Well I stopped going to college a couple years back because of lack of interest and not really knowing what I wanted to do with my life, but recently its come to me that this is really a passion for me and I would like to pursue it.
I know UB is a good school and many of my family members have graduated from there in the past. This, I know, shouldnt be any different.
What I want to know, is if there is really anything I should keep in mind before applying or how I can check the place out, or just misc. stuff that would be nice to know.
I live here in Buffalo just off Delaware so its not like I have to make any special trips to see the place or maybe take a visit.
FWIW, its a VERY difficult program to major in. I myself have a degree from UB in architecture, and so does VQ30de on here. You pretty much have to have no job, live on or very close to campus, and have a really crazy work ethic to be able to make it through with a decent grade. I had a job and commuted and it took many many all-nighters and skipped meals to sqeak by a semester late with a 2.9GPA
if it is truly a passion though, it may be worth it for you. I have loved architecture and design as long as I can remember, and thouroughly enjoyed my time interning. It’s really just too bad the job market sucks and I couldnt find ANYWHERE not requiring 5yrs experience in the field to hire. (I graduated in december '08 and still dont have an architecture position)
Architecture is like engineering in college. So many people start in those classes and realize how hard it is and how much work that program is. If you love it, its worth it but if you are in the mentality of it just being “fun” then you may want to save some time and money. Enjoy all nighters and weekends in the studio. Haha.
If you do love it and get through it, I know a lot of people who have great jobs in their field coming out of that program tho here in Buffalo.
Went through 2 years of it, lived in the studio pretty much the entire time. My other classes suffered because I was too busy completing projects.
I hated the entire time, the TA that was supposed to spend some time in the studio to guide us along our 1st year was never there so I (our group) was always struggling to meet deadlines. One of the most awful experiences of my life.
theres a bunch of architects at work that came from ub in this program.
i have one bit of advice.
when you get a job, dont be an indicisive retard that makes changes all the way to the very end of a project, and understand the fact that you cannot have 10ft ceilings in an 11’4 floor to floor lab building and expect it to be no problem at all to make it work. it is an absolute nightmare and every other discipline working on the job will not like you. not to mention it throws the idea of a “100 year building” right out the window and makes building design budgets go down the crapper.
/rant.
edit: another bit of advice, dont lump mechanical shafts, core toilet rooms, elevators, and stairs all in the same area. theres nowhere to go with anything and ceiling spaces become a big problem. space things out.
I would venture to say that Architecture is more time consuming than any of the engineering programs. I know several people who majored in architecture and they were ALWAYS in the studio drawing.
Thanks for the advise guys, I appreciate it. I have always had a passion for drawing and all of my family is artistically inclined. But my passion has always been for buildings and structures, and organizing thing in ways that they work together to form something unique but useful.
I changed my major three times before quitting college and taking a break to really find something I like doing. At first it was Chem Engineer, then Mech/Elec Engineer, then it went to Geography (which I still enjoy, but more of a hobby). This all came to me while I was at work and just doodling and I looked at all my drawings and noticed there was a lot of building and architecture related things.
I am an extremely motivated person and I am one to try and try and try things until they are right and perfect. I learn quickly and apply my knowledge as soon as I learn it. I know this will be a challenge but I really know its something I want to do with the rest of my life. I will need to visit the college for sure though.
as an architect i’ll tell you that you probably couldn’t have chosen a worse time to be heading into the field… i really don’t believe things will be any where near recovered in another 5 or 6 years…whatever the UB program is.
that said if you choose to pursue it, take the all the opportunities you can because when you get out of school you are going to be competing with a lot more than just other college graduates for the few positions that are going to be out there.
Also, consider that UBs undergrad program is not NCARB accredited. That means that getting licensed is a pain in the ass, among other things. A lot of jobs require a 5 year bachelor. An undergrad from UB doesn’t meet this requirement. So if you’re going to go, it’s really worth it to get your masters…
And like others said, it’s a piss poor time to be going into the field. If I was going to do it again, I’d get an engineering degree with a minor in architecture. If you did that, and got your PE (licensed engineer) you could almost all the same things an architect does, as well as work in a lot of other fields. It keeps your options open…
If you have any specific questions, feel free to shoot me a pm.
I do have about 60 credits under my belt from NCCC but those will more than likely not even matter at this point. I may head back into engineering but it would need to be something that actually interest me because when I was at NCCC, I got extremely uninterested in the program there and I ended up changing majors for a third time.
vq30de, I may be sending you a PM soon, but I would definitely like to check things out. Any and all information is useful and helpful.
Being 23 and not having a college degree like many of my classmates really makes me feel like a loser, but at the same time, it inspires me to move forward to better thing. I just need to find my niche in something that I like doing, which may be architecture.
I went through 3-1/2 years of it till I realized I would be better off in a different field. To me it felt like a very competitive school environment, that required a ton of your time, I loved it. However at the end of the day realized that you don’t do 4 years of this and jump right into a job that pays well.
If you like to build things and work in that type of environment, become a contractor, and save yourself the money and time invested. A lot of contractors I know, work right along side architects, without the education, and still earning a good buck.
I would also recommend that you be very aware of the requirements to practice architecture. Like I said, it is not an accredited program, so you can get licensed in NY, but you wont be able to in a lot of other states.
I really was beating myself up the last two years not having a job in a related feild, thinking “MAN! If I had found a way to go to a graduate school to get my master’s I would’ve bought myself 2 more years in this crap economy and had that much more to put on my resume”…but NOW, I am glad I didn’t do grad school cause it’s pretty obvious it would not have helped at all…
plus now I work for erie county as an engineer’s assistant, and things could really work out for me here in the long run
the spare credits will help a lot actually…one of the hardest parts of architecture school is dealing with all the general education requirements with a full studio load…
i had a year’s worth of credits from NCCC when i started and it really helped out he last couple of years…by my 5th year all i was taking was my thesis studio and a couple of health and wellness classes…like ‘running for life’
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a master’s degree in architecture isn’t worth a whole lot in the real world- unless it is your accredited degree like in a 4+2 program… but if you already have a 5 year BArch its pointless
We don’t have 5 year b.arch degrees. We have 4 year BS Arch degrees. We can get licensed in NY though so its not awful. Once I am licensed, I am golden. I work for NYS. I automatically jump to a Senior job title when I get my license, plus I am in the old pension system…
Is it actually a BSA or is it BA in Environmental design like most non NCARB schools… Seriously though unless you plan on getting a masters start to finish make sure you go to a school that is accredited. People I know that took time off to go to the real world have a hard time going back so they can be licensed.
Seriously though, if you do become an arch, please be conscious of your subs, otherwise you don’t get your stuff when you need and…
really? you still have to participate in IDP though correct? i thought only AZ still let people get a license without an accredited degree using the experience method
Yeah I still have to complete the IDP. Check out the link I posted earlier. It must be new, I’ve never seen that page before. It lists requirements for each state very clearly. I called the NYS office of professions and was told that with experience and IDP I can take the ARE
Weirdly enough it seems there are a bunch of states that allow this…
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