Deadline's approaching fast, and I'm having a tough time deciding between the M. Arch I programs at Cornell and Columbia. If anyone's curious or in a similar position I can go through my reasons for and against each one, but I'm not sure having strangers respond to them would tell me much that I'm not already considering.
What I'm mostly curious about is, does anyone have stories of particularly bad experiences in either program? Are there things I should know or watch out for that I wouldn't hear about from students at open houses (since those tend to be the students that are enjoying the program and doing well)?
General input from alumni would also be welcome, since those I've been talking to have mostly been current students.
Lastly I'd be interested if people who have gone through either program could share how their funding changed from one year to the next--Cornell's given me significantly more for the first year, but I've heard that funding from GSAPP almost always goes up over time and I don't know if the same is true of Cornell.
Thanks!
ArchiTwn
Apr 29, 15 4:37 am
@infitsofprint which one did you end up with?
infitsofprint
Apr 30, 15 9:47 am
@ArchiTwn
Went with Columbia. Ultimately it's a gut feeling, but the major deciding factors were
• I already live in NYC, and my friends and family are all here or close by (even if I won't be seeing much of them). Plus the Cornell program is longer, and I'm a little on the older side for M. Arch I, and didn't really want to turn 32 in Ithaca, NY.
• I did the summer Intro program at GSAPP and loved it, and have spent time with alumni, so I have a better idea what I'm getting into there. I visited Cornell for a couple days and liked it a lot, but it seemed much more possible that I would get two weeks in and realize I'd made a huge mistake.
• Especially considering the extra semester I'd've spent at Cornell paying tuition rather than working, GSAPP seemed like it would come out cheaper overall.
What about you? Did you decide between Cornell and Parsons?
Deadline's approaching fast, and I'm having a tough time deciding between the M. Arch I programs at Cornell and Columbia. If anyone's curious or in a similar position I can go through my reasons for and against each one, but I'm not sure having strangers respond to them would tell me much that I'm not already considering.
What I'm mostly curious about is, does anyone have stories of particularly bad experiences in either program? Are there things I should know or watch out for that I wouldn't hear about from students at open houses (since those tend to be the students that are enjoying the program and doing well)?
General input from alumni would also be welcome, since those I've been talking to have mostly been current students.
Lastly I'd be interested if people who have gone through either program could share how their funding changed from one year to the next--Cornell's given me significantly more for the first year, but I've heard that funding from GSAPP almost always goes up over time and I don't know if the same is true of Cornell.
Thanks!
@infitsofprint which one did you end up with?
@ArchiTwn
Went with Columbia. Ultimately it's a gut feeling, but the major deciding factors were
• I already live in NYC, and my friends and family are all here or close by (even if I won't be seeing much of them). Plus the Cornell program is longer, and I'm a little on the older side for M. Arch I, and didn't really want to turn 32 in Ithaca, NY.
• I did the summer Intro program at GSAPP and loved it, and have spent time with alumni, so I have a better idea what I'm getting into there. I visited Cornell for a couple days and liked it a lot, but it seemed much more possible that I would get two weeks in and realize I'd made a huge mistake.
• Especially considering the extra semester I'd've spent at Cornell paying tuition rather than working, GSAPP seemed like it would come out cheaper overall.
What about you? Did you decide between Cornell and Parsons?