<p>I have been scouring the internet for info on Syracuse U.'s b.arch program, and have come up largly empty handed. I applied ed, and am interested in knowing how accurate the Design Intelligence ratings are. </p>
<p>as of now
1. Virgina Tech<br>
2. Cornell
3. Syracuse</p>
<p>I worked at an architecture firm last summer (Perlkins Eastman) and really got the impression the Syracuse was the way to go... and that both cornell and syr were basically on par while vtech was pretty much a fluke.</p>
<p>Any thoughts would be very helpful... i don't care so much about the financial aid side of things so long as the facilities and teaching are not hindered. I really want to go to the best possible school that i can get into.</p>
<p>if anyone is interested i am also interested in a comparison with rice, risd and cal poly.</p>
<p>i thought risd was a fine arts school but i see lots applying there also a number of threads have people applying to cal poly, a school wich didnt really make it to my attention earlier on. does anyone have feelings about these schools and perhaps know how they might compare to syracuse?</p>
<p>I've seen this search you're seeking before. Watched my son go through it last year. Instead of tracking down the #1 school according to some ranking, you'd be better off searching for a few schools that are best for you. The six schools you listed and several dozen others all have excellent accredited BArch programs. The architecture departments of most colleges are tiny, some very tiny which makes it easy for you to really get a feel for the place. My son was welcome through open doors at all he visited. If you can, visit and be sure to spend as much time as possible in the studios. I bet you'll find several programs where you'd like to be.
If visits are out of the question the department's website are a good place to start. Check out faculty and their education credentials and work background, check out the department head and dean, look for pages showing students work. Also don't hesitate to call or e-mail the departments. My son had a ton of e-mail exchanges with staff, faculty and current students of several schools and quite a few phone conversations including professors who returned calls to him to answer questions he had. Didn't take him long to decide where he wanted to be.</p>
<p>I agree Syracuse has a great program, I saw it last year before they finished the rehab of Slocum Hall. There's a parent on this forum with a freshman attending this year, maybe he'll pop in here. </p>
<p>I know nothing about the business of architecture but it seems regionally biased, if you asked someone at one of PE's other offices what schools they like to hire from, I bet you'd get a different answer....</p>
<p>i really appreciate your input, and agree the school is probably only as good as the type of applicants they are looking for. different schools with equal prestige but with very different methods for different people do exist. i originally chose Syracuse because i felt it offered a top tier program and stood a fighting comparison to Cornell. I felt Cornell would be too difficult to get in and settled with what i felt would be an equally fine choice (especially for ED)- both programs i felt were extremely hard to get into but for ed Syracuse i thought would get far less attention than Cornell. The regional idea does interest me and i am aware that the firm gets a lot of Syracuse grads (and always wants more, also its in Manhattan so their might be a correlation there- you know where SOM hires from?) what i really want to find out now that i made the decision already is whether my thoughts were correct.</p>
<p>i have gone through the forums here and looked at others and find very little on Syracuse- If anyone has any feelings on the matter i would really like some new and more objective ideas on what seems to be a lower leveled school than i had realized.</p>
<p>also whats the deal with Virgina Tech- is it actually better than cornell and syracuse?</p>
<p>Go to the SOM website, pick a city and look at education of the lead staff, you'll see a wide variety of undergrad schools. Now where they recruit from ?? I have no idea.</p>
<p>i will probably end up working at Perkin Eastman.- assuming the economy turns around pe is one of the top 10 firms in the country. Nice situation i think.</p>
<p>Elistuy, I have a son that is a freshman at VT in the College of Architecture and Urban Studies. Loves it and is learning so much; smart kid that is being really challenged academically (thank goodness :)) I agree with 4trees 100%. I think that while it is good to ask about different arch schools where you are working, you are going to get regional preferences. </p>
<p>In the southeast, VT is far from being seen as a "fluke". They have a terrific reputation in this part of the country. I also wouldn't put a whole lot in the Design Intelligence rankings either. Sure, VT used that #1 ranking in all of their mailings and open houses, and they were/are very proud of it, but are they "better" than Cornell or Syracuse? What is "better" to one isn't "better" to another. For us it was a no brainer. In state, low tuition, (will graduate with little to no debt), well-regarded program, incredible facilities, wonderful all-around college experience. </p>
<p>Follow 4trees advice, call, email, visit the schools if you can. My s did the same as hers and was sold on VT the minute he visited and talked with the profs and students. You have to love the school, not the rankings.</p>
<p>I think you have gotten some good advice. Just realize you have to look at the bias of the folks making the rankings. As a practitioner who recruits at quite a few SW regional schools my only real concern in ranking the schools is the final product; the quality of the portfolios, and the polish of the students. I'm really not concerned about the overall school experience and how the students were treated; was it a supportive environment? were they able to enjoy a reasonable social life? etc. So when you get a ranking from a professional or from DI you just need to understand that bias. To figure out the rest you need to go visit the school and talk to the students. Places like Syracuse and Cornell have a reputation as being very tough demanding places, and probably provide a very different experience than a Virginia Tech or UVA. What are you looking for?</p>
<p>I guess i am looking for a program that is difficult and well received. Price isnt very important to me so long as the program offers all the necessary requirements and provides the best possible experience. i think the regional preference makes scene on a number of levels- particularly in licensing where most who graduate from a sw school will probably get a license there and not practice in NY. I just want to make sure i am not missing out on a better program and that the other options that do exist wont cast a shadow on my choice. </p>
<p>does anyone know how Cornell and PSU compare- also with Syr....</p>
<p>its funny, everyone in my school is applying Cornell ed for b.arch (if applying for architecture of course) and very i have herd nothing about PSU until these forums. is it a money thing? i was under the impression that cornell was the only program that offered a b. arch that was a ivy- (the rest for grad school)</p>
<p>I don't think you can go wrong with Cornell. They clearly have the name recognition in NY that would be valuable in a job search. Talking to firms is a great way to find out what schools they see as producing their best graduates. I would just encourage you to visit Cornell and the other schools to get a feel for the overall experience.</p>
<p>I really know nothing about PSU. When my D was applying to architecture schools a couple of years ago her top three were; Cornell, Rice, and UVA. Some schools are pretty regional, but the last three graduates we tried to recruit but lost at UT Austin were to SOM, KPF, and Pelli Clarke.</p>
<p>Check the websites. The websites also show what courses are suggested for each semester. Based on course title and content, my son saw very little difference between Syracuse and PSU. Cornell is the only Ivy that offers a BArch. You never miss out on a better program. There is no such thing. It depends on what you are looking for in a program, university, college experience, location, etc. Choose what is comfortable for you, fits your criteria, fits your personality, etc. </p>
<p>My son doesn't care for "Ivy League" so Cornell was eliminated. The architect my son talked to about his views of my son's college list is an architect in the SW but was very aware of PSU. He thought PSU's program was excellent. PSU is not Ivy (you might be confusing it with U of Penn, which is Ivy.</p>
<p>2009 DI rankings are out....<br>
Undergraduate Architecture
1. Cornell
2. Virginia Tech
3. Cal Poly - San Luis Obispo
4. RISD
5. Syracuse
6. UT
7. CMU
8. Rice
9. BAC
10. Notre Dame
11. Penn State
12. Auburn (and a bunch others)</p>
<p>Elistuy, my D is a third year student at Syracuse. She is very happy with the education she is getting. Lot's of work but she likes it. She is looking forward to next year, she will be spending a semester in London and the other in Florence. This past year she worked at an architecture firm in Chile and she was very well prepared. </p>
<p>As a freshman she applied to Cornell, Notre Dame, Virginia Tech, UVA, USC and a few others. She was accepted to all of these with the exception of Cornell. We are Virginia residents, so she strongly considered Virginia Tech and UVA, however, Syracuse made her an offer she couldn't refuse. She is happy with her choice, specially now that she is on campus and can have a more regular student life (being at the Warehouse in Armory Square was nice but it made extracurricular activities hard due to distances and the time requirements of architecture).
All the schools you mention are fine schools. Like others have said, visit them if you can so that you have a feel for them and imagine if they are a fit or not.</p>
<p>PS: O2H4, Syracuse is ranked fourth, tied with RISD in the new DI rankings.</p>
<p>I would have to agree with everyone on here in selecting an architecture school. I think all of the mentioned programs are all good.We looked at them all. It comes down to other choices,location, campus facilities etc.. because all have good programs.We knocked out Cornell because of expenses being one. Syracuse had their architecture building off campus in the city for a few years which we felt would be very difficult with the late hours spent there. Virginia Tech was very nice but far from our home in NY and first year students seemed withdraw in separate room from others. We visited Penn State and loved it, new building is beautiful which we felt was important in architecture since you spend so much time there. Try to visit, all programs will have a lot of work. And I felt I wasted my money on the DI book with rankings.</p>
<p>Elistuy, have you decided yet? Just curious.
The newly renovated arch building in Syracuse is really nice. Cornell’s facility is not very pleasant, in my opinion for the amount of money you are paying</p>
<p>VT’s architecture program is not overrated by any means. The students accepted to the College of Architecture have much higher credentials than the general student body. The undergrad program itself is modeled after the very successful Bauhaus school of design. And to clear up a previous post’s mistake- the freshmen are very well mixed in with the other years, we’re all in the same room, so I don’t know what that person was talking about at all. Its most important to go where you’re comfortable. As long as you have a strong portfolio upon graduation, a degree from any of these top schools (and a better economy) will land you a job.</p>