<p>Well right now I really want to be either an architect, engineer, or lawyer but an architect the most. I am actually though starting to get worried about those though because I am hearing that so many architects are unemployed and the pay is going down. To keep my options open I was thinking that I could go to college and major in architecture or engineering and then if I don't like it I can go to law school because I hear you can major in anything before law school. The only problem is that you need a pretty high gpa to go to law school so I was wondering what the average architecture major's gpa is at one of the top 10 architecture schools.</p>
<p>ok first thing, if you are kinda thinking about law school, make sure you are 100% committed. my sister is goign to be a 3L and ive seen what she had to go through. unless you are 100% law school, dont do it</p>
<p>second thing, if you are kinda thinking about architecture, make sure you are 100% committed. it is too much time, effort, money, stress, etc to go through and decide that you dont want to do it. you have to LOVE architecture to get through it.</p>
<p>third thing, architecture is a VERY SUBJECTIVE MAJOR, meaning, you can get a good or bad grade based on nothing, or if the professor likes you, any reason. as a result, it is next to impossible to have a 4.0 comign out with an architecture degree. for arch majors, it is the portfolio that gets you places, not the stats. the top 10 arch schools require portfolios to even apply, so unless you are artistic, it’s not for you. </p>
<p>sorry for being so blunt, but i do have a handle of what is goign on. im going to be a 4th year arch student at cornell and i know what you have to do to survive a top 10 school. it is very intense. </p>
<p>all in all, dont do architecture unless you are 100% set. and it seems like you are just focused on teh gpa to get into law school. then do english or communications or something of the like to get that 4.0 to then go onto law school. getting a perfect gpa in arch, or engineering, is unheard of based on teh rigor of the major</p>
<p>Actually, Virginia Tech and Penn State (both top 10 B.Arch) do not require portfolios. Notre Dame also does not require but will consider a portfolio (was on top 10 list recently but not this year) But it is true that you still need to be very adept at drawing to keep up.</p>
<p>cuambassador, your comments make me think. My dd is in the Barch (5yrs) in one of the top four arch schools. I always tell her to get good grades, but according to what you said on your post “it is the portfolio that gets you places” I’m wondering if everybody else feels the same way? The subjective aspect of the grading is also new to me. So an arch student could work his/her hardest and still get a bad grade…hmmm…I guess arch is different from any other field. But I still think that a student needs to get decent grades. </p>
<p>If an arch student has an amazing portfolio but the minimum grades to graduate, would the student still be able to have great job opportunities? let’s assume the economy is o.k. I guess an arch already working would know about this issue of grades vs. portfolio…</p>
<p>aliastoo, you are definitely right. you still need to get good grades to get jobs, go to grad school, etc. the studio grades are pretty much up in the air and varies based on professor, your section group, whether you nailed one review or bombed another, etc. because i know studio is so unpredictable, i work my butt off to get as good grades as i can in my other classes so i can still have a high gpa. while there is nothing to sneeze at for getting an A or B in studio, the other grades in courses are still recognizable (getting As in structures is a plus ). my parents have always told me to get good grades and have pushed me and encouraged me to be the best i can be. they know i am working very hard, so although Bs were a little frowned upon in high school [unless i worked as hard as i could], as long as i did everything possible, getting in the B range in college is okay. i have spoken to a lot of professionals in the field (most recently the senior vice president of the firm im interning for this summer), and they have told me that while grades are looked upon, the portfolio is definitely the deciding factor for whether that applicant is hired or not. and the portfolio doesnt have to have a thousand computer rendered pictures. he actually prefers the thick marker sketches instead</p>
<p>i hope your daughter has been raking up as much sleep hours as possible this summer! what year is she?</p>
<p>Cuambassador, thank you for the clarification. By the way, you have a good strategy to keep your grades high. Your parents sound like me…I guess we all parents think alike I wonder if studio gets easier or harder? my dd tells me that studio takes a lot of her time and sometimes she does not have enough time to study or do more work for other classes. Did you have the same experience? how do you manage to do the best you can possible do for studio and at the same time have enough time to study for the other classes?
I’m still thinking about the grades vs portfolio. My guess is that grades are not as important because perfect grades are not a good indicator of artistic talent, which is needed for design.
you should feel very happy that you’re doing an internship in your filed. I heard horror stories about finding internships. Do feel that attending a top arch program and an Ivy gives you advantage over other students who attend top arch programs, which are not Ivies?</p>
<p>I have never asked a job applicant about their GPA. I also don’t really care about your marker skills, (though nice sketches are always a plus) if you want a job you need to be able to really produce on sketchup, Revit or form.z, and you need to have a great portfolio.</p>
<p>For graduate school I believe there is a minimum that a top school will accept in GPA and GRE, once you reach that level it comes down to your portfolio. A 2.8 GPA and an 1100 GRE will not get you into Havard GSD no mattter how nice your portfolio. So you need to keep a good GPA and do well on the GRE, but focus on developing an outstanding portfolio, get some prominent professors to write nice letters for you, and you should have a good shot at the top schools.</p>
<p>i think studio gets harder, simply because the professors expect more from you every year. studio consumes my life, and all other classes kind of take a back seat to studio, especially when there is an upcoming review. it’s all about time management though. im also very good at multitasking and i focus on school all the time. </p>
<p>and as far as the internships though, it doesnt matter whether you go to x ivy school or x state school. i started working for firms in high school, and when they couldnt hire me for the next summer, they would give me other firms to contact, so i have been hopping around. i guess i have just made a name for myself in the architecture world in my hometown city :] at least at cornell, there is always a huge architecture career fair that allows students to apply and interview for jobs. luckily, i now know enough people at home that i can bypass the fair.</p>
<p>CuAmbassado11, thanks for the explanation about studio. I could clearly see that I have no idea what is like to study Arch.
No help from an Ivy name? hmm… i thought that in hard economic times such as now and Ivy would provide some help. When the economy is booming, it’s harder for employers to be picky.
Best of luck to you. I can see you are motivated Arch student.</p>
<p>there definitely is help with having an ivy name, but specifically cornell, for UG. harvard and yale and columbia do not have top top UG programs, but their graduate schools are stellar. having cornell in your architecture “pedigree” is a plus though</p>
). my parents have always told me to get good grades and have pushed me and encouraged me to be the best i can be. they know i am working very hard, so although Bs were a little frowned upon in high school [unless i worked as hard as i could], as long as i did everything possible, getting in the B range in college is okay. i have spoken to a lot of professionals in the field (most recently the senior vice president of the firm im interning for this summer), and they have told me that while grades are looked upon, the portfolio is definitely the deciding factor for whether that applicant is hired or not. and the portfolio doesnt have to have a thousand computer rendered pictures. he actually prefers the thick marker sketches instead</p>
I wonder if studio gets easier or harder? my dd tells me that studio takes a lot of her time and sometimes she does not have enough time to study or do more work for other classes. Did you have the same experience? how do you manage to do the best you can possible do for studio and at the same time have enough time to study for the other classes?