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Old 12-01-2013, 11:17 PM
 
Location: Charlotte, NC
21 posts, read 23,194 times
Reputation: 18

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I am enamored by cities, how they work, and how they are used by the people who live/work in them.

Currently I'm working toward my masters in Landscape Architecture at NC State. With my final year approaching, along with completing a self chosen final project I am required by my department to complete an international design studio in order to graduate. Students in our program usually attend our College of Design's Prague Institute or Ghana Studio to help facilitate the international requirement. Because I can never seem to 'play by the book' so to speak, I decided that I'd rather forgo having the same experience as my peers and pursue a dual degree in Urban Design in London(University of Westminster) Charlotte (UNC Charlotte Uptown).

What I like about Charlotte
I LOVE Charlotte and believe that it has great potential to be the southern city done right. UNCC offers the opportunity to work in real time on improvements to the city's urban fabric. While it may not be located abroad, their program does have an international component. During the summer the department goes to China for a vertical urbanism studio. After meeting with the program coordinator, I've learned that there are plans to move the international component to Brazil during the year I would enter (which is really exciting considering my mother's side of the family is from there)


What I like about London
Well it's London, what more is there to say?

No but seriously, going to school in London would be an amazing opportunity to learn city design in a European context. Years of design school has taught me that when it comes to cities, Europe and Asia are doing it right.

While urban design programs in the states (similar to UNCC's structure) may focus on reacting to/mitigating the trend of sprawl and revitalizing forgotten urban centers, Westminster has a strong focus sustainable cities (which aligns well with my landscape architecture education), and social and transit infrastructure(and boy do I LOVE transit infrastructure).


Both institutions have amazing programs and it'll be a tough decision which to choose if I'm accepted to the London program. Luckily since NC State and UNCC are part of the UNC system, I can do an inter-institutional study and which will basically grant me automatic admission (after a portfolio review and FINAL approval from the powers that be in my current dept.)

Which do you think would offer the better education/experience?
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Old 12-02-2013, 05:04 AM
 
Location: Charlotte
1,763 posts, read 3,282,281 times
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Are finances an issue? London is one of the most expensive cities to live in the world.
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Old 12-02-2013, 05:41 AM
 
3,862 posts, read 4,254,217 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Martian Sundays View Post

Which do you think would offer the better education/experience?
No question, London if all the ducks are in a row - good experience, real world international exposure and growth opportunity in addition to a great resume builder, Charlotte and NC will be here.
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Old 12-02-2013, 05:58 AM
 
Location: NC
6,032 posts, read 9,190,677 times
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I hope you are not accruing alot of student loan debt to finance this dream. I know some folks in their late 40ies still paying on six figure student loan bills. Have you researched the Architecture profession and the HUGE amount of unemployment that they have had in the field?
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Old 12-02-2013, 06:14 AM
 
147 posts, read 283,172 times
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cost aside, as the previous poster has it right that London is hands down one of the world's most expensive cities. If you get campus housing might be easier to afford, but word of warning you can easily pay $10+ for a fast food meal that would otherwise cost $5 in the US. London wins hands down.

No city in the US even begins to compare to London. But I'd also look at this a bit differently. Think of the out of class opportunities Charlotte and London offer. You will have down time, holidays etc... In Charlotte what will you do, where will you go? In London you could hop onto the train and go to France, jump onto Easyjet and be in Praque, Rome, Vienna, Budapest in 2-3 hours. Your ability to see world class cities beyond London makes this an easy choice IMO.

My advice is to view London as a jumping off point to see Europe, can't do that from Charlotte
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Old 12-02-2013, 07:18 AM
 
Location: Charlotte, NC
7,041 posts, read 14,984,767 times
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LONDON, hands down. The education is far superior and, well, it's London.

I love that place. Would move there in a minute.

However, coincidentally, my son went to school in Staffordshire, England (not as a transfer student) Companies are recognizing the superior value of his school even now...10+ years later!
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Old 12-02-2013, 11:46 AM
 
Location: Charlotte, NC
21 posts, read 23,194 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ex-burgher View Post
Are finances an issue? London is one of the most expensive cities to live in the world.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Suncc49 View Post
I hope you are not accruing alot of student loan debt to finance this dream. I know some folks in their late 40ies still paying on six figure student loan bills. Have you researched the Architecture profession and the HUGE amount of unemployment that they have had in the field?
I did leave out the financial part of this endeavor.

If accepted into the London program, my attendance may be contingent on whether I receive some form of funding, but even then I'd still have to consider taking advantage of the opportunity. From what I've learned so far, Westminster is pretty generous when it comes to international scholarships ranging from total funding(tuition+living expenses), tuition only, and half tuition. After converting to USD, I was surprised to learn that the the tuition for the Urban Design program cost a little more than the in-state tuition here at NC State.

At NC State
Tuition: $10K/yr
Living expenses: approx. $14K(housing, supplies, food, incidentals)
Total = $24K/year

At UNC Charlotte
Tuition would be the same as at NC State since technically I'd still be a NC State student.
Because my classes will be at the uptown building, I would have to live near by or along the light rail corridor to get to class(no car). Sucks that the Blue line extension hasn't been built yet, then I could live in housing on main campus and save a small fortune

From what I've found so far, a small studio near the LYNX or in Uptown can run anywhere between $950-$14K/mo. I could potentially be looking at paying about $17k in rent for the year alone, not including utilities.

Tuition: 10K
Housing: 17K
Food, Supplies, Incidentals: $6K
International Studio: $8k
Total = approx. $41K for the year

At Westminster in London
Tuition = $12K for the year
And recommended $37K for living expenses.
Total = approx. $50k for the year

I really need to find housing options near the school and how much I should plan to budget for. Luckily I can live without major luxuries provided I have the basic necessities. My student Oyster Card would provide entertainment as I would spend any free time I may have exploring London.

If I have to pay for for the London program out of pocket, I'll be looking at close to $50K in loans. Hopefully the end will justify the means considering the job market for Landscape Architecture/Urban Design isn't a total bust here in the states.
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Old 12-02-2013, 12:16 PM
 
125 posts, read 242,300 times
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I am an architect by trade and have designed many buildings in this country, including co designing the duke energy building downtown. I went to Cornell for most of my college years. You have to understand the importance of where you go to school, especially in architecture. You want to look at the alumni connections, when a company is putting together a team to construct something they look at your past experience, where you went to school, and the locations of your work. Someone who does their schooling overseas will have an easy time finding a job in that region. I had a friend who studied in Glasgow and designed these elaborate and beautiful structures in Europe but when he tried to transfer to the states he had trouble finding a job because the design language of foreign buildings puts a bad taste in many companies mouths. What I'm trying to say is if you want to continue to live and work in the US, UNCC would probably be your best bet. The one upper hand London would have would be its location to other major cities. I would say that your best bet would be create something to build off of here in the states because it will be much cheaper and then try to transfer somewhere like London or somewhere else in the world. The worst thing would be to go all the way to London, get settled, and then not be as successful as you hoped. Dream big but set realistic parameters. If you have any other questions let me know.
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Old 12-02-2013, 01:13 PM
 
15,355 posts, read 12,598,675 times
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Is it really 17k more to live in Charlotte vs NCState? That seems a bit high.
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Old 12-02-2013, 01:41 PM
 
Location: Charlotte, NC
21 posts, read 23,194 times
Reputation: 18
Quote:
Originally Posted by Feltdesigner View Post
Is it really 17k more to live in Charlotte vs NCState? That seems a bit high.
I thought so too, but Uptown and South End seem to be prime real estate. Doubt developers had graduate students in mind when they began building there. The $17K is if the only studios that are available are those in the $1400/mo range (I really hope that wont be the case). I'd prefer to spend no more than $900/mo ($10800/yr) for a studio near the UNC Uptown building or walking distance to the LYNX.

Currently I live in on-campus housing at NC State. My loft here runs me about $3800/fall and spring and $1500 for the summer ($9100 for the entire year).

If I don't go to school in London I will more than likely be attending UNCC. That being said, I really need to find a place that's within my desired price range that provides easy access to uptown since I won't have a car.
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