It's a preferred degree in which few people here have so it is why you've received few responses on the topic. Move forward, never ask why...and never wait for 'camel strappers' to respond here on Archinect!

konkreet,

where are you getting your BS from? If you already have a solid 'traditional' architectural education, then I think SciArc could be a great choice and something different. The program is very avante garde as you mentioned, but the work coming out of the school is solid. It is very much a school that is 'driven' by the students, therefore the program is really what you make it

I didnt go to SciArc, but lived in LA and was around the school a lot.

Thank you for the comments. I am at the Univ. of Illinois Urbana-Champaign for my bachelors. Reading the comments though, it seems as though it is really tough to get accepted into the program

konkreet,

dont worry about it being hard to get in...apply. If you get in you get in, if you dont you dont. They have to accept someone, might as well be you

"camel strappers"

What a delightful and patently offensive literary creation you have there, All Blacks!.

I've only heard the inflammatory term 'horse strapper' used in the most obscure, classist Queen's English. But good job putting a modern geopolitical twist on that!

My Prof in the graduate arch program at Pratt also teaches at Sci Arc. He has mentioned that Pratt and Sci Arc are incredibly similar and provide the same theory/conceptual school of thought.

It seems to me that they are highly regarded nation wide while still providing a more avante garde program. In my own opinion, the students for the most part produce exceptional work. The only down side is that i hear many bad things about the neighborhood surrounding the campus.

konkreet,

I would suggest taking some time after your BS degree to work in an office (if you havent already). See if the SciArc pedegogy is something that your are interested in as a working professional

alright, I'll bite.

First of all, there are several SCI-Arc threads on this forum, so to start with I would do a search and see what you come up with. You should get a pretty good idea of the school from them... I should know because I got most of my SCI-Arc info on this very same forum 4 years ago.

With a B.S. degree, you may or may not place into the M.Arch 2 program, which is the 2.5 year program. This is also the degree program that people usually associate with SCI-Arc, as it's the "avant-garde" work the school markets. This is not to say the other 2 programs are not boundary-pushing, but maybe not to the extent as the M.Arch 2. In some ways, this actually serves to their benefit.

The thing about SCI-Arc is it's not a school for everybody, simple as that. You really need to research their program and the work and see if you feel like it's something you are interested in. Graduate schools are all different and you will get the most out of your education if you are truly vested in the program. Don't worry about the clout of the degree program, or if you think going to this school will get you a job. Go to the school to learn something you are interested in.

In regards to the Pratt/SCI-Arc comment: Actually most of the SCI-Arc instructors either co-teach or are graduates of Columbia. If anything, those 2 programs are the same. Perhaps things have changed at Pratt, but when I applied 4 years ago I got the impression that the program at Pratt was largely self-driven and the school had zero studio culture- most students bought a laptop and did work on their own and only showed up for reviews. SCI-Arc is anything but that. Students who work at home usually do not succeed and it shows in the work. A fair portion of the "education" that happens at SCI-Arc is through your peers. It's almost like a lab in that sense- there is a lot of experimenting and trying things out that then gets disseminated through the studio. If you work at home, you totally miss out.

The neighboring area, well what can I say...it's not Bel-Air but you could do worse. Just act with some common sense and you should be fine.

If you get to the point where you feel like SCI-Arc might be something you are interested in, then I can elaborate on it. Right now, I am not convinced you are vested.

I agree with Cherith about the surrounding neighboorhood thing...SciArc is a product of its enviroment as are its students. If living in a gritty industrial area scares you, then maybe the whole SciArc mentality isnt for you.

I lived about two blocks from SciArc for a while and it was the most depressing place I have ever lived. Driving home from work through deserted streets (save the dying person or two laying on the side of the street) wasnt my idea of a good time

hot hipster Asian chicks, though!!!

hot hipster Asian chicks, though!!!

sci-arc is really interesting but 99% of those projects would never be built in the real world. COULD be (structurally) but WOULDN'T be (not many care, too "out there"). if you know this and it doesn't bother you then I think it could be a good place to pursue your interests.

just to alliterate on the previous comment, if your concern in graduate school is to work on projects that would be feasible and realized, than SCI-Arc, let alone any design-oriented school, is probably the wrong place to go. This again reiterates the point of making sure you know what you want out of your education- knowing what interests you as an architect and finding a school that will foster that discovery.

As someone pointed out earlier, it might not be the best decision to just jump right into grad. school right after undergrad. Take a year or two off and get some experience (which I know now is not exactly the ideal economic environment for that). Oh, yeah and save your money because student loans suck ass.

If you do end up at SCI-Arc, do yourself a favor and don't live downtown. Speaking from experience, it was much nicer to drive 10 minutes home and not be surrounded by concrete and feces.

mdler, your last statement is 100% correct.

Sci-Arc is a good school in terms of its avant-garde program. I love its students' work and the lecture resource. I am an international M2 student in another ivy league school. So the reputation of the school is important for me . one fatal downside of Sci-arc for me is that in my country, even people in my field are not very familar with it , they usually mistake Sci-arc for USC arch. let alone the people from other fields.

another downside is that these school: Sci-arc, Upenn, Columbia, Pratt are very easy to get in partly because its size of the program. (and among these, pratt is the easiest, when I finished my GRE test, Pratt sent a letter to me and ask me to apply. and all the people from my country got this email, it makes pratt very cheap....)I was accepted by all these schools , but they don't have a very good scholarship policy for international student. These are the common features of these school.

but if you want to learn something new (no matter whether it will be built) or be a starchitect in future rather than consolidating what you have learned. Dont hesitate to choose sci-arc . its falcuty is the best among those avant-garde school.

there it is.

finally, this is becoming a real sci-arc thread.