This is for MArch, by the way.

I'd have to do:
3.5 years at WUSTL,
2 years at UO (first year in Eugene, second year option to transfer to Portland Campus)

It depends what you are looking for....

Both are great schools -

if you can afford it, I would tend to think you could get a lot out more development out of WashU in 3.5 years. Take advantage of the international semesters as they will no doubt have a critical influence on you and your design pallet.

However, Portland is a fantastic case study in its own... when you visit, try to see how much communication there is between the two campuses... this is critical if you plan to break up your two years between the campuses... UO is the national leader in sustainability, and they really have an excellent focus on community oriented design and urban regeneration... pretty fundamental questions that your generation is going to have to answer to.

If you feel very strongly about one program over the other when you visit, by all means, go for it.
Just make sure you are not putting yourself into a financial bind. 100K+ of debt is something that you do not want to find yourself in.

Good luck

okay so i am from st louis and probably going to UO this year (didn't apply to wustl).

what i have to say is.. i looked at wustl architecture for undergrad, i went to their open house and they kept on talking classical this hierarchy that and i was COMPLETELY turned off.. didn't look back, went to cincinnati.
then after i graduated i went back to wash u just to check out a new building they built attached to the architecture school and i saw some student grad work (unofficial..i kind of snuck in the back door) and i was VERY impressed.

here's how i feel:
wash u and uo are very very different. uo hardly talks about theory at all, very practical program (which i'm happy about because i feel theory is more what you learn yourself and i'd rather go to grad school so i can become a competent architect and building anything i want to).

IF you did not have an undergrad degree in architecture then i think UO might be too practical and you will never explore your creative side/get a chance to explore 'architecture'

that said wash u is ridiculously expensive (at least for undergrad.. like $40k, and you might end up with a lot of students who can pay that easily if you know what i mean..that could be a good or bad thing for you).

But isn't UO quite expensive as an out-of-state student, and they won't let students gain residency while attending school, so you are locked into out-of-state for 3 years...

I appreciate your comments as I am considering both of these schools as well.

Could you please elaborate upon" "classical this, classical that" (paraphrase), when you were turned off?

And the facilities at Wash U, how are they comparatively?

How much parametric work is done at WUSTL?

I can't speak about Washington University in St. Louis, but as I just graduated from the Option II program from Oregon (Eugene), I can definitely speak about its program. To clarify, I have an pre-professional degree in architecture and to complete the professional degree, I spent another 2 years to acquire the M. Arch.

In terms of faculty, I'd attach myself to a few of them as they are the most useful for your career there and after (since they referred me to firms for finding work)- particularly Howard Davis, Erin Moore, and Brook Muller. As a whole, the tenured faculty are very good, but you will have adjuncts teaching your studios on occasion and possibly advanced graduate students grading and leading your discussion seminars. This latter aspect is a continued problem, but very handy in terms of financing your education - GTF's are pretty lucrative since they provide total tuition remission for the term, a monthly stipend, and health insurance.

While the master of architecture and its courses integrate sustainability, it's not nearly as pervasive as they let on frankly. You have to make it happen more than often, so be sure to enroll in classes such as Passive Heating and Cooling, Ecological Materials, and other similarly-titled courses. Perhaps more pervasive is the idea to create appropriate buildings in their settings as opposed some on-steroids sustainable building. The number of concentrations, including the Urban Design Concentration and the Graduate Certificate in Ecological Design are worthwhile to expand into more interdisciplinary fields and supplement your M. Arch.

The studios are VERTICAL studios; you will have 3rd-5th year undergraduates in your intermediate level studios and terminal studios. There is no design thesis and your final studios are two-termed with 15-16 people sharing one studio professor. This is not detrimental to your experience as I learned vast amounts from undergraduate colleagues as well as the graduate students. It's just something to know.

As a result, the quality of the work is extremely varied. Oregon will let in anyone and everyone into the program typically (or so it seems). It's one of the largest graduate programs in architecture in the country, so you'll have fantastic work along with rather poor work as well. In some ways, the pass/fail studios encourage this. Because of this aspect, the quality of the work is somewhere in the middle, but Oregon, at graduate open houses, will definitely show the best and brightest they've got to offer. Mixed-media tends to reign with a series of Lewis.Tsurumaki.Lewis clones.

This is an extremely good value for your education. If you're proactive and apply to scholarships and teaching/research positions, coming to Oregon is pretty affordable. In addition, if you get annoyed with Eugene, Portland's phenomenal and the facilities are good at the new White Stag Block. Lawrence Hall in Eugene is OK in terms of its facilities - they've got all the requisite CNC routers and laser cutters. Sometimes interdisciplinary politics get in the way of using these things as the "Allied Arts" also stake claim to digital fabrication machines.

I had a fantastic time in Eugene and the Pacific Northwest is great. While I know Washington University is highly regarded, Oregon is more than worthwhile. Hopefully this gives you a basis to make a decision before visiting.

ADavin and anyone else (guyforget, zga?) asking about WUSTL...are you attending opening house Friday-Sunday? That will be your best opportunity to get answers to most of your questions. If you'll be here, I'd be happy to meet with you some time while you're in town. I began the M.Arch (2yr) program last Fall and am enjoying it tremendously...

*open house (let's finish that coffee now)...

AP,

Yeah I will be at the open house... really excited to check it out. I would love to meet up.

On another note: do you happen to know how generous with grant money/scholarships Wash U tends to be? I am waiting for my financial packet still and unless its quite large, its going to be hard to convince myself that all the debt is worth it....

Absolutely AP, I'll be there. what's your name? ADavin, received financial information today, they are offering 25k a year, renewable, so pretty generous it appears...

AP, I'll be there too. I'd love to meet up, my name is Zephyr.

My name is Tyler

i'm deciding between UO (2 yr @ Portland) and WUSTL as well... attending WUSTL would put me in an additional $10,000 of student loan debt that i'd avoid if i attended UO (or my other potential choice, Ohio State)... buuuuuuut, i'd be getting two degrees in two years at WUSTL -- Masters of Urban Design and Master's of Architecture. if i have any intention of ever teaching in a university of setting, then WUSTL is much more ideal. and the potential to obtain two degrees instead of one? i am definitely intrigued.

that said, i'm leaning toward oregon at the moment, but i'll also be in st. louis this friday and am looking forward to meeting some of you... zga, i commented on your portfolio on issuu, actually. i thought it looked great... anyways, i'm kelly.

AP working up a little entourage of perspectives... nice job.

Thanks Kelly. You should go to WUSTL. I live in Portland, and just checked out the u of o program. I have a few friends from undergrad doing grad there. It seems like a nice environment, nice people, relaxed, but small and the work didn't seem that inspiring to me. I think that you will get just as much about sustainability or urbanity anywhere else too.

Do you have to specifically apply for the dual degree on your application? How many extra classes is it?

ZGA (Zephyr),

The dual degree is a big draw for me as well... I didn't specifically apply for it, but I have a few friends who are current MArch students and they are doing dual degrees in Arch/Construction Mgmt, and Arch/ Urban Design. Both initially applied solely for MArch. Apparently it is not too many additional course as so many are cross-disciplinary, it might just cut into your elective freedom...

Also, my name is Alex, for those attending this weekend. Really excited for it.

I'll definitely be looking into the dual degree options at the open house. I'm pretty excited too!

For the federally backed loans, has it already gone into effect that we only have to pay 15% of our income towards them after graduation?

if i recall correctly... the Masters of Urban Design would consist of 3 semesters of work that would overlap with my Masters of Arch for 2 semesters. i'd have to take classes in one summer as well (to fulfill that extra semester of MUD work). i have heard a lot of good things about the dual arch/construction management track...

i'm really interested in WUSTL, i'm just weary of the added cost and the location... i've lived in the midwest my whole life, attended a school in the midwest, and frankly i'm done with it. i'm ready for a change and UO seems to offer me a better all around package for what i want to get out of grad school -- lower cost, better location, better resources than some schools to which i was accepted to (but definitely not as many resources as others), etc... i'm not exactly thrilled about the fact that the courses are generally pass/fail -- somehow that idea just doesn't settle well with me, i guess? i do, however, like the options that exist if i took up a practicum with a local firm. i'm visiting portland next week and i expect to have a better idea of what it's offerings are soon...

see you guys in st louis!

I don't mind the Pass / Fail aspect of Oregon, for this type of grad program, it is kind of the end of the road - PhD is unnecessary to become a teacher in architecture, I don't think GPA helps someone land a better job, not anymore than ltrs of rec, "connections," and a nice portfolio. I was thinking yesterday that I do not anticipate thinking of my work in the context of the school's letter grades in architecture, while i did (at times) while I was working towards my most recent degree, because my GPA was so important for the next step (a PhD.) Just saying that I find it attractive that UO recognizes this and is active about it...

I'm in the same boat Kelly, don't know if I want to live in St. Louis. I also am from the midwest originally. I actually like St. Louis, but just moved to the coast like eight months ago, so don't want to pack up and head back so soon. Hear Portland is great...

Hey all,
I think many of the dual degree questions (if you are at all unclear about the specifics) will be discussed in detail at open house. Generally speaking (regardless of where you are placed into the M.Arch program--2yr, 2.5, 3.5) you can expedite a dual degree by focusing your open electives on dual degree requirements, and by spending one or more summers in school (again, depending on the 2nd degree, and your academic background). Yes, you give up elective freedom, but depending on your position, that may be a worthwhile sacrifice.

Otherwise, just make sure to be clear on how long a dual degree will take in your specific case. Requirements may vary depending on your academic background.

Also, in addition to MUD and MCM, next Fall the Master of Landscape Architecture program is beginning, which will surely become a new dual degree option for many students. There are also a few Master of Science degree options (one year MS in a specific area, such as History/Theory, Pedagogy, or Technology).

As far as financial aid goes, WUSTL is definitely generous...

Living in St. Louis is actually better than I expected. And keep in mind--you'll be in architecture school (not working a 9-5 job)...for the amount of free time you'll have, St. Louis has plenty to offer. Low cost of living and a lot of quality housing near campus are a big upside in my book (housing, neighborhoods etc. will be part of the open house program)...

This weekend will be a lot of fun. I actually have a review on Friday (as does JOM, if I'm not mistaken), but I'll be at Blueberry Hill on Friday night (which is where you'll be bussed after the lecture and dinner). If I don't meet you then, I'll also likely be on one of the St. Louis tours on Saturday.

Looking forward to it!

Aaron