure how this impacts the time it takes to complete your degree.
For summer jobs/internships the location of your school isn’t a major factor. You should be prepared to reach out to alumni/ae and professors for internship opportunities and be prepared to go where the job is. Placement after graduation may be more regional (though CalPoly has high name recognition). How you spend your summers while you’re in school will affect where you get hired after you complete your degree.
To me the major difference between the two schools would be the location, which would impact both the culture of the school and its industry network. You need to think about where you would like to live and work as an architect.
Cost is also a factor. How do they compare for you?
I wouldn’t make a decision based on which is a better route to a Cornell transfer. Transferring into Cornell architecture is even more difficult than getting in as a first year, especially if you need financial aid. Of course, this isn’t to say that it couldn’t happen, but don’t think you should make your choice based on that possibility.
For the record, I’m not at SLO :).
Transferring to Cornell will be very difficult. Most of the transfer candidates are admitted to the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, only a literal handful to the other colleges.
Choose your college as if you were to stay there 4 years.
Year internships usually take place one designated day a weeek during which you don’t have class (I’ve mostly heard of Wednesday or Friday as the “designated” day) but wouldn’t really be available before senior year (junior if you’re very advanced). I don’t think they’re very common. You can also do co-op with placements all over the country, but you’ll have to reach out to alumni/ae. This is probably the best solution if you wish to “get a goot in the door” early. Internships often take place during the summer, so you could go anywhere.
At IIT, and probably at Cal Poly as well, many courses are taught by studio professors, who are working architects in the area (for IIT, Chicago). These architects take advantage of knowing the students to find interns. This clearly helps the placement rate and for IIT, gives students an opportunity to make contacts in the Chicago architecture community.
@momrath @MYOS1634 @xraymancs Thank you all so much for your advice as it helped me immensely in choosing a best fit college for me. It is a very difficult decision and I have weighed out all these factors: job outlook, alumni network, academia skill sets, location, extracurricular programs, and financial aid. As much as I know I would enjoy living and exploring a brand new location, such as Chicago, and be apart of the IIT community, I am bittersweet to say no for IIT, but a yes for Cal Poly. It is just slightly financially easier for me and my family. I also know that I can always visit Chicago, and who knows may end up working there in the future!
Additionally, I still have a strong passion in attending Cornell. I am aware that the transfer rate is even lower than first year applicants, but I am determined and willing to try. Thanks again!
@momrath and @MYOS1634 Just wondering, are you both students or working in the field? Where did you get your information/ experience from?
@syddasquidd, I’m the parent of an aspiring architect. I learned A LOT as he went through the application process for his MArch and have since followed him and his classmates through graduate school, internships, entry level jobs and now, licensing. It’s a journey!
Come back and let us know how you do at CalPoly. My guess is that in a year’s time you’ll feel less compelled to transfer.