I live in Atlanta, Georgia and I am very passionate about architecture and am so excited to start learning. The schools I have gotten into are: USC, Cal Poly SLO, Virginia Tech, and Pratt Institute. An additional option I have in-state is to attend UGA for a year and then transfer into Georgia Tech (where I got a conditional acceptance).
I know that Georgia Tech has a 4-2 B.S. and M.Arch program while the rest of those schools have a 5-year B.Arch program, and I was more interested in a B.Arch since it would be more direct to get my license, but I would still love some advice for deciding between these schools!
I would like to know if it's better to do the 5-year vs. 4-2 program. And then of these schools, the top ranked on DesignIntelligence is Virginia Tech, would these rankings make a difference or should I be looking at which school would give me a better network?
Nonononotme
Apr 10, 20 12:24 pm
what I know is many Georgia tech go to HARVARD GSD
Non Sequitur
Apr 10, 20 12:45 pm
60% of them do 100% of the time.
Sean Joyner
Apr 10, 20 3:42 pm
Good questions. You're right, a 5-year B.Arch sets you on a faster track to your license. A 4 + 2 program can be nice if you want to teach in the future, some schools like to see a masters degree and this track gives you a bit of a shorter path to an M.Arch degree (6 years instead of 7 years if you decide to get an M.Arch after your B.Arch). BUT, with a B.Arch you'll also be able to get a post-professional masters degree which can be as short as one year. In that case you could get a masters in 6 years total, though one-year post professional degrees are typically research oriented.
Concerning building a network. Yes, this is important to consider, but remember: every school has a solid network. So you'll build a network at any school (if you're involved). The real question you want to ask around network is what kind of network you want to build. Some schools will have more access to bigger name "starchitect" types while others might have a nice local network of professionals. It all depends on your end goal.
The last big point of recognition is that you can go to a top school and come out not having got much out of it. It will be up to you as to how successful you will be, regardless of the school you attend.
alizaq
Apr 10, 20 6:52 pm
Thank you so much for your reply! This gives me a lot more important factors to think about in my process.
I live in Atlanta, Georgia and I am very passionate about architecture and am so excited to start learning. The schools I have gotten into are: USC, Cal Poly SLO, Virginia Tech, and Pratt Institute. An additional option I have in-state is to attend UGA for a year and then transfer into Georgia Tech (where I got a conditional acceptance).
I know that Georgia Tech has a 4-2 B.S. and M.Arch program while the rest of those schools have a 5-year B.Arch program, and I was more interested in a B.Arch since it would be more direct to get my license, but I would still love some advice for deciding between these schools!
I would like to know if it's better to do the 5-year vs. 4-2 program. And then of these schools, the top ranked on DesignIntelligence is Virginia Tech, would these rankings make a difference or should I be looking at which school would give me a better network?
what I know is many Georgia tech go to HARVARD GSD
60% of them do 100% of the time.
Good questions. You're right, a 5-year B.Arch sets you on a faster track to your license. A 4 + 2 program can be nice if you want to teach in the future, some schools like to see a masters degree and this track gives you a bit of a shorter path to an M.Arch degree (6 years instead of 7 years if you decide to get an M.Arch after your B.Arch). BUT, with a B.Arch you'll also be able to get a post-professional masters degree which can be as short as one year. In that case you could get a masters in 6 years total, though one-year post professional degrees are typically research oriented.
Concerning building a network. Yes, this is important to consider, but remember: every school has a solid network. So you'll build a network at any school (if you're involved). The real question you want to ask around network is what kind of network you want to build. Some schools will have more access to bigger name "starchitect" types while others might have a nice local network of professionals. It all depends on your end goal.
The last big point of recognition is that you can go to a top school and come out not having got much out of it. It will be up to you as to how successful you will be, regardless of the school you attend.
Thank you so much for your reply! This gives me a lot more important factors to think about in my process.