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Virginia Tech vs. Cincinnati

howdidigethere

So I narrowed my choice of schools to these two for their respective M.Arch. I programs.

I won't be able to visit Cincinnati by the deposit deadline, so I was looking for some feedback from alumni on their programs, as well as VTs.

VT is the cheaper of the two right now, but I wanted to know if Cincy's co-op program helped pay down some debt while in school. I know its a longer program, but coming in without a background, three co-ops would help a great deal to gain experience.

Thanks for your help.

 
Mar 31, 15 10:20 pm
Carrera

Didn't go to Cincinnati but hired from there, Ohio firms like co-op grads, makes so much sense.

Apr 1, 15 12:36 am  · 
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flatroof

Having seen student work from both schools Virginia Tech to me churns out better designers on the whole.

The work from Cincinnati appears very conventional, but those co-ops provide plenty of real work to show off in your portfolio. Plus living in a city allows more access to opportunities.

Both solid schools, if VT is far cheaper I would go there, but if the difference is minimal then it's down to preference.

Apr 1, 15 9:59 am  · 
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bpete

I did my undergrad at Cincinnati and my masters at Ohio State. I can’t speak to VT’s master’s program, but UC’s program is geared towards the practical over the theoretical (which was a big shift for me when I went on to OSU). The co-op program was a big help to me; it allowed me to come out of school with a pretty solid resume and about twice as much experience compared to just working summer internships. I wouldn’t count on co-op being much of a financial help though. When I was there, the co-op office often told us that we should expect to break even during co-ops (i.e. the income would balance out living expenses, etc. for that semester), but that largely comes down to cost of living wherever your co-op is located. I agree with Carrera that Ohio firms are big fans of co-op grads, and even out-of-state firms familiar with the program’s reputation see that experience as a plus.

That said, Cincinnati is a fantastic city and has a beautiful campus with some great architecture from Michael Graves, Morphosis, Eisenman, Hargreaves and more. I visited the campus before I was even considering applying there and fell in love with it.

Apr 1, 15 10:24 am  · 
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Janosh

You need to find a way to visit Cincinnati.  This is 2+ years of your life and certainly worth a plane ticket and a sick day.

Apr 1, 15 10:29 am  · 
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Carrera

I don’t know, just gave it a little peek….guess it would matter to me where I was going to exist for the next X years….like old buildings, but……

Apr 1, 15 11:10 am  · 
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howdidigethere

I will try to make it out to Cincinnati. I only got my acceptance last week and the deadline for both schools is the 15th. I visited VT already and I liked the program. I know the programs have different approaches and interest me in different ways, so I will need to look into them further.

Apr 1, 15 3:27 pm  · 
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