<p>So I've gotten into USC and know a lot about it (I did their summer program and my brother goes there). I don't really know much about Tulane or WashU except that they have pretty good architecture schools. How do the architecture schools of these three schools match up? Which one is "best," if you had to rank them? WHat about just the college experience as a whole?</p>
<p>I've been waitlisted for Tulane and WashU, and I want to decide if its worth it for me to visit them next week. PLEASE let me know what you guys think.</p>
<p>My daughter was accepted at Tulane and waitlisted at Wash U. We visited both. At the end she was deciding between UIUC and Tulane. I actually was so impressed at Tulane that I cried a bit when she chose UIUC. It's worked out beautifully for her, but I can tell you that we both found the faculty and head of the program at Tulane to be extremely stimulating. Students were passionate and well-rounded. Wash U's program is highly respected - I can't give as much of a first-hand impression. I believe it's the smallest program at the school.</p>
<p>momoftwins: We are in the Chicago area. My son is a junior in HS and is looking at architecture. He really is not interested in UIUC for two reasons--it is a 4+2 program and it is in Champaign/Urbana (also after college he prefers the west coast (CA) or the NE (NYC area) to live. What did your daughter like about the UIUC program (other than the study abroad)? My son is looking at USC, U of Cincinnati, Penn State, Syracuse. He might consider U of Kansas as it is a 5-yr MArch and is only about $5000 more for OOS over UIUC instate.</p>
<p>In short, what I can say about WashU on my visit there is it is a good program, the students have ambitious ideas, possibly the school is edging too on the artistic side (they want to combine the first years of art and architecture and want to make the students work more closely throughout all the years), they are really into modeling using a whole vast variety of materials and teach you all of that during freshman year, friendly staff, profs have a lot of good knowledge, future-orientated, great emphasis on human ethics.</p>
<p>I'll start by saying that during our first visit to UIUC during her junior year, she was nearly in tears and begged me not to "make" her go there. This was also before she had settled on architecture as a major. I wouldn't have forced UIUC on her. Once senior year began and she looked exclusively at arch schools she decided that she had a few criteria.<br>
1) Solid, stable program that would prepare her well for grad school if she chose to pursue architecture as a career
2) Opportunity to take a variety of courses outside of architecture - even perhaps to minor in an unrelated field.
3) Study abroad program that included rigorous academics - not lightweight courses and travel (which I would have chosen many years ago)
4) Ability to select a different major if arch ended up not being right for her</p>
<p>She couldn't make up her mind until the last possible day and selected UIUC. In my eyes, Tulane was a perfect fit for her so I was disappointed. There were a few tipping points. I believe the Versailles Program was a huge factor. Then she began thinking that if she was in a 5-yr MArch program and decided to select a different major, it would be very difficult. Or if she wanted to complete a BA/BS in Arch and pursue a MA/MS in a different field, she'd be spending time earning a MArch that she didn't really want. It made a lot of sense at the time, and I was very proud of how she came to her decision. She loved Tulane and liked UIUC. I think it's easy to be seduced by a beautiful school in a part of the country that is more exotic than Champaign. She didn't let those issues impact her choice. I think that she also heard from local architects that if she wants to work in the Chicago area after graduating, the network for jobs is fantastic. </p>
<p>All in all, this has worked out beautifully for her. She'll be home from her year in Europe soon and has an internship waiting for her this summer. She loves her major and is convinced that it is the right choice for her career. Because of AP credits, she was able to skip many of the Gen Ed classes and has taken classes that have been of interest to her. It's been a well-rounded academic experience and she is already beginning to research graduate schools.</p>