<p>We are down to the last two schools before deciding where D will attend.
RPI architecture offered a nice $22.000 merit-based scholarship for 5 years as well as a fully loaded laptop . Cornell Financial Aid is 0 with just a few thousand dollars in loans.
Do the prestige of a Cornell BA degree, the contacts and Cornell alumni relationships in the architecture field outweigh the $110,000 we would be saving in a smaller, less prestigous but also highly respected RPI program? We have heard different opinions from professionals in the field. Some say that the contacts you make at Cornell and the rigor of it's architecture program virtually guarantee you to be among the most sought after students when you graduate. Some say, go to RPI , work hard put together a great portfolio and and save the money for a graduate degree, a downpayment on an apartment, a trip around the world or put it in the bank and use it to subsidize what is initially going to be a very lowly salary as a beginning architect. Any comments?</p>
<p>I don't think you'll have a "lowly" salary as an RPI grad- it's a great school- but then again, I'm not very familiar with the school. 22,000 a year is VERY tempting, and I do know you're right on the point that being a Cornell grad would look great for architecture...so I guess, if I were you (and I'm not, so this may not be good advice)...I'd see if I could scrape by on the steep Cornell tuition, and if you can, then I'd go, since once you graduate you'll probably get a very good job and will be able to pay off whatever loans you take out quickly.</p>
<p>The " lowly" referred to the beginning salaries for most students right out of architecture school and not to RPI graduates in particular.</p>
<p>CORNELL. i was in the same boat, i actually got a great package from RPI too, and syracuse, and a full sch. to washu =P. if your D is adamant on architecture, cornell is the way to go. If you ask any practicing architect, Cornell not only offers the prestige and reputation, it lives up to its name. its an unbelievable program and i would definitely regret not attending. ditto to regadalf. if you can manage to pay without too much damage to your lifestyle, go for cornell.</p>
<p>its the best, in so many ways. and im positive your D will be happy at cornell than most other colleges. you'll meet awesome people too, i gaurentee it- i know at least a dozen people personally from summer college attending the program with me next yr!</p>
<p>cornell will definitely provide you with good networking opportunites along with a very good education.</p>
<p>although cornell usually has good jobs for its grads, most grads don't earn more than the avg intern architect. architecture salaries aren't measured by the school you go to but more by the number of years of experience you get. i think starting salary based off from the report for cornell architects is 36k. so it's not that high. what cornell WILL give you however is a strong network so you'll be able to work in high profile firms and will give you many connections, which is quite crucial. the jobs cornellian grads get usually come with many benefits and probably more design opportunities. they don't get paid more, but they probabyl get more benefits and will be easy to get a job. cornell will also give your D a strong theoretical foundation in design and i'm sure your D will have a great time at cornell. cornell also will be a good stepping stone in case your D is interested in pursuing architecture grad school. a lot of cornellian arch grads later go onto harvard or yale for their m.arch 2's. it's very rigorous but very rewarding as well!</p>
<p>so i guess what i'm saying is, cornell won't give your D a higher starting salary but probably more opportunities and a great experience.</p>