did anyone go to their open house? how was it? i'm going on my own this coming Friday to talk to some students and profs

I want this thread to compete in popularity with some of the ivy-league discussion threads. Come on people, I've heard nothing but good things about this school and progressive, interesting group of proffessors

it's just as expensive as an ivy

the weather is colder

and people have guns

Hmmm . . . I went to their open house and didn't see any guns while I was there.

You're a 2G applicant right? I went through the 3G tour, but I imagine it was pretty similar. It looked like there were some interesting investigations going on in fabrication techniques recently. All of the faculty were very accessible, a wide selection of options studios to choose from. Perry Kulper's drawings were fascinating, they were a cross between architecture and information mapping.

Tom Buresh made a big point about how important it is to get out of Michigan, which is why they now give an automatic $1000 grant for international study, regardless if you apply for other grants or not. They have a program in Beijing that really struck me.

Coming from a background other than architecture, the diversity of paths to take within the program is appealing.

My brother is an engineer up on north campus and has never been stranded in the middle of the night anywhere. And in terms of scholarships, they've got $$millions$$. Everyone is invited to reapply each year so if you don't get one the first year . . . I'm aiming 3 for 3. Tons of TA positions too.

glad to see tom is pushing work being done in the area.

the study abroad programs are great actually. i went to oslo and mumbai during my time there.

the interesting thing is they don't play up the quality of architecture that is actually in michigan. most people haven't been to cranbrook, don't know who gunnar berkirts was, etc.

the weather in michigan also is not [i]that[i/] cold. ann arbor, mi is pretty mild for the midwest. chicago is actually colder.

wait a minute i mean to say that

i'm a 2g student at michigan right now and i have mostly good things to say.

the faculty is great, i like the open studio environment, and they have a ridiculous amount of resources available for the students. they offer a huge variety of classes, and also require that 2g students take two classes outside of the architecture school which i appreciate since michigan is great university. it is expensive, but with all of the available scholarships it is really not that bad. ann arbor is a nice place, though i can't really say the same for a lot of the other places around here. the weather is not that bad, but the fact that it is snowing today is disheartening.

also, the spring abroad studios seem pretty unique, given that this year we had eight places to choose from, including iceland, ghana, argentina, china, japan, switzerland, guatemala and india. they also do a fall program in florence that is supposed to be great.

i've only been here for a year, but i am definitely glad that i chose michigan over the other schools that i considered.

I was at the University of Michigan in early March ... it's a fantastic place. I also liked the A+A building ... it had good energy.

Someone at my firm mentioned Perry Kulper. He said to take one of his drawing classes- he said it will change your life. A lot of their faculty started here at SciArc and left with Buresh.

i took perry's drawing class...probably my favorite so far. i can't look at architecture the same way as before, and drawing has completely changed the way i see all forms of representation. plus perry is just great.

i think you're right about the faculty from sci-arc. not including tom buresh, i can think of at least five other profs from sci-arc. they have really changed the direction of the school, but combine this new direction with a diverse program and the benefits therein. nothing against sci-arc (i almost chose to go there) but i feel that the balance in the faculty makes it really work well.

the energy here is great, especially this time of year when final reviews/thesis reviews are 2-3 weeks away.

agreed

I'm going to be starting this summer in the 3g program and I went to the recruitment open house last week. Ann arbor seems like a great little college town, which is a nice change for me, having lived around east coast cities most of my life. The students that I talked to really seemed to love what they were doing and the overall atmosphere of the faculty and student body seemed comfortable and approachable. And the financial aide opportunities and abroad programs really impressed me. I can't wait to start.

i'm just finishing my first year of the 3g program.. it's been pretty good, not perfect, but there are some great faculty here. you have to be careful about which classes you choose. the travel abroad is a great program from what i hear, i'm going to beijing this spring, and i'm going to try to actually keep up with the blog so that ya'll can see for yourselves. i think overall, the program's strength is in the huge number of good faculty, and the diversity of interests, ideas that they bring here.

it won't be all fun, it won't be all perfect but odds are, that at the end of your furst year, you'll be really happy with yourself.

ps, if any of you coming here for the 3g summer program need a place to live for june-august, email me

i took a look at the UM website. it's cool that they offer a variety of opportunities for foreign study...but the international studios, with exception to the full semester in Florence, seem to be 6 week trips, rather than complete semesters abroad. is this always the case?

they range from 3-8 weeks of travel, with the shorter trips accompanied by a studio here when you get back.

they are "spring" studios, which is michigan code for summer (we have a fall semester and a winter semester). they range from 3 o 6 credits. the florence program is a full semester in the fall.

also, many of the regular studios have a travel component as well. this year in my program, 2G2, studios traveled to places that dealt directly with their given projects, such as new orleans, argentina, and toronto. these trips were each for a week or so, and the school helps pay for them. if you want to travel, come to michigan.

it definitely sounds cool, but after taking a closer look (and from your reply), it's not as unique as it first seemed. for example, the foreign studio situation is no more extensive than UF's or WashU's. as an undergrad at UF, i spent a fall semester in Vicenza and did a summer studio in Hong Kong. Summer studios are also offered every year in Mexico and Nantucket (not exactly "abroad" i know). the shorter within-the-semester trips happen too, rather to finland, the netherlands, india, or californistan.

not intended as criticism or anything, just observation. UMich is on my not-so-shortlist for places to apply for grad school. international studios are a factor for me, so I'm just trying to learn more about what is offered...

thanks for your response, gasoline.

University of Michigan will more than likely be one of the places I will apply to in the fall. That is, if I decide to go to grad school right out of undergrad.

no problem, i definitely agree with you that it is not completely unique, but i think it is one of the better programs for traveling and studying abroad.

i'm planning on going to florence for the coming fall semester, so if you have any questions about it, let me know.

good luck on your applications!

It was the variety of directions of study available that made me pick Michigan. I'm starting the 3G this summer also.

Well, it's official, I'm going to Ann Arbor

what happened to change your mind? I thought Penn was your golden ticket.
anyways, see ya there!

Michigan was more exciting, had more reasources, was more diverse and creative.

Furthermore it was about 15k's cheaper a year and I could get a dual major in the time it would take me to just major in architecture at Penn. I'm thinking architecture + urban planning

I'm pretty damn excited to be in Ann Arbor

is anyone in interested in subleasing in downtown or kerrytown?

Omg, I have like 4 days to decide where I am going to school. Right now it's between UMich and Ohio State. I go to OSU, but I'm thinking that going somewhere else would be beneficial in the long run. Anyone who is in the MArch 2g program now have any comments or reasons why I might choose MI over OSU???

I've seen work from both schools, and I'd say Michigan has a substantially stronger grad program. If your choice is down to two schools in the midwest, then location isn't an issue - neither Columbus or Ann Arbor offers much in the way of an urban experience.

OSU has a better building.

Michigan has a more diverse student body.

OSU has better chairs for critics.

Michigan has a younger faculty (good or bad? not sure.)

OSU has a better football team.

Michigan students have better work and prospects in the end.

Go to Michigan.

michigan is substantially higher in quality than harvard. no doubts.

leidio-

thats great

i know you're just kidding, but be careful about the arrogance factor.

who's kidding

do you mean me le bossman? i'm not kidding.

no, that wasn't for you- Michigan is quality

go away

save the burning money!!!! AHHHHH!!!!!

michigan is quality, to a point, but a lot of umich students possess what i would call an unfounded arrogance. obviously you are joking, but its obnoxious to see all the liberal arts students walking around centcamp with their t-shirts which say "Harvard, the Michigan of the East Coast." and yes, i did say centcamp.

i don't get the joke... LBM- i think you're right, about the arrogance, but i mostly just hear it from law and business students. trust me, they're th eons wearing those shirts, my shirt says "tuna, the chicken of the sea"

Yea, their is a comradely spirit at Michigan unlike anywhere. It also appears that the students are the happiest and most enthusiastic ones. That's what I've seen walking around studio and campus. It's ok that public schools are as good- it will be ok. It's just a shirt- don't let it get you down.

I went to the TCAUP website to register as a prospective student but they have yet to update the form. The only options for expected date of entry are Spring 2007 and Fall 2007.

see j knows what i'm talking about. he was there.

i'm gonna echo colcol's feelings about umich now that i'm out for the summer and not in the whole stressful mayhem that fosters irrationality inside my head.

it was an awesome year.
getting out alive is something i'm proud of.

i'll be working at SOM this summer which had been a pre-architecture school dream of mine (refer back to my old posts, when i asked about iit vs. umich and how my love of skyscrapers would fare in either place).


to whoever's joining us next year, don't let the summer stress you out. the teachers are far better once you are past the summer session and it felt like a completely new school once we were out. in reality, summer was almost scarring, and is not too representative of what the school is like during the year. there is a lot of babble in the summer and a torturous trend of ambiguity in every single crit that, i feel, was meant to totally mess with our heads in a semisadistic fashion.

BUCKEYES FOR LIFE