University of San Francisco–an urban, Jesuit college

University of San Francisco

What is the University of San Francisco known for? I seem to have been visiting quite a few Jesuit colleges lately and like them for a lot of reasons. I need to write a post on Jesuit colleges generally. But first, I offer this bit about what is University of San Francisco known for, which I was fortunate to be able to visit yesterday as part of a tour for college counselors.

What is University of San Francisco known for?

  1. The University of San Francisco is different from the other Jesuit college in terms of its location and the composition of the student body. USF is a school of minorities: only 24% are white. There are plenty of students from other ethnic groups, including Asian (26%) and Latino (21%) and Black (8%). But get this: 30% of the students in the Gospel Choir are white. USF is a place where students can get outside of the cultural constricts of their childhood and high school experience. Students can “mix it up,” literally. Thirty percent of students are the first in their families to go to college. Socio-economically speaking, this place is also pretty diverse: forty percent come from families who make $60k or less per year–and who are attending an institution that costs $50k per year.
  2. Who are the “majorities” at USF: Catholics 51%, and women 65% (note that the strong School of Nursing pulls this average off because 95% of schools of nursing are women). Also, 75-80% come from the Western states, though there are representatives of most states and a whole bunch of foreign countries (11% of students are international). Just over half (55%) come from California.  But California is a big state!
  3. Like most Jesuit institutions, USF is a mission-driven college. They focus on “education the whole person” and learning is considered a “humanizing social activity rather than a competitive exercise.”
  4. USF has 5,000 undergraduates, with another 3,800 graduate students. Seventy-five percent of classes have 25 students or fewer.
  5. It has a core curriculum, like most Jesuit institutions. But there are still differences. There is a total of 11 core classes, plus a class that includes a service learning component (not just a “bunch of hours”)—service learning is integrated into the classroom, making it an integration of service and learning.
  6. Admissions officers at USF encourage phone calls from both students and counselors. They do not have a “wall” between web users and the admissions staff. The admissions office representatives said repeatedly, “Pick up the phone; we’re old-fashioned.” USF also lists all the phone numbers of faculty right on the website. So if you’re interested in how good the biology department is, or what the major’s priorities are, you can just get on the horn with the chair of the department and ask.
  7. Twenty-five percent of faculty are “of color;” 45% of faculty are women. One of USF’s core values is diversity.
  8. If you are interested in the nursing program, you must apply separately, and the nursing program is very competitive. There are about 600 students in the nursing program.
  9. USF offers great scholarships for those it deems to be “high value” students:  those with a high GPA in grades 9-11. While USF is test-optional, a high score certainly wouldn’t hurt and might help you land more merit-based scholarships.
  10. Some students may opt for the Saint Ignatius Institute, an interesting Great Books program within both the Jesuit and the liberal arts traditions. SII is also a living and learning program, whereby students in the program also live together. Students read the classics of Western Civilization (Plato, Homer, Augustine, Dante, Göethe, Kafka, Borges, etc.). This program is open to all students, but spaces are limited. For students who want the “Great Books” sort of program offered at St. John’s (but who don’t want the strict focus of St. John’s), this might be a great fit.

All in all, I really enjoyed my time at USF, though I wish the weather had been warmer. It was blowing a gale, despite the fact that the sun was out. I hear that Mark Twain had this to say about this fair city (and I’m not quoting directly): “I spent the coldest winter of my life in San Francisco one summer.”

Mark Montgomery
College Counselor

Want To Be An Architect? Study the Liberal Arts!

what courses do I need to study architecture

What Classes Do I Need to Be an Architect?

A client of mine is a budding architect. He is taking an independent study in architecture at his high school. He has become very enthusiastic about the possibility of turning his interest into a career. But he is unsure about what road to take as an undergraduate. Should he look for universities that offer a Bachelors degree in architecture. Or should he opt for a liberal arts degree. What classes should he take to be an architect? Then, head for graduate school to get his Masters in Architecture and his license to practice?

Not being an architect myself, I asked a college classmate, Cary Bernstein, who has her own successful architecture practice in San Francisco, if she would mind fielding a few questions from my student. She agreed. She also agreed to let me share her answers with our readers. So here is her case for why the liberal arts provide excellent preparation for a career in architecture.  (I’ve reproduced it here in a “Q&A” format to make it more readable).

 

Question 1: What Should I Study to Be an Architect?

I am extremely interested in pursuing architecture as a profession. But, I don’t want to commit to something that I may later realize I don’t want to do halfway through college. What would you recommend I study in college so that I can study architecture but I can still make changes if I decide that I want to take a different direction?

Response: You should study things that interest you. You are more likely to do well at subjects that keep you engaged.  It is important to develop your writing, research and analytical skills. You can do that in almost any subject within the humanities or social sciences.  You should take as many drawing or shop (i.e. wood shop, metal shop) classes as possible, but you do not need to major in art. 

I majored in Philosophy and have found it to be extremely useful for understanding theory, intellectual history, interpreting text and constructing positions in (unfortunately) adversarial situations.  But mostly, I just love Philosophy.  You should have some basic computer skills because so much work is done on the computer and the programs keep changing all the time.

Video Course for College Admissions

Question 2: Which Is More Important, Design or Engineering?

If I were to go straight into architecture, what classes would you advise to someone who is much more interested in the design aspects of a structure instead of the engineering that goes into it?

ResponseTake as much painting, drawing and other studio art as possible.  But also take as many humanities  – where you will have to write papers and do research – as possible.  The people who do poorly in the profession are those whose verbal skills are weak – you need to be able to talk about your project as well as design it.  You would think this is just about design, but architectural practice requires verbal as well as visual skills – which is what makes architecture the coolest profession ever.

Question 3: What Has Made You a Successful Architect?

Being a professional architect, what did you gain the most out of your college studies and what classes were the most valuable to your future in architecture?

ResponseI never worried about how my undergraduate classes would be directly “useful” in graduate school.  In college, in addition to Philosophy, I studied languages (Russian, Italian and French). They have been useful in so many ways (how to think about different systems of communication, different cultures, exposure to other parts of the world) and have led to an interesting life.  Philosophy, as mentioned above, has been incredibly useful. But it’s a dense subject so if you don’t like it don’t study it. 

I wish I took more courses in History and Literature but there just wasn’t any more room in my schedule.  Architecture is the “mother of the arts” – it encompasses everything (art, science, history, economics, psychology). So most subjects feed it well but I would steer you towards history, literature and language studies first and foremost.  The more time you can spend making things and drawing things the better. But you’ll get plenty of this in a graduate program.  Classes in art/architectural history are also helpful – you should know the history within these subjects.

Question 4: How Can I Decide Whether to Study Architecture?

What would be the best way for me to discover if I really want to pursue architecture? I am already in an architecture class but I feel I could be doing more to truly know if this is what I want to do.

ResponseThere are summer classes, such as the Harvard Career Discovery Program (also known as “Career Disco”) which many people find helpful.  I believe Columbia University also has one.  You should also try to get an internship in an architecture firm (do anything). Or, if you can get a job in construction spend the summer building something.  Work for Habitat for Humanity or other community groups that build things.  I hope this is helpful.  Architecture is an incredible pursuit – I wish you the very best for your future.
 

Clearly, Cary Bernstein is very content with her educational trajectory. What is your educational trajectory? How can I help you choose the college–and major–that fits you best?


Mark Montgomery
Independent Educational Consultant

College of Wooster – Changing Lives

students sitting in a lecture

The College of Wooster is a fantastic liberal arts college in a small town in Ohio. It’s a place that trains scholars–even students who are not scholars in high school. Wooster still requires a culminating research experience at the end of the four year Bachelors degree as a way to bring together everything one has learned.
Visiting a college is a good way to get a measure of the friendliness of a campus. Wooster gave me personalized attention when I arrived–even at 4:15 on a Friday afternoon in August.
If you want personalized attention and advice in choosing a college that is right for you, you might want to consult Montgomery Educational Consulting for some great college advice.

Continue reading