4trees

Hi.
New here and looking for advice. I've read through a good portion of the archives (lots of good stuff there) but haven't seen this question addressed.

-A little background-
My son has applied to 8 colleges all with 5 year BArch programs as that is definitely what he wants. He has visited and interviewed at all of them and likes them all, (he did visit and decline to apply at several others). Thing is, he looked at the schools as a high school kid would and asked the questions that a 17 yr old would. Life would be simple if he only gets accepted to one, it would be a done deal, but most likely he's going to have to choose from several. I know very little about architecture or the business of educating young architects so am clueless about how to help him choose. I'd like him to find the school that will fit him the best rather than finding the "best" school. I'd like to find info that will help him make that decision.

There is a bunch of info on this board about a small number of the top schools in the nation, but little or nothing about some of the schools he applied to (nor most of the 119 schools the NAAB has accredited). So, I'm looking for help from you folks. I want to go beyond the admissions office recruiting staff and ask arch students and faculty about the programs and life as an undergraduate at their school. All the recruiters said sure, call or e-mail us, but --and this is my question-- what are the questions I should ask?

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

KandKsmom

Hi 4trees,

Hopefully some of the practicing architects and students and other parents like cheers, rick12, momrath, sashimi and others won't be away from their computers for Christmas shopping or other holiday activities and can give you some great practical advice from their point of view.

We are in the same boat, I have a senior who wants to go the architecture route also, only his interest (for now) is in landscape architecture. One thing he did which helped him get quite a bit of information is he looked at several architecture firms (he found them from asla.org which is the American Society of Landscape Architects website. I am sure there is one for regular architects, too) and emailed many architects. Their email links were on their firms sites with their profiles/bios including where they went to school. So he just looked for people who went to the schools he was interested in and emailed them with his questions. He was pleasantly surprised to have so many people respond about the various programs. Most were very candid about what they thought of the different architecture schools and gave him some great food for thought.

Anyway, it took a bit of investigating, but it really helped him. He just formulated a letter and then copied and pasted it to each, changing the names of course. He was just accepted Early Decision to Virginia Tech, (we are still over the moon on that one) so the craziness of all of this is over for us (thank goodness!) I wish the both of you the best in your search/decision. Good luck!

larationalist

questions I would ask...

*ask to see student's work! the first time you see it, it may not mean much to you, but after you've seen several examples from different schools, some conclusions may be drawn even by somebody not educated in architecture.

*ask what kinds of facilities they have. Does every student get dedicated, 24-hour studio space? That's an important one, people I know who've gone through programs where they didn't have their own space got very frustrated with it, while having studio space helps build community and is obvious a great convenience. What sort of library, woodshop, and digital facilities do they have? If they've mentioned building new facilities, ask what the setup will be in the interim. I've had friends get shuffled into some really bad studio space while new buildings (that wouldn't be completed until after they graduated) got built.

*Ask how many people graduate in five years. Heck, ask how many people graduate. Don't be automatically scared by a high attrition rate (normal for architecture), but if one school jumps out beyond the rest, that may say something.

*usually this is already published, but take a good hard look at the specific curriculum of each school. How rigid or flexible is it? Is it heavy on technical classes, or heavy on theory, or balanced? Which of these approaches does your son think would suit him best? Are there enough electives in there to satisfy?

*ask about abroad programs. A good one can make the difference between an ok curriculum and a fantastic one.

momrath

My son's involvement in architecture school will be on the masters level and in the future so I don't have any specific advice to offer except to say that the person contacting the colleges and asking the questions really should be the student not the parent.

[Of course on the internet, to paraphrase a famous New Yorker cartoon, nobody knows you're a dog.]

Tzar

this is a hard topic because I think everyone asks different questions- there always seems to be this moment where you know you haven't gotten a feel for the school but you have run out of questions. When I was applying, I asked questions like the ones Larat asked, but in addition- I asked about acceptance numbers and the schools reputation- ie. what happens to graduates after they graduate. The size of the program for me was important as is/was its location. However, perhaps the only real way to get a feel for a school is to visit and sit in on a crit and walk through the studios. Looking at the student work and the past projects is also helpful.

4trees

Thanks, good info.

KandKsmom - I'll put him on to your suggestion about contacting practicing architects. Hopefully he'll find the kind of helpful people your son did. Good news about your son and Virginia Tech, a school on my son's original list, but his "short list" ended up with schools in the northeast.

larationalist - Good questions. He did ask and check into much of what you suggested when he took the tours. Came home with tales of awesome studio areas at some schools, and brought back photos of some of studios that looked almost sterile and others in chaos, somewhat orderly but still chaos to me (which he liked as they match his room at home!). Funny, he recalls which school allowed a microwave at the students space but never asked if space was dedicated or shared. I know he'll ask now... As for curriculum differences, thats an excellent point. He was looking mostly at schools that focused on technical and another look at their curriculum content will help him narrow his choice.

momrath - Absolutely I agree. That's why I sent HIM on the tours. Thing is, he came back with nothing bad to say most of the schools he visited and lots of good about many of them. Then he only applied to schools he was willing to attend. So IF he gets accepted to more than one he's going to need a way to narrow the choice.

Tzar - Exactly !

Well thanks for all the great suggestions.

noopsgnitaenam

Well if he applied to schools that he is willing to attend, he should be in pretty good shape. A professor at Syracuse told me to go to the school where I would want to producing work similiar to the students there. Since your son visited a lot of schools, I'm sure he's decide to go to what he thinks is best for himself. I'm sure there were schools that he visited that just completely clicked with him.

brothel

I am in my first year of the 5yr MArch program at KU. I did a ton of research before I made my decision to join KU. Geographically it made sense to me because I live in Kansas.
If I were you, I would be hesitant to let my son join a 5yr BArch program. It is a program that is quickly diminishing. Most schools are changing to the 5yr MArch. KU began this in 2006 and no longer offers the BArch. In order to be a certified Architect, one needs a Masters Degree first. Your son will have to go to graduate school another 2-3 years to get his MArch.
The down side to taking the 5yr MArch route is that it is very competitive. About 1/6 are accepted each fall to the MArch program. It is very unlikely he will be accepted in the spring. They only have a set number of seats available. If your son has a GPA of 3.5 and has some talent in art, he may have a shot. They will not even look at students with a GPA under that.
In my opinion your son has 3 options:

1. His GPA is too low to join the 5yr MArch program so he is forced to go into the BArch or if the school offers it like KU, a Bachelor's in Architectural Studies. Then after he has his Bachelor's he must be accepted to the MArch program (either 2 or 3 year) where he will be asked to submit a portfolio of art work and have a GPA of 3.0.

2. His GPA is high enough and his art work is fine so he will be accepted into the 5yr MArch program. BUT!!! Deadlines for fall applications are almost due and they are viewed on a first come first serve basis.

3. He can do what I did and start at a community college and increase his GPA and also take art classes and other classes that will transfer into his 5yr MArch program. Make sure the community college works very closely with the University he wants to go to so that all his credits transfer.

The best option in my opinion is the community college because you save money and your son won't have to dive right into the grueling Architectural curriculum that causes students to pull "all nighters".
I hope this helps and I'm sorry it's so long. There is much more to discuss than this but it's a start.

soozievt

This is not true. There are plenty of five year BArch programs that are thriving and well known.

This is entirely not true. The two routes to becoming a licensed architect are EITHER a BA + MArch OR a five year BArch. Those with a five-year BArch need never to earn a MArch. The two routes I mentioned both lead to becoming an architect. A BArch or a MArch are both professional degrees.

4trees

Thanks for that clarifying that soozievt. My son says that he intends to go on to grad school, but decided getting a BArch in 5 yrs first would give him more flexibility as few 17 yr olds really know the where and what of their life will be at 22. All the schools he applied to have a NAAB accredited 5yr program.

larationalist

Have you looked at the numbers for good B.Arch programs? My undergrad accepted 1/8 to the B.Arch program, so your comment about how incredibly competitive the 5-year M.Arch is seems a little silly when you put it in context.

Sequoia

When I took Architecture many years ago, it was a 6 year BArch program, the first year of which consisted of purely engineering based courses. However, we recieved two degrees: a B Sc (Arch) after the 4th year and the prof degree B Arch after 2 more years. This extra degree gave those students, who decided Arch was not for them, the option of continuing studies or applying to a Masters in other fields. Several in my class did switch...to med or engineering for example. I don't think this track exists anymore, at least that I know of, but it worked well then.

brothel

I thought I should comment since everyone felt like they had to reply to mine.

If you look at job openings today, most firms are looking for graduates with a Masters. The bare minimum is a BArch. From what my '07 intro to arch classes have taught me is that the BArch will soon diminish.

As far as one school accepting less than another; it is purely a ratio. If less apply than one has a better chance of being accepted. This has nothing to do with the quality of the school. My point was, if you missed it, was that applicants need artistic talent to be accepted, not just a good GPA.

That is all.

brothel

Just so you know.

This is a quote from the University of Sydney Australia's web site. One country I'm sure many firms are familiar with that outsource their work.

Bachelor of Architecture (BArch)

This degree will not be offered from Semester 1, 2008.
Please see the Master of Architecture under postgraduate programs.

In its breadth and depth of expertise, our Faculty is unique. Our staff are leaders in design, acoustics, lighting, digital design, structures, environmental psychology, planning, urban design and heritage conservation.

=>The core knowledge of architecture is no longer as simply and narrowly-defined as in previous times.<=

The role of the architect is increasingly to move seamlessly, and with agility and expertise, between different environmental and design disciplines in different cultural and climatic contexts, and to make sense of, and create the contemporary world. Design is about turning problems into opportunities for a better experience.

cagb1016

Brothel, I think most of the people reading these postings are more interested in a career in the US, not Australia. I check the classified ads here in Philly routinely (daughter is an architecture student) and I never see them ask for an applicant with a M Arch, just for a licensed architect. This means that they must have a M Arch or BARCH from an AIA-accredited school, have 3 years of apprenticeship and have passed the licensing exam. Maybe things are different in Kansas, but your statement that an MARCH is required is incorrect. Also, you do not have to have artistic talent to be accepted to an architecture school. Many of the schools do not ask for a portfolio, just SAT's and HS transcript. If you have high enough grades and SAT scores, you will be admitted. My daughter's school admitted about 12% of the applicants in her year. I will acknowledge that artistic talent is important to succeed in the program, but it is not always part of the admissions process.