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I also own(ed) a Dell for five years–Inspiron 8600. It worked fantastically and still does. My girlfriends Sony went bye-bye a few years ago.

I bought a Dell laptop (6GB RAM, Intel Core i5, windows 7) and it is a fantastic machine!!!

Thanks Roland! I was actually looking into Sony Vaio as well– do you have the NW series by any chance?

Students here at the University of Idaho are required to have a laptop and the department has a set of requirements, which might be helpful: http://www.caa.uidaho.edu/computerpolicy/htm/hardware.htm .
I just printed out that page and brought it with me to the store. There are also a few laptop magazines with lots of reviews that were helpful to…[Read more]

I would echo Frank. After getting this book, not only I use it, but several coworkers borrow it for their needs too.

hi, what is wrong with Dell..? my dell laptop is 5 years old, it has treated me very kind… i use acad, pshop and sketchup on this…
However it is time for a new one, i will go for another Dell. Just make sure you get lots of RAM…. its quiet too, so good luck on your choice! -Cliff

Check out “Landscape Architectural Graphic Standards”. Its published by Wiley, and seems to be a little more graphic based than Time Saver, is more up to date in terms of green infrastructure, and just a little more all-encompassing. Its not cheap ($230 ish), but seems like it is worth it.

Since you have taken the plunge and decided to pursue a BLA, I would recommend that you intern at a variety of firms both large and small. While in school, network…network…network!!! Be nice to your professors as well as the architects.

would have went to architecture school, then get the MLA.

I did a lot with GIS (ArcInfo) when I was in school as something that I picked up unexpectedly and enjoyed. If I had to do it over again, I would focus a lot on GIS because it crosses over into many fields and there does not seem to be a lot of people trained in doing in depth analysis with it (more data collecting and display rather than…[Read more]

Some folk have noticed that a really large body of water in arizona has had its level drop and not recover. Rainfall has reduced and a lot of people there are so worried they are investing in toilet tissue shares to get the stuff cheap but, if their worries pan out, they are going to have no water to flush it. Solutions are sought but there are…[Read more]

I got my BLA in 08′ from LSU. If you want to travel, get your degree from LSU.
I guess I’m one of the lucky ones who actually still has a job in the field. It required me to move 1500 miles but that’s what I wanted to do anyways.
Now to your question, nothing. I loved school and I love my job.
My degree was 5 years.

It is great you have a diverse background prior to starting your BLA! While you are in school store your previous experience in the back of your head and think about how it could be applied to different firms as you become more familiar with them through studios, lectures, critiques, etc. All the experience you have in addition to the stuff…[Read more]

No worries – I know from personal experience how tough times are. It’s hard not to rant. Thanks for your helpful suggestions!

“College is a dream world, focusing on big glamorous projects. But in my experience, it just isn’t reality.”

That is SO true! One of the benefits of doing this a second time around is that I’ve already gone through the realization that the “real world” is vastly different from the “artificial” world of academia.

The BLA program at UW has three…[Read more]

I would say try to learn as much as you can about the things they won’t be teaching you. I don’t know what the program is like at Washington, but many (or most) of the BLA programs out there focus mainly on design theory, and not enough of the nuts and bolts of Landscape Architecture, like construction detailing, grading, plant I.D., software,…[Read more]

Trust me, that option was considered – I almost did not take the spot. I won’t bore you with the details. My entire household of 2 was a victim of the economy – my partner just went back to work after a year of unemployment. But the “pros” outweighed the “cons” by a nose (or a hair).

Anyone willing offer constructive advice focused on the…[Read more]

What we can’t lose track of is what is a sustainable income. Five hundred bucks here and another $200 there all sounds great if you are just out of school or out of work. It is good as extra income, but when you are looking to determine what to charge and if it equates making a living or not, you have to think in terms of annual income, covering…[Read more]