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Non arch/design related undergrad, ?'s about 3 year M.Arch (Carleton, Calgary), EnD @ UManitoba
Hey there,
So the title already explains a bit. I have already posted regarding Carleton M.Arch. Now expanding to a few other programs I am considering.
I have a B.Sc (B) and MSc (B+) in a healthcare profession.
Knowing that, I am not considering applying to UBC and UofT, as they are apparently hard to get into, if we take grades into consideration.
So, I am looking into: 3 year M.Arch at Calgary and Carleton. Having read on both, I am satisfied with the curriculum. They both require an undergrad average of B or B+. I couldn't find online statistics about admissions for both. 1. I am wondering if you are aware of GPAs accepted there. 2. Wondering if they also take into consideration grades of grad studies. And yes, I am aware that references as well as portfolios are most significant in the application.
Last, I was also looking at UManitoba/Dalhousie Env. design M.Arch, but have not found a lot of info from graduates on forums/internet. I am wondering about the quality of courses and if it is realistic to get in.
I have a background in arts from high school, with solid foundations in drawing and graphic design. Consequently, I am sure will serve me well to prepare my portfolio, so I am less worried about that.
Thanks in advance
Carleton > Manitoba > Calgary. Dal is a unique one and I think it’s equally competitive as UBC but it’s a great program albeit with its own specific design flavour. UofT is not a great school so I’m glad to see you’re not considering it.
Grades are considered equally in all schools. The variable here will be the size and strength of the applicant pool. Perhaps contact each school’s admin department and ask them how many offers to grant per year vs no. If applicants.
And what is your reasoning behind Carleton>Manitoba>Calgary?
Not all schools are equal. Carleton is not Loo or McGill, but it’s a decent choice for those without a related undergrad. The other schools after that are pretty much all the same. I’d just hate to have to live in Winnipeg or Calgary for grad school
my perspective is totally outdated however for what it is worth...
i did undergrad and march at u of manitoba. finished march in 2002. was good enough at the time to go work in london and tokyo. I won the canadian architect award of excellence for the year and honorable mention for archiprix international (which very nicely had a free trip to genoa and a chat with ben v berkel and others attached to it). Founders of 5468796 were classmates. They are doing great stuff fro winnipeg, including running the canadian entry to venice biennale a few years ago, won lots of awards, including rome prize, architecture league NY, etc. There are other alumni from the same time who are equally awesome and doing well.
If past is prologue I would not discount U of M just because it is in Winnipeg.
More to the point, apart from cool alumni being a thing to point at, the actual only important thing about where you study is how hard you want to work.
The non-pro grad school at U of M was good as far as i recall. I suppose it will be the same now, however I do recall that the program set students apart in a way that was maybe not as easy to overcome as it should have been. Might be useful to learn how well you will be integrated with the regular program.
if you are being strategic, you could also consider studying in the city you want to work in. And be sure to start networking while a student. If you are thinking to be a healthcare architect, smart move would be to study wherever there is a leader in that field and connect with them while you are studying.
My point of view is entirely out of date, but taking advantage of the perspective the main thing I wish I knew back then was that architecture is a career that benefits from strategy and in fact requires one at some point. The school itself is in that way only one point in a field. Being cold is probably another one. Winnipeg is fricking cold, no doubt. Then again if UBC is off the list you are going to be cold anyway ;-)
I had a beer with the two founders of that phone number firm. Nice people.
yes they are! They're the best.
I'm in Winnipeg and can mostly concur with what Will describes, though yes, things have changed in 20 years. There was a brief moment of turmoil about 5 years ago that left the Uof Manitoba in bad shape, but they've done an excellent job of rebuilding. I'm an alumnus (alumni?) from 2011 and have had a lot of success (and some failures) along the way. But overall the faculty swings well, well above its weight in terms of contribution to the profession in Canada, and it's a program worth investigating.
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