<p>I agree with soozievt about the rankings. The ACSA Guide contains information supplied by the architecture schools. It is an excellent source of information to narrow a list to a manageable number of schools. Talking to an architect(s) helps, depending on the architect. The architect my son talked to gave him a run down of the schools on his original list of about 15 schools. The architect gave him his opinion: excellent, very good, good, practical versus theoretical, etc. If he didn’t know, he stated he didn’t know. It wasn’t just about schools that he recruited at. The guide is a great starting point!</p>
<p>My son’s list (probably in order): USC, Syracuse, Penn State, Cincinnati, Kansas, and U of I. U of I is on the list because we live in Illinois. Kansas is on the list because the price for out of state is about the same as U of I instate. My son definitely knows he wants to go into architecture and prefers the BArch. He also prefers to be on the west coast, then the east coast with the midwest third. Cincinnati is on the list because he likes their coop program. He originally had Cal Poly SLO and Cornell. He just felt Cornell isn’t for him though he is sure he would have a good chance to get in. He eliminated all schools in the south. He checked out the schools’ website to verify info from the guide and for additional info. He has visited USC and loved the campus (and California). California area fits his personality.</p>