Schools of Architecture in North America

[liptat]

I realize that this question has probably been asked several times before but...
I was just wondering what are considered to be the best schools of architecture in North America, mainly Canada and U.S.?
I have applied to an undergraduate program at the University of Waterloo, Ontario.
I'm just curious.
Thanks in Advance.

[grimstuff]

I believe the current top 3 are Harvard, Cincinatti, and Cal Poly SLO.

[grimstuff]

[antomical gift]

You don't really believe that do you? It is really too bad that people take that stupid pole seriously. UC is a technical school, good for teaching people to be CAD monkeys, that's it. Princeton is barely on there and it is just as good of a school as Harvard. It's rediculous. They poll corporate firms and ask where the best pions come from and then future pions buy into it.

[grimstuff]

Even if the school's prestige is artificially created it still seems it works in order to get a good job once out of school.

In fact, almost every school's prestige is created artificially.

If those arn't the universally accepted top 3 in the US, than which are?

[antomical gift]

Ok, but the Design Intelligence ratings are completely out of touch with reality. A better list might be:

Princeton
Harvard
Yale
Columbia
Berkeley
MIT
Penn
UCLA
Rice
SCI-Arc

Not U of Cinc. or Cal Poly, what is going on with that?

[nipesh]

Hi
Iam from India and in India we all have a high reputation in our mind about MIT, I suppose its the first institute in America to offer course in Architecture.
But in any of the posts MIT is not in the top...............can you plz clarify.....

[antomical gift]

No MIT is not the top. That is the problem when these rankings and things get out of hand. I visited MIT a couple weeks ago and it was very depressing.

[antomical gift]

Is no one going to debate me on this?

[RoOsS]

Hello Im studing in Madrid's School of Architecture. I also thought MIT was one of the best in the US., at least is the one we hear talking about more often but probably for its history...dunno.....but if you say no I have to believe you!!

[SalAzad]

It appears the one who is really out of touch with reality is Anatomical Gift. I understand that dropping big names with big reputations such as Harvard and Princeton might impress the rankings boards, but there is one public school which consistently ranks above and beyond any public school in the country and specifically the highest in the west as far as how well prepared it's graduates are to enter the profession. This school is Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. These are the cold hard facts, and I understand it would be hard to someone who seems to think visiting a few architecture schools here and there gives him the power to judge them better than these national firms. I beg to differ....

[antomical gift]

I guess it all depends on what you want out of grad school. If what you want from your education is to be a well-oiled, finely tuned CAD pumping machine so that all firms will revel in your unquestioning non-critical mindless following of their banal institution, then by all means go to Cal Poly. To me, this type of education is a waste of time. Those skills can be taught to you on the job, while you are getting paid as an intern. If instead what you want is to become a designer then the schools I mentioned will teach you how to think critically about the design process and allow you to explore ideas larger than which CAD command will let you draw a box the quickest.

[SalAzad]

Anatomical Gift wrote (sic) "I guess it all depends on what you want out of grad school. If what you want from your education is to be a well-oiled, finely tuned CAD pumping machine so that all firms will revel in your unquestioning non-critical mindless following of their banal institution, then by all means go to Cal Poly. To me, this type of education is a waste of time. Those skills can be taught to you on the job, while you are getting paid as an intern. If instead what you want is to become a designer then the schools I mentioned will teach you how to think critically about the design process and allow you to explore ideas larger than which CAD command will let you draw a box the quickest."

Take no offense to me saying this, but you are an idiot (honestly). Cal Poly does not teach Cad. It doesn't even OFFER cad. In fact, when I showed them my community college course of cad, and my experience using cad in an office (which I guess somehow makes me a "cadmonkey" or something like that) the advisors I spoke with told me that despite the prevalence of CAD in the profession, little emphasis was placed on it, because the school focused on design. Although students are allowed to learn cad on their own in the computer labs available to them, and are allowed to present designs in CAD format, it is not an essential skill to the department and ive talked with many students who are close to graduation who have never used it in their time there.


I'm not sure why you think you are so sure exactly what cal poly teaches, and how it cranks out "cadmonkeys" (ha?) but perhaps you shouldnt be so judgemental towards a whole university you obviously know little to nothing about (although I've no doubt you believe you are indeed an expert on the school).

As far as judging people on the other hand (which is probably never a good idea) every once in a while it IS ok to go out on a limb and call someone an idiot. A person who speaks high handedly of "true design" and the heresy of CAD, and claims to know all about what the best educational institutions are....that person is an idiot.

In this case my friend, that is you.



"The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance,
it is the illusion of knowledge" - Stephen Hawking

[antomical gift]

Sal, you are not my friend. You're debate is leaning severely towards a personal attack. You're criticism is obviously routed in your attempt to further your personal agenda regarding Cal Poly. Also, some advice - when attempting to glorify the school you attend, you might try to forget mentioning your community college experience.

[SalAzad]

Hah, once again you are completely wrong, but I guess that won't stop your assumption machine. I don't attend cal poly, I just visited all the schools in California in which I got in. From this visit to Cal Poly and from speaking with advisors it was obvious you had no idea what you were talking about with the CADmonkey thing (I like how you chose not to respond to that, but instead are trying to change the subject. I would do the same if I was so obviously wrong).

Your FRIEND
Sal