<p>hey all, im a 2nd year interior design student in toronto, and i am planning to continue and get a masters degree in architecture once graduation. i love the architectural aspect of my program, so getting a degree in this field would be great. i have always dreamed of getting a masters education in the USA, so im here to ask a few very-early questions about everything related, and i say this only because im still in my 2nd year. working on a portfolio must be important, as well as testing, so to ask questions at this early stage would only benefit me.
arch has always been a big dream for me, but interior design has always captured my mind as well. the gap between the both isnt too much away from each other, so obtaining a degree in interior design then another degree in architecture didnt seem too much of a big deal for me at the time. i am among the top in my design studio classes, with this being my top marks overall, with some works chosen for CIDA (council for int. design association) presentation in fall '10.
another thing about my background, im filipino-canadian, graduated in a toronto high school with an a average and many extra curriculars. my parents provide the income but with only less than 60 000 coming in a year. this really discourages me as i have bigger dreams to be in top arch schools with tuition and more averaging about 4 times the costs in toronto schools alone. plus i am an international student.
what i really would like to know is mostly of financial aid (im looking more for grants and scholarships and such) for international students in great-to-top schools in the usa.
also, i plan to work in the north east coast, mainly in nyc, but even working in toronto would be a good idea since the economy is looking quite well and the amount of buildings being created is on a rise. is it better to go to school on a masters level where you plan to go to work?
also , my program doesn't provide any physics course or anything like that, would this decrease my chances? but i am positive that my portfolio would be less than mediocre, and i am already offered letters of recommendation from arch teachers in my program.
i am looking into
columbia- ivy, top school,
u cinn- co op program, lengthy but worth it?,
cornell- ivy league,
pratt- nyc based, arts liberated,
rice- best in south,
u miami- rome program, not too sure about its ranks and i feel iffy when looking at student work
iit- chicago based, dont know too much about the program though</p>
<p>are there any other schools i should look into as well? i mainly plan to focus on sustainability, and more design based schools, rather a great deal of theory and mathematics.</p>
<p>i would like to know anything about the m arch 1 program in any top schools, or even just regular universities. ANYTHING :) i have been reading into sites like this for quite some time. the arch teachers in my program dont know too much about the schools in usa, as most of them went to school in europe or even in canada. </p>
<p>Your program not offering a physics course will not decrease your chances; however, many schools (columbia, cornell &c) require that you take a physics and math course pre-matriculation. Just take said courses during the summer (or whenever) and you’re set to go.<br>
SAIC (art institute of chicago) offers an M.Arch 1 with an emphasis in interior design, though I really have no idea what their actual program is like
Columbia, at least a few years ago, was really pushing digital work, though I’m not sure what their philosophy is these days
Other schools that have a strong sustainability slant: U of Oregon, UVA, KU (university of kansas)
most top notch schools (harvard, UCLA, U of Toronto, UBC, &c.) will offer you a balanced meal of sustainability, theory, structures, materials
Don’t want theory? Don’t apply to Princeton haha</p>
<p>Take a look at the work each school’s faculty is producing. Look at contests the students of said schools have entered. Once you’ve whittled down your list, visit each school. Rice is an incredibly small program (12 students?), whereas Columbia is significantly larger. All different atmospheres.</p>
<p>in 2005, when i visited, the IIT focus was on hand made drawings, especially in the early years – encouraging students to be creative away from the computer. first year focus is on the traditional brick house forms; second year, urban, office-style buildings… students worked on actual developing sites in the city (chicago); one student’s proposal on how to fix up a swaying skyscraper was adopted in reality…</p>
<p>At Univ of Cinn, the coop time in the M.Arch program can be applied toward your 3 years of IDP (internship requirement) so the extra time is not without value especially if it helps you to find work when you are finished.</p>
<p>j rock- this just puts a smile on my face because the projects in studio that we have worked on so far are real-life based issues in toronto. this sem we worked for an office space site in downtown toronto, and its just cool how the one students proposal for a skyscraper was chosen to bring to reality! my prof said how my design proposal and concept statement are strong enough to be put to reality also (even though it wont happen lol), so i seriously cant wait til i graduate and do/learn something i love to do</p>
<p>Lakemom- i just adore u cinn’s coop program a little too much, which is why it may even be a first choice. i love how you can use coop time towards the requirements. but the only problem would be its location, and how its architecture school may only be one of its best schools. i just wish there was a school like u cinn in the middle of nyc or even chicago haha. would you know any other schools that provide coop during the year ?</p>
<p>Check out Northeastern’s program in Boston. I read something that they are planning on doing away or changing their coop because undergrad don’t feel they want to devote the 5 th year if they still have a lot of schooling years ahead. For Arch, doing the coop is less of a burden then for other majors since they don’t charge tuition (only room and board) during coop times since Arch majors need Intern time. I only looked at their BS in Arch program for my son so I don’t know how they work the M.Arch but I think being in Boston would probably be more fun than Cinn.</p>
haha. would you know any other schools that provide coop during the year ?</p>