gotta find me a lady friend with wheels...

"lady friend"

plenty of those at SCI-Arc ;-)

motorcycle time :)

when is yale open house by the way?

i don't know i think you can do LA w/o a car... I live on the westside and drive a beater, my bf bikes everyday. I walk to the grocery store & take the bus to work when my car breaks down. It would def. cut down on your freedom and movement to check out the city to not have a car at all - but if everyone else has one... just pay for parking/gas sometimes :P

motorists here are generally really bike-stupid though. i'm personally scared of biking the streets, working up to it. busses and feet are better.

... it may be super different over by sci-arc though.

yale open house is the 9th if I remember correctly...

hey rocksauce, if you can go relatively comfortably to yale, where it won't put a damper on your life for decades to come, i think you should. it will def. give you the initial edge, you'll meet more people from powerful/influential places that can open more doors for you, it will give you more freedom to pursue other things other than a practitioner's route, i mean by all means, if you have help and it's handleable, you should go! it will def. arm you well.

i was just merely sharing my observations/experiences from the practicing side, that wherever you graduate from, that degree is not the end all and be all, especially in this country where we have too many great schools that we actually stress out choosing where to go!!!

thanks blacksmith, not sure if that was a rise but more like something i carved for myself working that much harder and def. longer over many years. i guess in my experiences, i always knew i had so much more "proving" to do so you just become that aggressive and hungry. but i think once you prove yourself to superiors and colleagues alike, it's hard to regress, you keep on going and excelling in whatever you do. however, whatever it was and as generously rewarded as i was, i hated being pigeon-holed and was so unfulfilled and suffocated being somewhat of an int. designer while being somewhat of an arch. being neither here or there really...

anyway, i posted way too much today, good luck everyone!

Does anyone know how many people are usually put on a waitlist and the likelihood of actually getting an acceptance?

for those who went to penn open house... what did you think??

I was accepted into the Parsons M.F.A. in lighting program. Could you guys please share any information that you know about this specific program, or Parsons in general??? Thank you so much!! : )

UIC open house - sorry for the long post:

I attended the UIC graduate open house this past weekend and could not be more pleased with the school! The director, Bob Somol, is very inspiring and there seemed to be a great energy behind what they are doing there. The faculty talked about what they are personally working on and everything seemed very interesting. Having gone through 4 years of architecture undergrad it was a breath of fresh air to hear from faculty who are very excited and interested in what they are doing. Most of the faculty come from some very prestigious schools yet they all seem to be very approachable and down to earth. One of my favorite things about the school is the administration. Kristin the graduate adviser is just wonderful. She actually cares about the students and I will be happy not to have to struggle with the administration as I was used to. Each studio professor gave a brief presentation about the studio they are currently teaching. The students work was really impressive but most of all I really liked the type of projects each studio had to work on. I got advanced standing into the 2nd year program so I will be a little jealous of the program that the 3 yr students will be doing.

Walking around the studios it seems that most of the students were working on their computer in 3D or were making models. I did get to talk to some current grad students and they said that most professors will let you work in what ever media you like. That was nice to hear since I was a little concerned because I didn't see much drawing or painting etc.

My biggest con with the program is the building. Bob Somol mentioned that he liked the building and its "casino like feel". There is simply a lack of windows. There are many sky lights but I would just like more windows to look out of. The studios did seem to have enough work space. Not a crazy amount of space but definitely more than you get at say...Columbia (they have very little space!)

On the financial side; the school does have work/studies and most of the grad students have assistantships that they got either after one semester or after the first year. The assistantships usually have tuition waivers and stipends.

Anyways for me I will be heading to UIC. I really like the direction this program is going thanks to Bob and I'm very excited to be a part of something at the onset. Being in Chicago the school seems to have strong connections to the firms in the city and I'm confident that I might actually have a job when I graduate ; )

If you have any questions feel free to ask me.

anyone go to the cornell open house? care to share?

Fraggle: Congrats on UIC. Bob Somol was a professor at OSU when I there. He's a great guy, and if I had to sum him up in one word it would be brilliant. Good luck!

The RISD open house was pretty good. I am totally convinced now. I am in for sure.

It was great to meet you Mikan! It will be great to be classmates with you next fall.

Any other archinecters there yesterday???

I see there are a few 2009 March Facebook groups already. I created one for RISD if anyone is interested:

RISD Facebook Group

I created a 2009 m.arch group on facebook for sci-arc

http://www.facebook.com/groups/create.php?success=1&customize&gid=69492222759#/group.php?gid=69492222759


i did it real quick, so please feel free to suggest any changes or additions.

i think this link is better...maybe

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=69492222759

lightandshadow - did you go to the Parson's open house? Shoot me an email with specific questions and be sure to tell me what you're looking to get out of the program/your goals in life. I think I have a pretty good sense of the school at this point.

anyone have info for gsd reception in nyc?

i know address and time but no details.

Fraggle, I share your sentiments on the UIC open house. It had a very optimistic/romantic feeling to it, similar to when you first start a new project and before you get into the drudgery of it. There was a lot of camaraderie between the young faculty - poking fun at each other and being generally excitable (a good trait in instructors I think).

+'s
*somol
*theoretical bent
*the city
*enthusiastic students/faculty
*barcelona study abroad sounds great (and is cheaper than out of state tuition to boot)
*solid lecture series

-'s
*somol
*at least a couple of the young faculty are obviously not interested in teaching and are there for the resources to fund/assist their academic projects
*the campus is the ugliest campus i've ever seen
*the building is almost as bad as the campus

All said i'm going - see you there in the fall Fraggle.

just need to send in my deposit and decide if i want to live on campus..... cranbrook here i come....

Hey all-

I've narrowed down my pool to two schools- U Mich and Wash U St.Louis.

I was wondering if anyone had any insight between the two. I attended both open houses and like facets of both schools, despite their obvious differences. Financially, they are nearly identical in cost given my various financial aid situations, so that doesn't weigh in at all for me.

Any insight is much appreciated- thank you!

Just received stats from GSD M.Arch I AP....4% acceptance rate :/

Just got in at SCI-Arc!!! WOOOHOOO! yikes, now a tough decision to make and less than a week to make it!

awesome black smith! which schools are in the running?

Thanks newport! It's between UT and SCI-Arc, both excellent programs.

SCI-Arc is more of what I am looking for education-wise, but the ability to go to UT for such a great value (tuition is half the cost of SCI-Arc since I'm in Texas) is hard to neglect. Not to mention a three-hour drive home for the holidays sounds more appealing than a 1000 dollar plane ticket...I am so torn :( Can't I just go to both?

I will e-mail UT and ask for more time now that SCI-Arc is in the picture. Is anyone considering these 2 school any closer to a decision? Which way are y'all leaning?

black s.

i would do UT if it costs you less.... compare both and see. waht alot of students forget is the loan paybacks when they get done with school...

I would pick SCI-Arc if only for this http://www.sciarc.edu/portal/about/resources/counseling.html

jk. but this is both hilarious and disturbingly practical.

seems to me like a choice between a highly conceptual and experimental environment with a heavy cost vs. a sustainable design environment (with design/build opportunities) at little cost. what are your goals? whose resources match with those? what opportunities would the extra money give you? it seems to me, since you're a Texas resident, that you applied to UT for the cost, since the two programs are so different, and that you really want to go to SCI-Arc. But if that's not the case, then UT seems like a better option.

this coming from someone who accepted UT and didn't apply to SCI-Arc, for full disclosure.

go the design build route.... you can experiment on competitions/etc...

actually learn something in school and not abstract art-chi-texture

ocotillo! can i email you with questions about UT?!! I really am leaning towards UT, but have some q's and would love if you could offer your insight!

Thanks for the input, both schools have qualities in-line with my goals. I think the resources at UT are very difficult to top with the materials lab, architectural archive, and professional residency program. They offer outstanding faculty and are leaders in sustainability. The design build opportunities are appealing as well. All very attractive qualities.

SCI-Arc, on the other hand, would be better at stimulating my tendency towards digital design methods, new technologies, and complex form. Additionally, I believe all of the faculty at SCI-Arc are practicing architects. As a result, SCI-Arc would offer outstanding opportunities to network. I admire the SCI-Arc mission statement "Re-define the edge."

I believe I would be able to find what I'm looking for at each school. A goal of mine is to work abroad (Holland or UK probably) for a short while after graduation. I think SCI-Arc (for its networking) and UT (for its residency program) both offer the potential to assist me with this.

Good luck to everyone facing a tough decision, I'll keep everyone posted on what's up with me...

Blake Smith

I am in a similar position wrestling between SCI-arc and Kansas (and their amazing Studio 804). It is a crazy decsion, right - practical vs theoretical.

Are you going to the Open House? I am going to grille the prof.s on what amount of sustainability and practical knowledge they provide/expect. I have 5 years of work experience under my belt - most of it geared towards sustainability - so if there is no one there who is interested in building rationaly and efficiently, no matter what their predilictions on form are, then I'll be headed to Kansas.

Likewise, however, I am going to be grilling the Kansas professors on their willingness to explore form and theory.

Besides - the real question is where do I want to live, Kansas or LA...

Glad to see someone else is trying to make the same decision between a rock and a hard place...good luck!

to anyone going to the GSD thing tonight, wear orange.

I don't know about the architecture program at Kansas, but heed my advice about Lawrence:

Be careful about this place! Living here for longer than 2 years at a time will drain you of all passion, creativity, and worldliness. You will slowly feel your life being sucked down the drain of a Midwestern college town that has an obscene relationship with sports.

Summers: Too hot to spend more than 20 minutes at a time outside. Every building over-air-conditioned inside.

Winters: Bitterly cold, dark, gloomy. Ice on the hill makes it dangerous to try walking to school without spikes/cleats (seriously!!)

Housing - Two choices:
A. Live in a historic, quaint, walkable neighborhood at the cost of co-existing with drunken frat guys who destroy all personal property they encounter along the path between the bar and the after-party, brawl loudly in the street, etc.
B. Live in a soulless empire of apartment complexes along 23rd street - the miracle mile of Wendy's, McDonald's, Dunkin Donuts, liquor stores, car dealerships, gas stations, frozen custard stands, and so on. Must drive a car.

At the same time, living in a place like Lawrence forces you to concentrate on work alone.... (no other alternatives)

pablodiablo-(and others struggling with "practical vs. theoretical")

why do you want a program that is so technical and practical when you already have five experience with that? i've been working with a design build architect for about a year and i'm of the belief that school should be used to maximize your design and expiremental capacities and processes while you've got all these amazing faculty minds and creative talents there to help you. The practical stuff is the easy part and can be picked up along the way and after. just practical is a general contractor or an engineer. i imagime we all choose architecture, because we want to be creative and artful?

i have no interest in spending thousands of dollars and countless hours going to school learning stuff that i'll pick up on the job or through other experience. i want my school experience to be about learning how to think, create and develop. to "re-define the edge", icluding my own edge(design speaking),which is why i'll be at sci-arc in the fall, even though the tuition makes me fearful. so be it, i don't want to look back on my life and regret no getting the best education i could.

just a thought.

sure, stay creative and waste even more money on designing morphed buildings and other shit that holds no weight in the real built environment.

if you learn how things are actually assembled and designed for production and capabilites of making projects instead of rendering projects then i think your portfolio will be better off. if you already have a b.a. in arch. then why do another 2 years of more 'hypothetical' projects.

i just think it's bullshit that colleges don't have at least 1-2 design/build studios, even if it furniture/interiors. learn how to frame a wall, design a bracket, cut hardwoods and plywoods....understand the materials..... it's alot easier to type/spec a note in a dwg. but i would doubt that most actually know the properties of said materials..

plywood/lumbercore/plybo/mdf/steel/stainless/aluminum/tempered glass/lam glass

hardware/fasteners/oval head/flat head/socket head/carriage bolts/lags/teenuts/inserts/panel bolts/

cnc/bridgeport/lathe'/laser/shear/

paints/enamels/laquers/latex/


just saying.... hands on experience should be worth something in this field

Pablo,

Sorry for the delayed response, had a nice little 9 hour shift at the sweet mall gig I just picked up. It is reassuring to know someone else is coming from a similar situation. I would be happy to know that there are some people at SCI-Arc who are concerned with sustainability (and I guess practicality to a certain extent, but I do agree that college is the time for experimentation). I think I may have read about a course on sustainability in their course packet. Let me know how your decision process goes.

Lesser and Pablo, which program were you admitted to?

I visited and toured the SCI-Arc last summer, but don't think I will be able to make it to the open house. Pablo and Lesser, you will have to fill me in on it. I didn't really get to speak with any of the profs while I was there last year.

blake- i was admitted to m.arch 1.

Blake,

I was admitted to the M.Arch2 program - No problem, I will fill you in on whatever I find at the Open house - should be fun

Anyone care to share what their Open House experiences were like? No matter which school, what did you like/dislike? Was it organized? Fun? Inspiring? Informative? Exciting? Or none of the above? Feel free to share. I'm curious as to how they all compare....

Did any Sci-Arc wait listers receive financial aid award letters today? The letter said I had to accept/decline by May 1st. How am I supposed to do that if I haven't been accepted yet?

monarca-

you got awarded scholarships as a wait lister?? Or am I reading that wrong?

lessermatters-

no scholarships, just federal loans. I haven't been accepted from the wait list (M.arch 1), so was wondering why their financial aid department was sending me an award letter. Is this normal?

not sure. i was accepted and i haven't been e-mailed or snail mailed anything yet. not sure why.

I cant wait until the 2010 thread!

I haven't received an aid package from SCI-Arc yet either...will probably call them later today.

Entasis79 - looks like i'll be going to RISD... just found out i got the scholarship (woohoo!). i shall see you there.

So here's a question for all of you:

Go to school A which is another $80k in debt (plus the added stress of living back at home),

Or go to school B which has accepted me on conditions that I take an undergrad studio along with some other undergrad systems classes?

Oh wheres the damn easy button when I need it!

CONGRATS MIKAN!!