Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire College

Granddaughter wants to be an Architect. Looked around and found two Universities that offered her what she wanted. They were the University of Michigan, and the University of Southern California.
Applied two both and got accepted at each one. Toured each campus, then waited to see if she was qualified for financial assistance. Family income was to great, so non was offered.
U of M cost 32K a year for tuition, room & board and expenses. USC came in at 92K for the same thing.
SO, now we have a "Go Blue" student in the family.
You read about student loan debt, I can't imagine graduating from College with a 100k dept.

Congrats.

BUT - just because you didn't get assistance (scholarships or whatever) doesn't mean the entire tuition is debt. You can borrow less and pay out of pocket for the rest via working/savings etc.

Architecture is five years, right?

I’ve got two college kids working right now, one just started summer break, the other is doing a gap year. On the summer schedule (50 hrs a week) they’ll both make $3K per month. Both live at home or with family, and are easily banking 80% of their checks. Just in summer break, that’s 10K per year.

If they work just 20 hrs a week the rest of the year, they can double that income. Over a five year term, that’s $100K less loans.

Today at USC


That was a no-brainer

If you are obtaining a degree in a field that has good earning and employment potential, the investment is worth it. Some folks drive $100,000 trucks. Some folks invest $100,000 in the stock market. Some invest it in themselves.

The problem is, it costs essentially the same to get a useless degree that doesn’t pay much once you are out of school. People that pay for those degrees and then whine about the costs are the problem.

We have a community college right down the street. For the first 2 years it will cost them less than $20,000. That's with books and fees. If the kids want to go on to a 4 year school, it's on them. I could care less about the costs. I won't be paying them off.

kwg

No disagreements at all, but your statement is incomplete. It should finish with : some folks expect their parents to foot all the bills, and some expect the government to pay for everything.

I’m sick and tired of parents and voters without a backbone buying into the “college is unattainable” narrative. It’s just a much in reach of students today as it ever was. The main obstacle in student’s way these days is wussy parents.

Skip it. If she is any good at all, autocad can be a very good income and rewarding career without all that expense plus the internship waiting around. Then you are dealing with a class of people in a corner of the market place with its own atmosphere that - to me is unappealing if not toxic. Well, it's dull at least and not very creative. Architectural design is something else you either have a feel for it or you fake it. Residential builders and home owners will keep her busy if she learns the discipline and basic rules of drawing, then perfects her art of clean, clear and easy to read plans.The whole logic of building itself, spans, proportions, standard practice is just as important. Working for a builder directly would be a sound option for learning the practical needs of the industry.

$32k Still seems pretty damned high. Get a As degree at the local community college for 20k and them transfer in. Make sure that the credits will transfer and get it in writing! Colleges love to discount students coursework and make them repeat classes in their campus so they can make more money. They’ll lie to your face about what will and won’t transfer.

Where I live, architects average 78k a year. Auto Cad designer, 54k.

Get it - averages and location matters but I'd have to think an architect from U of M is doing better than 26 bucks an hour regardless.

Would the University of Michigan allow the transfer? It's not an easy school to get into. I know guys who were straight A, Jewish and spoke 3 languages that couldn't get in.

De fugg is a "gap" year?

Just a suggestion if $$ are an issue:

Every institution insists students have several off major courses to round them out so one can fit into an eloquent society. I.e. English composition/literature, sociology, a little biology, psychology, geology, computer science, maybe some art/music, economics, political science, etc. One doesn't simply immerse themselves in nuclear physics courses for 4 years and come out with a degree in hand. With some assurances that such can transfer for full credit, one can perhaps knock those out at a much less expensive institution then transfer and get into the major muscle courses at the big school. Most college catalogues provide required course listings for every major offered and include at least a minimum number of hours and subject areas that must be devoted to electives.

That was the route my wife and I employed with our first two years at a community college with all being transferable. I hung in for another 5 years or so of graduate school, but that was fully funded, and we came out with no debt and a little money in the bank.

Also, for those not headed to college this coming fall:
Having hung out in the sciences for a career, we have some friends with extremely bright kids taking full advantage of high school advanced placement programs. The kids take/took college credit courses in high school and actually had an associate degree in hand when they wrapped up their senior year. Admittedly, these are extremely bright and self-motivated kids, and they're wrapping up a 4-year degree in only 2 years. Such is a bit easier if one is situated in a college town, however, where they're allowed to slip out and have a wider array college courses to select from than high schools can offer in house. An ex-coworker has moved into teaching, and her 3 AP courses are ranked as college credit.

Last: Seems a lot of kids now days simply can't throttle back. Computers, printers, phones, a rig, wifi, TV, ordering out, Saturday night at the bar, a seasonal wardrobe, and a week in Cabo are viewed as absolute necessities. A few years back, part of registering our son was a required visit with the financial aid office. We could handle things, so just spent the time gabbing. Along the above lines, the lady mentioned how frequently kids came in requesting another $5K to get by and then excitedly describe how things went in Daytona over spring break as the paperwork is being filled out.

ROTC programs can do full funding, but one will have to give them some time in return when finished. Officer's pay isn't that bad though when accompanying benefits are factored in.

Usually where there's a will there's a way. Good luck.


Edited: Gap year = working for year to build up one's bank account. If one can find the right company, do an internship, and impress the bosses, some will help fund college work.

Some degrees are useless, many are not. Mine, my wife’s and both our kids have degrees or multiple degrees and all were/are quite successful. Picking a degree with career potential would not seem that complicated, but it must be for some. And we paid off our student loans.

I am surprised that there’s only two schools that have the architectural curriculum that fits in this case. And they are both high dollar schools.

When I first got out of the Navy - I wanted to go to Notre Dame for architecture. The do a semester in Italy studying classic buildings. Admissions strongly discouraged me because at the old age of 29, they didn't think I'd fit in with the other students.

Ya son of mine grads hs next yr been lookin around holy schit 😵 he ain’t sure yet what he’s gonna do.Been tryin to lure him into takin ovr for me 😉 he ain’t bit yet😂

The community college suggestion is a good one for more than just the cost savings. You will probably receive more attention from and access to the instructor and a better education in a small classroom in a community college than you would spending the first two years in a major university in huge lecture halls with a couple hundred students and little access to the instructor.

I did just that for two years and then applied directly to the engineering department at a large university with an excellent program. The community college had a program set up for students to study and prepare to apply directly into the various engineering departments, i.e., civil, mechanical, electrical, chemical, etc. When I got to the university, I was intimidated at first because I thought my peers would have received a better education at the university than I got at community college. I soon found that my skills were actually better than most of the students who did their first two years at the university. I did well and even received scholarships from the engineering department based on my academic performance.

I went back to the university and got a Masters in Engineering after I had worked a few years.

Through all my years of schooling, from kindergarten through graduate school, I think the best instruction I received was at that community college.

Regarding CrashPad's advice to learn AutoCAD rather than getting the architecture degree. Definitely learn AutoCAD. With that skill she'll be able to easily set out her own shingle and call her own shots rather than being someone else's employee. Having an architect's license will only help her to do that and it will give her more control as her career progresses.

Some generic advice, don’t waste your time on a degree that some Hindi can do offshore for $5-$6 an hour.

Mostly computer stuffq

I hates architects...

I wents ta Va Tech... an even my dumbass gots a scolashipp.

It were $852 a year bak den.

Mo now...

Ranked 9th...

Yus tar be 3rd...

https://www.niche.com/colleges/search/best-colleges-for-architecture/

Good luck to her...

Drop me a PM if you need thoughts.

It is a BRUTAL PATH!

Trust me.