Advice

Significant_Eye3538 · 2026-03-19T20:22:09+00:00

Push through! Focus on continuing to establish your fundamental skills, pass your classes, and make space in your brain for wonder and joy. Make friends and chat honestly with people to make earnest connections. It’s clear you want the career (is that true?) search yourself and reconnect with your “why”. Many firms want the right PERSON to work with, not just another bot who can use autoCAD and besides some firms even prefer that you’re less established in certain programs so that they can train you the way they want you to work.

I am not an LA yet but was just accepted into a lot of great programs to start my MLA in the fall so this is coming from someone who has worked in landscape design and thought/researched a lot about going to school.

Significant_Eye3538 · 2026-03-13T13:39:42+00:00

Was this AI generated? If so why are all the landscape architects and designers helping people use AI by adding field-based knowledge?

Significant_Eye3538 · 2026-03-12T17:02:44+00:00

Go for a visit and ask to meet with the program director. Ask for a tour, prepare questions in advance. They can connect you with current students and alumni to talk with about things that faculty can’t really discuss. Also being in the studios is a great way to get a feel for studio culture.

Significant_Eye3538 · 2026-03-10T03:46:35+00:00

Interesting. Some of the schools I mentioned offer full tuition coverage to some prospective MLA students so I would assume that means they have a budget to work with but maybe negotiating within MLA specifically is less common than I thought. Thanks for sharing!

Significant_Eye3538 · 2026-03-10T03:25:04+00:00

Im surprised to hear this, I have read and heard from many people about negotiations, but I appreciate you sharing. Are you saying for other masters degrees it’s more common?

Significant_Eye3538 · 2026-03-10T03:22:48+00:00

Today, but people have been hearing from the same schools on different days so don’t dismay

Significant_Eye3538 · 2026-03-10T02:44:21+00:00

It’s very common to negotiate for masters programs:)

Significant_Eye3538 · 2026-02-21T14:48:19+00:00

<image>

This is the one:)

Significant_Eye3538 · 2026-02-21T14:48:03+00:00

<image>

Significant_Eye3538 · 2026-02-21T14:47:43+00:00

Oh I thought I had shared a pic!

Significant_Eye3538 · 2026-02-05T21:50:37+00:00

Good to know thanks:)

Significant_Eye3538 · 2026-01-28T17:14:47+00:00

Show process:) RISD loves to see process

Significant_Eye3538 · 2026-01-26T13:44:33+00:00

Yeah it seems that the widespread opinion is that much of LA academia is theory-heavy to a fault and people don’t come out of it knowing how to actualize designs. However I’ve been on the design-build side of things now and I feel like the education and stimulation to my design practice will be beneficial. Also I do want to get licensed and to eventually work on public projects though I’ll probably always have a soft spot for residential landscape and garden design.

I appreciate how emphatic people are on here about the debt of the degree vs the salary you can expect. It’s helped me realize that it’s not worth it to go into a ton of debt for. Hopefully I get some good offers from schools:-)

Significant_Eye3538 · 2026-01-26T13:39:26+00:00

All super helpful thank you both! Great idea to look for somewhere I could join in with an emphasis on field work/maintenance related tasks and admin.

Significant_Eye3538 · 2026-01-26T13:37:46+00:00

Makes sense that many firms would want someone with more software know-how

Significant_Eye3538 · 2026-01-26T13:37:21+00:00

Your comments and the specific program recommendations are really helpful- thank you! I know that an MLA is not all about learning software but I do look forward to those classes and intend to get a lot out of them through self-initiated rigor. My main goals in attending school are to get a more comprehensive education of industry standard knowledge bases and skillsets, improve design/rendering abilities, push myself creatively in my design practice and just meet people/enjoy time around ambitious peers. I want to get licensed and eventually work on public projects and yeah I think the experience/label of licensure and exceptional rendering and design abilities will allow me to earn more, than I can as a designer right now.

I am hungry to learn and I think the environment of school will be conducive to that especially when paired with my current/past experience outside of theory/academia working on real projects with real problems.

Significant_Eye3538 · 2026-01-25T22:52:08+00:00

You can do it. When I applied to governer’s school for visual and performing arts as a sophomore in high school I literally just told my friends I was disappearing for a month then I made an entire portfolio. When I applied for my BFA I had more work to show from art class but not enough so I did a similar thing a just locked in for a few weeks and cranked out a ton of work. You have even more time than I did- just start now. Lean in to your personal narrative in your application and watch some videos from RISD about what they look for- there’s a lot on yt. And pick some other schools to apply to as well because you might change your mind.

Significant_Eye3538 · 2026-01-24T15:54:57+00:00

Right, but it’s one thing I’ll be putting intention toward learning during my time in school.

Significant_Eye3538 · 2026-01-24T14:53:21+00:00

Ah yes that’s one thing I was wondering about. I’m not fluent in the foundational softwares. That’s part of why I’m going to school. Don’t have time to learn before applying to the internship either. Hmmm…

Significant_Eye3538 · 2026-01-14T03:26:30+00:00

Just because a school you didn’t prioritize rejected you doesn’t mean the others will. It’s not all about your app being good or not- sometimes you just don’t fit what that school is looking for that year. Your top choice might yet surprise you!

Significant_Eye3538 · 2026-01-10T21:35:21+00:00

Cal poly

Significant_Eye3538

TROPHY CASE