i've spoken badly about uva before, here. there is the attitude factor that i reacted against, but i actually think it is a great program and - despite the fact that both are recognized across the country - think it triggers better recognition/impression.

i came out of high school, also in va, with a similar choice. everyone thought i'd go to 'the university', but va tech seemed equally attractive. the vt foundation course was very highly regarded then (maybe now).

now that i've lived out of state for 20yrs, i hear about uva in a positive way on a regular basis, but very seldom hear anything about vt (except from those in my family who are alumni and travel to all the games around the country).

once you visit, that might make the difference > how could you choose blacksburg over charlottesville?

I went to VT and graduated a year ago. (Feel free to email me if you have questions)
The VA Tech program, even though nationally ranked, seems a bit 'dated'. Not many of the professors are active practitioners of architecture. Overall my impression of UVA is that they're a bit more active, the students recently got recognition for a design/build project(s) they completed, I know Zumthor spoke there a few weeks ago, and I remember travelling to UVA several times just to attend lectures. While the west coast schools have a lot of computer generated forms and experimental designs, VA Tech in my experience is very formal, very old school, very hand-drawn, and could use a major update. Maybe this is typical of all architectural education programs, but we only had one class called Pro-Practice that made any real attempt to prepare us for working in the real world, and all I learned from that is to be scared that you're going to get sued at some point in your career. If you choose VA Tech, I HIGHLY recommend doing their 'externship' program from 3rd year on as much as you can, as it is real world experience that you can use after graduation (also counts towards your IDP!), and also do the European Residency program in Riva San Vitale Switzerland that they offer your fourth year, its fantastic and will change your entire outlook on architecture and life in general. Some of the students I looked up to in their 5th year went to the Virginia Tech campus in Alexandria, VA just outside DC. A lto of itnernational student are there and you'll be exposed to a mroe urban environment and combined with the international influences of your peers, some really good things seem to come out of them year after year.

haha j, i've got to agree with you. i'd honestly choose uva if i had to do it all over again, i'm assuming they have some sort of foreign study program.

Haha yea, UVA was my very first choice coming right out of high school but I couldn't get in the first year (deferred early decision; waitlisted regular). I feel like I'm leaning towards UVA because, as Mr. Ward put it, I simply don't think I could turn down Charlottesville. So UVAs undergrad program is very well respected too I take it? I found it surprising that UVA's undergrad program doesn't seem to be noticed at all in Design Intelligence's annual rankings while VT is consistanly highly ranked. However, I know I should take these rankings with a "grain of salt" as well. But from what you guys are saying, UVA's program also seems much more progressive and modern. Thanks again for all your input... it's definitely helping and I hope to hear more!

I had a fantastic time at UVA. I love the school, so take that under advisement as you read on, because it may get cheesy...

I wasn't in the A-school in undergrad, thought I took a ton of courses there. I really enjoyed all the courses and the professors - I found them extremely knowledgable and accessible, which I'm finding at grad school, is not always the case. I think you'd get a good education at either school, but UVA as a university, in the greater sense, is a phenomenal experience. I know its students get knocked for being pompous, and from the outside, Steven Ward has a good point - it is easy to be put off by what you may perceive as the school's attitude. But you have to be there to know the whole experience. I personally didn't buy into the prepster, old-south-money, stuck up scene (I'm from NJ), and still loved it there. You honestly do believe that you are one of the best students in the world at the best university in the world. Even attending an Ivy League grad school now, there was something intangible about the tradition, class, and general feeling there that I think is rare, and hard to appreciate unless you're in it.

Pragmatically, C-ville is an awesome place to live for 3-4 years, and it's closer to major cities than Blacksburg. It's also good b/c a lot of big name practitioners like to retire to Albemarle county, so you get some surprisingly dedicated, experienced intrsuctors working throughout the University. Plus, the school does carry more name recognition/prestige around the country and in the profession that VT. You may not win a national championship in football, but you also don't have to go to school with Marcus Vick. And as the "flagship" school of the VA system, it does attract a large number of very talented students. Not to say that VT doesn't, but that "flagship" status and the national rankings account for something. You do end up learning a lot from your classmates. Also, I know at least a few years ago, I had heard that UVA was regarded as the best undergrad program in the country (however that's quantified). I know some things have changed, but I also know that most of my friends who graduated with BS. Arch's in 2003 have gone on to really, really good grad schools.

i'm pretty sure i know JerkStore and that's hilarious in it's own right, but I defintiely have to agree with everything said. In terms of an architecture program, I always got the feeling that UVa undergrad was given way more attention than the grad program. The professors are fully shared between the two, as well as the resources. But I always felt that the undergrad program was given more focus. The professors there now are amazing - some are way too old and "outdated" but have tenure and are there to stay - but most are very progressive, will push the computer technology but will also push sustainability, while at the same time teach just plain good design. I don't know anything about VT other than they have a very bad reputation at UVa (I am also from the north, so I was pushed into the rivalry) and do sort of fall into that "FSU-Tenn" category. I would have to say go UVa over Tech...CVille is incredible, the students for the most part are great, and the A-school really is fantastic.

I just recently graduated, but everyone I have interviewed with has taken note of where I graduated from...and we, as students and graduates, were told many times that the UVa name goes a long way...good luck.

I'm totally having deja vu right now - this sounds so familiar! I agree w/ Steven Ward's comments. I grew up in Northern VA, and coming out of high school, I'd been accepted at both UVA and VT (as well as other schools) for architecture. I visited both campuses and programs before deciding to go to a non-VA school, thereby sacrificing in-state tuition and taking on monster student loans.

UVA had spectacular scenery, but the guy from the architecture school that gave us the tour was the most pompous, uppity pr*ck imaginable and pretty much everyone I encountered on campus during my visit projected that attitude as well. Also, I wasn't that enamored with their "4+2" program and it seemed a little too much geared towards "artsy-fartsy" stuff - Our tour guide indicated that architecture students had to take classes in theater, set design, and costume design - not really what I was looking for.

VT was more of what I was looking for - more technical, but tempered with "artsy-fartsy." Blacksburg also seemed like more of a "college town", which was appealing (I'm a big sports fan) and less like it was out of "A Separate Piece" or "Dead Poets Society" like UVA...

But the real reason that I didn't go to UVA or VT is because most of my high school was going to either school, and I was looking for a new experience, with new people, etc...

dml - i never had to take any theater, art, or set design classes - they are available (i assume) but there is nothing "out of the ordinary" that architecture students have to take at UVa. I think CVille is a complete college town also, but I guess this just proves it is all a personal decision.

Thanks everyone! Sent my deposit in for UVA last week... lookin' forward to becoming a Wahoo =D

*sigh* We let another one get away....



(good luck anyways, Mo87)

Good luck and welcome to the program.

dave matthews band is from cville! i'll be there in september for their shows. uva!

Oh maan, I'm jealous. I'll probably see them July 4th at VaBeach this summer. Any extra tickets to the John Paul Jones Area shows?? :P

lets see .. im going to

Tampa
West Palm x 2
Cville x 2
and maybe Gorge x3

forget dave matthews. if you go to the a-school there will be no time
for such things. no one in the university works harder
than the undergrads at the a-school.

as an undergrad at virginia, you will stay up all hours, you will love your
classmates more than anything, you will inspire the graduate students (i was one), and you will come out of the fog after 4 years with your choice
of what to do next. you will have survived, and you will be rewarded.
it may sound trite, but it's true.


if you are looking at grad school there it is also intense. you will never find better faculty. we didn't have the absolute best technology, but we did have a stellar faculty who took it to heart that their job was to teach you- not like many "ivy league" design schools that just lend their star power without anything to back it up.

uva is a small school, a tight community where your professors remember you- they root for you- they call on your behalf- and they know everyone.

i don't know much about va tech, but i am working with a few tech grads,
and i must say i am very impressed with their skills. i can only say that
a degree from virginia will stay with you. it is definitely something to be proud of.

hmmm. as intense as the a-school is, if you learn to balance your schedule and be productive while you're at the school (a lot of people spend too much time socializing), you'll have time to go to concerts, football games, etc.

glad you chose uva, it's a bit on the preppy-my-daddy's-richer-than-yours side of things, but that can be avoided. i guess i'll see you around inspiring me up on the 4th floor.

cheers

What is the downtown life like at all at Charlottesville?
Are there bars and pubs to hang out in?

I lived in Cville for two years while my wife was in grad school....it's an amazing small town. THere are a ton of good restaurants and bars downtown and near the U. Such a good place to live. I highly recommend UVa.

neither, university of Maryland

IR

(Infra Red)