Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-Arc)
Pratt Institute
Tulane University
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)
Temple University
University of Oregon
Cranbrook Academy of Art
Pros and cons of private school programs?
I'm looking at two programs at private schools: NewSchool of Arch in San Diego, and Woodbury Uni in Burbank and San Diego.
Obviously the biggest con is cost ($40k tuition per year), but from what I've heard, private schools tend to offer a lot in scholarships to make up for it.
Pros for me is I like the idea of a smaller program but in a city!
Does anyone know any useful info on these programs, or about private programs in general?
Take the cheapest option. Architecture is not worth $40k/year
Are you in CA? If so, you'd get much more bang for the buck at Cal Poly Pomona. Possibly still true even if paying out -of-state tuition.
Here in So Cal, Pomona has a roughly equal, maybe even better, reputation than Woodbury and NewSchool; if you wanted to move up a tier in "prestigious schools" then you're looking at USC, UCLA, or SCI-Arc.
Private schools vary a lot in how they will "aid" you financially. Some will load you up with the maximum allowable amount of loans while a much smaller group are doing minimal to no loans.
With regards to public vs. private, an expensive private school will tend to have wealthier students. Being a poor kid at a rich kids college can be a challenge for some.
I see a lot more grade inflation at private schools and a commitment to retaining students and making sure they graduate on time. Big public colleges are much more interested in flunking people out, and they often don't care if their dysfunctional course scheduling means takes an extra year or two to finish their program.
That's interesting - your experiences are the opposite of mine, in that the public universities where I've taught have had more grade inflation than the private ones, and have been much more focused on retention and on-time graduation - because both of those directly affect their public funding. The private schools have been far more ok about it when I've assigned failing grades - they don't have any particular reason to push students through, and are more than happy to have "super seniors" paying that extra year of tuition. In the public universities I've been hugely pressured to reconsider any grade below a C, while in the private ones it's not been normal for the administration to push back on grading.
As for the OP: yes some private programs have a lot of grant funding that can make their programs the most affordable option for some students. But the programs you listed aren't known for huge endowments, so you may not find that situation with any of them. Still, you should apply to programs that are good fits with your interest and goals, and see what offers you get. Don't rule out applying to any university based on sticker price.
I experienced first hand a private school with a extremely dysfunctional programming course scheduling. To the point where they had to poof classes out of thin air to make sure there were enough classes of a certain credit offered for graduating students. smh. Your generalization on that regard simply isn't true. Agreed on a few of your other points...
Woodbury often has alum/instructors from UCLA & SCI-Arc which allows you to connect with more people relevant in LA.
Also, you already have the main con figured out about private graduate programs, the cost.
Block this user
Are you sure you want to block this user and hide all related comments throughout the site?
Archinect
This is your first comment on Archinect. Your comment will be visible once approved.