Well Rounded Arch Schools

College Majors Architecture Major
1

<p>I am a high schooler in Nevada who just finished my junior year. I am getting ready to apply for architecture programs and would like some help choosing schools that are right for me. I have a fairly long list that I want to narrow down. Ideally, the school would have a theoretical focus and provide a well rounded education (a lot of liberal arts classes available etc). I want to weed out the schools that are too technically focused or wouldn't allow me to study much outside of architecture. I also want to be sure to apply to a range of schools, I need a lot of help decided which middle/safety schools to apply to</p>

<p>I am pretty sure about:</p>

<p>Washington University (St. Louis)
University of Michigan
Cooper Union
Syracuse
Cornell
Carnegie Mellon
Rice
McGill
UC Berkeley
University of Virginia</p>

<p>Not so sure about:</p>

<p>Tulane
University of Kentucky
Bennington
Tufts
Connecticut College
Columbia
Penn
Princeton
Yale
Pratt
RISD
Georgia Tech
University of Toronto
University of Cincinnati
Virginia Tech
University of Oregon
University of Illinois Chicago</p>

<p>Obviously the list is fairly extensive and diverse and it needs to be narrowed down. (Also, it is probably obvious which ones are safeties). Some schools I would like to learn more about in general/in terms of their arch programs are McGill, UofT, UVA, U of Michigan, U of Oregon, UC Berkeley, and Georgia Tech. I was wondering if U of Cincinnati, Northeastern, Virginia Tech, or any others are very career/technically driven, as those schools give me that impression. I would also like to know more about the architecture admissions process at non-Cornell Ivies. Lastly, does anybody know anything about the few small architecture programs there are at LACs (Middlebury, Hampshire/Amherst, Conn College, Tufts, Bennington)?</p>

<p>If anyone has any suggestions about more safety/middle ground schools that would be great.</p>

<p>Some background info:
White male, single mother background. Small state w/ very poor education system, lowest grad rate, lowest rate of adults with bachelor's degrees (Nevada). Diverse public magnet school, usually in the top 3 in the state in rankings (but that isn't really saying much). I've taken all the most rigorous classes available (APs etc). Junior year has been almost All As, and I anticipate senior year to be the same or completely all As. Freshman/sophomore years had a few Bs. Works 20 hours a week. Participated in local AIA's architecture competition w/o any class (my school doesn't offer one) or instructor, won an award. Done various community service (Habitat etc), active in clubs (Philosophy, French). Attending summer college at Cornell this summer on a $9000 scholarship (out of $10000). </p>

<p>Thanks in advance for any sort of info or advice that you feel is helpful or any answers to my questions!</p>

<p>Jackson</p>

2

<p>jackson, two critical questions that you have to answer before you finalize your list.</p>

<p>1) Do you want to plung into a B.Arch degree (which will allow you to practice architecture upon completion)? OR do you want to get a BA/BS in architectural studies – or related field – then go on to graduate school for an M.Arch? </p>

<p>The first is faster (and therefore cheaper) but more focused and intense. The latter takes longer and costs more but allows more exploration and flexibility in the liberal arts.</p>

<p>I don’t know of any small LACs that offer the B.Arch. And many of the otherwise excellent universities on your list only offer a BA or BS in architectural studies. Cornell is the only ivy that offers the B.Arch.</p>

<p>2) How are you going to pay for it?
Ask your mother to use an online calculator to determine how much need based aid you will be eligible for. If your father is living, his income will have to be accounted for too even if he doesn’t provide financial support. This is a complicated, but not uncommon, situation, and it best to start addressing it early.</p>

<p>If need based aid works for you, you can proceed with a fairly open ended list. If not, you’ll have to look for merit based aid, which is a very different set of schools. </p>

<p>Money is a big factor in the BA/BS + MArch combination. My son chose this route (BA in art studio/art history at a small LAC + MArch at Cornell) and doesn’t regret it academically and intellectually, but he’s accumulated some serious debt in the process.</p>

3

<p>I originally thought I would prefer starting with a B.Arch (if not, a B.A/B.S Arch and going on to a M.Arch). However, as of late I am thinking a lot about doing a B.A./B.S, and though I thought I would never consider it, a liberal arts degree in something else and then continuing to an M.Arch. </p>

<p>How did your son find going from a liberal arts degree to an M.Arch? I see he majored in Art, which seems like it may make the application process easier and have some very transferrable concepts in terms of the application/portfolio. However, if I were to go the liberal arts route it would likely be in the humanities realm, and i’m not sure how it would be to apply to a M.Arch after that. </p>

<p>Money is something that I am (perhaps stupidly) not considering. I’m very driven academically and value intellectual growth over money. I will look into it more, but I don’t think I want to let it affect which schools I apply to. </p>

<p>Thanks for your help</p>

4

<p>My s in entering his final year at VT and although he isn’t a straight arch major (he’s Land Arch), one of his best friends is. You are correct in saying the school is very technical and leaves little room in your five years to do a lot of exploring liberal arts interests. That being said, if you come into Tech with the ability to earn a few credits in the core classes and not have to take them, it does open up a little bit of room to take a course here or there outside of architecture that interest you. </p>

<p>It is an intense program (as are most of those that offer a B. Arch), but for those that love it, it is well worth the time sacrificed. They do some really neat things at VT including participating in the Solar Decathlon contest- (Lumenhaus, their entry this year, just won a huge AIA award), and have multiple opportunities for study abroad. Virginia Tech is a very good value for OOSers with one of the lower tuition rates for a state public. The hard part is getting accepted to CAUS. It is the toughest admit at the school. Hope this helps a bit and Good luck with everything!</p>

5

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<p>Aside from the money (which I’ll get to in bit) my son doesn’t regret doing the BA in liberal arts followed by the MArch. Only those who are 110% committed to architecture should go directly into a B.Arch program. </p>

<p>At his undergraduate college, Williams, the requirements for a combined degree in art studio and art history were flexible enough to allow him to study a wide range of subjects that interested him – sciences, social sciences, humanities. </p>

<p>The prerequisites for MArch programs vary from school to school but they are fairly fluid: some art studio, some art history, some calculus and physics. If you choose to do a BA in humanities, the you’ll be able to explore your interests at the same time that you fulfill the MArch requirements. </p>

<p>You can get accepted into a top MArch program with just about any undergraduate degree. The difference will be the length of time that it takes to complete the degree, which with a BA in humanities can be up to 3.5 years. The most important element in your MArch application will be your portfolio which you can assemble through your undergrad classes or in other ways. Summer programs are good portfolio builders.</p>

<p>During his undergraduate years, my son focused on art history and took advantage of museum internships and travel opportunities. After graduation, he worked at an architecture firm (in marketing) for a couple of years. To him, this exposure to the profession was invaluable in understanding what a career in architecture really entails. He feels that students who take on architecture school without prior real life archtecture exposure or a solid foundation of design references are at a disadvantage, especially with the professional architects who teach many of the studios.</p>

<p>MArch programs construct their classes from diverse backgrounds. In addition to the same criteria that are important in undergraduate admissions – gender, race, economic status, life experience – MArch classes also want a variety of undergraduate degrees, majors, ages, and work experience. This makes the top programs fiercely competitive.</p>

<p>My son is just about to complete his MArch and during the process has held internships at four different architecture firms in four different cities, both in the US and abroad. The firm ranged from very large international to very small regional to a one person practice. In each, though, he’s been singularly impressed by the depth of understanding – historical, artistic, practical – that the architects demonstrate. Designing buildings is a complex process and benefits from a sophisticated and intense intellectual foundation and lots of exposure to, not surprisingly, architecture.</p>

<p>Unlike other professions that require expensive graduate educations, such as law, medicine, or business, architecture, especially at the outset, is notoriously underpaid. The MArch can cost up to $200,000. Grants and scholarships are available but they are limited and often go to the students that the program needs to balance the class’s diversity. So this is not a subject that any potential architect should take lightly. [The joke among MArch students is that the reason that many architects work through their 70’s or even 80’s is that they are still paying off their loans.]</p>

<p>Still, he wouldn’t have done it differently. His undergraduate experience at Williams was remarkable and will provide the foundation for his architecture career. I’d suggest that you look at Williams in addition to some of the other LACs you’re considering.</p>

<p>You’ll be able to talk to some of the MArch students at Cornell this summer (not my son, though). Let me know what you think after you’ve gone through the program.</p>

6

<p>I’m also applying to Arch schools next year and we seem to have a lot of shared schools we are interested in. As other posters have mentioned, you need to decide if you are interested in a B.Arch or a B.A. degree. Because you have said you want diversity in your education outside of Architecture, you may be a better fit for B.A. programs, and then getting an M.Arch after if you still want to do Architecture. Another thing about B.Arch programs is that you will have submit a portfolio of artworks from your high school years as well as do hometest prompts (U of Oregon, Cooper, RISD for example). Even some B.A. schools require hometests (U of Kentucky).
Also, I’ve been to the U of Cincinnati, and it’s a good program, but not a B.Arch. You would have to go for 5-years however, but only because the school has a great Co-Op program and the school requires students to do internships (some of which that pay and offer employment opportunities).</p>

<p>Oh, and Conn College is a Arch Studies major, not really sure about the others like McGill and Northeastern, but I thinnk most of the LACs are Arch Studies.</p>

7

<p>Can anyone give me feedback on the University of Kansas graduate architecture program?</p>

<p>Thanks.</p>

8

<p>Three out of the last four new graduates that we hired in the last two years have been KU MArch’s. Really bright students that were very well prepared for office practice. They have one of the better design-build studios in the country where the student design, build and sell a house each year. The students are also exposed to Revit early on in their studies and quickly become productive in the office. We have been very impressed with the program.</p>

<p>rick</p>

9

<p>Thank you for your response. That is nice to hear. Also, if you don’t mind, what kind of office do you work with/what’s your specialization? What would you say architect employers generally look for in potential employees? </p>

<p>On another note, do you know of any MArch programs that focus on exteriors and interiors? I want to be able to practice architecture and interior design. If anything, I could probably take interior design electives if available. I should also say I’m interested in urban design and planning and renovation/preservation.</p>