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grad school financing

labphonic

Now that people are starting to get acceptance letters I feel it might be constructive to get a sense of how everybody plans to pay for school. I ask mainly out of curiosity/fiscal imcompetence. I know people can be weird talking about money, so vagueness isn't a problem, but as someone who might find it better to just save money and make a better portfolio I'd be interested to see how people plan to take care of business.

My story is that I've been accepted to UT-Austin but have very little saved. My parents don't make much so I'll be relying on loans.

 
Mar 16, 07 8:04 am
b3tadine[sutures]

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Mar 16, 07 8:27 am  · 
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vado retro

i do not joke here. if your parents do not have much money do not go to architecture school. not only for the financial support they cannot offer, but also for the lack of networking that they can provide. in other words, if your folks cannot hire you to design their vacation home become a dentist.

Mar 16, 07 9:44 am  · 
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chupacabra

oh, vado.

Mar 16, 07 9:55 am  · 
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OutsideDream86

Currently, based on the schools I've heard from so far, I'm trying to decide between $3,000 a semester for U Houston, or $10,000 per semester for Georgia Tech. I really prefer the Georgia Tech program, but I don't know if that's enough to offset the triple price tag.

I haven't received any financial aid information yet, so I'm assuming the worst and planning on just loans. I hope though that I'll be able to get a TA or RA position, or do the co-op thing at Georgia Tech.

Hah that reminds me vado, my parents are looking into buying 5-10 acres of land on the outskirts of the town they live in, and my mom sent me an email that started, "I was looking at house plans online..." I wanted to bang my head against the wall. Stock plans...*shudders*

Mar 16, 07 10:12 am  · 
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chupacabra

Don't knock UH, best bang for the buck in Texas...and they are finishing up the new Berdette Keland design center next door to the Arch. school and filling it with digital manufacturing and prototyping technology...Georgia Tech is a great school too, though.

If you end up at UH try and take classes from Cord Bowen...he is a great professor.

Mar 16, 07 10:16 am  · 
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jackalope

Anyone who is counting on loans for grad school should also be applying to FAFSA, the federal online clearing house for financial aid. I'd also be asking around for research assistantships or TA jobs, they are ideal for grad students.

Mar 16, 07 9:25 pm  · 
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binary

slangin'......

if you dont make around 80,000 when you get out of grad school, dont even go......

rule of thumb... you need to make at least what you owe on a 1 year salary........

Mar 16, 07 9:54 pm  · 
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Living in Gin

Cryzko, don't you have anything else to do besides piss in other people's corn flakes? Maybe some of us who plan on going to grad school are doing so because we have higher ambitions than drawing strip mall roof details for the rest of our careers.

Mar 16, 07 10:01 pm  · 
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binary

not really... i dont wake up early enough to see cereal.....

my only view about grad school for architecture is that the amount of debt that gets acquired when you get out and you are still in a catch 22..... sure, i could have went to grad school...... accepted to cranbrook and art center...but all in all, i couldnt see myself dropping another 40-50,000 for another degree in a field that really doenst pay much...... for the amount of time/cash you spend you have paid for medical school and started making 40-50 an hour.....

sure, i like the whole studio feel of things and think it's great that people want to expanded their ways of thinking....... but you have to weigh out the factors involved before you get yourself in a debt that you cant get out of....

the key thing i believe is motivation..... if you are motivated to learn about architecture then research it on your own time and save a few dollars....get some books..... drop into schools and see crits.......i guess i'm still trying to think what a m.a. arch is good for if you have a b.a. arch anyways..... maybe for teaching purposes....but if you plan on using your m.a. to get more cash in a firm, i dont really think it will work as well as planned.....

to each his own i guess....... but dont limit yourself to doing one thing.....

Mar 16, 07 10:15 pm  · 
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NoSleep

Outside:

I heard Houston has good program. There is a revitalization of the downtown area and the school is creating synergy with this change. You should consider staying in TX and save the money.

Mar 16, 07 10:26 pm  · 
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Living in Gin

Well, for some of us who hold non-arch undergrad degrees, going to grad school is our only route to becoming a registered architect, especially for those of us who may want to teach someday. (Yeah, some states still allow registration without a professional degree, but that list is rapidly shrinking, and forget about reciprocity.)

And if any of us were in this strictly for the money, we'd all be using our skills to design video game environments. Speaking only for myself, I'd much rather be working with real bricks and mortar than pixels on a screen, even if it means not earning as much as I would otherwise.

Mar 16, 07 10:43 pm  · 
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OutsideDream86

Yeah NoSleep, it's a tough decision because I find Georgia Tech's (or Cincinnati's if I ever get in) co-op program very appealing. I have absolutely no background in architecture, and pretty much no job experience in anything. It's important to me to get real-world experience while learning things in the classroom. If someone told me that there were a lot of co-op opportunities like that for U Houston, I'd probably stay in Texas. But I'm completely on the fence still. Maybe I should just flip a coin or take a vote :-P

Mar 16, 07 10:50 pm  · 
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