In no special order, what do you consider to be the top 3 prep schools in NYC?
You should apply to Princeton and Cornell but realize but they are reaches for everyone. Many applicants will have taken 12APs, have perfect scores and GPA as well as unusual ECs or be recruited athletes or legacies or major donor children. You would need to take all the APs offered and as noted the colleges will only have scores and grades for the ones taken junior year. And even though schools may be test optional there will be plenty of applicants who have excellent scores and will submit them.
As far as prestige goes, I’ve done a few construction projects and never once worried about the school my architect attended. I cared about the quality of the work.
Food for thought regarding schools with excellent undergraduate architecture programs:
The Top 10 Most Admired Architecture Undergraduate Programs
|1|Cornell University|
|2|Rhode Island School of Design|
|3|Rice University|
|4|Cooper Union|
|5|Syracuse University|
|6|Virginia Tech|
|7|Pratt Institute|
|8|California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo|
|9|University of Texas, Austin|
|10|Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-Arc)|
Good luck!!
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Syracuse would be a great add for him.
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You might find this thread of interest as well.
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If you know what you want to do with your life, and you feel that the name of the school will help you (it often does), often the best school in things like design are not the Big Names in college.
So, for architecture, while Cornell in on top, Syracuse University is also a top architecture school, as is the Pratt Institute and Cooper Union. Princeton is not even in the running.
Here is a good list of the rankings of Architecture schools by people in the field: DesignIntelligence - Most Admired Schools Architecture
If you look at any of the other lists of the best places for architecture, you will keep seeing the same set of schools, so these are all widely acknowledged to be the best colleges for architecture.
BTW, Syracuse not only is a top architecture school, it is absolutely stunning (look up photos of Syracuse University).
In any case, I recommend that you use Naviance or another site to do a search for colleges based on your preferences (size, geography, etc) and modified based on your stats and accomplishments. Those are the colleges which you look at first. You can then look for similar colleges, etc.
Good luck!
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Op- you sound like a fantastic person. Energetic, ambitious, and the kind of student that dozens of colleges would love to have.
You are sure to find a bunch of great schools once you expand your search.
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For architecture, you can search for (5-year) BArch programs here:
https://www.naab.org/architecture-programs/school-search/
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You go to a top prep school in NYC, so you have access to better info than anybody else does. If you don’t already have access to Naviance (or similar) you will shortly. You can also see how the current seniors in your school do in this admissions cycle, and consider how you stack up relative to them, and to your cohort. Look at who gets into which colleges and you will learn a lot.
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Get over the AP thing: colleges will know what APs/honors courses are available, and your GC/CC will indicate whether you took the ‘most rigorous’ courseload available to you.
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Do NOT start another club next year! Show depth / progression / leadership / commitment to the things you are doing now.
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Stop trying to show off with language! There are at least 3 major problems with this sentence:
Write simple, clear sentences.
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You want to own a design/build firm, and “develop some structures of your own”- does that mean you want to be an architect who partners with a builder, a builder who partners with an architect, or an architect & a builder? Aside from a pretty campus, a prestigious name and a policy to Grade 9 marks that suits you, why Princeton? And if not architecture, why Cornell? and btw, Cornell and Princeton are strikingly different collegiate experiences- do you have any specific reason to think that you would like both of them equally?
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I find that I am irritated by your use of the phrase “royally screwed”. You say you are in a top prep school? in the top half of your class? you are going to land on your feet no matter where you end up. You have set your sights on 2 schools that accept less than 10% of their applicants. Not getting a place in either of them is hardly being ‘royally screwed’.
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Thank you for your reply. I appreciate the advice.
I think the biggest problem with the AP ordeal is that I haven’t taken any this year, and even if I choose to next year, the test scores won’t be available in time. To answer the question of whether I am taking the most rigorous courseload available to me, the answer is no–though if I took AP’s, I would be.
Do NOT start another club next year! Show depth / progression / leadership / commitment to the things you are doing now.
After ruminating on it for a bit, I think I agree with this sentiment. I definitely want to be extending my club’s presence outside of my school, though. Participation in national (and virtual by circumstance) tournaments will look really good on my list of ECs/accomplishments.
Stop trying to show off with language! There are at least 3 major problems with this sentence
I’m actually not attempting to show off with language–that statement is taken right from my club’s mission statement, which had to be formal. (Also, out of genuine curiosity, what did you find that was grammatically wrong with that sentence?)
You want to own a design/build firm, and “develop some structures of your own”- does that mean you want to be an architect who partners with a builder, a builder who partners with an architect, or an architect & a builder?
I’m glad you raised this, because it’s a great question. Personally, I’d like to be a builder who employs architects for both clients and our own firm’s commissions. Since I’m not involved in design, this leaves me with the position of ensuring that our projects come to fruition and overseeing the developments in just about every capacity (cost, adhering to guidelines, etc.) I also realize that this sort of work doesn’t necessitate a BArch, but instead a degree that is applicable to construction management. I still want to make sure I am acquainted with the work of those I employ, but I wouldn’t have to major in architecture to do so.
Aside from a pretty campus, a prestigious name and a policy to Grade 9 marks that suits you, why Princeton?
That’s a very good question with a (somewhat) simple answer:
The main reason is that Princeton, like most of the “elite” schools, offers a wide variety of rigorous courses and does a superb job of preparing its students for the workforce. What distinguishes Princeton in my eyes is the fact that it is located so close to home (NYC) and, as you mentioned, I am enamored with its campus. Also, one of the main benefits of it being located so close to NYC is the fact that my range of internships while in attendance would be very diverse and really solid. Additionally, I want to attend a school that I can leave without a question about my experience being worthwhile, and the knowledge gained applicable to the real world. I don’t suspect I will have that worry in Princeton.
As for Cornell, all of the foregoing apply with the exception of proximity to NYC.
Cornell and Princeton are strikingly different collegiate experiences- do you have any specific reason to think that you would like both of them equally?
I definitely wouldn’t like both equally. I’d much prefer to go to Princeton. I feel that my own experience there would be superior to the one at Cornell, and that I am better suited to the elements of Princeton. The reason I seem to equate the two is because I know Cornell to be a rigorous school that sees its students go on to do great things. After all of the academic struggles I’ve surmounted, I’d like nothing more than to be one of those students.
I find that I am irritated by your use of the phrase “royally screwed”. You say you are in a top prep school? in the top half of your class? you are going to land on your feet no matter where you end up. You have set your sights on 2 schools that accept less than 10% of their applicants. Not getting a place in either of them is hardly being ‘royally screwed’.
When I wrote “royally screwed,” I was referring to my chances of gaining admission to one or both of these fine schools. I’m definitely not “royally screwed” more broadly - I feel blessed to find myself even considering these schools when, through no fault of their own, so many qualified candidates can’t.
No, you do not still have a chance, but you have a chance at other great colleges. Be aware that your major, in most instances, increases the difficulty of being admitted. Good luck.
I hope you’re wrong, but I can’t say you are or that I’m right. We’ll see.
OP, I think you’re viewing this all about what you want and forgetting that AOs make the final decisions.
In general, ime, show a tippy top that you love them for the beauty and proximity to NYC- and take a giant step back. They aren’t looking for that. Rather, kids who know the college well, can show their match and that this target has been well considered.
Tell them it’s about your post college career goals, same problem. They’re looking at the 4 year experience, want to see you offer what they value and how you fit the campus community.
And admiring their rigor? They know they’re challenging.
It can come across as generic.
Fretting about APs, the sudden surge of ECs (what about art or architecture related?,) the lengthy details about stats and clubs, speculation about improvement for a test not yet tried, underscores that you don’t yet know enough about what these target colleges expect, what it takes.
You have miles to go. But fortunately, time to explore. Use the time wisely.
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Me, too, but I am concerned that you may not be taking these posts seriously enough. @LookingFoward is about to share her insights. Maybe she has something for you that will help.
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Lol. Again, her observations.
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fixed again
I think you hit the nail on the head.
If you’re asking me what personally draws me to Princeton, then sure. It’d be the rigor, the sightly campus, and the fact that New York’s skyline can be seen in the distance, indicating its proximity.
At the end of the day, though, its the school itself offering me all of this. What would I do while there to express that I’m the right fit? One of the reasons I started the Debate Society at my school was the fact that we didn’t have one, but more significantly that much of the student body tends to love debating. I wanted to create for them a platform wherein they could express their ideas, show deference, and in the process build upon their debate and speech skills.
If I went to Princeton, there’s no question in my mind that I would create experiences for my counterparts. I would start clubs and devote much of my time to leading them, as I have demonstrated at my high school.
(P.S., my ECs aren’t art/architecture oriented because I don’t intend to pursue studies in either).
Fordham, Sarah Lawrence, Bard, Vassar, Skidmore-- go forth and explore. Every hour you spend justifying your love of Princeton is an hour you are not spending finding a dozen schools with proximity to NYC and great internship opportunities to love who will love you back.
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I have a very extensive list of alternative schools (Wesleyan, Tufts, NYU, Vassar, etc.) that I am also considering.
These are all still very competitive schools.
Hoping for a 300 point SAT increase is not the same as getting there.
First and foremost, colleges want to know that they are admitting students who will be academically successful.
IMO, focus on continuing to keep your grades up, prep well for the SAT, and then build your list from the safeties up, after you have scores and can accurately know what schools will be true safeties.
You will have plenty of great options. Princeton is not the be it and end all.
As @lookingforward pointed out, you need to learn much more about the schools to which you are thinking of applying. For example, your main EC is the debate club you started, and you are talking about what you would bring to the Princeton community is starting clubs and leading them. No mention anywhere of Princeton’s Debate team, which made it to the finals of the 2018 World Championships, which makes me wonder if you are even aware of it?
That applies to the bigger picture as well. If you want to go into construction/project management, your prospective employers (from whom you will gain the experience to strike out and start your own design/build company) are not going to be as impressed with a Princeton degree as you seem to think. What will get you hired is experience (from internships, which- unless you have good personal contacts- are unlikely to be in NYC) and either a business background or (better) an engineering background.
You still have a lot of thinking to do!
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