In a message dated 4/26/2000 8:23:52 AM Eastern Daylight Time, [log in to unmask]
writes:

<< For me, the gossip on the street was that there was something wrong with
the Columbia Preservation program but nothing further. >>

In defense of the Columbia Preservation program and, I'm sorry to say,
Howard Stern (or whoever that was we were gossiping about), I shall pipe in
one last time on gossip...  While I was a student, my classmates and I often
discussed the "reputation" Columbia's program.  Our concern was often
well-founded.  Looking back, I have two feelings:

1) the program, although graduate level, was not up to the standards of most
of the programs that my archaeological colleagues have endured.  Often, I
felt as though I was re-living undergrad.  But then, my undergraduate
architecture experience seemed to me tougher (endurance-wise) than most of
my Columbia classmates' experiences in art, or english, or history...

2) I wouldn't have changed my Columbia experience for anything -- there are
several extremely knowledgeable instructors at Columbia, from whom I
extracted as much information that I could (You make of it what you can!)
And who can beat studying preservation in NYC?  If I hadn't studied at
Columbia, I would never have met James Marston Fitch or Jan Pokorny, two of
the people I admired most while there.  I also never would understand
Twybil's BP comments if I hadn't worked on a class project up in Younkers
with him...  Stern added an interesting ingredient to the mix: always gave
us something to think about and argue with (or about)...  School isn't meant
to be merely a book-reading experience -- you are supposed to learn to think
through ideas...  It was well worth the time and money that I spent.

The one good thing about Columbia's iffy reputation is that it hasn't
reached the midwest yet -- I'm still considered a goddess for having
attended and survived!

;)

off the crumbling soap-box and back to work...

Churchmouse

p.s. I try to keep my brass balls under cover until absolutely necessary.

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