Out of State

Parents Forum
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<p>I know what school I want to go to right after HS. Boston University…(I could never get into Boston College). Anyway, my mom is absolutely against it and wont even tell me why. This Spring Break we went to Cape Cod. When I suggested that we should swing by Boston U for a tour, she completely tore the idea down. Am i really destined to go to school in Virginia? It wouldn’t be soooo bad if it weren’t for the fact that I want to major in architecture and there isn’t a good architectural school here.</p>

<p>There’s no way I can talk to my mother about this. She doesn’t want me to go into architecture either. Is she trying to run my life or do I have a choice?In the end I’ve got three questions.</p>

<li>Is there a good architectural school in Virginia?</li>
<li>Is there any way I could get into Boston University? (I have a 3.6 gpa and 1170 on PSATs)</li>
<li>How should I handle my mom?</li>
</ol>

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<p>BU doesn't have an architecture school. The architecture schools in Boston are MIT and Harvard.</p>

<p>UVA has an excellent architecture school. <a href="http://www.arch.virginia.edu/%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.arch.virginia.edu/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>VTech has a good architecture school too. <a href="http://www.arch.vt.edu/%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.arch.vt.edu/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>:) Your mother has the right to refuse to pay for BU if she is paying your college bills.</p>

<p>Have you ever visited the Virginia architecture schools? You should do. You will be impressed.</p>

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<p>We have a friend at Vtech in the 5 yr Architecture program and my daughter had a discussion about this subject with a grad of Vtech who then went to UVA for Grad school in Arch. Her opinion is that the program at Tech is better. The program seems to get more attention from the University than at UVA.</p>

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<p><< Your mother has the right to refuse to pay for BU if she is paying your college bills>></p>

<p>Absolutely correct, but speaking as a payor I think I do have an obligation to rationally (or irrationally) explain why I would refuse to pay for a certain school -- particularly if my S becomes convinced that it's a perfect match. Is it money? Distance from home? Campus life? There are two colleges that I have (jokingly) told my S I won't pay for. Both fine schools, but it's hard to erase years of brainwashing and support "that" school's teams. If he really wanted to attend one of them I would no doubt relent, but I might insist that the tuition payments come out of my DW's account. </p>

<p>While there may be a few areas of study that I might have a problem funding, I'm a little dumfounded that your mom is so dead set against architecture -- usually it's the humanities that takes that kind of a hit. Could you elaborate?</p>

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<p>With two fabulous in-state schools at hand, a mum might not see the point of paying $45K a year for private university. </p>

<p>As Morgan did not realize that BU does not offer arhcitecture, he/she might be unclear about the cost of a private university. He/she does seem to be a bit behind on the research.</p>

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<p>A quick note: UVA and VA Tech are in the boonies. I mean, really rural areas, esp. around VA Tech (C-ville is at least suburban). If you like BU (sure, you haven't toured), you would probably HATE being so far out in the middle of nowhere. Think about DC schools, as you'll at least get some city atmosphere. </p>

<p>Now, for the other part... sit down with your mom and talk about what she wants, what she is willing to fund, and what she isn't willing to fund. This is a conversation that ALL parents should have with their kids - and frankly, sooner or later it has to happen. It would be bad to have it happen once letters have arrived and some place is "too expensive." Talk to her (don't get judgmental) - as parents have said, if she pays the bills, she can tell you where to go. </p>

<p>Get a dollar figure from her (even if rough) as to what she can afford per year. BU is very expensive, and not necessarily a good value. However, many parents will tell you that private schools, with merit aid and financial aid, can be less than public schools. </p>

<p>Get a travel radius and explanation. I was limited to New England (and small parts of it!) because my parents felt that there were so many good schools around that there was no reason to go further away. Travel is very expensive, and they didn't want to pay that on top of tuition. Get this in a drive time or whatever - but also realize that you can take Greyhound from Silver Spring to Boston for about $40, which is probably not much more than gas/wear and tear from driving all the way to Blacksburg (250 miles from DC, right? 70ish miles on I-66, then 172 miles on I-81). </p>

<p>Search for SoozieVT's old posts. Her Daughter is in architecture now, and, as I recall, applied mostly to schools in New England. The list was Lehigh, Conn College, Princeton, Brown, Tufts, Yale, and a few others I'm blanking on. There are several routes to architecture - undergrad and master's degrees. Explore your options. Also, architectural engineering is a possibility. </p>

<p>Anyone know if W&M has architecture?</p>

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<p><<if she="" pays="" the="" bills,="" can="" tell="" you="" where="" to="" go="">></if></p>

<p>ariesathena, you have no idea how hard it is to resist replying to that sort of straight line :)</p>

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<p>I grew up in Northern Virginia too, and when I graduated from HS I didn't want to be like all the masses heading to U.Va and W&M. I figured I wanted something more than to just go to our local "state colleges." So I went out of state and then into a career in higher education. I had no idea that for the rest of my career, everyone in my field would fall to their knees and cross themselves at the mention of U.Va and W&M (and nowadays, maybe down to one knee for James Madison and Mary Washington - and in some fields, Va Tech!). Heck, I just thought they were the state schools that everyone went to!</p>

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<p>Here again is that list of accredited programs. Another question for the OP is whether or not s/he understands the difference between the 5 year and 4+2 year options. I believe UVA offers an MArch; VTech offers both BArch and MArch.<br>
<a href="http://www.naab.org/cal_cat1724/cal_cat%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.naab.org/cal_cat1724/cal_cat&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p>

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<p>gadad. That's very true. Many out of state architecture students would love to go to UVA. My USA Today Scholar niece chose W&M over several Ivies--and LOVED the place.</p>

<p>It sounds like it is still early days for Morgan. Lots of research and visiting to do.</p>

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<p>Cheers, where did you go to college? My guess would be Cornell or or CMU... Or Yale?</p>

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<p>Iderochi: Go ahead!</p>

<p>There's a reason I stayed in New England during college (becuase my parents paid) and a reason I'm in the South for grad school (because I'm paying every cent and there isn't much anyone could do about it, besides complain really loudly, which certainly happened!). </p>

<p>Sure, most parents are nice about it, but reality is that parents never really "force" the kid to go anywhere, they just limit what they will pay for.</p>

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<p>I think my question would be - what grade are you presently in??? I ask because you only give PSAT info - no SAT/ACT info. It also sounds like more research needs to be done regarding other schools that may suite your needs - AND - talked to your mom about what $$ may be available for you - what your family can realistically afford.</p>

<p>Why is JUST BU in your sights??? Have you really looked around to see which other schools may offer what you are looking for?? Virginia does have some excellent schools.</p>

<p>Another question would be - do you have ANY idea how expensive BU is?? or the cost of living in Boston??? Off the wall here!!! That may be a huge factor in why mom feels the way she does. You may want to consider the VA schools for the $$ reasons and cost of living also.</p>

<p>I would really suggest that OP do alot more looking and get some very solid info and then talk to your mom about what is realistic for you - every one is in a different place when it comes to the school/college search.</p>

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<p>I've looked through the schools and Uva and Va tech does seem like very good choices. Between jobs and financial aid and scholarships, I think I'll be able to pay for it myself. I did try to talk to my mom about architecture and she's still set against it though. She still thinks that I should go into the medical field but that's not something I think I could do for the rest of my life. We kind of worked things out a little though. If I could pay for tuition and fees and everything, she'll send me money once in a while.</p>

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<p>MorganFay:</p>

<p>I understand your wish to spread your wings a little, but if it were my child choosing between UVA instate and BU, I'd urge him/her to go to UVA. The price differential is huge, and UVA is an excellent school.
Soozie's D has chosen to go to Brown and do a pre-arch program rather than a BArch. If you will have to shoulder some of the expenses of your higher education, I'd save your money for grad school.</p>

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<p>Morgan, BU is a reach for you - your PSAT's are on the low end for them, so you'd need to really bring up your SATs. (The median combined scores for BU are reported as 1210 – 1390).</p>

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<p>This will link you to the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture. </p>

<p><a href="http://www.acsa-arch.org/%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.acsa-arch.org/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>The member schools, not associates, all offer professional degrees that will lead to licensing. Some offer the 5 year B-Arch others offer the M-Arch. If you pursue a program such as Brown's you will probably enter a M-Arch for non-architectural majors. (The Brown one is unusual but one design course that is in the visual arts department isn't likely to be considered comprable to the 3 or 4 years of architectural design typically included in an undergraduate architecture curriculum). The non major masters typically take 3-4 years to complete. Since your mom is uncertain about architecture I'd suggest you do your research very carefully. Why are you convinced you want to study architecture?</p>

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<p>I've taken a lot of SAT prep classes over the summer to get ready for the test this year. Hopefully I can get a higher score then my PSAT and SATs. I've wanted to study architecture ever since 6th grade when I had to build the globe theater out of popsicle sticks. Since then I've taken some related courses at school like tech drawing and I'm hoping to start with CADD next year.</p>

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<p>Have you considered the Historic Preservation program at Univ of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg? It does not totally focus on architecture only but has a great deal of courses that approach architecture from a historical perspective. Could possibly segue into a graduate program in architecture.</p>

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<p>How much art have you taken? Architecture eduction is based on the studio.</p>