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Living In NYC

ted011

I hope to start studying architecture at a 5 year B.Arch program next year and hope when I graduate, I can live in Manhattan and work there. Is that possible? I have always dreamed of living and working in the greatest city in the world (my personal opinion) as an architect. I know starting out, salaries can be low but are they any higher in a city like Manhattan? PIus, 5 years from now, who knows how much better the economy will be (or worse... but I like to be optimistic:). I don't want to live in a small studio apartment with 5 people, but can I maybe afford to live there with 1 roommate in a decently size place? After I get licensed, what are the opportunities like for higher salaries there? Can anybody who has lived there or worked there or even anyone who has an opinion let me know what they think please.

 
Mar 7, 12 6:19 pm
_maf

Of course it's possible to live in New York! Yes, salaries - and expenses - are higher. And likely you'll be living with roommate/s for a while (your thirties, say). But you don't live in the city to have a roomy apartment or solitude -- you would need to love the fast pace, the dynamism, public life and public space... but mostly you would need an appreciation of the opportunities afforded you and an acceptance of the sacrifices you'll have to make in order to live here. It's not an easy or a very comfortable place to live, but it is inspiring and exciting. You might consider B-Arch programs in New York, there are quite a few. This would give you an advantage in terms of internships while you study and provide a foothold on life here post-graduation.

Mar 7, 12 10:06 pm  · 
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ted011

Thank you @_maf , that really helped me feel better about the idea of living there. Are there any B.Arch programs in NYC that you would recommend?

Mar 7, 12 10:20 pm  · 
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ted011

Also, what kind of salary would imagine an intern making in Manhattan?

Mar 7, 12 10:54 pm  · 
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Kamu Kakizaki

there's pratt, nyit, parsons and columbia gsaap. but they are all pretty pricy for the quality of education in my opinion and people go there more to be in the city and get connected. if your'e a good architecture student most likely you'll be stuck in studio long hours anyways so go to a program you are interested in. 

...then get a one way ticket just because you want to be here. that's what i did. cheers

Mar 7, 12 11:15 pm  · 
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i r giv up

There's always Harlem, and the remote Upper Eastern Eastern East Side (at least until the T line opens).

You can live in Manhattan, you just won't enjoy certain perks that places like Brooklyn and Queens can offer. (I live in a relatively dense part of Brooklyn, I'm 15 minutes away from Target on the train. I have a backyard. I have a 40 minute commute every morning which forces me to read a lot (this a perk when you're an architect/tend to procrastinate a lot, like i do)).

As to price, you can get a studio in Harlem for $1000 a month.

I still chose to pay $1250 to live in Brooklyn.

Mar 7, 12 11:38 pm  · 
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barbaraperez

When I moved to New York from Chicago last April, I had an awful lot of trouble picking a neighborhood. I looked at apartments almost everywhere—Williamsburg, Park Slope, Carroll Gardens, Chinatown, Tribeca, Soho, the Lower East Side, Greenwich Village—and each seemed to have its own pitfalls and charms. Eventually, I settled on a place just off Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn Heights, a neighborhood that, ironically, hadn’t been on my not-so-short list originally. I’ve been happy here, but like most New Yorkers, I suffer from a bit of grass-is-greener syndrome.

buy dissertations

 

Mar 9, 12 1:04 am  · 
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_maf

@PREARCHITECT98,

In addition to the schools listed above, CCNY has a B-Arch program. Sorry I can't really give advice on the quality of the programs, I don't have experience with undergrad degrees in NY.

I do think you'll be pleasantly surprised to find that New York City is far greater than what you dream of as Manhattan :)

Mar 9, 12 3:36 pm  · 
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Znaika

I would definitely check our Cooper Union. I heard it's really hard to get in. I applied this year and will see what they say. Cheers. 

Mar 10, 12 10:14 pm  · 
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3tk

i've got friends there living in brooklyn with a small bedroom in 3 or 4 bedroom apt for $500/person/mth 20~30 minute commute to manhattan.  Twice what I paid in college in a big city in the midwest for half the space, but if you can afford it, it's ok.  Remember that everything costs more and until you move a bit higher in the food chain than just a license you're not guaranteed much of a living salary in comparison to smaller cities.  That being said if you really want to be in NYC, there's nothing quite like it.  Personally, I can only handle it on the weekends these days and not living there can afford to do nicer things there when I'm there. 

Mar 10, 12 11:36 pm  · 
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Le Courvoisier

Why would anyone live in an uncultured city that puts their trash on the front sidewalk?

Jan 21, 23 7:32 am  · 
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