Pros and Cons? (for VT, RPI, UB, Cornell, University of Miami, and Syracuse)

Phoenix10017 · 03-16-2008, 06:45 PM

So, I was set on going to Penn State for architecture until recently when they rejected me and now I'm confused at what school I want to go to. So far, I've been accepted to University at Buffalo, Virginia Tech and University of Miami. I'm still waiting for RPI, Syracuse University and Cornell. I need to know the pros and cons of each school, so hopefully I can become less confused and make a choice. Thanks so much!

thespian dad · 03-17-2008, 06:40 AM

I understand your dissappointment. My suggestion would be to consider the schools you have been admitted to, and then add the others to the mix when and if you are accepted. There are some big differences in the 3 you are already in, of course:

UB is a 4 year pre-professional degree program with a good reputation, and the price is right. There is a high degree of attrition in the UB program, but that's probably because not all of those who enter the program are so sure they want to become architects. When they encounter the work load inherent in an architecture program, some opt out. Again, UB is the only program of it's kind in the SUNY system, students seem to love Buffalo, and it's said to be a good program.

VT is one of the top rated BArch programs in the country (actually #1 in DI08). I'm not sure why we never fully investigated this school with my son, but we didn't. How is campus life at VT?...great football and basketball teams, but does most of the student population head home on the weekends? Is this important to you? Because, unless I totally misunderstand what all you guys are getting into, you're not going anywhere! LOL!!

UM is a very good, but un-rated BArch program. We've had trouble comparing the program there to others, because most discussions here and in the printed resources we have found center on the top 10-20 "ranked" programs in the country. I dont think the ranking of a school should be the reason you decide to go, if it was you should forget the rest and go to VT. You have to visit, you have to investigate student work, the faculty, the facilities, and the school itself.

Don't bother yourself with the schools you haven't heard from yet. You have a wide range of choices with clear-cut differences already. Consider yourself lucky, and move foward from the dissappointment of PSU. You already know you will be going to a great school.

KandKsmom · 03-17-2008, 07:06 AM

Hi Phoenix,
I am sorry about PSU, but I am a firm believer that all of you kids will do well wherever you end up if you put your nose to the grindstone. My S looked into several of the schools you applied to (Cornell too $$, too cold, and a reach for pretty much everyone, Miami, again too $$, too far, etc..)

He was accepted at VT's College of Architecture before Christmas and is thrilled. We visited there in August on the first day of classes and he was totally enthralled with the school's facilities, professors, atmosphere, but mostly the "Hokie vibe". Being from Va we had always been aware of the keen sense of commitment graduates have for this school, but it wasn't until we spent a couple of days there that we understood why.

I hope that you can take a visit to Blacksburg to see if it is for you. As far as what thespian dad asked about kids going home on weekends, I haven't heard that they do. In fact, because it is in the Blue Ridge Mtns and kind of far from most of the state ( 3+ hours from Richmond and NOVA), I think most kids stay there. I know that a good deal of freshman kids do not take their cars the first year because they have to park so far away from everything.....

From what we have learned from area architects, VT is very well regarded (esp along the East coast) and I know of two recent graduates who had multiple job offers in April before they graduated in May. I hope this helps a bit and good luck in your decision!

archiemom · 03-17-2008, 08:12 AM

FYI, the undergraduate degree at SUNY Buffalo will not be sufficient for eventual architectural licensing. You may need to acquire a M.Arch, either at Buffalo or elsewhere. VT and UM both offer the B.Arch as their initial degree.

noopsgnitaenam · 03-17-2008, 01:31 PM

Just to let you know, RPI has been released already..um they came out Friday. Check out the RPI admissions website. And Syracuse has started coming out (also on Friday), so you should hear from them soon.

Phoenix10017 · 03-17-2008, 06:27 PM

Thanx for all your help so far. I was JUST accepted to RPI to make the choice even harder. UM offered me a 11,000 scholarship for five years. RPI offered me 16,000 in total scholarships plus a 3,500 loan. Still the problem with both schools is the money. If I can get $10,000+ more in outside scholarships, I'm allowed to consider them and go wherever. So... yea haha.

thespian dad · 03-17-2008, 08:01 PM

Well,
RPI is another great school, from what I hear. Again, though, it's radically different in size and character from the other schools you are considering. You're going to have to make that damn sheet of paper where you list the pros and cons of each program as YOU percieve them.

4trees · 03-17-2008, 08:30 PM

Phoenix,
Can't offer much advice, but can tell you that you are not the only one struggling with this decision. Quite a bit of similarity between you and my son as he also was rejected from Penn State Architecture. Although he says he's fine with that, I know he's disappointed.
He decided not to apply to Syracuse, but in hindsight it might have been a good choice. Not sure what it was he didn't like as he knew Slocum would be ready for '08, and he liked the people he met at the warehouse, something about the program didn't appeal to him, I just don't know.
Accepted at RPI with 16K merit aid, but like you, it's still above our budget.
Accepted to three other schools, Cal Poly, no aid but reasonable cost (in state) super Arch school, but unlikely to get on campus housing and the CA cutbacks are going to be huge and won't turn around in his time there, so we have concerns on how it will effect Arch there. Plus- he wants to get out of CA (go figure!).
That leaves two other "less known" Arch programs that he's been accepted to, but still waiting on financial aid.

As this thread is dealing somewhat with non-elite Arch schools, I'd like to ask anyone reading if they have comments on my sons "lesser" schools; Wentworth Institute of Technology and Roger Williams University?

Anyway Phoenix, good luck with you future.

EAFleisch · 03-18-2008, 12:21 PM

Phoenix,

I'm a freshman at UM. I would say that being in Miami is definitely a plus, because the projects you will do are in a very diverse environment. Miami has very good job placement too. Class size is small (10 students per studio), so you get a lot of one on one time with your professor and you get to know your classmates really well. Miami also emphasizes drawing your first year, you won't learn CAD until your second year. I'm not sure if that's a pro or a con. If you have any more questions feel free to ask, and good luck in choosing a school!

jjcddg · 03-20-2008, 07:30 AM

This may be a little off-topic, but to Pheonix and 4trees. My son's first choice was also Penn State and he was accepted (OOS) However, their financial aid is definately lacking: COA 34,000, our EFC 7000 Aid: 4000 unsubsidized loan and a 2000 scholarship. (I knew they gave poor aid, but I guess I was hoping for a miracle.)

So, since both of you are discussing other schools that may be above budget, Penn State may have also been.

I haven't shown my son the letter yet. I'm hoping we get a better package from Tulane to lessen the blow. Otherwise it looks like 4+2 at Bufallo.

4trees · 03-20-2008, 10:15 AM

Thanks jjcddg,

I never looked at it from that angle, that you will never know how much or little aid the schools you are rejected from would have offered. Our EFC is higher than yours so PS would have been a financial reach. I cringed when I saw how much OOS cost is at Cal Poly. Takes out a little bit of the sting of paying taxes here for the last 30 years. The private schools my son has been accepted at have higher COA, but some are being very generous with merit aid. Perhaps it's tuition discounting, reaching out to geographical students, stats building or some combination? Whatever the reason, he has to look closely at the 'lesser' schools as the actual out of pocket cost is less than our in state school -and the state budget cutbacks have to be factored in as well. It has been a bear trying to collect data about the non-star arch programs. Over a 120 accredited arch schools but the focus is on the top 15.....

jacdad · 03-20-2008, 07:40 PM

4trees-

I can give scant information on the two schools; Wentworth and Roger Williams.
A local high school graduate, one year ahead of my older son, is in his senior year of Architecture at Wentworth. He is an extremely artistic person and has worked summers for an Architecture firm since starting college. The firm has offered him a job when he graduates, they love his artistry and work ethic. His mom tells us he is very happy at Wentworth.
Rogers Williams- we looked at the Architecture school for our younger son. It is convenient to where we live. The campus is small but in a most beautiful location, some waterfront dorms! It is a relatively new school, I think most of the buildings date from the 1960's. The architecture facilities are very modern and impressive, the work we saw there was good, and the studios were just what they should be. It is probably the hardest course the school offers, other than its Law School.
The student population was somewhat homogenously suburban and I don't think it has a particularly strong academic reputation outside of Architecture and the Law school. There is a well respected Marine Biology degree however, and my son was interested to learn that work study jobs are available in the wet-lab, where among other things, they raise clown fish, fire shrimp and seahorses for sale to pet shops.
Hope this is at least a bit of info you didn't have.

4trees · 03-20-2008, 09:36 PM

Thank you jacdad, every bit of info does help in the process.
My son visited both campuses last fall, and both arch departments really rolled out the red carpet for him, he spoke with profs and students and liked both places and both programs for different reasons. As for location and campus, he says Bristol (as you said) is a nice place to be, on the waterfront and close to Providence and Boston, yet excitedly tells me Wentworth is 'IN' Boston. Being a very rural, dry canyon, CA kid he is fascinated with the northeast and Boston so both schools have a strong pull on him. We know RWU is a MArch in 6yrs, and WIT a 5yr BArch, but has the co-ops that your neighbor seems to have put to good use. We just haven't run into any grads of either school out here, but he has met grads from UCBerkeley, RPI, UofO and of course the local favorite, Cal Poly that claims one out of every 5 working architects in CA have degrees or credentials from Cal Poly. Not sure if that's good or bad for him? He's tried to not compare the schools to each other by looking at what each could do for him and came to the conclusion that he is willing to go to any of them, however he has to choose.....Therefore he continues the search. I know he's scratched RPI, UofO and UCBerkeley off his list, so it's RWU, WIT or CP. I'm just trying to dig up something that might help him make that choice, so thank you for your input.

Is your son still looking at arch schools or has Marine Bio taken hold?

Lori1122 · 03-20-2008, 10:17 PM

I would check

NAAB: Home

because let's say you went to umiami, you can't get licensed because it's not accredited.. you would have to go back to school and get a masters at a accredited school and then can you actually call yourself an architect..

which is why I only applied to accredited schools.. well other than UMICH, but if you were in-state, you would too.. lol

RPI, Syracuse, and Cornell are.. don't know about the rest..

4trees · 03-20-2008, 10:58 PM

Lori,

Good advice.
He did that and only applied to schools with a history of NAAB accreditation, currently in good standing. (Except for Berkeley undergrad, -like your UMICH- but he's not interested there anymore). WIT and RWU are NAAB accredited. Also looked at the website with pass rates on the ARE exams for grads from every school but we couldn't make sense of it as we couldn't determine how many were re-takes, how long since graduation, etc. Not sure that info is very helpful anyway. There is another website that was interesting as it had budgets for arch departments, volumes in arch libraries, plus stuff like arch professor salaries by school. Some profs are doing much better than others....

I'd like him to go to a school that he will be challenged, yet thrive in.. And I admit, I'm obsessing over this. I do know he'll do fine where ever he goes.... Thankfully that decision is his, and only weeks away.