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momrath · 08-14-2007, 07:42 PM

Corbus, I think your key question is what kind of undergraduate experience do you want? People change a lot from 17-18 to mid-twenties. A young person who has never been exposed to the workworld often tends to choose a profession with a name --doctor, lawyer, architect, etc – whereas the actual choices are wider but less clearly defined.

Some people know early on that they want to be architects. They get BArchs, become architects and never look back. Others explore a wide range of academic disciplines, work a bit, get MArchs, become architects and so on. Or there’s the middle road – an architecture related BA + MArch. The right path is the path that’s right for you.

I know several people who have taken longer roads to architecture and are still very successful. I know people who have BArch’s who no longer practice, choosing instead careers in marketing, museum curatorships, law, design.

I guess what I’m saying is don’t pigeon hole yourself so early on. If you think you might be a good fit with a small LAC, then do explore that route, even if it means a BA in something other than architecture studies. Plenty of LAC grads with degrees in related fields, like art studio or art history, or even seemingly unrelated fields go to top MArch programs (Yale included). I know several of my son’s classmates at Williams have done this successfully.

The major MArch programs all have open houses in the Fall. You might try to attend one and get a better idea of what kind of background they are looking for in their admits. My son’s impression was that they were not necessarily encouraging the fast track (though not discouraging it either) and that work experience was considered a plus. As you say, communication skills both verbal and visual are critical.

What is the subject that you would like to double major in? An interest in the wider world is not a bad thing at your age. You will work for 40+ years. Spending 4 years studying Shakespeare, DNA, Chinese history, etc, etc, is, to me, the best foundation you can get for any career.

08-14-2007, 07:42 PM	#21
momrath Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Threads: 26 Posts: 2,456	Corbus, I think your key question is what kind of undergraduate experience do you want? People change a lot from 17-18 to mid-twenties. A young person who has never been exposed to the workworld often tends to choose a profession with a name --doctor, lawyer, architect, etc – whereas the actual choices are wider but less clearly defined. Some people know early on that they want to be architects. They get BArchs, become architects and never look back. Others explore a wide range of academic disciplines, work a bit, get MArchs, become architects and so on. Or there’s the middle road – an architecture related BA + MArch. The right path is the path that’s right for you. I know several people who have taken longer roads to architecture and are still very successful. I know people who have BArch’s who no longer practice, choosing instead careers in marketing, museum curatorships, law, design. I guess what I’m saying is don’t pigeon hole yourself so early on. If you think you might be a good fit with a small LAC, then do explore that route, even if it means a BA in something other than architecture studies. Plenty of LAC grads with degrees in related fields, like art studio or art history, or even seemingly unrelated fields go to top MArch programs (Yale included). I know several of my son’s classmates at Williams have done this successfully. The major MArch programs all have open houses in the Fall. You might try to attend one and get a better idea of what kind of background they are looking for in their admits. My son’s impression was that they were not necessarily encouraging the fast track (though not discouraging it either) and that work experience was considered a plus. As you say, communication skills both verbal and visual are critical. What is the subject that you would like to double major in? An interest in the wider world is not a bad thing at your age. You will work for 40+ years. Spending 4 years studying Shakespeare, DNA, Chinese history, etc, etc, is, to me, the best foundation you can get for any career.