i'm posting an update : for all of you who read and don't have a response : think fast..

first word / thing that comes to mind when you hear : M.Arch @ RISD :

the 4 risd grads/students i've met have been pretty strong designers and had lots of positive things to say about the program.

almost everything at RISD was "hands on" stuff (I was there 1 year, doing advanced courses) - I can't see how that could be bad in the "real world" as opposed to, say, a high-end theoretical education. The artiness is fun. And the analytical skills of many of the professors are also remarkable. Highly recommend.

I'm in the middle of an M.arch at RISD. Email me if you have questions or need specific impressions that might help you make a decision.

saw a presentation by Hansy B. and Anthony P. (just woke up, not gonna google for last name spellings) of Studio Luz and some of the the work they showed of their students at RISD seemed pretty strong. Seemed to be investigations into 'craft' and 'meaning' within a social context. Not sure if this is just those specific courses or a general theme to the program.

first word? Broke!

sorry, that could be any program, not just RISD.

It will be a very interesting time to be at RISD with the new director guy from MIT taking charge.

anyone know if RISD is thinking about getting a M.ArchII or similar to compliment the M.ArchI program?

Just wanted to bump this thread along...

There must be other folks out there going to or leaning towards RISD. What are your thoughts? I'm about 90% sure, but want to visit before I make up my mind. What do people think about the program? I'm a little concerned about the mix of grad w/ undergrad. Is that for every course? What did you guys think of the book they sent out describing the core studio? Any recent RISD grads want to chime in as to what they're up to? Let's discuss........

if you couldn't find anything wrong with their Master's program so far, then the next 3 years should be full of surprises.....

care to expand on that?

why not?

i was in the master's program at risd for a year, after which i transferred to ut austin, so i can draw a comparison from my own experience in both places.

risd, for one thing, has a great studio culture -- everyone is there 24/7 working at it. the curriculum (which has been changed since from what i hear) was definitely dogmatic, all about tectonics. you don't get to choose your studio professors during the first year, so the studio experience can range from great to awful. i experienced both, and for the bad one you won't get much support from the school. many faculty is just visiting, which in my view affects the quality of the teaching.

the atmosphere in the studio is far from enjoyable, as risd emphasizes the bootcamp-style teaching. everyone is stressed out and overworked, which might explain the high dropout rates. the reviews can be brutal. classes other than studio are of a particularly low quality. i took theory both at UT and risd -- the difference is difficult to put in words. if the mix with undergrads works great in studio, in theory and construction it definitely affected the pace of the class. facilities pretty much suck compared to all schools i have visited, and the school is as bureaucratic as it gets.

risd has a great reputation, which doesn't have much to do with the current state of things there. i'd highly recommend visiting both risd and other schools before enrolling there. my personal opinion is that the school is extremely overpriced for what it has to offer. there were definitely some kids who loved it, but also a whole lot who didn't.

my 2 cents.

dmc thanks for sharing that it's hard to get honest opinions...

any thoughts on the whole cross-registering @ brown thing? is that a reality? Your description makes the program seem like a 3-year beatdown, i wonder if that's a career-crusher more than anything...

that's interesting. not that I doubt you, but when I went to visit my impression was of a very laid back atmosphere. Everyone seemed to be having a good time, and the crits I sat in on (which were informal), all seemed very collegial and supportive, not "brutal".
That was not my impression of berkeley, where everyone seemed overworked and unhappy, or of harvard, where there was more bullshit coming out of people's mouths that you could shake a stick at.
It does seem like the studio is the hub of activity, but that's sort of the point of the program isn't it? It is oriented around the development of visual literacy as a means to create architecture, not theory.
All that said, the grad-undergrad mix does still worry me... but there are a lot of places where seminars are cross-enrolled, I would be more concerned about the studios. Are you saying that you did like the mix in studio, or are you just repeating the the school's position that it works well?

I'd love to hear from anyone else on this, especially anyone that's going to RISD in the fall.....

I'm on the waitlist and will go if I get a spot. I'm pretty excited about the school and I think it has a great atmosphere, also excited about John Maeda coming from the Media Lab.

Oxbow are you going?

i'm going!

I'll be there....

I got into the march option 1 as well and i'm going to be at the open house on tuesday. I went to undergraduate at risd for interior architecture but i took studio class in the architecture dep and the industrial dep. i would say if you are worried about the level of criticism i would worry too much. it can definitely get brutal at time but you develop a thick skin and most of the time people are supportive and you are all in the same boat anyway. i loved going to risd but it is definitely a bit disfunctional and i didn't think that the job placement services that they offered were what they could be. that being said i know the maeda has put a priority of that and the image of risd to the outside world in general so maybe that will change.

i myself am trying to choose btw rice and risd. i think rice's program looks fantastic but it might be to focus and architectural if you know what i mean. i'm worried coming from risd that i won't fit in there. does anyone have any comments on that?

RISD is a great school and despite the narrowness of being within an art school it is one of the most diverse programs in the U.S. I think. It is definitely dysfunctional but that isn't all bad. It is small enough that you can make a big impact with some organization and friends behind you.

I graduated with a BArch which is intermingled with the March. I would just advise those of you going into the March program to keep an open mind at all costs. RISD was all I knew when I started so the craziness seemed normal. It is very dogmatic, especially the first year but at the same time it puts more emphasis on individual development than any school I've seem. You essentially write and implement you're own curriculum for the final year.If all goes as planned you should leave with a portfolio full of process, individual thought and unique imagery.

RISD kids tend to be scrappers. Most of the people I know that recently graduated have found jobs, not necessarily at a Starchitect office, but at good small offices at least.

my friend who graduated from risd's m.arch used to work for calatrava for about 2 yrs. he got to work on wtc until he was laid off 6 months ago. now, he's traveling like there's no tomorrow all over asia so he's not too sad.