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Advice going into grad school
So I am going into the 3.5 year M.Arch Program at the University at Buffalo. I am still figuring out my focus, but I essentially want to make the most of what I know wasn't a terribly competitive offer at a school that is also not terribly competitive. My current goals are to minimize my debt upon graduation, which I plan on doing by pursuing scholarships through the local AIA chapter as well as through CSTEP. I am also really trying to secure an internship next summer, ideally in New York, as it is within commuting distance from my parents' house. I would also like to become a teaching assistant in a later semester. I know these are kind of vague goals, but does anyone have some salient advice?
Two bits of advice:
You get out of school what you put into it. If you work hard at Buffalo you're going to learn more than if you slack off at Harvard.
No one cares where you went to school, they care about the work you do.
Experience is king in this field and school choice is not important so long as it's naab accredited.
Do not be afraid to re-apply with a new application for a better offer at other state schools if the finances aren't right. Or ask to defer if the scholarships don't add up to enough and give yourself another year to acquire more. If you have high marks/test scores private schools may offer better financing.
Look for other on campus jobs if you don't land the teaching assistant one right away. Print shop, media room, administrator assistant, laser cutter machines etc. They are created for students and allow for maximum study time flexibility. They typically pay higher for grad students. Even if you'd make slightly more off campus the time saved commuting and the limited scope of these positions allow you to do a lot of homework while getting paid.
Save intensive internships for the summer and never ever work for free ever. If you absolutely cannot find a paying arch job, do something that isn't architecture but is related - contractor, engineering, construction, industrial design, or something not related, work on your portfolio, build a treehouse, whatever, but do not work for free.
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