Most grad schools have a couple of different programs, one for students who have a professional degree in architecture, one for students who have a pre-professional degree in architecture, and one for students who have a degree in something other then architecture. So you will be competing for spots with other students without degrees in architecture (people with degrees will be competing with other people that have degrees) and in theory most of those people will have minimal architecture experience and I would think that in some ways your design experience might help set you apart. (Though I guess I could see how leaving arch school then trying to go back could be taken as a negative, a lot of people start school and then leave and work or get a different degree and then go back to arch years later, so I dont think it would necessarily be a deal-breaker.)

One thing you may want to think about though is that most of the masters programs for non-architecture degrees are considerably longer then those for degree students. And the pre-professional degree might mean the difference between a program that last a year or two and a program that last three or four (meaning probably at least an extra year of costs-which can add up quickly, especially in grad school). You may should consider looking into five year BArch programs, you might be able to transfer into one, and be able to get a professional degree sooner and not have to go to grad school. (I certainly wish I had.)

Also, if you are sure you are going to transfer and are not going into an arch program at the new school, I would consider dropping the studio next semester. It is unlikely that anything you do in your second-year studio will go in your long-term portfolio anyway, and Most of what you learn second year has little relation to real-world professional situations. You might as well save yourself the time, money and stress. I would try to focus on getting transferable pre-requisite classes out of the way and doing really well in them-it will make you a much more appealing transfer student now and boast your GPA for applying to schools later. Also maybe some computer-tech/Auto-CAD/Revit/Adobe classes, they could help you get the summer internship.

while you seem to have some real concerns, disregarding your transcript for a moment here - what about the impact on you of missing out on two or so years of design?
You're right to want a good education, but if you know you're interested in architecture . . . ?

Thanks for your responses.

Jay, from what I've heard from other students in my program, there are some graduate schools that will take them in their 2 year programs, but most will not. From what I have read here most of the prestigious graduate schools such as Harvard, Yale, etc. still want three years regardless of how well your undergraduate program has prepared you.

I applied and got accepted to several B.Arch programs my first time around, and my decision to not do a B.Arch was a very painful one to make. The problem with a B.Arch is that then I would pretty much only be doing architecture, and there are some other subjects (English, history, computer science, sociology, the list goes on...) that I want to explore while I have the chance to. I was even thinking about possibly trying to major in computer science at my next school so that I would have a back-up skill, and I am very interested in ways of combining architecture and computer science such as parametric design.

My undergraduate degree is affordable right now, but I'm concerned that once I complete it there won't be money left over for graduate school. Since I am technically still a Florida resident I could go to New College for free under the Bright Futures program. There are some large public schools in Florida that have architecture programs, but large and non-interactive classes were one of the things that has scared me away from my current school.

I'm curious about your comment that "It is unlikely that anything you do in your second-year studio will go in your long-term portfolio anyway." By "long-term" portfolio, are you referring to the portfolio I would use for graduate school applications, or the portfolio I would eventually have produced after graduate school when I was looking for jobs? If it's the second case, that's likely to be true. If I did take another studio I would likely use it in my graduate school application, but I have also done a lot of artwork and based on my results with B.Arch applications I believe that I have enough work right now that if I did not do anything more I would still have a good portfolio. (Although I will still be taking at least art classes wherever I go.)

i luv everyone, you raise a good point. I know that abandoning architecture, even temporarily, is going to be a quite a sacrifice for me, and I'm considering a number of options including some schools that would still have design studios.

Ok.

As I said before most schools have a couple of different programs and most schools that I have looked at do indeed have a seperate program for people with a Bach of Arts in Architecture (a pre-professional degree, what I have by the way). If you have your heart dead set on Ivy League, then yes it is likely that regardless of whether or not you have a degree in architecture you will have to go through the whole program. However, most working architects did not go to Harvard, Yale or any other Ivy League school-and you certainly dont need to go there to be able to be successful in the profession. Many of my friends (also with pre-professional degrees) went right into grad school at pretty reputable states schools and finished their masters within a year or two.

Also whether you are in an BArch program or a Bach of Arts in Arch program, you will likely be doing nothing but architect after about your first year anyway. If complete dedication to architecture is a major problem for you, you may be in the wrong profession. Out of the 16/18 credit hours I took pretty much every semester of my college career, I would say at least 12 were arch related (either design studios, arch elective, or university standard required for graduation). And in grad school it will be even more intensive, because you will only be studying arch (and likely be required to also intern at some point). Not trying to discourage you, but you may want to think about if that is something you can really handle, it is intense and can beat down even the most committed.

Also, pretty much regardless of what school you go to, with almost any area of study (art, sociology, computer science, etc) classes beyond 100 level are going to be reserved for students in that major and the reality is that you will have to pick a major and while your new major may not be a time consuming as arch you will still have to follow that course and will be limited in class choices.

I'm a bit confused as to whether the school you are currently at is an accredited school or not. 'Large-non-interactive classes' does not sound like the way most accredited programs run, even at large state universities-I say this as someone who visited a lot of different schools both before undergrad and now while I am preparing for grad school. I think you need to do some serious research before you commit to any other program now or in grad school. Check out the NAAB website for a list of schools and info on their programs. There are literally over 100 accredited schools and most of a couple of different program types, you should be able to find one that fits your needs, even if it maybe doesnt have the 'name' you thought it would.

As for your portfolio, if you stay in a pre-professional program, your portfolio (for job or grad school) would most likely focus almost entirely on the work you do jr and senior year. The kind of stuff you do during your second semester of the program wont even compare to the kind of stuff you will be doing later on. If you leave an architecture program for now, then I guess you might use that work for a portfolio, but you are probably only going to do one or two projects and they will have none of the construction technology or structural elements that you would learn if you were to stay in the program. Once you have worked a real job in arch, your portfolio will probably be mostly professional work, because that is what firms will be interested in.

Also, Im a bit confused by your plans to take design studios while not in an arch program. I would imagine that the studio would be elective? I didnt know arch schools offered this, my school had a few elective history or construction classes that could be taken by non-major students, but not design studios. Most design studios are incredibly time-consuming both in credit hours and actual time spent in class-I wonder if someone maybe gave you some incorrect information about the way their program works. You seem to be planning to do A LOT of work to not get an arch degree.

If you are looking to receive a degree in computer science for the reasons of exploring parametric design... Architectural profession is growing to be increasingly integrated with digital modeling, rapid prototyping, etc... I'd say you'd gain enough exposure just by majoring in architecture and maybe minoring in computer science...

also, to agree with what jay said and to forewarn you, design studios become increasingly time consuming - unless you dedicate a lot of time to your elective studios, taking architecture courses may actually hurt your chances of getting into an arch grad program. If the admissions department sees that you received B's in your studio courses and A's in other subjects, they might question your dedication to architecture.

let me correct myself, what I meant to say was 'taking architecture courses as ELECTIVES'