School really has no impact on job seeking - when interviewed, employers are looking at you as a personality - is this someone we can work with. A certain amount of polish is required. Be weary of the great design portfolio - you may find yourself a profesional renderer for 1/10th the price. Guys I knew from Jr. colleges, city schools routinely beat the pants off of people from Penn, Yale, etc. I would choose the school based on the environment you will go to school in - UIC will allow you to get internships at great firms, in a great metro region with building types that must adapt to the most extreme hot and cold, wet and windy weather there is. You will learn how to build while you go to school. The work/study factor is often overlooked.

uiuc is urbana champaign -- farm/walmart country ....

time for new glasses - thanks TED

thanks evilplatypus, what do you think about the ranking?
I am bewildered HOW and WHY NCState is `nt ranked?

i know a some schools like the Sci arc and the like are not ranked like NCstate.
1.i just need to know the reputation of the m-arch grad from Nc state. how are they looked at when compared to grads from the ivy?
is it likely to compare NCS with IIT, Uof washington, UVA, RISD, VT, univ oregon, etc etc?

i believe in the US the ivy are ranked in one group and the schools i mentioned are ranked (the non-ivys) are ranked?

i mean how could you categorize schools on what basis?

Y'o'Y-

I have no idea how to answer your question about how NCSU grads are perceived as a whole (if one can even make such a blanket statement).

I'm about to wrap up my MArch there and will try to answer any questions you might have about the program, which definitely is more design-oriented than technically-oriented.

thanks to your reply snarchitect.

i was actually impressed from what i heard about NC state from my colleagues, but i`ve always had another feeling which is more related to the comparison of the top colleges and the non-ivys. what is it that actually differentiates the top ones?

hope you cud help me out in any way. i`d looked thro the website but cud`nt know much. there were other reasons to why i had applied to Ncs initially, but now i`m looking at it more from the didactics side and the name it has in general.

1.univs like UC, OSU often invite international architects for lectures, is it the same with Nc state?

2.i`m also looking at international exposure. does it give oppurtunities to participate and present designs in international conferences?

3.the flexibility in design studio courses? would it be possible to study an alternate course like art- painting studio, sculpture??

4.univ location in raleigh? i read from one previous post how lousy it cud be in terms of student policies? a mc donald near the univ closed?

5.design orientation supports research?

6. how motivating is the studio environment? err.. there was also a mention about the no. of gal guy ratio? this also speaks about the place in a weird derogatory way. the mention of rednecks.. blah blah!!

i`m sorry it was lenghthy and maybe too much absurdities in my Q`s.. i agree..but still hope u cud help.

by the way its for masters.

Y'o'Y

I'm an NCSU grad MARC'95. While th environment at the school has certainly evolved since I've been out, I understand from reliable sources the school is in something of a transition state regarding faculty. The "old guard faculty" are slowly departing/retiring from the school and a new generation of younger faculty are taking root. Also, the school is especially good in that it is a broad design school (Architecture, Land. Arch., Graphic Design, Industrial Design). I personally felt the exposure directly and indirectly to other disciplines was beneficial. The school was not (and I suspect is still not) a "tech-y" school. That is, you're not going there to learn how to do slick Maya renderings. They very much push thinking and process first. The tools you use to illlustrate those processes are somewhat left to you. Which is good I believe. My primary complaint while I was there was the school seemed to be dogmatically divided into two broad camps. One being the "modernist" camp and the other being the "behavioralist" camp. Don't know if that persisits still. it seemed difficult to move in a different direction theoretically/formally as the most "successful" students were in one of these two camps and had the endorsements of professors within those camps. But in truth, I may not have done enough to argue for the new direction I was intterested in, design wise. I thought of myself as somewhat of a hybrid. I still found visiting faculty, who practice locally, that were extremely good and really helped me develop my own direction. So assuming they keep a good mix of visiting faculty with the tenure profs I think it will be a good experience. Regarding Raleigh, it's a cool place for school as it is mellow and there are just enough distractions when you need a break. While i sometimes ponder "what if" I went elsewhere for school, I feel I wouldn't trade my experience there. You have the ability to make of it what you will.

Y'oY,

I'm a little short on time, but will answer what I can & hopefully it helps!

The lecture series has continued to improve every year I've been here, and the director of the school just approved a 'tuition supplement' to fund just that; getting bigger names in is a priority for him.

I'm not aware of many international design conferences per se, but there are MANY opportunities to study abroad. Additionally, the school just opened a full-time sister program in Prague (which previously was available only on a semester-by-semester basis).

As far as program flexibility goes, one of the reasons I ultimately chose NCSU is because of its openness in personalizing your educational experience, either through interdisciplinary classes (painting, animation, etc.), classes at other universities in the UNC system (ie, UNC-Chapel Hill's Planning dept.), or independent studies.

Raleigh: having grown up in Chicago, I don't exactly consider the Triangle to be a huge metropolis, but it's not like you're going to be going to school on a tobacco farm, either. There are going to be rednecks pretty much anywhere you go to school (even moreso in Champaign-Urbana!). Also, there is a great deal of contact between the local practicing community and the school of design.

I don't know what you're getting at or what you've heard about the male/female ratio; you'll have to elaborate on that one.

Also, I agree with most of what Geo said, and he(she?)'s right about the old school/new school turf war (which I see as a good thing because you are basically being exposed to both ends of the spectrum, but theoretically and representationally). However, there is definitely an active fascination with 'slick renderings,' as Geo puts it, almost to the point of fetishism, although the physical model still reigns supreme.

By the way, I'm curious as to what the other reasons you had for coming here are (interest in a particular concentration? like humid weather? stalking someone?). Good luck and let me know if you have any other questions.

Interesting to hear the current scoop on the school. I will have to pay a visit next time I'm in Raleigh.

Snarkitect, btw, I met one of your new school additions, Gail Borden, at The Architectural League here in NY last year. he seems to be doing well down there. Curious if you have had himfor any studios/lectures,etc. best of luck with everything.

also, if you happen to see Roger Cannon or Kenneth Hobgood running around a crit or studio there tell them I said hello.

...and I'm a "he", George Roushakes

Hi all NC state past-present-future Grads,

I am applying to NC state this year for Masters. Its the only school i am applying to ( for its location basically). Can anyone guide me regarding the personal statement? Are there any key statements which the school likes to hear? What to write about the career goals?

Help me.

Thanks!