In my S23’s search we didn’t encounter a single BArch program where it wasn’t a “more competitive program than the broader school statistics would lead you to believe”. He got 3 acceptances for the school itself but declined to the BArch program.
The competitiveness of the program is information that would have been really helpful to know - advising him - in shaping his school list. We would not have bothered applying to a couple and added a few others as safeties. Ultimately it all worked out but was a bit of a nail biter at times.
ahhh . . . momrath! I appreciated you SO MUCH a few years ago when my kiddo was going through this all!!
my kid is an architect now. she went to midwest state school (no portfolio required) with full tuition offered for undergrad (BS arch design); then got her M.Arch (2 years) at RISD.
(and editing to add, at RISD there were so many different situations. some 3 yrs M.Arch; some doing 5-yr B.Arch; some 2 Yrs M.Arch. it was diverse! had some urban planners, sculpture/wood artists, and an environmental kid or two that were in her classes, amongst BS arch design kids.)
It was a long process; pros and cons to it all. One pro with this route was learning from two different schools and view points. She was admitted to all but one M.Arch programs with advanced standing (2yrs). So, yep, you dont know how the M.Arch will go! No way would she have done 3 yrs for her M.Arch.
Her current employer had 130 applicants for her position. She’s so happy!
have two engineering kids (one makes $$$ more than my arch kid just fyi) – i compare architecture to a cross-country road trip. It’s long and time consuming. . . . but not as intense as engineering (which i’d compare to flying). if she were to do it again, she’d probably say 51/49 “do the B.Arch” yet there are many many options to get to where you want to be.
Adding on to the information posted by @ucbalumnus, neither Cal Poly SLO or Pomona require a Portfolio for Freshman applicants. These Cal states are test blind, do not accept essays or LOR’s so they admit mainly on Stats with the CSU GPA (10-11th grades) for CPP and the SLO GPA (9-11th grades) being the most important.
Target projections for Architecture admit rate at SLO is around 22%.
FYI, ucla has a bachelors majoring in architecture, but you can only enter it as a transfer in junior year. It is not accredited, but their MArch is. The goals of the major may not appeal to everyone, either. So the approach (and decision point) is a little different from the others.
There is no such thing as a 4 year BA/BS Architecture that’s NAAB accredited. If you want to be a licensed architect your path is a 5 year BArch or a +2/+3 MArch (+2 or +3 depending on what the Bachelors was in and how many credits transfer in).
USC’s BArch may not be as much of a heavy-hitter as some others, but the school in general seems to have a lot of offer for your situation. You’d get half-tuition merit automatically for NMF if accepted (and you might be considered for full-tuition). If you aren’t 100% sure about the BArch, there are multiple alternatives here, including a BS in Architectural Studies, a BS in Geodesign, and a new program called Architecture & Inventive Technologies that could dovetail well with your other design, sustainability, and entrepreneurship interests. Plus, USC Thornton is terrific for guitar and very welcoming to non-major musicians. You’d have a lot of flexibility here to tailor your education to your evolving interests.
