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The AA is FAR better than UCL

Perhaps it's unfair to say, because one is privately funded and the other public, but as far as architectural education goes I think the AA is a tad better (if not MUCH better) than the Bartlett.

I was never really a fan of the AA, and UCL (my 1st choice at the time) did reject me and I was bitter about it. But after half a year at the AA, I'm quite chuffed to be here. There are so many misconceptions about the place which I'd like to alleviate, because I don't think it's fair.

The interview was very prompt, professional and organised. There were 5 people on my interview panel, whereas at UCL you have ONE person to judge you. They were very open-minded and inquisitive about the work I presented at the AA, and they did not mislead me during the interview as my experience at UCL. If you're going to reject a student after keeping them waiting for 3 months after their interview (not 3 weeks, as they say), then don't tell them during the interview how much you enjoyed the work, or its layout, and so on. It's not OK because it is misleading opinion, and quite frankly, it's not OK to ask applicants for a second personal statement after we wrote one already on our UCAS form. That request completely blew my mind. What do you write? ''I love UCL, and I am saying this now because I know that the other universities I applied to won't know that I am sucking up to you'', or do you maybe bluff further about why you want to study architecture. Is that really what they want? Useless! I'm glad they didn't ask the same of this year's applicants. That would have been VERY worrying! The UCL interviewer hardly challenged my work, and my (rather late) interview had gone shockingly well. At the AA things were more spicy during the interview. They asked me deeper questions about my work and really put me on the spot. I had to be intuitive much of the time with my responses, and I was very nervous. They didn't make any comment as to what they thought of my work, and I left the 35-minute interview feeling quite blue. The next morning I got an e-mail with my acceptance letter, and a day later a hard-copy in the post. It was a very pleasant surprise, and I was just amazed at how organised and swift the process was. Perhaps the AA doesn't receive as many applications as the Bartlett. But the AA's admissions department is TINY, and there are more students applying for 2nd and 3rd year entry to the AA than to the Bartlett, and administrative work at the AA is also very heavy.

It's not snobby at the AA either. At times the work can seem pretentious, yes. But you see that wherever you go - and it does often get severely criticised when done without purpose or good reason. Our crits are often very harsh, and there are almost always guest critics from all over the world. We also have very interesting people coming in to give lectures. Many from architectural practices and schools from around the world. We've also had quite a few visits from students and staff from the Royal College of Art.

I like the student:staff ratio at the school which comes to roughly 1 tutor for every 4 students. There is a lot of one to one tuition, and tutorials take place about twice a week in the first year, but the tutors are usually quite easy to reach and responsive to e-mail at all times.

Although there's only about 50 of us in the first year, the mix is extremely diverse! Various ages, experiences, nationalities, characters and so on. It's not true that we are all rich and all from overseas (but most of us are).

The school has open arms, and doors are open for anyone to visit.

If you can afford it, go for it! Apply for a scholarship, even! If unlucky, then go to UCL.

Apologies to all my friends at the Bartlett!

We also throw fantastic parties at the AA, and student life is very cool here, although much more intimate than a large university environment like UCL. But trust me people, you won't care so much about making 10000s of friends when you study architecture. You get close to the circle of people around you, and you make strong networks through them and the school where everybody knows your name :smile:

Reply 1

be a dreamer

i dont think anyone would disagree with you that the aa is better than ucl!!! i think you just seem bitter for not getting in lol what is first year like? and how good are people there with the 2/3rds scholarships? did you apply for a scholarship?? is it likely that if you was accepted that you would be given a scholarship? do you get much funding for your rapid prototype modelling?? i just think that even if one got a scholarship, all of the other costs there would mean that you would still struggle... although you still get your official student loan till 5th year :wink:

. have you started using rhino and maya etc in technical/media studies?? thanks.

Reply 2

Quiller

10

So... you work for their PR department now??

Reply 3

stereosushi

hey. thanks for your description of the aa. of course i am about to make my own picture of the aa right now, but it is interesting to see what current students think about the school - because i actually dont know anybody there.

i have one question concidering the admission interview: i am invited to the interview in march, and to be honest i am quite nervous... you were telling they asked you quite deep questions about your presented work. can you be little bit more specific? about the questions and/or about the presented work... i already sent them a quite big portfolio, so i am not sure what can i show them ADDITIONALLY at my interview....

it would really help me. right now i am struggling with the whole visa, money and and and... ****... (i am coming from sarajevo/bosnia) so the interview makes me even more nervous.

thanx.... :smile:

Reply 4

pix24

I'm going 2 UCL, I didn't apply to the AA, I didn't do enough research plus, Its a private Uni. Personally I think the Cambridge application is has more problems than UCL's.
I don't know loads about the AA, but with UCL u get 2 for the price of 1, u get the open lectures from the AA, which is a few streets away and the lectures are FREE, plus you get great Tutors at UCL, I know some of the Tutors and they are great, people.
I can't really slate the AA, they have their good points annd so does UCL.

p.s the AA website is great there is an radio station! I haven't found anything great on the radio yet

Reply 5

Archo

OP

Quiller

So... you work for their PR department now??

I don't think that's a fair question/comment to make. It's exactly the sort of nonsense the school gets regularly. ANYONE would praise their school/college/uni if they enjoyed it and felt proud of it. Except, if I was a Westminster student, priasing their course, I'd get an applause. BUT God forbid an AA student brag about their school, that would be ''unreal!!''. Grow up!

I do really like the place. I'd heard a whole load of bullocks about the place before, and I keep hearing bullocks. I think it's about time a STUDENT'S view is put forward, and I am very proud to speak positively about my school. Needless to say, I don't say my opinions to promote the school - it probably isn't the best place for many people. There are students that don't like it, a few that even left. I think that has more to do with the intensity of studying architecture rather than the school itself though.

I think someone made a good comment about having free open lectures at the AA. It's very convenient to get your own university lectures and those that the AA offers, I agree. But then again, as a student at the school, I think the AA should charge people for coming to these lectures because they ARE VERY POPULAR. I think the AA needs to rethink how it funds itself, and how the funds are used and really put the students first. For instance, I think the amount they offer for the student's union is ridiculously high. WE need more space to work more than sexy parties. But the parties are actually very cool. My opinion anyway.

If anyone has any questions about the school, I'll answer them to the best of my knowledge and with all honesty (and as little bias as possible) :wink:

Reply 6

jrhartley

13

Well, I think most people at most universities remark on things they like about the course and things they don't like about the course. I think the point that might have been being made was that you seemed to be saying everything's amazing about the AA, which made it read like PR. I can tell you plenty of things that I think suck about Cardiff.

The other issue is that its very hard for you to know how great the AA is vs any other university course, as it is for me to know how good my course is vs. yours. They are so widely different it almost makes it irrelevant. My impression of the AA during my three-weeks:

a) studios on tcr are noisy, badly ventilated and lit, and way too small. quite an unpleasant place to work - i couldn't have coped with being there for much more than 3 weeks.
b) I thought the guy in the computer room was a moron - very chippy and unhelpful. In fact, most of the staff in bedford square during the summer school seemed to project the air of "you should be thankful we let you pay £1K to come to this" every time i asked any kind of question as to why something wasn't working or indeed, for any informaiton about the programme. I thought it exuded an arrogance which really put me off the place.
c) For me, the course would be way too conceptual - i looked at the year 1 work and the year 3 work, and i didn't understand hardly any of it. moreover, i don't think that half the creators of that work did either - there were an awfully large number of laser cut triangular shapes going on, not a huge amount of sketching or general concept development in what i saw. form-making, essentially.

on the positive side, bedford square is a great building, i liked the cafe and terraces, the bookshop and i thought tris (is it?) working in the workshop and the other guy were great, very helpful, and the workshops you have are decent. Also the guy in the model making room, very sound.

ultimately its horses for courses, and the aa course wasn't for me. obviously we know its a decent school - it should be when you're paying that much, and it has a strong reputation. there is good and bad at all schools.

Reply 7

be a dreamer

Archo

I don't think that's a fair question/comment to make. It's exactly the sort of nonsense the school gets regularly. ANYONE would praise their school/college/uni if they enjoyed it and felt proud of it. Except, if I was a Westminster student, priasing their course, I'd get an applause. BUT God forbid an AA student brag about their school, that would be ''unreal!!''. Grow up!

I do really like the place. I'd heard a whole load of bullocks about the place before, and I keep hearing bullocks. I think it's about time a STUDENT'S view is put forward, and I am very proud to speak positively about my school. Needless to say, I don't say my opinions to promote the school - it probably isn't the best place for many people. There are students that don't like it, a few that even left. I think that has more to do with the intensity of studying architecture rather than the school itself though.

I think someone made a good comment about having free open lectures at the AA. It's very convenient to get your own university lectures and those that the AA offers, I agree. But then again, as a student at the school, I think the AA should charge people for coming to these lectures because they ARE VERY POPULAR. I think the AA needs to rethink how it funds itself, and how the funds are used and really put the students first. For instance, I think the amount they offer for the student's union is ridiculously high. WE need more space to work more than sexy parties. But the parties are actually very cool. My opinion anyway.

If anyone has any questions about the school, I'll answer them to the best of my knowledge and with all honesty (and as little bias as possible) :wink:

what is first year like? and how good are people there with the 2/3rds scholarships? did you apply for a scholarship?? is it likely that if you was accepted that you would be given a scholarship? do you get much funding for your rapid prototype modelling?? i just think that even if one got a scholarship, all of the other costs there would mean that you would still struggle... although you still get your official student loan till 5th year . have you started using rhino and maya etc in technical/media studies?? thanks.

Reply 8

s.h.

5

i got an interview dis wednesday at the AA and very nervous bout it. already sent a portfolio which more or less had all my work innit. but they were asking for a full portfolio for da interview, i tried my best to add more but not quiet sure how much i need to add. also i never had an interview so far thru ucas, and ucas is finished, got 4 offers and 2 rejections, without any interviews. and also the word "interview panel" scares me aswell. i havent even been to a one-to-one interview so wat am i gunna do if 5,6 of admissions tutors are there?

and also, do they olnly ask bout da portfolio or can they throw in questions like what u think of jean nouvels new design or foster's gherkin or do u kno dis architect?

thx 4 any help

Reply 9

jrhartley

13

i think its pretty likely they will ask you what you think about various contempory and modern architects and buildings - its not like its completely unrelated to the course. i'd make sure you know a bit about a few key buildings and have an opinion on them, so if they say "what do you think about jean nouvel's torre agbar" you can say - "i'm not that familiar with the torre agbar, but i really liked nouvel's conversion of the lyon opera house, the contrast of the super-modern interior with the renaissance facade". you will be expected to show an interest in the subject and a little knowledge wherever you're interviewed, i'd have thought.

Reply 10

Archo

OP

jrhartley

Well, I think most people at most universities remark on things they like about the course and things they don't like about the course. I think the point that might have been being made was that you seemed to be saying everything's amazing about the AA, which made it read like PR. I can tell you plenty of things that I think suck about Cardiff.

The other issue is that its very hard for you to know how great the AA is vs any other university course, as it is for me to know how good my course is vs. yours. They are so widely different it almost makes it irrelevant. My impression of the AA during my three-weeks:

a) studios on tcr are noisy, badly ventilated and lit, and way too small. quite an unpleasant place to work - i couldn't have coped with being there for much more than 3 weeks.
b) I thought the guy in the computer room was a moron - very chippy and unhelpful. In fact, most of the staff in bedford square during the summer school seemed to project the air of "you should be thankful we let you pay £1K to come to this" every time i asked any kind of question as to why something wasn't working or indeed, for any informaiton about the programme. I thought it exuded an arrogance which really put me off the place.
c) For me, the course would be way too conceptual - i looked at the year 1 work and the year 3 work, and i didn't understand hardly any of it. moreover, i don't think that half the creators of that work did either - there were an awfully large number of laser cut triangular shapes going on, not a huge amount of sketching or general concept development in what i saw. form-making, essentially.

on the positive side, bedford square is a great building, i liked the cafe and terraces, the bookshop and i thought tris (is it?) working in the workshop and the other guy were great, very helpful, and the workshops you have are decent. Also the guy in the model making room, very sound.

ultimately its horses for courses, and the aa course wasn't for me. obviously we know its a decent school - it should be when you're paying that much, and it has a strong reputation. there is good and bad at all schools.

I agree with you on most things. The studios are noisy indeed, but I think it's a general problem of studying in any inner-London area. The computer room is a bit chaotic - yes. There are often problems printing, and it takes forever for things to get resolved. I find the staff there OK, if not a tad too lazy. I don't have much to say about computing facilities as I do most of my work on my laptop, and I think most students here do too.

The course is extremely conceptual, and is notoriously similar to the course content/structure of the BSc at the Bartlett. The work can be overwhelmingly difficult to read, and I often feel students are trying too hard to make complicated things look even more complicated, for the simple fact that it looks cool. Some try to distance themselves from that trend. It's not forced upon us though, so I think students here need to be careful not to fall into a trap where their work becomes 'typical AA work'. There are very talented people about though, and there are very different approaches lurking about. The school often chooses work to present that represents it the way it wants to be represented, and I think that's why you'd often see the 'meaningless' drawings and portfolio sheets.

MONEY! For home students I think the AA is a very expensive choice when you have so many other universities that offer the same course for a fraction of the cost. It's tough enough getting by in London! The AA deliberately tries to attract overseas students, and their fees never seem to exceed UCL's international fee rate - so they are a fierce competitor. If I could pay home fees I would have most likely gone somewhere else. But admittedly, for international students coming to study in London it's difficult to say no to an AA offer.

Reply 11

Archo

OP

be a dreamer

what is first year like? and how good are people there with the 2/3rds scholarships? did you apply for a scholarship?? is it likely that if you was accepted that you would be given a scholarship? do you get much funding for your rapid prototype modelling?? i just think that even if one got a scholarship, all of the other costs there would mean that you would still struggle... although you still get your official student loan till 5th year . have you started using rhino and maya etc in technical/media studies?? thanks.

I haven't seen any remarkable difference in ability between full fee paying students and scholarship students. I think if you are strong applicant and you need the financial help then you will most likely get it. It's worth a try - but yes the scholarships are never full, and there is still quite a chunk to pay.

I don't think you get funded for any kind of modelling, unless it was part of a specific class, like media studies. I think all modelmaking in first year is hand-crafted.

Yes, we use AutoCAD, Rhino, and Maya primarily. Rhino is very popular! AutoCAD is quite important. I think it's too soon though that they taught us all this software in first year (or rather, that they expect us to use it during first year). It limits your creativity because when you're first introduced to these things - most people don't have a fluent enough a command of them to really express their ideas. Often I find that I am limiting myself to the few commands that I know how to use, and my ideas suffer and become repetitive. Then again you wouldn't be forced to use these programs, except for some very short projects. Quite a few people still prefer working by hand, and you even see the odd painting or sculpture here or there.

Reply 12

Fay

I got both offers from AA and Cornell for this fall,,but not sure where to go....
many ppl told me that the education in AA is not a college education, it is a trade school.....and Cornell is in US and it is a big university where there are ppl who study other things as well....
any sugguestions for me? Is the student life in AA really tough and busy?

Reply 13

s.h.

5

is dat it for u, between cornell and AA, or have u got n e other places 2 consider. well i kno cornell cause ma cousin went to Ithaca college which i suppose is near cornell. I dont kno about architecture in states. but i kno dat uk. is suppose 2 be the best due to this RIBA business. so i would say go to an architecture skul in the UK. i also have an offer from the AA, but im gunna tray and meet my offer from Liverpool as well. cause im not sure like u about da whole trade school idea of the AA.

Reply 14

Fay

i finally decided to go to Cornell..i think studying in AA for a master is better option..

Reply 15

s.h.

5

good choice,

however i must say, dats wat i thought for myself, i thought i ll go to liverpool and then go to the AA for masters. However since the AA is very popular around the world, loads of people apply for masters. and usually many people already carry on from the AA to the masters, obviously some wont be there will be a huge competition to get in. and especially if u turned down their offer once, im not sure if they would pick u again over the hundreds of other people who have applied. dats wat i thought for myself anyway, being in the same position as u. dats just me do...

Reply 16

Fay

yeah i asked my tutor the same thing...she said it doesn;t matter(she did an Master at the AA) . As long as your works are good, they will always accept you...Master is AA is hard, but not that hard as you imagine...

Reply 17

grrrr

i thought u said that the alcoholics anonymous is better than UCL

Reply 18

jenny-anne

absolutely brilliant connotation lol

Reply 19

s.h.

5

it wasnt me hu said automobile association is better than ucl, but i would bak up that arguement

fay - i didnt say it would be hard to get in because masters is hard and loads apply, im sure u can get in. its just i thout if there are loads of people applyin i dont think they would give you or me the offer if we already have rejected their previous offer. dats wat i thout

The AA is FAR better than UCL

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