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Visiting the freshman studio was what defintely convinced me that Rice was for me
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Great idea and I am so glad it worked out for you. Architecture studio is one of those experiences which will likely reveal if archtiecture is right for you or not.
I wish the proponents of the BA/MArch I would promote that option in terms of enhancements to architecture--or one's ability to practice architecture at the highest levels.
Instead they site the inability to make major decisions at eighteen. That's my least favorite line of reasoning. Unfortunately, indecisiveness is a poor quality for an architect. Architects make decisions in concrete. Those that can't--and many discover they don't have the nerve--those are the ones that leave the profession or place themselves in an administrative or academic position.
This forum needs successful BA/MArchIs to advocate that position--Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk would be a perfect example.
Also, it's not as though architects remain uneducated. Architecture is one of those professions that prides itself on a continuing pursuit of higher knowledge. My husband is as well-versed in DNA, astrophysics, geography, ancient civ, modern sculpture, art history, sports, philiosophy and science fiction as any BA. Those are his interests and he has pursued them with a vengence since leaving high school. I am as well-versed in Modern Lit, 19th C Lit, 20c Art, ancient civ, Renaissance art, modern history, modern politics and philosophy as any BA grad. I am as skilled a painter as any BFA. That's the result of my lifetime of voracious reading, painting and travelling--all of which I was urged to do in architecture school. All of which I was urged to do by all of the famous architects I studied under and/or worked for.
This is on top of our ridiculous knowledge of structural, mechanical, fire, civil, geotechnical and electrical engineering and urban planning/real estate laws.
It's not the narrow education you imagine, momrath. In fact, the opposite is true. Learning to design at a higher level necessitates a deep understanding of the behavior and history of humanity. Over several centuries of formal instruction, architecture schools have learned to teach their students how to gain that knowledge.