<p>My son was accepted to SU yesterday. We were very impressed with the program when we visited, and I would imagine the facilities in Slocum Hall will be tremendous. The program also seems to enjoy an excellent reputation both nationally and in the region.
Are there any SOA students/alums lurking out there who could comment on their experience at SU?</p>
<p>Congratulations to your son!! What a great accomplishment and yes, it is a very well regarded Arch School. </p>
<p>I can't help you that much but my D did Syracuse's Arch abroad program in Florence last year and loved it. </p>
<p>I'm holding off in posting my D's arch grad school acceptances, as thrilling as they have been the past few days, but will just mention this is one of the many schools she got into and with scholarship and stipend. She has not visited though and I don't have a lot to offer you other than huge congrats!</p>
<p>Congrats to your son, and also congrats to your daughter soozievt. I attended the summer program at Syracuse. My experience at SU was great (personally better at SU than Cornell if you're looking at the architecture summer programs themselves). I thought the profs were really helpful and excited. I am really impressed with the students Syracuse is turning out, my TA's in the summer program and many of the other Syracuse arch students I've met seem to love the school, and they are responsible and really know how to convey their ideas to others (which, I thought most of the Cornell grads were lacking). That's my two cents on this, it may not mean much. Nevertheless, Syracuse has changed my life.</p>
<p>congrats!</p>
<p>i am not a SOA student but from what i hear, the educational system is very similar to the type of work cornell used to be known for producing. a lot of the professors at soa came from cornell so they also brought a lot of the cornell thinking to the school. very spatial, formal, and conceptual..great stuff</p>
<p>i hear it's a great school. congrats once again</p>
<p>just curious. but does attending a "well regarded" arch school like syracuse or cornell for example, really give one a competitive edge in the career field?</p>
<p>it helps but if the portfolio is bad the name is almost useless. employers are interested in brand name schools mainly because students who come out of there in general tend to be pretty good so it's largely the student, not the school itself, that attracts employers. the school's brand name however attracts resources and a talented student body which helps with the portfolio development if you take advantage of it. good schools also give you the resources for you to learn and become a better designer, with great professors and visiting lecturers. resource and student peer are important for your architectural education. ultimately it's you who has to take advantage of these opportunities. </p>
<p>i'd say brand schools are really helpful in terms of gaining connections. but you must do well in order for professors to recommend you to firms that they know. good schools offer good connections only if you take advantage of them.</p>
<p>okay because i didn't really apply to the big schools like cornell or syracuse because of the cost.</p>
<p>i applied to cal poly and university of oregon because they were the few good programs on the west coast.</p>
<p>You will do fine, especially if you plan to stay on the west coast. Most employers of intern architects are looking for good basic skills and a general sense of the design process. Most of what you will need to succeed in the workforce, will be learned AFTER you receive your degree, and architectural offices will WANT to train you.</p>
<p>Name schools are excellent for making connections, even 20-30 years later, but will not necessarily make you a better architect. That's up to you.</p>
<p>thanks for the info.</p>
<p>i was getting a little worried that i didn't look into schools beforehand to see where the good schools were.</p>
<p>but i don't think i have the grades or the scores to get into ivy leagues or specialized east coast arch schools either. well i definitely don't have the grades or scores. i didn't even get into cal poly. that i know of at least...</p>
<p>My D is a sophomore at Syracuse an she is very happy with the education she is getting. As you mentioned, the renovation of Slocum will be done sometime this summer and the architecture students will return to the camous. They are going to retain one or two floors at the warehouse too. SOA added another international program, in London, to the mix this year. So now, students in their fourth year can choose to go to Florence or London for one or two semesters or to either city for one semester (they can also choose to stay on campus in Syracuse). Only negative I can think of is the weather.</p>