Arch school for student whose strengths are math/science?

College Majors Architecture Majors
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<p>Any recommendations for a very strong math and science high school junior with reasonable but not great artistic skills? D1 gets excellent grades in calculus and physics but is just starting to develop her drawing skills and is showing some promise (at least she got an A in her first quarter of Design). She’ll work hard over summer to get her portfolio together but is coming to the game a bit late. We aren’t expecting her portfolio to be fantastic. Overall she is a very strong student (4.3gpa) with great ECs (3 sport captain, founder of Latin Club, strong community service, NHS). </p>

<p>Virginia Tech seems to be a good fit as does Penn State - but simply because we know they don’t require portfolios. Any other suggestions?</p>

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<p>Four questions and a suggestion:

  1. Are you asking about schools that don’t require portfolios specifically?
  2. Any geographic preference?
  3. Do costs matter?
  4. Any SAT/ACT scores yet?</p>

<p>Suggestion: From what D2 has learned over the last two years of looking at schools of architecture and visiting several (VT, CMU, PSU, Cincinnati, Cornell, Kent State, Miami), the emphasis seems to be placed on art vs. math/science. If possible, I would strongly suggest that your daughter visit a couple of schools and spend some time talking to the professors. We were pleasantly surprised at how open they were and how much time the faculty at the Arch schools would spend with D2. It greatly increased her awareness and knowledge of what is involved in getting into and (hopefully) succeeding at school. (She got admitted to VT, PSU and Cincinnati. Did not apply to CMU, Cornell or Miami [did not like the campuses/schools]. She’s still deciding where she wants to go at this moment.)</p>

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<p>WUSTL and CMU are portfolio-optional too, iirc</p>

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<p>Thanks for the responses. I really appreciate you taking the time to respond.</p>

<p>Not specifically asking about portfolio free applications but rather schools where she might be accepted even if her art skills are still being developed. She is not completely unartistic - she just hasn’t had much training yet.</p>

<p>She’s been to Syracuse and has met with the admissions director 3x already. Syracuse was very welcoming and she loves it. We get the sense that a strong student with promising art skills will be given a lot of consideration as will a strong artist with okay academics. She’s visited RPI as well</p>

<p>We get the sense that Cornell was excellent academics and an excellent portfolio. Virginia Tech looks only at academics and not so much at ECs. ND wants excellent academics and excellent ECs. Not sure about PSU.</p>

<p>Location of the school is not a factor though she would prefer to not be in a big city - so I don’t think she is strongly considering CMU, Pratt, USC or CU </p>

<p>Cost is a factor. And no SAT/ACTs yet, though she has always done well on these types of tests.</p>

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<p>Also - Quiet type - does your daughter like VT? What were your impressions of the school and the facilities for architecture?</p>

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<p>Bennnie - D2 sounds scarily similar to your daughter. She was always strong in mathematics, but also had a strong artistic bent. Architecture as a potential career came out of thinking of what combined those two traits. She, too has a 4.3WGPA (3.96UWGPA) with very similar EC’s (Varsity team captain, NHS, lot of community service hours and organizations, etc.) Her SAT’s were not the highest (1310/2020), so she was sweating architecture program acceptance at the schools she applied to. She was able to get into a local architecture apprenticeship program in her junior year in high school which helped confirm her wish to pursue the field. </p>

<p>D2 wanted a school with a strong sports program/spirit, as well as being sensitive to the fact that she will be one of two kids in school at the same time, so costs were an issue. That pretty much meant that she was looking at the largish state schools. Also, she did want to stay in the Northeast quadrant of the country (actually, her mom mandated that :))</p>

<p>D2 loves VT, especially the campus. It was her number one choice when the whole application thing started in August. It’s also her mom’s alma mater, which helped bring it to the forefront. I was not overly impressed with the architecture buildings, personally; IMHO they looked kind of worn. However, the professors we met were great.</p>

<p>Cincinnati is another very strong program, although it’s a BS program, not a BArch. The campus is unique and very interesting, especially for a architecture/design student. The DAAP building and facilities, I thought were the best of all the schools. The campus is definitely urban, however, so your daughter may not care for it.</p>

<p>PSU, for which we are in-state, has made a very strong showing. D2 did not expect to be admitted to the Arch program there due to its competiveness, but when she was accepted into both the Arch program and the Schreyer Honors College, her perspective changed. She does have a couple of friends in the program and their feedback has been quite positive. Hearing that she might be able to do two semesters in Rome, instead of just one has added to the luster. She’s not real wild about the hugeness of the PSU campus, but she said that getting into honors shrinks it a bit. I am fascinated by the architecture building, but she has not really mentioned it strongly.</p>

<p>Regarding Cornell, our assessment of portfolio and academics is the same as yours. Both my daughters toured the campus at different times, but neither one of them cared for it. </p>

<p>For some reason, Syracuse never entered the picture for us. I’m not sure why, but we have also heard that the portfolio is really important.</p>

<p>D2 was going to apply to Pratt (I know, not exactly a “sports” school, but…) and she had been informed that kids with high GPA’s (greater than 3.8?) would not need to submit a portfolio for admissions to architecture. However, I believe that scholarships are based on portfolio review.</p>

<p>Good Luck!! Hope this helps.</p>

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<p>^ Pratt’s GPA required to waive the portfolio is a 90/100 - Roughly a 3.5-3.7 depending on which scale you use. They still encourage all applicants to provide one, though.</p>

<p>Also - Pratt is in the borough of Brooklyn, not Manhattan where the famous NY skyline is - Much less hustle & bustle here, though Manhattan’s not very far away, and is easily accessible via public transportation.</p>

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<p>Quiet Type - thanks for the feedback regarding VT and PSU. This info helps us alot.</p>

<p>arctic - thank you for the info on Pratt - wasn’t aware that the portfolio could be waived. Still don’t see her applying there but you never know.</p>

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<p>pratt also awards merit based scholarships.</p>

<p>i have a 4.3 gpa so i was able to waive the portfolio.
i got accepted with a 20k per year scholarship for architecture.</p>

<p>just some info…</p>

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<p>Pratt has some math and physics-oriented classes in its B.Arch program. Statics, Steel and Concrete are all math and physics. I remember there was also advanced structures as well (for an elective). Math IS important in an architectural education. Many students eventually drop out because they can’t pass that sequence of courses.</p>

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<p>Cal Poly San Luis Obispo!</p>