cln1, i'll make a general attempt to keep you informed of my drinking habits. alternately, make me a proposal.

andy: just sent you an email with my contact info, keep your eyes peeled.

thanks, pix, that was effective.

cou2, any news?

I think Final Reviews are in May, I'm not sure when you guys need to have your decisions in, but it would be a good time to come out for a visit. We are hosting one at our office but it would be better to go to one at the school to get a better idea of what's what.

Pixel-
I tried to send you an email via the 'nect and never heard back so i assume it was a similar thing. Get that fixed dude!

cou2-
I have a sister who's an admissions officer so I get to hear all about the process. Make sure you call the schools you didn't get into to find out why. They usually will have specific reasons and will let you know their reasoning. (at this time of the year they tend to be a bit hectored and grumpy so be nice) If you are thinking of re-applying it is definitely worth pursueing. I did the same thing out of high school since i missed the cut for scholarships at my first choice,. I re-submitted my portfolio and made it into the money the next year.


Andytee-
Anyone who wants to buy beers is always welcome in the Valley.

bah, not sure whats happening with the email - its via my .mac account so I'm not sure whats going on...

hahahaha... my grammar is horrible!

well, i've been to see the program, and...

i was hoping a trip out would leave me with a clear yes or no, but it's not that simple.

the cons - faculty seem disorganized and not super excited about the program, the studios (though expanding soon) are small and in a funky old building that leaks and has non-opening windows, they lack any sort of fabrication shop and any of the expensive equipment associated with such a shop, and the program in general doesn't seem very focused, and not all that interesting on the design side of things.

the pros - everybody is very nice and the culture seems very non-competitive, there are lots of opportunities to take leadership roles and define the direction of the program, the departments surrounding the program (MFA, L.Arch, Building Sciences, etc) are all high caliber and you can overlap into them to some degree, and, a huge one, I have in state tuition and it would be ridiculously cheap.

i'm leaning towards going, it's an easy move, an affordable program, and a good place (town wise and school wise) to have a kid (which we are doing next fall).

that said, i'd love any critical feedback.

western massers, i'll be on your side of the state on and off to scope things out and look into housing and work (leads welcomed) so if i can buy you a beer let me know.

mdler, assuming i go, i'll rock that pixes song all the way through.

After visiting the campus, my impressions we're similar to andytee's. To me it seemed like the program lacked focus. From my impressions they wanted students to chart out their own path. I guess there are both good and bad sides to that. I know they’re still growing and developing the program since it is still relatively new. So things could really change in a few years. It is pretty hard to commit myself to something I feel unsure about. The tuition waiver for those who work at local firms is a pretty attractive feature of the program. But the crowded studio space and lack of facilities isn’t. However, that should be getting better next year.

It seems like it is surrounded by good programs such as the MLA, MFA and Civil Engineering Programs. One professor mentioned that they were working on a dual degree with a program called Master of Building Materials and Wood Design. Sounds kind of interesting, but I couldn’t find anything about it on their website - only info on the undergrad program. Anyone know anything about it?

The environment there seemed pretty laid back. Both with students and professors. Everyone seemed very friendly. Ideally I would like a slightly more competitive and focused program - but still friendly. Even though UMass is a large school, the M.Arch program seemed rather small. I tried to find out how they were trying to develop and grow their program I didn’t really get any clear answers. I had a hard time getting good answers from professors on the program.

If they allowed me to do a dual degree in architecture and structural engineering I would probably go there. The wood design thing is pretty tempting as well. But I talked to them about those things and didn’t get much in the way of clear answers. I wanted to hear a “yes you can”, “no you can’t” or “we’ll look into it” - but instead got a hazy answer. Overall I have mixed feelings on the place. I was only out there for half a day - so it is really hard to form a solid opinion.

andytee,
drop me a line via my profile. Nothing like the promise of free beer to get a speedy response.

I'd also be happy to share some of my hard won Western Mass parenting knowledge.

foglite, done.

I ended up enrolling at UMass for their M.Arch program. I visited again and got to spend more time there as well as meet with a number of professors. I came away with a much better opinion than I did after my first visit. The program seems to allow students to choose their own path to a great extent. This is good for me since I want to work towards getting a Civil Engineering degree at the same time. Students looking for a very structured and focused program probably won't will find it at UMass (at least that's my impression).

Many of the faculty teaching in the M.Arch program are from other departments, such as the Building Materials & Wood Technology Program and Structural Engineering Dept. I'm not sure if this sort of inter-departmental collaboration is common in other M.Arch programs, but it was quite noticeable at UMass.

I talked to a some of the architecture faculty from other departments and thought that they were very sharp and quite involved with the architecture programs. I'm sure their involvement brings some interesting perspectives to the M.Arch program. Many prospective students are not that concerned about collaborations between departments - instead they are looking for more self-contained program. But for me this is a great feature of their program.

Some of my reasons for going there had nothing to do with the program. I'm pretty sure I could get into some "big name" programs if I just focused on my portfolio this time. At my age I just don't want to take another year off to reapply to schools for 2009. The possibility of going to school for almost nothing at UMass is another big plus. I could either try to find a assistantship on campus or do a paid internship at a local firm to receive a tuition waiver. It seems like most students in the M.Arch program are doing something to receive a tuition waiver.

Any possibility some current UMass MArch students will see this bump and want to tell those of us in the same position you were last year (debating whether to accept admission) what you think of the program now that you've been in it for a year?

I say if you are considering UMass, I recommend it. Also I posted here:

http://www.archinect.com/forum/threads.php?id=87097_0_42_0_C

I also signed on, and can more or less second massarch1. If you are considering - I'd say come visit in person and talk to us face to face. Feel free to message me if you want, I'd be happy to make some time.

andy! glad to see UMass has worked out for you!

thanks aaron. how's things on your side of the state?