im in a dilemma due to the fact that when i continue to think about the opportunities a m.arch can offer, the more and more confused i become.
i am considering a masters degree in architecture. currently i am in my 3rd year of interior design in Toronto. i absolutely love the field of both interior design and architecture, so the transition from one to another (and the fact that architects dont make as much money as people think) will not bother me. i do know and understand, in fact, the amount of studio work and other course work related to be completed for a masters in architecture.
the problem is, my aunt referred me to the university of cincinnati (she used to live there), but before i discussed school with her, i was planning to go to either pratt or columbia.
UC (public) is well known for its architecture program but situated in a "not so urban" city such as one like new york. i understand that they provide very good co-op opportunity and connections elsewhere. tuition and such are much cheaper than living in new york
pratt or columbia are private schools situated in an amazing city. i really dont know too much about co op opportunities, and the degree of help one can get after graduation. pratt's classes are very small, much like my program right now. i love having a LOT of one-on-one time with my profs. and of course, columbia is an ivy league school. oh and i have considered the prices of tuition and room and board.. woooooowww......
I would go to UC. There are probably more opportunities for jobs with their coop program, it's cheaper, and the focus seems to be a little more grounded.
There are more schools than the three you've mentioned. There are more cities than NYC (this second fact is debatable).
If location is important to you, (as in: being in an urban center) perhaps start by making a list of cities in which you'd consider living and studying.
Chicago, LA, Philly, Boston are all pretty "urban" cities and have a wide range of programs in a wide range of styles/prices.
I guess I'll add my $.02 here... I'm a Cincinnati native, currently living in NYC. I'm also hoping to start my M.Arch. at UC next year, and I've been through the summer architecture studio at Columbia, so I've had my foot in both camps. (I'll warn you upfront that I'm pretty burned-out with NYC and I've been itching to move back to Cincinnati for a while now, so my opinion is hardly unbiased.)
First of all, have you visited the schools, looked at the student work, spoken with the faculty, and checked out the facilities? I don't think UC and Columbia or Pratt could be more different from each other. I'm not saying one is necessarily better than the other -- that's for you to decide -- but there are vast differences between the programs that go way beyond the co-op thing. In a nutshell, Columbia and Pratt tend to be very experimental and all about pushing the envelope, while UC tends to be much more practice-oriented.
There's also the cost issue... Columbia and Pratt are vastly more expensive than UC, and the cost of living in New York City is orders of magnitude higher than in Cincinnati. $600 a month in Cincinnati can get you a decent one-bedroom apartment in a nice neighborhood near campus, while $600 a month in NYC might get you a rundown shared apartment in a marginal neighborhood 30 minutes from campus. I qualify for in-state tuition at City College, which is peanuts compared to Columbia, but when you factor in the cost of living, attending UC still comes out cheaper even though I'd be paying non-resident tuition my first year. And don't forget the fact that you'll be earning money once you start co-op.
Speaking of co-op... Things to consider:
1) You'll be earning much more money in school than you otherwise would be able to do during summer employment in conventional program.
2) In addition to the paycheck, you'll be making contacts in the industry and gaining experience you otherwise wouldn't have in a conventional program.
3) Going to UC still lets you do the NYC thing if you want. You can alternate between full-time studies in Cincinnati and full-time work in NYC, or any other city, so you'd really have the best of both worlds. And since you'll be earning money on your co-op quarters, you'll be able to enjoy a somewhat better quality of life than you otherwise would.
As for Cincinnati being "not so urban", I have to respectfully disagree. While it's nowhere near as vast as New York or Chicago, Cincinnati -- due to its history and topography -- has quite a few historic urban neighborhoods that wouldn't feel out of place in Brooklyn, Philadelphia, or Manhattan's Lower East Side. Even better than those places, though, is that you can still be out in the country in less than 20 minutes if you want. I find NYC to be incredibly oppressive, and find Cincy to be far more comfortable and easier to deal with. UC has an incredible campus that's loaded with starchitect-designed buildings, and while the city is generally known for being very risk-averse and conservative, I think things are finally starting to open up a bit.
You'll have to make up your own mind as to which city and school is the best fit for you, but don't be so quick to judge a place without getting all the facts.
To give you some local flavor, here's a couple photos I took around Cincinnati over the past few months...
Campus rec center @ UC by Morphosis:
Cincinnati's Pendleton neighborhood, next door to downtown:
Fourth Street downtown:
Typical streetcar suburb in Northern Kentucky, a 5-minute drive from the photo above:
location of SCHOOL/LOCATION or PROGRAM OFFERINGS
im in a dilemma due to the fact that when i continue to think about the opportunities a m.arch can offer, the more and more confused i become.
i am considering a masters degree in architecture. currently i am in my 3rd year of interior design in Toronto. i absolutely love the field of both interior design and architecture, so the transition from one to another (and the fact that architects dont make as much money as people think) will not bother me. i do know and understand, in fact, the amount of studio work and other course work related to be completed for a masters in architecture.
the problem is, my aunt referred me to the university of cincinnati (she used to live there), but before i discussed school with her, i was planning to go to either pratt or columbia.
UC (public) is well known for its architecture program but situated in a "not so urban" city such as one like new york. i understand that they provide very good co-op opportunity and connections elsewhere. tuition and such are much cheaper than living in new york
pratt or columbia are private schools situated in an amazing city. i really dont know too much about co op opportunities, and the degree of help one can get after graduation. pratt's classes are very small, much like my program right now. i love having a LOT of one-on-one time with my profs. and of course, columbia is an ivy league school. oh and i have considered the prices of tuition and room and board.. woooooowww......
so i need some help: location or offerings?
I would go to UC. There are probably more opportunities for jobs with their coop program, it's cheaper, and the focus seems to be a little more grounded.
location or offerings?
both.
There are more schools than the three you've mentioned. There are more cities than NYC (this second fact is debatable).
If location is important to you, (as in: being in an urban center) perhaps start by making a list of cities in which you'd consider living and studying.
Chicago, LA, Philly, Boston are all pretty "urban" cities and have a wide range of programs in a wide range of styles/prices.
keep diggin' yo!
I guess I'll add my $.02 here... I'm a Cincinnati native, currently living in NYC. I'm also hoping to start my M.Arch. at UC next year, and I've been through the summer architecture studio at Columbia, so I've had my foot in both camps. (I'll warn you upfront that I'm pretty burned-out with NYC and I've been itching to move back to Cincinnati for a while now, so my opinion is hardly unbiased.)
First of all, have you visited the schools, looked at the student work, spoken with the faculty, and checked out the facilities? I don't think UC and Columbia or Pratt could be more different from each other. I'm not saying one is necessarily better than the other -- that's for you to decide -- but there are vast differences between the programs that go way beyond the co-op thing. In a nutshell, Columbia and Pratt tend to be very experimental and all about pushing the envelope, while UC tends to be much more practice-oriented.
There's also the cost issue... Columbia and Pratt are vastly more expensive than UC, and the cost of living in New York City is orders of magnitude higher than in Cincinnati. $600 a month in Cincinnati can get you a decent one-bedroom apartment in a nice neighborhood near campus, while $600 a month in NYC might get you a rundown shared apartment in a marginal neighborhood 30 minutes from campus. I qualify for in-state tuition at City College, which is peanuts compared to Columbia, but when you factor in the cost of living, attending UC still comes out cheaper even though I'd be paying non-resident tuition my first year. And don't forget the fact that you'll be earning money once you start co-op.
Speaking of co-op... Things to consider:
1) You'll be earning much more money in school than you otherwise would be able to do during summer employment in conventional program.
2) In addition to the paycheck, you'll be making contacts in the industry and gaining experience you otherwise wouldn't have in a conventional program.
3) Going to UC still lets you do the NYC thing if you want. You can alternate between full-time studies in Cincinnati and full-time work in NYC, or any other city, so you'd really have the best of both worlds. And since you'll be earning money on your co-op quarters, you'll be able to enjoy a somewhat better quality of life than you otherwise would.
As for Cincinnati being "not so urban", I have to respectfully disagree. While it's nowhere near as vast as New York or Chicago, Cincinnati -- due to its history and topography -- has quite a few historic urban neighborhoods that wouldn't feel out of place in Brooklyn, Philadelphia, or Manhattan's Lower East Side. Even better than those places, though, is that you can still be out in the country in less than 20 minutes if you want. I find NYC to be incredibly oppressive, and find Cincy to be far more comfortable and easier to deal with. UC has an incredible campus that's loaded with starchitect-designed buildings, and while the city is generally known for being very risk-averse and conservative, I think things are finally starting to open up a bit.
You'll have to make up your own mind as to which city and school is the best fit for you, but don't be so quick to judge a place without getting all the facts.
To give you some local flavor, here's a couple photos I took around Cincinnati over the past few months...
Campus rec center @ UC by Morphosis:
Cincinnati's Pendleton neighborhood, next door to downtown:
Fourth Street downtown:
Typical streetcar suburb in Northern Kentucky, a 5-minute drive from the photo above:
More Cincy photos can be found here and here.
i think the bigger issue would be
cost of the school and how much you REALLY want to put yourself in debt.
look for the education that fits YOU and not because the school is hott or cool/etc......
i agree with zug and Living in Gin- location is temporary. quality/direction of program and cost will follow you around much longer
i agree with zug and Living in Gin- location is temporary. quality/direction of program and cost will follow you around much longer
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