caitlinanne

I'm (probably) going! At least, I've already sent in my deposit, but am still agonizing over whether it's the best final decision or not. Chances are probably >90% that I'll be there, though. As for making friends, I feel like NYC is probably not so different from anyplace else: you'll make friends in your school, and eventually find some kind of niche in your community when you start participating in activities you enjoy. I haven't lived there in several years (and even then I was only there for 3-4 months) but that seems to be the way things go in most places

Glad to help! I've heard of graduates from Lighting going in a variety of directions. There are a bunch of RPI Architecture graduates who go on to get a graduate degree at the Lighting Research Center, and they usually go on to work in design firms where they can incorporate both their design background and their lighting experience. Others focus more on scientific development and go on to join research firms or, in some cases, industries. In terms of which area is best - I've seen really interesting things in a lot of areas! The LRC is full of experiment setups to test a variety of things, from the way that specific lighting technologies decay over time, to the impact of light on human sleep cycles, to architectural daylighting. Professors and grad students from the LRC also teach or take classes with the normal Architecture school, to integrate both daylighting and artificial lighting technology into architectural designs. I think the program seems pretty open to letting people choose what direction they want to take, as I've talked to a variety of people there who seem to be doing really different things.

Hi All, I've been accepted to both the Interactive Arts and Technology program at Simon Fraser U. (Surrey) and the Design and Technology program at Parsons (NYC). Does anyone have advice or information about the reputation of these schools + prospects for doing well in the field post-graduation? SFU is quite a bit less expensive but I've heard from a lot of people that the name recognition from Parsons will be worth it (plus I'm more excited about / feel more aligned with the program at Parsons...). I haven't heard much about SFU IA+T grads in the working world (I know some successful designers and artists who've gone to Parsons) so if anyone has thoughts I'd much appreciate it!

I can't help much with the CMU side of things, but I've seen a bit of the RPI Lighting program as an undergrad architecture student there. It seems like it will be pretty different from a directly-architecture program (like the PhD at CMU) - there's a heavy focus on research, vision, studying and developing different lighting technologies (solid-state vs filament vs gas), and conducting experiments to test the impacts of lighting on human health and activity. There's a design aspect as well, but not in the same way that ordinary architecture programs use design. It all depends on what you're most interested in! I know a bunch of people in that program who are really excited about their work and have good prospects for continuing research post-graduation. Sorry I'm not much help on the other side of the decision - good luck!