I have a pal in there right now. She came in with a B.A. in Architecture. She rarely ever sleeps (imagine a full-time workload plus studios at night). She was hesitant about the program because she thought the studios would be to practice driven but she says it's a nice balance. She speaks highly of the school, her experience, her studios, and the collaboration of theory and practice.

alright, I'm sure someone from the BAC isn't going to like my comments, but I'm going to be honest (disclaimer: I attended and work for a school that may be viewed by some as a competitor in the Boston architecture school scene, but on the same hand I'm the last person to play favorites.)

The BAC has a rep in Boston for producing very adequate workers. The professional practice gets you out in the field and the school side of things teaches you enough theory to be dangerous to yourself and those around you. Its my understanding that because of the way the school is set up there is a lot of fluctuation with professors from year to year and semester to semester, most likely more so in the lower level classes. The professors run the gamut from recent grads to older professionals. On one hand this can be nice because of variety, but on the other hand I don't believe the school has established its pedagogy outside of the work/teaching thing, or if it has its yet to make the Boston scene (or lack of scene, but thats a different story) aware. Talking to people that have attended there the intensity of the program is a result more from the schedule of working/taking classes than from the rigor, as I've never really been blown away with the work they show in the gallery on Newbury St. Some people love the school, others hate it and leave off the bat.

However the school has been making changes, among them changing the 'C' to 'college' from 'center'. They're the home of the Community Design Resource Center, whos director is really caring and motivated. I personally had Jeffrey Stein (the new head of the school or something like that) as a professor and he's sure to bring good things with him. Because of the lack of pedagogy (or at least how I perceive it) there is a fair amount of freedom for a really motivated student to make the program work for them. The school seems to have a tight relationship with the BSA (Boston Society of Architects) which can be viewed as a good thing.

And I honestly do not know how I feel about a school that has a distance-learning M.Arch degree. For some reason that rubs me the wrong way.

I have to agree with the distance learning, I don't want to have my degree to be equiviated with one from University of Phoenix or something. lol

I plan to increase my BAC tonight.

hahaha

the thing I liked about the BAC is the fact that there wasn't a set pedagogy per se. it's more geared towards a self exploration of architecture, learning to learn, and questioning things for yourself rather than having it spoon fed to you and blindly accepting whatever BS your school decides to feed you.

it's certainly not for everyone and most students are too jaded and tired to care by the time their thesis' comes around, but even that seems to be changing. . .the kids these days just aren't angry enough

huge difference between pedagogy and having a design approach spoon-fed. isn't lack of facilities a problem there? I know for awhile they had very little dedicated studio space for students, but for some reason I thought they were looking at adding space (another building obviously) to adjust for that.

as with any school, there are good students and there are below average students and if you are overly self-motivated, it can be a fine place (also a really bad place if you are the opposite)

the biggest problem i have with the school is their 100% open admissions policy - this may be acceptable for the undergrads, but for the graduate level, it causes many issues and such a disconnect between the abilities of students within the studios (some could easily cruise through GSD, etc while others should be flipping burgers)
the school, should really implement an MArch1 and MArch2 like most other graduate schools of architectre

they do have roadblocks in place to weed out the less dedicated, as in multiple portfolio reviews to make it up to the next level - but even the worst student with a tad bit of ambition can make it through. more often that not you have people from surrounding colleges and mildly well known firms reviewing these portfolios, most of whom are very picky on who gets to pass

they have just purchased another building (old ICA) and it looks as though they may have some real studio space in the upcomming years - currently only the thesis students have studio space - the rest are on their own...

it is a decent school, some people hate it and look down on anyone who goes there, others feel very strongly towards it -but it is a good place to start, if you are not 100% sure if architecture is for you and you live in the boston area.... in boston, it is probably the lowest on the list - but compared to other schools across the country i bet it would rank better (i dont mean to bring up actual rankings)

it is also one of the only places in the area to go if you NEED to work full time in order to survive (thinking that some of the more mature students they have - some with families and mortgages to pay)

and although they are known for having a high turnover on studio instructors most of them are quite good and all that i have talked to seem to be dedicated. (dedicated for at least the semester or 2 they are there)

other than that, i agree with what pixelwhore has said...

is there anyone out there that is in the distance learning? i would be curious to hear how it is working out for them..... online studio just doesnt seem like it would be good?

That's a good spin on the reality... the teachers are all volunteer and thus--no matter how dedicated they try to be--I've heard a lot of complaints of simpy not getting enough teacher time. You're not paying for a lot of actual educational face-time.

Otherwise I agree with Pixel's assessment. There are some great teachers there who cut their teaching teeth at the school.

If you need a night school approach, want to keep working during school for financial or personal reasons, or really prefer a lot of self-led learning, then it's a great match for you and will be a great school. If you are looking for a true "architecture 24/7", intense design school cloister, then it will not be for you.

I knew a couple teachers at the school, for example, who loved teaching and wanted to be there for their students more but simple struggled to do as much for the studios as they wanted to due to the reality that they were working full-time as well and not paid to teach. There's only so much dedication you can pour into something within that framework. I think that probably accounts for the high turnover on the teachers' side. It also may explain some of the bottom-end lackluster work on the students' side.

I have seen a few student works on display that I found really beautiful and intriguing, and there were some students in a crit I attended who showed truly great inner design sense and architectural talent. It's a mixed bag like any school in that sense.

Does anyone know what the salaries students receive from firms are like? I would imagine that not having a degree in architecture would make a huge difference salary-wise between the student interns and graduated interns.

I realize this thread has been dead for a while, but a response would be really helpful.

I'm thinking about transferring into BAC for spring semester- it seems to be the most affordable out of state (for me) program I've seen, tell me if I'm wrong.

I can tell you I made $110.00 dollars a week when I was working and going to school at BAC....but heck that was back in the early 1970's.
I managed to pay for tutition and pay rent and food....I did have a ton of support from people at work. It was a grand experience....and if you read back thru this topic you will hear about the gammet of professors. Truth be told first and second year student get the young guns, which isn't all that bad cause you get alot of current thought exposure....some of it good some of it good. Later in the Program you get people who have been there and done that so once again it is a good program...no University Bullshit.

Thanks. So..with inflation I'm guessing that's like $20,000? That sounds like a pretty good deal. I would probably do the academic-only first year, though.

the BAC is bullshit. i only had a 12 pack and i went to jail, but i swear i was alright to drive.

Here's the same spiel I typically give to anybody considering the BAC, Drexel, or other evening architecture program. (I should really save this and just copy-and-paste when the need arises.)

As others have mentioned, you'll be working full-time during the day and taking your classes in the evening, which will put a huge strain on your schedule. I don't think it's possible to overstate that. It sounds great on paper... What's not to like about getting work experience and a full-time paycheck while in school? I speak from experience here: I was admitted to the BAC in 2000, moved to Boston, and got as far as orientation before my housing arrangements fell apart at the last minute, forcing me to move back to Chicago on about three days' notice. I eventually ended up at Drexel, which operates in a similar evening format. At the time, I thought it was the perfect way to finish my degree.

Problem is, you're spending at least 8 or 9 hours a day dealing with architecture stuff in an office setting -- which isn't nearly as glamorous as it sounds -- and then, just when your co-workers are heading home for dinner and a relaxing evening in front of the TV, you have to head off to school and do more architecture stuff. On evenings you don't have classes, you'll inevitably have a ton of homework to do when you get home. It's one thing to take a couple classes at a community college or even do a non-architecture degree on a part-time evening basis, but the workload for an architecture program really knocks the shit out of you. Plus, you're doing architecture crap all day and night for weeks at a time with no time for anything else, and it gets old very fast.

That's the boat I found myself in at Drexel, and even though I was making decant grades and designing some decent stuff at my day job, I still felt like I was never able to really give my job or my studies 100% of the effort they each deserved, and I was barely able to keep my head above water. About halfway through my third quarter at Drexel, I had some health issues arise, which threw a wrench into the whole thing and sent me reeling. I ended up withdrawing from classes and getting let go from my job a short time later.

Maybe a program like the BAC will work for you if you're a non-traditional adult student with a family and mortgage, or if you're not particularly interested in heavy theory and you're content to be a technical wonk. It also helps if you have an insane work ethic, little need for sleep or human interaction, and you have excellent time-management skills.

That said, I feel very strongly that the whole studio culture is one of the most rewarding aspects of architecture school, and that crucial element of your education will be largely missing at a place like the BAC. You've got the rest of your life to worry about picking up redlines or drawing roof details... Why not jump into architecture school with both feet and have some fun with it?

End of sermon.

One thing of note to K. Starr's last point of his first post ^^^^^

while the BAC may seem "affordable" it also takes the average Bachelor student 7 years to complete the program

7 years x $14,000 per year
or
4 years x $25 - 30,000 per year


that is not a lot of difference in cost
and everything LIG said

Wow... The BAC has really jacked up their tuition since I was (almost) there. IIRC, Once upon a time they were roughly comparible to in-state tuition at a typical public university.