Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-Arc)
Pratt Institute
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Grad school decisions - sustainable architecture
Hi
I recently got admitted to UVA, UMich, UC Berkeley, and UofO. I've narrowed the decision down to Berkeley and Oregon because of their programs' emphasis on sustainability. I've been living in California for a year working at an architecture firm primarily made up of UofO graduates, so I would be able to get in-state tuition for Berkeley. However, I recently got in touch with a professor at UofO who essentially offered me a place in his lab. I had originally believed Berkeley to be my top choice but have heard more and more about how it doesn't prepare graduates for the working world. UofO doesn't have the same prestige as Berkeley does but it seems to have a great reputation for sustainable design and labs focused on mass timber (another thing I'm really interested in). I didn't get an undergraduate degree in architecture so I'm worried I might be missing out on an opportunity to learn great design theory from Berkeley, as well as be throwing away a huge opportunity just to attend if I go to Oregon, but I also am worried I won't have the same opportunity to focus on what I ultimately want to do. Plus, it feels like I have a professor's support for my goals already set up at Oregon and Berkeley might not offer me the same. Any advice?
Congrats on the admission to all those schools, they're all very good schools so I'm sure getting it down to two was tough.
I've also heard the stigma of Berkeley not producing graduates for the real world... which is a little puzzling because Berkeley grads on average have among the highest pass rates for all the exams of the ARE in CA. This includes Cal Poly - SLO, a place with the reputation for producing the most competent arch graduates.
I think it may be due to Berkeley not having many core classes that are teaching practical aspects of architecture. This makes it possible to graduate without as much practical knowledge as other schools. The flip side is that Berkeley gives you tons of electives so if you really wanted to, you could select classes that would better prepare you for the real world.
With that being said, it sounds like all the core classes of Oregon really excite you! And I don't blame you, they all sound very interesting. Although Oregon doesn't give as much flexibility with electives, if the core classes are topics you would have chosen anyways then that is a huge plus. Did you reach out to faculty at both schools? If you did and only Oregon gave you a sense of support than that is another huge plus and I think would put Oregon over the top. This is assuming they both cost the same to you.
Oh and don't worry about prestige, most firms could care less between the two.
Just go where you think you can learn what you want to learn. In my opinion having a solid foundation in the practical aspects of architecture for sure is handy but having a theoretical understanding of architecture is priceless. You will be able to learn the practical stuff once you'll be working, but there are hardly any firms out there where you can develop anything architectural theory related from scratch.
Go to the cheapest school.
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