schools in new england

[keithg]

i am about to start applying to schools in mass and rhode island. so far, im looking at wentworth, or rhode island school of design. can anyone talk about these 2 schools and wich one i should consider over the other?

[mbr]

I attended both of those, although it was almost 10 years ago.

 

Wentworth is an engineering/technical school. I liked the teachers, but not the school. This is where my architectural training began, officially, and I knew immediately that this school was not for designers. It has/had a 80 % ratio of guys, so that wasn't great either.

Boston is nice and it's in a nice location (right next to the Museum of Art and minutes from Copley Square).

 

Here's my ranking for it:

 

For an architecture school: 01 (it is not accredited, either)

For techinical stuff (like engineering/technical illustration/etc.): 3

 

I did very well there and worked hard, got good enough grades and worked on a portfolio in my spare time, then got accepted to the Univ of Florida for architecture (which was/is ranked 4th in the US for undergrad).

 

 

RISD:

 

I went there for an intensive summer introduction to architectures course. This was 4 days a week, about 10 hours of class time a day, the rest of the week was working. It was a fantastic experience and I highly recommend it. My teacher was one of the best I've had (in 7 years of arch education). It will give you a taste of design, history, structure, etc. But be prepared to work your *ss off!

Providence, particularly the area RISD is in, is great. It's really a nice place to go to school.

 

The only downside to RISD is that it is a great art school, so you'll have attitudes, you'll have the competition to be 'unique', etc. Not necessarily in architecture, but you'll be around it. This will be the atmosphere in any highly respected school, though, and most probably won't be able to make it.

 

I'd give RISD a: 9-10 for it's reputation

probably a 7 or so for architecture, but it could be higher or lower

 

Conclusion: Wentworth is a second rate school and they basically accept anyone that applies. RISD is one of the most respected art schools in the world where you'll be surrounded by tons of talent, not to mention a nice place to live (they have a school 'bar' in the attic of an old church, or they did, which was great).

 

If it's really between these two, RISD is an easy choice. If you haven't applied, keep in mind that I am not the only one aware of their status and it will be tough to get into. Just make sure you have a tight portfolio.

 

Good luck.

[Chad Warner]

MBR-

Out of curiousity, where can you find the rankings of the arch schools?

 

-Chad

[trhoads]

Chad,

 

The good, comprehensive lists are not free, they usually want money. The follwoing link is a good resource, but a lot of the researchwhen I bought it years ago, I found to be biased in my opinion. Not stating fact, just opinion. This one tends to interview firm owners, and we all know that partners in a firm are usually loyal to their particular alma mater. It was helpful though.

http://www.di.net/archschools/schools.html

[mbr]

I have no idea where to find the rankings, but it is true that the rankings, at least for grad schools, is complete bs. The criteria is simply ridiculous.

 

I do believe, though, that UF was one of the best, at least at that time. Coicidentally, I didn't know that until I was already there.

 

Go look at http://www.archinect.com and search the forums, there are numerous discussions and links, but I don't think you'll find much on undergrad (UF was somewhere around 30th for grad school).

[trhoads]

For me, when I was touring schools, it was all about the environment, and the kind of work being done at each school.

 

Here in Atlanta, Georgia Tech is very well received, and a lot of people know about the school. But the work coming out was not very creative, it was very techinically oriented, and in general not what I was looking for.

 

Other schools, even in '95 did not have computers. I toured one school in North Carolina, that had a great architecture building, lots of lab and studio space, but not one computer.

 

I finally chose a school that was always on the cutting edge of technology for computers, and more artistically based. My point is, judge a school based on your reaction, and the feeling you get from the environment, not so much on rankings. Becasue in the end, you are the one who has to be there all the time, and you will be. I basically lived out of my studio space for 4 years.

 

But make sure it is accredited if you plan on getting registered as a professional architect in this country.

[mbr]

You may also want to look at UMass in North Hampton and Boston. I am assuming you already know about MIT and Harvard, both of which I think would be ridiculous to think about, even if you could get in, unless you are very wealthy (for architecture, anyhow). They are both overrated, imho, by a mile (20 years ago Harvard was the best, but not now).

 

My vote goes to RISD. The campus is expanding, too. I just had a wonderful time there, but I chose to leave New England (where I grew up and family is) to pursue a different/better school. Keep in mind that RISD and Wentworth aren't cheap and you won't get in state tuition (both are private).

 

Lastly, look at the work they are doing and visit, if you can. I completely agree with trhoads about seeing what a school does. RISD will surely impress, but I have not heard of much in terms of architecture.

[keithg]

Thanx for the replies, now my next question is, within the profession, which is more important, artistic capability, or technical training?, or is it a combination of both? I mean, if an architect is artistic, but doesnt have a strong technical background, he/she would be lacking? and vise versa?

RISD is a ver artistic shool, i understand this, but i guess, what im wondering, is, does risd go in depth technically? and and does wentworth get very artistic if its a technical school? What qualities are more important within the profession?

[trhoads]

It depends on what you eventually want to do. An artistic school does not teach a lot of the technical side of architecture, but neither does a technical school. A lot of it is learned in practice. Almost all of my technicall skills in architecture came from real world experience. And most employers in my experience, do not mind training a recent graduate, as long as they feel that you will learn fast, and retain knowledge.

 

The artistic side is good for becoming a good designer. Our senior partner is very technical, but not a good designer. There is a need for both in an office environment.

 

You also need to look at which you feel will work better with your personality. Both will require a lot of work, and time, but which environment will most complement you and your work style. To me, this is the most important aspect of the decision. give yourself the best environemnt, that will be the most condusive to a good education and work environment.