<p>Hello,
My daughter, who is a junior, is very interested in architecture. She is very bright student with great grades and super ACTs. She is planning on doing the 4+2 route. She prefers this to the BArch as would like some flexibility as an undergrad to take some other classes in other areas. She is eligible for instate tuition at Univ. of Minnesota or UW-Milwaukee SARUP. She will not be eligible for much if any financial aid anywhere. We think if she goes instate vs expensive private we could get her through her masters with little debt. But we cannot afford to pay 40-50K for 6 years, thus she'd likely have a much higher debt load going this route. Both of these schools have what she is looking for and have some unique opportunities which interest her. I have done some research and these programs seem very solid, though not top 10. My question is...how important is it to go to a top rated arch school for the BS undergrad? She has the potential to get into a 'more prestigious' school, though actually this matters little to her compared to other factors. She is very content to go to the mentioned schools. Thanks for any input.</p>
<p>I think the question concerns more the importance of getting the M.Arch degree from a top rated school. This would be her terminal degree and potential door opener.</p>
<p>I don’t know much about architecture at either Minnesota or Wisconsin Milwaukee. I looked at their websites and agree that both have interesting solid programs. If your daughter intends to go straight through at the same university – BS + MArch – then both have what she’s looking for. (From the website, however, it appears that the combination at MN is 4 + 3 years.)</p>
<p>Whether or not an MArch from these two schools would fulfill her ultimate career goals depends on what those goals turn out to be. They may still be evolving.</p>
<p>My observation (and this is just as an interested bystander/parent; I’m not an architect) is that firms tend to hire locally and that internship/ relationships often develop into post degree jobs. So it may be worthwhile for her to talk to the career center and see where M.Arch graduates have ended up.</p>
<p>She also has the possibility of getting a tuition paid BS plus an M.Arch from another university. The top rated, and therefore more selective, M.Arch programs do admit students from all sorts of undergraduate programs including the large publics. This route would probably mean +3 years, but could be less. Grants are available, but loans are more common.</p>
<p>I may be reading between the lines here, but it seems that you may be considering the academic challenge and social exposure during her undergraduate years. It’s not so much “prestige” as it is opportunity and fit, of course.</p>
<p>Many good privates, especially schools in the midwest and women’s schools, offer merit financial aid to outstanding students. They may not offer a BS in architectural studies, but with a BA in architecture (or really most any discipline) she could go on to a 3 year M.Arch at MN, WI or any other university. There are also coop programs that moderate the expense somewhat.</p>
<p>Bottom line, there are a lot of combinations to explore. </p>
<p>We paid for our son’s undergraduate degree at a academically rigorous LAC. At the ime we were able to do this; had we not been in that position we would have looked at merit aid at another LAC. </p>
<p>He’s financing his Cornell M.Arch (3.5 years) through a combination of grants, loans and family contributions. By the time he graduates he will have acquired a mountain of debt which is of course worrisome. However, I can say categorically that opportunities for internships, summer jobs and other career connections have been plentiful.</p>
<p>I would agree with Momrath that the school where you receive your MArch is more important. Finances have become increasingly important in college planning, so I think your plan is a good one. However at UM she needs to really stand out to get into the graduate program of her choice. </p>
<p>rick</p>
<p>Thank you both for your input. We were also thinking where she gets her MArch will be more important than the BS. We just wanted to make sure that she would not be automatically limited in where she could do her MArch by her choice of undergrad. It makes sense that her interests and talent will be the important factors for the MArch school opportunities. What you said agrees with what was said at the schools…that their students go all over for grad programs depending on their level of talent. </p>
<p>Thanks again for answering this and other posts which I have seen from you both!</p>
<p>I’m an architect w/both B.Arch (Midwest school) and Ivy M.Arch degrees. If daughter opts for 4+2 (or more likely 4+3, such as Harvard’s GSD M.Arch degree), then what’s most important is doing well at BS level AND developing a strong freehand drawing/architectural design portfolio AND obtaining some internship experience as several architectural firms before applying to a M.Arch program. BS school isn’t too important, but professor and architect reference letters in her subsequent application will be. Higher ranked M.Arch degree will open more doors for initial interviews, though many students find 1st jobs through referrals from professors and connections, and connections and collegue referrals are frequent source for subsequent jobs.</p>
<p>Thanks higgins2013. This sounds like good advice. I feel fortunate that we have these great options for architecture schools ‘in our backyard’.</p>