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UT or Columbia GSAPP?

LizzieDArchie

Hello, I am a 4th year at the University of Texas at San Antonio. I am juggling my senior design courses while choosing where I want to go for my M.Arch. I am looking at UT or GSAPP because I like the city experience, and I plan on entering a career in Historic Preservation. 

I have a 3.83 out of 4.0 GPA, and I have not started developing my portfolio. (I am stumped creatively, I do not know how I want to start!) However, this isnt my question; where would I have a higher chance to flourish? 

Here is some of my background: I come from a family of engineers  (from my father, my uncle, my aunt, majority of my cousins, my twin brother, and some younger cousins currently in college studying engineering) so I been exposed to the business majority of my life. Our family is from Mexico originally, and we have started from the ground up a family owned engineering/architectural consulting firm in south Texas that works all over Texas. I am the first architect in the family, and I plan to expand my family's business with architectural services and historic preservation work. (I can answer further questions about anything else in the comments.)

Based on my background and GPA, which school would be better suited for me and where would I have a higher chance of getting into? 

 
Aug 30, 21 3:58 pm
proto

we don't know you, so it's a bit of a weird question, no?

i say this as someone who got into both and went to one (many years ago)

i think you should be investigating the programs directly with the schools themselves to see what the opportunities actually are. Learn about the faculty and maybe interview current students to see what their opinions are.

Aug 30, 21 4:09 pm  · 
2  · 
LizzieDArchie

Okay, I will try to do research more. I tried looking at curriculums, and I felt more confused after. I would like to ask one question though. What kind of schools are each one? STEM based or more theory based?Are work experiences considered in graduate school applications? 


I am sorry about the awkward question in my post. I am just trying to see where I can fall in the applicant pool.

Aug 30, 21 4:18 pm  · 
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thatsthat

Look at the focus of each program. Preservation programs tend to focus more on theory vs. hands-on/conservation vs. documentation. 

GSAPP will give you more notoriety and connections than UT if you want to work on the east coast in the future. If you plan to stay around Texas, then probably UT is a better option. Depending on your budget, I'd also look into UPenn and Clemson; they are highly regarded for both their M.Arch and preservation degrees. 

Aug 30, 21 4:21 pm  · 
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proto


i'm 20+ yrs out from school so my comments on the program's specifics are not worth hearing. So, I'm not going to pretend to offer opinions there.

My suggestion: Go spend a day or two at each -- ask the front office for a student who you could tail for a day or so. Someone doing what you want to do.

That experience will open up some of the experiences that you may not be aware of to ask about. Just being there, navigating the different campuses, eating, sleeping, seeing how both lecture & studio classes are done, etc

Aug 31, 21 12:05 pm  · 
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