@SomeChoirGuy Have you run any net price calculators using your best guess of what your family’s financial situation will be at the time that you apply? 42K to 20K is a pretty big range. How much can you afford?
I wouldn’t count on a campus job making too much of a dent in your expenses. If your private college EFC doesn’t work then you need to put together a list of financial safeties that include both California publics and schools reliable for merit. You’ve no doubt already done this, but since merit is often unpredictable, I’d make sure-thing affordability a priority when you formulate your short list.
@silverarch Sadly, I don’t have any art/architecture classes available to me. I could have done a drafting class to fulfill my practical art requirement, but I chose peer tutor instead because I heard from multiple people (including a teacher) that the drafting class doesn’t really learn much. Other than that, I have no arch classes at my school and my schedule is too full for art :(. I have 2 architectural models (and drawings to go with them, although I know those are all a part of the same piece) and a mediocre perspective drawing from ADP. I could do some more mediocre drawings (pencil only) and take some pictures. Sorry but what is a life drawing vs a creative drawing? Is that just real (from real life) vs abstract? Do you think it would be better to end up with more photographs (not photoshopped, I don’t know how) or more (mediocre) drawings? I don’t do any other forms of art, unless cooking/baking counts lol. Unfortunately, as I hear it, Rice also weights portfolio heavily (and everything for that matter considering their tiny acceptance rate but still). Cal Poly and UT Austin are both schools I’m considering, thank you. I think ADP shows decently well my ability to succeed in a college arch program, since ADP is a college arch program, but unfortunately I need a portfolio too. Oh well. The best I can do is try. @momrath I haven’t run any net price calculators but I think I’ll try to soon. I can’t right now because I’m on vacation, so I don’t have access to tax returns and the like. I do have a decent list of safeties, although I am lacking in affordable/good merit schools that aren’t CA publics (for the sake of the experience, I’d like to separate myself from my parent and HS classmates, and we send about 20-30 people each to Cal Poly and UC Berkeley each year), unless Southwestern fills those requirements well enough. Here’s my rough list so far (the schools in each category are in no particular order):
Almost definitely applying:
1 - Wash U
2 - Tulane U
3 - Rice U
Good chance of applying:
1 - U of Miami
2 - Occidental Coll
3 - Davidson Coll*
4 - Cal Poly SLO
5 - Clemson U
6 - UT Austin
Maybe:
1 - Pomona Coll
2 - Southwestern U
3 - Reed Coll*
Need more info:
1 - UVA
2 - Penn State U
I may have forgotten some here.
@SomeChoirGuy, I think you have a well thought out list. I would add U Cincinnati and investigate funding at Boulder and Florida.
After you’re able to verify your EFC by using the colleges’ net price calculators, you may do some adding or subtracting.
If need-based aid isn’t sufficient, then Pomona and Reed are no-go’s. If it is workable, then you might consider some other LACs and/or medium sized privates with good BA art/art history departments that also have a history of getting students into top MArch programs. Ignoring your “no snow” requirement, I’m thinking Brown, Vassar, Williams, Wesleyan, Conn College, Middlebury.
I’d also suggest that you add one or two true safeties that you’re sure you can get into and sure you can afford. I think the chance of your getting a merit scholarship from one of the schools on your list is good, but it’s not guaranteed so you need to be covered in both selectivity and finances, not just one or the other.
UCB,UCLA and CalPoly have terrific architecture programs, but I’m not sure they could be considered safeties. Is there a less selective UC or CSU that offers a related major like urban planning or architectural art history? A studio art degree would be an option, but it doesn’t sound like that would be the right direction for you.
This worry may be premature: see what the NPCs tell you, then go from there.
@momrath
Thank you, I knew I was forgetting something. U of Cinncinnati should be on that list, under “good chance of applying”. I guess I’ll add Boulder and Florida too, under “need more info”.
I’ll check my EFC when I can.
UCSD has an"urban studies and planning" major. I also think I saw a UCSD grad on the Yale MArch list.
There are art history majors at many of the UCs, but I’m not sure about architectural art history specifically.
I probably should apply to cal poly and ucb/sd/la if for no other reason then to have financial safeties. I’m at least pretty sure UCSD is an academic safety for me too.
Architectural art history is a subset of Art History, not a separate major. Williams and Brown are very strong in this area. Both are need-only though.
Surprised that Cornell is not on your list. They are regularly listed among the top undergrad Arch programs and their program in urban planning is among the very best.
@momrath
Oh okay. I may apply to Brown or Williams, but they are very cold areas. For no good reason at all (I haven’t even been there), I’ve always liked Rhode Island. I don’t really know why. I doubt I’d really be able to get into either of those schools anyway, but it’s worth a try if I get the time. @urbanslaughter
I don’t want to apply to Cornell because there’s such a tiny chance I’ll get in with my portfolio, and it’s pretty cold there anyways. I just don’t really think applying is worth it.
Thank you both for the great suggestions!
Brown, Williams and other northeast selective privates are reaches, but they are not out of reach for you. The issue for you will be affordability. If need based aid works, then these selective schools can be very generous.
@momrath
Okay, thank you. I’m finally home, so I can start working on my college apps and I can run some NPCs. I’ll try to do those things tomorrow, then update.
Add NC State to the mix, they usually are pretty well ranked, and location is awesome (tho you’re stuck with UNC and Duke across the street :)) ). For a 5 year and out, and if money is an issue, why not consider Arkansas and Auburn?
True - Thankfully grad application forms are fairly short so you could do one or two a day. Fees, yea, figure $70 minimum per school and that’s $1k in apps, but the return… This day and age with digital portfolios it’s not too bad to do something like this, and most statements of purpose aren’t too different.
At the undergrad level while undergrad apps are long, the Common App takes some of the pain away. IIRC it took my daughter most of the Christmas break to simply send the apps. Not fun but you don’t do it too often.
