<p>It's down to these two schools for architecture undergrad at this point. </p>
<p>• I've visited RPI, and I got a positive impression from what I saw. I haven't visited University of Cincinnati yet.
• If I go to UC, I will be paying significantly less (although I'm out of state, I probably wouldn't have to take out loans), whereas I'd leave RPI with ~$50,000 in loans.
• RPI's program is a 5 year B.Arch, while UC's DAAP school is 4+2 BSarch (afaik).
• From what I understand RPI seems like a 'better school' than UC overall, although I don't know as much about DAAP (which is supposedly fairly separate from the rest of the school). If I decide I don't like architecture, at RPI I could probably switch to some science, whereas the other programs at UC are (?) maybe not as good?
• UC offered me to be in the honors program.
• Also, can someone give me their thoughts on the kind of people at each school- I'm relatively nerdy (although not unsociable, I hope), which leads me to think that I might be more comfortable at RPI (a tech school) than at UC.
• Cincinnati is maybe a more interesting town than Troy.</p>
<p>The final decision will hopefully be clear once I visit UC on Monday the 20th, but I'm interested to hear your thoughts/opinions on the relative merits/demerits of each school.</p>
<p>[edit] I realize I posted this before in a less applicable section- please delete that other thread if necessary.</p>
<p>I personally loved the UC campus. It’s pretty urban and has a variety of buildings, so it may be more applicable for an Arch student.</p>
<p>UC’s DAAP school is ranked in the top 5 in the nation for almost all of its programs. I’d be pretty surprised if RPI was better. </p>
<p>UC has a co-op program, which basically means you’ll get 6 (?) internships as a part of the program.</p>
<p>Also consider where you want to live after graduation.
UC; Midwest, also realize that you can internship anywhere, so you may have a job right out of school.
RPI: New York, New England, etc.</p>
<p>I’m very interested to visit UC… but in all honesty, I think it would need to exceed expectations to put it ahead of RPI in my mind. I think the kind of people at each school is a major factor. Any other opinions?</p>
<p>Although not familiar with RPI, I’ll share some thoughts about UC DAAP where my son is in the undergrad architecture program.</p>
<p> My son’s from out of state and is very pleased with the program; he wouldn’t be at UC except to study architecture there.
He’s taken advantage of some of what Cincinnati offers (e.g., concerts, museums, restaurants), but to do well in studio and other architecture courses takes up most of his time.
When he applied for last summer’s job, his employer (an architecture firm OUTSIDE the Midwest) was impressed that he attends UC. For this firm that values co-op students working for them, it was considered a plus to employ UC DAAP students.
I’ve met some of the other UC DAAP architecture students. They vary from very social to those considered nerdy.
Although the undergrads earn a BS of Architecture, not a B.Arch, they seem to get more studio time (and from the very 1st quarter) than other BS of Architecture programs I’ve heard of.
I agree with Pandem’s views about the campus, whose varied architecture our family really appreciates.</p>
<p>Read the UC visit info on CC before you go this week to DAAP. Try to spend as much time on campus and at DAAP as you can. Ask to visit the studios and to speak with architecture students, so you can ask them yourself the questions you’ve posed here. Take notes and photos to refresh your memory about aspects of UC when you return home.</p>
<p>After visiting a few colleges, many high school students I know (including my own) were able to tell which one was the best fit for them. Hopefully, you’ll come away from your visit knowing if RPI or UC DAAP is the better fit for you. Enjoy your visit & good luck! Tell us where you decide to go!</p>
<p>I visited DAAP and UC, and I’m pretty much decided I’m going there. I talked to a few people, and it seems that DAAP is probably as good or better than RPI’s architecture, and almost certainly more practical, given the co-op. Also, $58,000 in student loans is just unreasonable (given the fact that architecture usually doesn’t pay highly, and I would leave with less experience). Thanks for your input everyone! I’ll probably create another thread with some other questions I have about DAAP and UC.</p>