are both degrees accredited? If not, choose the accredited path. Always. 

Consider your “fit” once your opportunities are opened after graduating Cooper. You are foolish to even be asking this question.

Your friends and hobbies will change. Education lasts a lifetime and in this very superficial world, school name may not matter all the time, but why shut out your opportunities?

To answer some of your questions. If you work at a firm and getting paid, you can accumulate AXP credits. So yes, you can log in hours before your MArch.

Both programs are reputable. Yes, you can find jobs from both programs. I chose a 4 year program + MArch path. I would say if you are certain you want to get a MArch degree (which is the right thing to do as now the degree bar needed for this field is going up), maybe a four year program is a better option, since the MArch I s in most of the architecture grad school are the "most focused" as they teach students the core of a school's approach, while in MArch II s only provide option studios. 

You apply to Cooper Union, get accepted, and you're not sure? Cooper Union, as far as I'm concerned, is the school. You go anywhere after Cooper. I'm not shitting on Michigan as a school, but Michigan.

If you take the 4-year BS route, you'll either need to get an M.Arch afterward, or you'll be limiting your possibilities for states in which you'll be able to get licensed as an architect.  It is possible to have a career in the profession without ever becoming a licensed architect, and it is also possible in some states to get a license without a B.Arch or M.Arch (with as much as 9 extra years of experience) - but you only need to look through this forum to get an idea of how much this limits and frustrates many, many grads of 4-year programs who don't want to spend 2 to 3.5 more years getting an M.Arch.

Go to Cooper Union.

cooper advantages: accredited b.arch in a top city for the practice of architecture, excellent faculty. you'll learn from everything and everyone around you and be fully immersed in architecture.

michigan advantages: i have no idea. maybe you're a big football fan, or you live in-state and get a good deal on tuition. it's respectable, but will require an additional master's to get your license. the closest major center for architecture practice is chicago, which is great, but you won't be particularly well connected to there.

finding a job isn't going to be the major factor in this - either way it's possible and for architects it's always challenging. the only obvious advantage to umich is if you aren't totally certain about architecture as a career in which case being in a top public university will give you access to many other possibilities. otherwise assuming costs are comparable cooper has all the advantages for an architect  (now that cooper charges tuition i don't know how it compares).

It's now where you go to school, it's how you apply yourself.  And you only need to go to a program with a professional degree if you want to be licensed without going to grad school. And these days more and more are not getting licensed because it is not necessary if you don't plan to run your own office. Once you get into an office, work hard and learn. You will always have a job if you are reliable and efficient. Seek knowledge, and seek out those around you who can teach you things. It's all about becoming indispensable.

Cooper, BArch trumps the 4 year program any day.

Go to Cooper- you can always do a post professional M.Arch if you want to later or go and work to get your license. Cooper gives you more options.

There are two questions here:  What are my employment prospects, and what do I want out of my education? Why are you so drawn to UMich? The culture of these two schools *could not be more different* - they are total opposites! If you want to be 100% immersed in architecture as a philosophical calling while living with a small community as a monastic academic in NYC, which is a legendary global city, go to Cooper. If you want to be exposed to a huge swath of thousands of different kinds of people all pursuing education in widely various realms, all within a gorgeous campus encompassing every kind of specialty that might pique your interest, go to UMich.  IMO you should be thinking about what you want out of your educational experience first.  *Anyone’s* job prospects 4-5 years from now are frankly unpredictable right now.

cooper is free. No brainer

yes, you are.

cooper by far is the better choice; what you think is your dream school now might be a nightmare down the road. a bit dramatic, but the point is you really don't know, as a high school student, what is the best path for you. trust the experienced people on this forum; as many have said, you'll have a barch from a better program (imo) with less debt (although i thought they had made cooper free again for new students).

Maybe pass up on Cooper and give that opportunity to someone that really would like to study there ;)

"Get In Where You Fit In"
-- Too $hort

You need to make connections with other people while you are in school. If you don't fit in, it's going to be very hard to do that.

This is a no brainer. Cooper union. Better (real) degree, no grad school required, better city/connections/networking, higher ranked, even if it’s not free it’s still not as absurdly expensive as most private schools, better program that’s widely known by most American architects and many abroad, you’ll have far greater employment prospects after cooper in a much larger swath of the country than going to Michigan. It’s not like Chicago is that close and even if it was, it’s far from a nexus of design these days. Unless you want to live breathe and die at SOM (you don’t) and even then you could still do that thru cooper. ‘The degree is what you make of it’ to an extent, but after a certain point it’s your career that counts. The degree is on your resume for life. Contacts you make at school, you’ll keep for life. It’s not ‘selfish’ to go to Michigan it’s shooting yourself in the foot to not take the far better opportunity.

As for the work gap between undergrad and grad, and axp counting for that, it depends on the state. Some allow it others will not count my axp until you’ve completed the accredited degree.

Why is Michigan your dream school? Are you from there? Do you want to live/work in the Midwest for the rest of your life? Are you sure you want to spend 7+ years in school vs 5, doing more or less the same things at both?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_alumni_of_Cooper_Union

Cooper arch alum here:    Unless you are 'all in' about going to Cooper Union and NYC, you likely won't survive the 5 years.     I'm not going to sugar coat it.   It's not easy and having a passion about the program, the work, and the city it what will get you through  and appreciate the experience.   It's always best attend a school where you WANT to be and in a location where you WANT to live. 

I just want to say that being based in NYC I have met and worked with many Cooper alumni and I am/was impressed every time. It is clear they received stellar Arch education and, in addition, every single one is extremely bright and talented. Each in her/his own way but I have not met a mediocrity with the Cooper degree. Clearly, Cooper knows something about selecting and educating young talent. 

Having said that, all Cooper grads I talked to agreed that the 5-year education process is rough, very demanding, and highly competitive. Apparently, a good number of students either get eliminated after the first year or leave on their own accord, unable to deal with the pressure.

Being admitted to Cooper is an honor in itself but, I guess, it is about an individual. Her/his level of ambition, priorities, and expectations for what that college experience should be. Regarding job prospects, in my experience, Cooper degree is rated pretty much at the same level as reputable Masters degrees with an exception of few Ivy League ones. At least on the east coast.

- My 2c

As someone who is graduating from Michigan's 4-year program in 2022 who also had a mom that went to Cooper, I'd say it comes down to how sure you are that architecture is for you. 

Going to a big school that provided the classic "college" experience (sports, school spirit, huge campus) was something I really wanted in high school so it was perfect for me. I wasn't totally committed to architecture yet so the degree path was ideal. Obviously, I ended up loving it and am applying to grad school soon, which is the only way to get accreditation in America without a BArch. 

My mom, a NYC native, went to Cooper and had a very different experience. She was in the art school but was close friends with a handful of the architecture students (the school is pretty small so the programs are tight). At a 5-year BArch, there isn't any wiggle room for academic interests, it's extremely cutthroat, and the dropout rate is pretty high. Cooper is known as one of the best 5-year programs in the country and is cheaper than Michigan out of state. If you know you want to do architecture and don't mind being in a small program, go to Cooper. If you don't, go to Michigan. 

There's no shame in not being sure of your future. You're 18. Most people on this forum are clueless and 25. Whichever school you go to will be a great choice. 

djang798 ,

Just had a thought:

Why not ask UMich whether they would accept you as a 2nd-year transfer student with Cooper credits? That way you could give Cooper a try for a year and transfer if you feel it is not for you. Also, universities compete for talented students, so when UMich learns that you have been accepted to Cooper with a more generous financial aid package they may step up and offer you a better package as well. Happens pretty often and is worth asking. That may make your mom feel more comfortable about sending you to UMich :)

Just a thought, but have any of you considered that this thread is over a year old?

For what it's worth, it's impossible to know precisely whether you're "a good fit" for any specific architecture school. You might have a hunch, but part of growing up is adapting your plans for the future as new information becomes available, while at the same time learning to be happy wherever you're at.