<p>Any informed opinions re undergrad (pre)architecture programs at these schools?</p>
<ul>
<li>U. Michigan</li>
<li>U. Illinois (Urbana-Champaign)</li>
<li>U. Washington</li>
<li>??</li>
</ul>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>The U of I is one of the oldest programs in the country. It is a large program which allows for excellent networking. I read in one of the recent rankings that it is the best architecture program in the midwest. We visited recently and were extremely impressed. Over spring break we'll be visiting a few other schools which have offered admissions, but I suspect that the U of I will come out on top. </p>
<p>In addition to a rigorous curriculum, the 3rd year program at the Versailles is a major motivator.</p>
<p>Mitalum-</p>
<p>SoozieVT's daughter is, I believe, in the architecture program at Brown. She's a freshman. Soozie can probably share lots of wisdom. Unfortunately, her other D was recently in a very serious car accident and she's still in the hospiotal, so Soozie is away from CC for a while. </p>
<p>Make a note to ask Soozie about her architecture program experiences in a month or so, once her D is home and on the road to recovery.</p>
<p>I'm an architect. </p>
<p>Questions: Does S/D plan to go to another school for Masters? Where does S/D plan to live after getting architecture degree? How did these three schools get on the list? Does S/D have artistic talent/portfolio?</p>
<p>Does architecture pay well and how tough is it?</p>
<p>cheers,</p>
<p>Too early to tell if D would even go on to prof. MArch; licensure is such a long road. If she decides to go on, for now she says she'd prefer some place like UCLA for grad. The listed are schools applied and in. Sure hope she has some affinity/talent. </p>
<p>Any insights re the list?</p>
<p>Los Angeles and NYC are hotspots for US architecture. When we had offices in Soho, we could stick our hands out of the window and hire the most amazing talent. Talent congregates in NYC. </p>
<p>Likewise, our internship experiences in NYC were out of this world. They set the stage for successful independent international practice. </p>
<ol>
<li>The University of Wash, the University of Illinois and the University of Michigan do not offer a professional BARch degree programs. D could not become an architect without a professional degree. State laws protecting the profession are very strict. A MArch degree takes seven years.</li>
</ol>
<p>A few schools offer five year professional degree programs; ie Cornell <a href="http://www.architecture.cornell.edu/index.htm%5B/url%5D">http://www.architecture.cornell.edu/index.htm</a> and SCIARC in Los Angeles, <a href="http://www.sciarc.edu/v5/programs/%5B/url%5D">http://www.sciarc.edu/v5/programs/</a> and The Cooper Union in NYC <a href="http://www.cooper.edu/architecture/Welcome.html%5B/url%5D">http://www.cooper.edu/architecture/Welcome.html</a>.</p>
<p>Since UCLA is located in the hotbed of American architecture (thanks, in part, to USC grad Frank Gehry), the UCLA grad program will be very selective. <a href="http://www.aud.ucla.edu/%5B/url%5D">http://www.aud.ucla.edu/</a></p>
<p>From the undergrad schools you mentioned, my guess is that Univ of Washington would have the most draw for a grad school in LA--mostly because it is on the West Coast and not in the Great Flyover (ie All parts of the US other than the East and West Coast).</p>
<p>While they might have stellar reputations in their respective regions, neither UW, UMich or UofI has a world reknowned school of architecture. </p>
<p>Does this matter? It helps to go to a reknowned school because those schools draw phenomenal talent. It is fun to work alongside great talent. It accelerates the process.</p>
<p>A reknowned school will not bestow talent, however. There are plenty of talentless Ivy grads. OTOH, I've never met a talentless Cooper grad.</p>
<p>Likewise, a superior talent will find success at any and every level--even if they do not attend a reknowned school. </p>
<p>In the end, sheer talent wins the day.</p>
<p>We are aware of the 5 yr. professional BArch versus the 4 yr. pre-Arch + MArch. Just can't gauge D's affinity enough to dive into a 5 yr. program from the get go. Why the rush, anyways? </p>
<p>Your points well taken, thanks. Of course UI would argue Chicago is (certainly was) the hotbed of American architecture! Imo LA is a cultural wasteland any which way you cut it. Gehry's works imo more often than not belong in the category of "private jokes in public spaces" (attrib. Moshe Safdie). Can't stand to visit my alma mater anymore, thanks to Stata Center.</p>
<p>By all means, if you think Chicago is the hotbed, then UI is the school. As I said, it's a regional sort of field. In Chicago, a UI degree would carry more weight than a UCLA degree. In Houston, a Rice degree carries more weight. In St Louis a KU or WUSTL degree carries more weight...and so on.</p>
<p>You said UCLA and I took it from there. No need to get twitchy.</p>
<p>You're not alone if you hate Gehry's work, but he is the most influential architect of this era.</p>
<p>Cheers,</p>
<p>Sorry, didn't know I sounded "twitchy." Certainly didn't mean to.</p>
<p>As I said, your points well taken. Thanks. And glad I'm not alone re Gehry.</p>
<p>I went to a small LAC in the 1970s and received a BA in English. Had always dreamed of becoming an architect but didn't have the focus and discipline when I was 18. Went back to school in my 30s to CCNY in NYC and got the BArch with 2-3 years credit for the previous BA. (CCNY did not offer the MArch at the time; now they do.) My sense is that the kids who go for the BArch right out of high school miss out on the "well-roundedness" of a LAC experience, but then again, we live in a much more pre-professional world nowadays and kids seem to want the career fast-track. It seems that in the field, an MArch is ultimately more valued, so I guess if I had to do it again, I would still do the bachelor's in another field and then do an MArch after college (perhaps not waiting so long, however!!!)</p>