<p>I got accepted to and planning to enroll at CMU School of Architecture and I just had some questions regarding the program.</p>
<p>What is CMU's architecture program like?</p>
<p>What is average class size?</p>
<p>Do CMU architecture students only get 4 hrs of sleep? (I heard this from someone and I feel like he was exaggerating a little. I'm ready for it though.)</p>
<p>Do many students drop out first year?</p>
<p>Is CMU a cut-throat place? (I think it's rather the opposite, but I just want to clarify.)</p>
<p>Thank you in advance!</p>
<p>I visited the school and actually talked to some of the students(this was at 4 AM on a Saturday night so I guess that already answers your third question), and I dont know if theres anyone on CC who attends CMU so I can answer some of these questions for ya.</p>
<p>yeah I went in to the arch building at around 3:30AM with a currently-attending friend and she introduced me to some of the arch students. </p>
<p>CMU’s arch program is really really design-driven. They’ll also big on sustainability - you spend your fourth year entirely learning about that. The students are really diverse though, so the work they produce and the direction they choose to go is also very diverse, but the program has fine resources to suit any preference.</p>
<p>You’ll likely find A LOT of CMU arch students in the studios at the wee hours of the morning, but that’s not because they HAVE to, but because they WANT to.</p>
<p>A lot of students do drop out the first year. I think they matriculate about 100 kids, and only graduate about 40 to 50. Maybe the guys there were exaggerating, so I may be wrong about this.</p>
<p>CMU architecture is definitely not cut throat. They were all very, very friendly and all very, very cooperative. They do a lot of collaborative projects, so one man’s failure is a failure of all. I really liked the relaxed and open atmosphere the students had there. They let me look in on very fragile works-in-progress and such. It was pretty interesting.</p>
<p>I really liked the program, but my main setback right now is tuition.</p>
<p>Hey I remember you from other threads!</p>
<p>Thanks a lot for the info. It definitely helped.
I think I really want to go to CMU now 
(Well… I actually don’t have a choice because I already placed $800 deposit)</p>
<p>hello. I ended up going to school for Landscape Architecture, not Architecture. But I did visit Carnegie Mellon’s architecture program and would have enrolled there if I chose Architecture over Landscape Architecture. I know people in the program.</p>
<p>In terms of Architecture at Carnegie Mellon, it is one of the most highly-regarded programs with employers - which is very important. The program is a five-year professional degree program. This means that you enter the design studios in the first year and your coursework is practically based (not research or theoretical). The program is diverse in both interest and in the student population. This is shows in their work as the studios are very collaborative. The faculty are leaders in both research and the architecture profession. Students, faculty, and staff are friendly and Pittsburgh is a great city (and inexpensive too!). And, yes, there are distinct focuses on sustainability and urban design, which is very important if you follow industry trends. CMU Architecture has been like that for quite some time, not because they are following a trend. It is a great school - be glad that you were accepted and that you will be attending.</p>
<p>The first-year class size is 70-75, not 100. From what I understand, their attrition rates have decreased in the past several years due to a better and more refined admission process between the school and the university. Where they may have graduated only 40ish in the past, they are retaining closer to 60-65 students per class. My friends are in second year and their class is still pretty big. I think that students are coming in with a better understanding of architecture and less are dropping out. The school is not cut-throat, but the students do work very hard. They collaborate a lot, and from what we experienced, there is personal instruction. During the tour, I think I recall that there were a couple professors in studio groups of 20-25 students.</p>
<p>It is important to keep in mind that Architecture is a process… so while learning, it does take time. Architecture students are notorious for pulling all-nighters. If you manage your time, these late nights can greatly decrease. Studio is social, so some of that time will be spent hanging out with your architecture friends :). I think that architecture students work just as long and hard as engineers, it is just that architecture students have to work in the studio because they can’t pack up their stuff and study somewhere else. (can’t pack up your model, trace, etc…) They also have a woodshop and digital lab which are both really cool too, and my friends learned how to use them during their first year.</p>
<p>I hope that this helps. I think that you will be happy with your decision to attend.</p>
<p>@archinfo: i guess the guys i talked to exaggerated a bit hahaha</p>
<p>Actually I do remember them also saying that the retention rate has gotten a lot better in the past few years.</p>
<p>Anyway archinfo’s info is probably much more valid than my own.</p>