wow.

I just graduated from the MArch II program last summer.

Its a tough question to answer for a couple of reasons. One it depends on your interests. If you like sustainability it is a great place. If you want to make high tech designs go somewhere else.

There are a bunch of great young professors and the new Dean is really trying to change the school for the better. However, they are underfunded and are lacking in some key resources - like a model shop.

Remember that if you chose to go there you ahve to spend two years in Eugene. Its a nice city but is SMALL. It's not LA, NYC, Chicago or even Portland. You won't have all that much to do in town other than outdoor activities (which is plentiful and amazing). But there isn't lots of art and culture, sports and music like you would find in a big metropolis. There also isn't a lot of great architecture there.

They have a satellite branch in Portland which is an amazing city. I would try to spend at least a semester up there if you chose to go to UO. They also have a lot of study abroad programs (Kyoto, Finland, Rome, Macerata)

Where else did you get accepted?

Thanks for the feedback.

I've been wait listed by UPENN, but am planning on accepting the U of O offer in the meantime. I'm very interested in sustainable design and U of O has just started their Ecological Design Certificate program for MArch students. I've been considering doing a dual MArch/MLArch degree, and the Ecological Design Certificate seems like a viable alternative.

Penn seems like the obvious choice in terms of reputation, funding, potential connections etc, but the program at Oregon seem more in line with my academic interests.

Where did you do your undergrad?

UO has its heart in the right place and some great young professors working hard to make it a great education. I feel the students really need to alter their mindset and start working a little harder. I also think they need more funding but so does every school.

I think you will enjoy your time there. Make sure you take advantage of their study abroad programs. Make sure you apply for Graduate Teaching Fellowships (GTFs - they pay your full tuition and give a monthly stipend). Make sure you always preference studios with the best professors regardless of what the project description is - I can't stress this enough. The project you are working on doesn't matter if the professor isn't great. Look for studios and seminars by Brook Muller, Howard Davis, Nico Larco and Lars Bleher.

Also look at getting a work study position in the Energy Studies in Buildings Laboratory (ESBL). Its an amazing place to work and you will learn more about sustainability there than in any class. They also run a studio once a year. I had a great experience in that studio. Charlie Brown runs the lab and is the main professor of the studio - he shares the teaching responsibility with the other experts from the lab. They are all great people and amazingly knowledgeable.

Look into the Design Bridge student group. It is a student run design build organization working for community groups who are in need of design services but can't afford professionals. Its fantastic. www.designbridge.org

I'm just finishing up my undergrad at the University of Washington. My experience has been somewhat mixed. Similar to your description of UO, a lot depends on which professors you're working with and how much initiative you take.

Thanks for all the specific advice. I'll definitely keep it in mind.

Is there much support at UO in terms of developing a skill set in methods of digital representation and analysis? Students at UW are pretty much left to their own devices when it comes to acquiring these skills.

There is very little use of computers at UO. You could probably graduate without even owning one or doing and drawings on one. That is all left up to you. Every once in a while they have a course in rhino or something. They just got a cnc router and have been offering courses in how to use it.

Lars Bleher is pretty good with incorporating digital stuff...probably because he is one of the few professors who runs a design firm outside of teaching (in Frankfurt, Germany I think).