So for background, picking a school for my M.Arch when the country was in lockdown was an absolute nightmare. I applied everywhere west of home (Ohio)- Portland State, University of Washington, Wash U, University of Wisconsin Milwaukee, U Mich, and Tulane searching for places with strong focuses in public interest design and/or urban design.
I really thought that I’d end up on the west coast, but moving across the country when so many programs are offering majority online courses didn’t feel right like it did when I applied in January. I decided on WashU in Saint Louis ultimately because I was the most impressed by their virtual open house and felt like it fit my goals of teaching/researching down the road after working for a bit.
But now that I’ve finally visited STL, I’m starting to have anxiety about doubling my debt to total of $120k between undergrad and grad (a little late in the game, but I haven’t started yet). The only school that would’ve left me with little to none graduate debt was UW Milwaukee, and I’m wondering if I should wait a year and apply again? I was underwhelmed by their alumni reviews, but per the shutdown, I never got to visit to see things for myself.
Everything is so messy right now with covid, and I know it could be easier to be in school. WashU won’t even let me formally defer, I’d have to reapply and there’s not garantee they’d give me the same scholarship if I decided that it’s truly where I want to be…
I just want folks’ thoughts on how worth is an online graduate architecture degree (and paying rent) during COVID, and if it is worth it, is that amount of debt for undergrad and grad normal? is WashU the best place if I want to teach down the road, or should I really have gone for the cheapest option?
citizen
Jul 18, 20 7:05 pm
Great questions amid a disappointing state of affairs. My two cents:
Why a relocation if courses are online?
The very best parts (for me) of architectural education are place-based, difficult if not impossible to adequately replicate virtually. Given the sacrifice necessary, I'd wait until on-site schooling returns.
(Oops, three cents!) Given the dire employment situation that's prevalent for many, I understand the lure of schooling as a way to be productive during the shutdown. This will be a hard choice for many people.
newbie.Phronesis
Jul 18, 20 7:24 pm
Agreed, especially point one - could move back home if possible and completely cut rent :D. Though, if the first semester classes are mostly theory and investigating on your own won't matter as much being online, but still less valuable, yeah.
archicats
Jul 18, 20 7:27 pm
Per #3, as a recent graduate, it's definitely hard to not want to move out of my parents' home. Not to mention that there's some parental pressure to continue with school, making it more uncomfortable to stay home. I've seen some architectural related service years out there though that look pretty tempting... Then I'd get an extra 6K grant for school later...
thisisnotmyname
Jul 18, 20 7:35 pm
The service year sounds promising. I'm worried that virtual grad school is going to rob you of a lot of the spontaneous social and networking aspects of being in a physical architecture school.
thisisnotmyname
Jul 18, 20 7:23 pm
Unless you are from an under-represented minority demographic, I am concerned that none of your potential schools are name-brand enough for an aspiring teacher. The academic jobs seem to go overwhelmingly to people with fancy names on their diplomas. 95%+ of my instructors had graduate degrees from Ivy League schools or Rice University.
So for background, picking a school for my M.Arch when the country was in lockdown was an absolute nightmare. I applied everywhere west of home (Ohio)- Portland State, University of Washington, Wash U, University of Wisconsin Milwaukee, U Mich, and Tulane searching for places with strong focuses in public interest design and/or urban design.
I really thought that I’d end up on the west coast, but moving across the country when so many programs are offering majority online courses didn’t feel right like it did when I applied in January. I decided on WashU in Saint Louis ultimately because I was the most impressed by their virtual open house and felt like it fit my goals of teaching/researching down the road after working for a bit.
But now that I’ve finally visited STL, I’m starting to have anxiety about doubling my debt to total of $120k between undergrad and grad (a little late in the game, but I haven’t started yet). The only school that would’ve left me with little to none graduate debt was UW Milwaukee, and I’m wondering if I should wait a year and apply again? I was underwhelmed by their alumni reviews, but per the shutdown, I never got to visit to see things for myself.
Everything is so messy right now with covid, and I know it could be easier to be in school. WashU won’t even let me formally defer, I’d have to reapply and there’s not garantee they’d give me the same scholarship if I decided that it’s truly where I want to be…
I just want folks’ thoughts on how worth is an online graduate architecture degree (and paying rent) during COVID, and if it is worth it, is that amount of debt for undergrad and grad normal? is WashU the best place if I want to teach down the road, or should I really have gone for the cheapest option?
Great questions amid a disappointing state of affairs. My two cents:
Agreed, especially point one - could move back home if possible and completely cut rent :D. Though, if the first semester classes are mostly theory and investigating on your own won't matter as much being online, but still less valuable, yeah.
Per #3, as a recent graduate, it's definitely hard to not want to move out of my parents' home. Not to mention that there's some parental pressure to continue with school, making it more uncomfortable to stay home. I've seen some architectural related service years out there though that look pretty tempting... Then I'd get an extra 6K grant for school later...
The service year sounds promising. I'm worried that virtual grad school is going to rob you of a lot of the spontaneous social and networking aspects of being in a physical architecture school.
Unless you are from an under-represented minority demographic, I am concerned that none of your potential schools are name-brand enough for an aspiring teacher. The academic jobs seem to go overwhelmingly to people with fancy names on their diplomas. 95%+ of my instructors had graduate degrees from Ivy League schools or Rice University.