okay, so nobody wants to help me. can i atleast email anyone?

YOY,
If you are asking about opportunities after graduation, this country is great as far as its meritocracy is concerned: you will be hired (mostly) based on your flair and competence as a budding designer based on your portfolio as well as recommendations. Of course, as an international student and thereafter, guest worker, you will have to attain additional permits to continue to work in the US. Some companies do not see that as a problem but some may. Nevertheless, you are entited to something called an Optional Practical Training permit that allows you to stay and work for one year like any other american before applying for the H1B for another three years thereafter. As far as I know, licensing application only considers your qualification, not nationality status.

I won't be worried about jobs now since no one knows what will happen in 3 years time. 3 years ago LA was coming up from a bust and now is as good as any other boom time so it is all cyclical.

I would say the highest expenditure outright is a car followed by the rent. You may be able to room with a few others and this will save you a ton considerably. Maintaining the car is now more expensive because gas prices has gone up considerably (yes, Israel) from the 90s. My personal opinion is to get a new cheap car than a beat up one because I have heard of more mechanic workshop nightmares from third hand cars.

Food is not expensive and there are plenty of cheap eats on the east side of LA now compared to the west LA where it is traditionally more expensive part of town.

I hope this answers your question. You should enjoy SCI-Arc but nevertheless, follow Israel's advice: it is not for everyone.

BE, great! i really wished Israel had expanded what "not for everyone" meant. i`m someone more oriented towards the art side of architecture and less of science. and as far as i`ve heard about the school, the academics are geared more towards the arty side than the liberal arts side. so in which case Sci-Arc could be my right choice, right?

ofcourse i`ve been going through the sci-arc site, but it does`nt answer other things which i wanna know, about graduate transfer etc.. i wrote to them but i have`nt got any replies as yet.

A)
i already got my admit at another state school to attend for this fall. but, i have deferred my admit to the spring 2005 due to circumstances.
is it possible to apply to sci arc as a graduate transfer student? i wud have done my first sem at the state school (spring) if i were to apply. my case is such and my knowledge about private architecture schools in america was limited when i applied.i`ve completed my b-arch (5years).

and BE, yes i should`nt be worried about job as for now and i`m not really keen on working in the united states. i just wanted to know what other oppurtunities there are and in general about the licensing in LA, internship etc..(something which i have to know too).

B) How difficult is it to get into Sci-Arc for M-arch2 with a foreign 5 year b-arch? many got into sci-arc from the posts i read. true? but i assume these many had applied to M-arch 1.

I think the simplest way which I could interpret what Israel mean is that SCI-Arc should not be easily assumed to be a popularist choice. For example, you may not encounter very much difference while selecting (USC, UCLA: please just fill in the blanks) from a bunch of universities but SCI-Arc is quite different in that regard. It has no central library or a swimming pool or a sports team or spring break per se so unless you know a little of what you are getting into, you may not like it very much. If you are trying to explain to your ivy league peers that you go to SCI-Arc in other fields than architecture, they will squint at you and wondered if you have attended a 'real' college. This is how I would put it. I have good memories of my years there but I also have my regrets too.

Your other questions are really more for the admissions office than what folks here can responsibly answer so I think you should wait a little for their reply.

On your thought of the two cultures division of the faculty, I can't say much these days. The 'science' faculties whom I was acquainted with have long left and folks who ran the 'art' side also left after an experimental grant dried up (and possibly for other reasons as well...) from the NSF. I am sure there are still good people of both dispositions running the school today but you should make it a point if you can to visit and talk to the students there now.

If I were you, I will not stick to this demarcation of the arts or sciences because it tends to lead you into a t-junction which is quite imaginary and fictional. That's my experience!

thanks a lot again BE. i guess i should mail a few students and wait till the admission office responds(its been nearly a week). coming from Sci-arc, how do YOU it? i mean, in terms of getting quality architectural education, is`nt it good enough? is`nt Sci-arch supposedly atleast the american equivalent of the AA (academic directional view). so, in which case, the university life could be sacrificed. so, people better not squint at me and wonder if i went to a real college. and if it matters i`m already an architect in my country.

oh. i meant HOW do YOU feel?

Remember that SCI-Arc is like a Noah's Ark...Although it takes a fair bit of effort to communicate with other silos within a university setting, it will take even more to do that in SCI-Arc. You may find it to be extremely mind-broadening as long as you stay within the cultural confines of architecture (and might I add, a rather exclusive definition of architecture) but you may feel less confident when you step out of the school to talk to others (a vivid example is how do I proceed to design a health product by collaborating with doctors, venture capitalists, ...etc), who will most likely be 'broader' in their perspectives.

Perhaps being an architect is a respectable goal by itself but personally, and only in my own humble opinion, failing to take part in other modes of thought is inextricably linked to the narrowness of vision and life. So do keep this in mind if you head to SCI-Arc.

I think that BE's point is an especially valid one for those looking to get an undergrad degree, less so for those entering graduate school. This is part of the, "yes it's got a bit of glamour to it right now, but is it the school for *you*?" question. Do you want to just be an architect, or do you want a bit more well-rounded education? If architecture is your only interest, or if you've already had exposure to your other interests, then it's more likely that SCI-Arc is for you, whereas if you'd like to be able to take a few classes in art or some more advanced structures classes or something completely unrelated for some electives, it's more likely that you'd do well in a university setting instead.

Im not sure how difficult it is to get into the Undergrad program directly out of high school. It seems rare. There was 3 in my class of about 35 freshmen. I know people from my high school who got into Cooper Union but rejected by Sci-Arc. But then Im a frogpiss and I got in, so its something weird.

a car would mean u need to get insurance, other maintenance stuff, and pay for ever-rising gasoline. I know people share lofts(walking distance about 4-500/mo) near sciarc and asks rides from buddies when in need. You dont NEED a car, id say so. Pub. Transportation is not here. If you dont have a car, get a friend who has one. But if you plan to work, thats another story.