As the economy continues to offer little to struggling architects, many are considering a return to school for an advanced degree. The increased competition now, however, is making it much more difficult to get accepted. According to this article, Yale's School of Architecture applications increased 23% this year, with a final acceptance rate of 14%.
9 Comments
Yale blows.
Maybe if they would offer advanced placement to M.Arch candidates, then they would get a higher yield of applicants.
I know that everyone wants to go to an Ivy League school to get their Masters and PhD, and with the times the way they are going back to school is a great way to ride out the economy. As we can see, in this article applications are up at Yale and I am sure at all the other Ivy Leagues and higher brow architecture programs. Competition is heavy and not all of you are going to make the cut. My suggestion to you is to look at some smaller or not so well known programs. I for one did my undergrad at Kent State and know that their Graduate Program is stellar, especially their Urban Design Collaborative in Cleveland. I received my Masters at Washington State University. Yes it is a state school with little noteriety, but two of our alum run a little Firm of Year in Seattle you may have heard of called Miller|Hull. Others to think about are Oregon, Washington (weak undergrad, but phenomanal Graduate), and the list continues. If more aspiring students looked to schools like these many programs wouldn't be struggling, and all of the architectural brain trust wouldn't be coming out of a handful of schools on the east coast. Another added bonus is the cost compared to your precious Ivy's, RISD, and Berkeley.
never heard of Miller/Hull. hopefully that wasn't meant to be your argument.
i liked LB's post better.
jump...if you have never heard of Miller|Hull then I question whether you know much about contemporary architecture beyond what you read on this website. They are one of the more prominent architecture firms of the Pacific Northwest, and as I said, they received The AIA's Firm of the Year award. David Miller has also written one of the more popular books on Critical Regionalism. I am not trying to belittle you my architectural brethren, but I do recommend you check out their work. It isn't anything spectacular in the realm of the starchitects, but it is all prime examples of Critical Regionalism and vernacular. It is work that lends itself to the tectonics that a simple set of materials can provide.
As for Yale blowing, I would tend to agree, but again I can't dog any university that allowed Lou Kahn to build.
deep OASIS, I am not questioning the work of Miller/Hull, just your logic. There is a reason the best and the brightest go to Ivies. I am not too up with belittling anyone who has an ambition to do so.
As for not knowing Miller Hull, well all i can say is that i live in tokyo and before that was in london, so i plead ignorance of american firms, especially the local ones.
i could probably rattle off a list of award winning offices here in japan that you have never heard of. that doesn't mean people shouldn't go to ivies.
actually awards don't mean much either. I have won a number of them and while they are great to get, they don't signify as much as you might believe. unless its a pritzker. that's a pretty cool one.
LOL to the pritzker comment. That would be pretty cool.
I don't think people shouldn't go to Ivies, I just think that if more would look at other lesser known schools they would find some great if not better programs than most of the Ivies (with exception of the GSD). I would never state that the Ivies are bad, they are great and are sought after for a reason, but those who are being turned away need not dismay, there are countless other schools that will take you and teach just as well if not better.
Pass on some of those firms from Japan. I am always in the market for greater knowledge of talented firms.
How are you fairing in Japan? Is architectural work struggling as much as it is here in the States?
japan is getting worse. my feeling is it is not as bad as usa, but seems to be moving in that direction. lots of projects "on hold". banking community here is shrinking fast, and work from other countries drying up too.
I find the Princeton excuse making hilarious. Maybe Yale should put together a better program and start admitting students based on reasons of fitness, not nepotism.
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