Documenti di Didattica
Documenti di Professioni
Documenti di Cultura
Getting Settled 2
Housing 2
Transportation 3
Food 3
Work/Life Balance 4
Wellness, Healthcare and Mental Health Counseling 4
Supplies 4
Facilities 5
People 6
Academic Advising 6
Academics 7
Thesis 7
English as a Second Language 7
Communication 8
Opportunities to Make Money 8
Preparing for a Career 8
ASLA 9
Grad Club 9
Welcome to the Graduate Program at the Rutgers Department of Landscape Architecture! We are a small but
motivated group of students, excited to be helping to shape this young Master of Landscape Architecture (MLA) Pro-
gram. Since this is a relatively new graduate program within a massive, bureaucratic research university, we figured an
unofficial student guidebook would be useful as you settle into life at Blake Hall. It is by no means your only resource
(anyone you ask will be willing to help you find your way), nor is it a definitive document. It is a list of information other
students would have liked to know when first getting started. Things at Rutgers change quickly and often, so keep in
mind that people, places and policies may be different from those described here.
Getting Settled
It is probably a good idea to go to the Rutgers Graduate
Student Orientation day in late August. There you will
learn about healthcare, public safety and student resourc-
es. It is not essential to attend, but skipping will lead you to
extra confusion when it comes to logistical things. On that
note, all the logistical things are very confusing. Be easy
on yourself, and dont be afraid to ask for help.
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Transportation
Driving: Be sure to give yourself plenty of time to get to
school for your 9:15 class. There is often traffic coming into
New Brunswick in the mornings. Carpool for class trips
when you can.
Bicycling: Biking can be a great way to get around cam- Off campus: Daisys Market on the corner of Remsen and
pus and around the area. There is a rack outside of Blake, Sudyam has a nice assortment and is reasonably priced.
but be aware that bikes are stolen from it frequentlyes- Park Deli is on Commercial Ave and also has a good vari-
pecially in the beginning of the semester. Use a serious ety and traditional deli options. Downtown New Brunswick
(U-style or similar) lock. If you are going to leave it there has many decent restaurants at the full range of price and
at night (you will) then you should also lock your wheels quality. You should also explore further out. Edison has a
because bike parts are also stolen. If you have a very nice fantastic selection of reasonably priced restaurants.
bike, bring it inside at night. You can also register your bike
with Rutgers at the Public Safety building on George Street Groceries: There are all the grocery stores you could wish
and Commercial Ave. Kims Bike Shop on French Street for within a 5-10 minute drive of campus. If you dont have
in New Brunswick is the only real bike shop game in town. a car, the grocery store by the train station has a wide
They are great. selection and reasonable prices.
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Work/Life Balance
You will work much harder and longer than you probably
expect. The nature of design school is to fill every available
moment of time you give it. Expect weeks with little sleep
and little time for your friends, partner and family. But you
also will need to figure out how to work hard and remain
healthy. Everyone is different. Some people find regular
gym time is a huge help, while others set aside a day on
the weekend to be a non-work day. The faster you find a
good rhythm the better off you will be. Make sure to sleep.
And take care of yourself if you start feeling like youre get-
ting sick. Its hard to recover completely during the semes-
ter once you let yourself get sick.
There are plenty of bars and restaurants nearby to relax Doctors notes are not automatic excusals from class or
in with your studiomates. Its often difficult to get a depart- school work. It is best to email your professors directly and
ment-wide happy hour (LAppy Hour) organized because tell them you are not well and make arrangements with
each class is on a different schedule with different dead- them for how to make up any work you miss.
lines. But do your best to take some time with your studio
to relax and have a couple drinks. On The Border, in the Rutgers also provides mental health counseling and dis-
Sears shopping center is the closest bar to Blake, but there ability services. For mental health, you want to go to CAPS
are also many options in downtown New Brunswick. As a http://rhscaps.rutgers.edu/. There is an office on Cook
general rule, stay off Easton Ave to avoid the messy under- Campus at 61 Nichol Avenue. They are very used to the
graduate party scene. kinds of stresses we all encounter in grad school, so defi-
nitely take advantage of the resources they provide. If you
have a disability, it is a good idea to register with the Office
Wellness, Healthcare and Mental of Disability Services to make sure you have the accommo-
Health Counseling dations you need. This process can be arduous, so try to
get started before the semester begins.
As a Rutgers Student you will be insured in some way. Do
not hesitate to go to the doctor and get the care you need.
There are recreation centers on each campus. The Cook
Your body will be under a lot of stress as you transition to
recreation center is across the street from the Cook Cam-
student life: take care of it!
pus Center. You can get a locker there for the semester
to keep a change of clothes or swim gear. The Werblin
For students with international student coverage, the
Recreation Center on Busch Campus is the largest and
reimbursement process can be overwhelming. Dont let
newest facility.
that stop you from going to the doctor. Talk to some of the
other international students for help with the process.
Any full time student can use the Rutgers Health Centers.
It can be difficult to get an appointment, so plan ahead if Supplies
you can. The main one is on College Ave Campus, and Drawing and modeling: Most people get their supplies
there is also a Health Center on Cook Campus in the IFNH online. Dickblick.com is a good place to start. It often has
building, and on Livingston Campus. All of them have better prices than Amazon. You should show up to the first
pharmacies as well. See http://health.rutgers.edu for more day of class with as many of the listed supplies as you can.
information. Robert Wood Johnson and St. Peters Hospital You will use them. Expect to use a lot of trace and at least
in New Brunswick both have good service and emergency 20 yards of vellum your first semester. Locally, you can find
rooms if necessary. some supplies at Tiger Art Supply in Highland Park and Mi-
4
chaels in North Brunswick. Be resourceful when it comes
to model-making. There is no need to buy pre-made minia-
tures for the kinds of models you will be making.
6
are available, but it is probably worth the effort, particularly
if you are interested in architecture, which you will not find
much of at Rutgers.
Academics
The studio sequence is the backbone of the landscape
architecture program. You should prioritize your work for
that class, and devote as much time as you are willing to
put into it. It is in the studio sequence that it will become
very clear that landscape architecture is a visual field. Your
graphic skills will be honed, and you should think of every-
thing you produce in terms of the quality of its appearance.
Create the best work you can. Your professors will push
you really hard, and there will be times when you cannot
finish everything that is being asked of you, but do your
absolute best to stay on top of your studio work. Learn to
plan your work out carefully and realistically so you know
how many hours you will need to put in to meet your dead-
lines.
Your other fundamental classes will often be with under- Also remember that the thesis is a big deal, but its not
graduate students. The undergraduates can be annoying that big. Its about the same number of credits as a nor-
since they tend to chatter and fidget, but you will learn to mal studio class, with the main difference being that it is
love them. They are super motivated and come from all self-directed. You can use the work you do to help you get
kinds of interesting backgrounds. Take your time to get the kind of job you are interested, or you can just use it to
to know them, and enjoy the huge leap in maturity and explore a topic that caught your eye. You can also find a
self-confidence they go through when they transition from professor who you admire and ask if they have a research
sophomore to junior year. project that can be turned into a thesis. Most will have
some ideas that they are happy to share with you.
History, Theory, and certain other classes you take will
have a huge amount of reading connected to them, either
through assigned readings or independent research as-
signments. They are super interesting and often important English as a Second Language
texts to read, but you will do best if you can learn to read The first two semesters can be extra challenging for
quickly, or even just skim for the most important parts. international students who arent completely comfortable
with English. You are expected to take History your first
If you are curious or confused about something, or if you semester and Theory in the following spring. Both of those
are interested in a particular faculty member, dont be shy. classes require a lot of reading, writing and speaking. Your
Faculty and other students are very willing to talk. grade depends on participation in class, and that requires
you to read for every class and then speak up about what
you read. You will get a lot of English practice in your other
classes, but History and Theory may be overwhelming.
Thesis
The thesis tends to loom large and scary as soon as you You are encouraged to postpone History and Theory and
start grad school, but dont worry about it! There is a take a writing class that is aimed at international students
whole class devoted to introducing you to the process and if you are not confident with the language. Regardless of
helping you find a topic (Research Methods). The History whether you decide to take a writing class, make sure you
and Theory classes are also good opportunities to explore start any writing assignments early. When you have time,
topics you may be interested in as you research for those you may be able to ask your professors and friends to help
papers. You have plenty of time to figure it out while you you. Librarians can help you with research and with the
are in school, but you will feel more confident making a proper citation styles.
decision if you take the time to get to know the faculty and
learn about what they do. Check out global.rutgers.edu for more resources.
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Communication
Make sure you are checking your Rutgers email frequently.
Professors will communicate with you either directly via
email or through a course website (usually Sakai). Sakai
will send you notifications when a professor has made an
announcement or added materials, and its good to check
those right away. If you want to get in touch with a profes-
sor, email is almost always the best way. Make sure you
are polite and respectful.
Lastly, we have a hashtag! Please use it to help us stay Preparing for a Career
connected and to promote all the interesting things we do A MLA degree is not enough to guarantee you a job. There
in the Program: #RutgersMLA are few things you must do to be prepared to start your
career:
Opportunities to Make Money Portfolio: Your design portfolio will be essential as you
If you would like to get paid by the Department there are a start looking for jobs and internships. Its another reason
few ways to do so. Hourly wages range from about $12-15. to do good work in studio, and make sure you document it
Many professors have a budget to hire research assistants. really well. As you go through school, keep those images
Working as an RA is a good way to get to know a professor in one place, and start creating a portfolio layout (8.5 x 11
and get some interesting research experience under your is best, for either print or digital distribution) early, even
belt. If you are interested in working for someone just ask. when you dont feel like you have very much content yet.
There are also a couple opportunities to do administrative
work for the department. These usually go to undergrads, Networking: The faculty are a great place to start if youre
but you can talk to Gail if you are interested in that. looking for connections in the field. If there is a certain
specialty or region where you would like to look for work,
Teaching assistantships are usually only given to students try asking around to see who has worked there in the past.
in their second and third year. There are hourly and sala- The Common Lectures are another good opportunity. The
ried positions available. You can read more about them on department has a wide range of professionals coming in
the department website. Keep in mind that they are given weekly to speak. If you are moved by their lecture, defi-
to students with good grades, but that nothing guarantees nitely ask them if you can follow up with them. If you know
your appointment. TA-ships are a great incentive to work beforehand that it is someone you are really interested in,
extra hard on your schoolwork. The salaried positions you can speak to Gail about possibly joining them for din-
include tuition remission, and most come with health ben- ner after the lecture. ASLA, NJASLA and other conferences
efits. The application process for the next year is in Febru- (see below) are also fantastic ways to connect to people,
ary, with decisions announced in late March-early April. especially if you are confident talking to strangers.
Other students choose to work part-time jobs outside Internships: Do your very best to do at least one in-
of Rutgers. These positions can be good for your sanity ternship while you are a grad student. Summers are the
because they force you to interact with the world outside traditional time to work as an intern, but some students
of Blake Hall, but find one that is low-stress with a flexible also work for local firms during the school year. Every ex-
schedule so you can prioritize academics. perience in an actual LA firm will teach you a huge amount
8
and make you that much more appealing to employers.
If you are looking to intern at a national (as opposed to
local) firm, keep in mind that the application deadlines are
often very early. You will want to have your portfolio ready
in February and watch their websites for the deadlines. For
firms without official internship programs, you will have to
put yourself out there by sending your information around.
Both strategies work and can lead to great experiences.
Some firms will also let you do very short externships
during the January break. If you would like a 1-2 week
experience in a firm, it can never hurt to ask.
ASLA
The American Society of Landscape Architects is our
national professional organization. They control things
like accreditation and licensure. They also have a monthly
magazine for members. There are two major ASLA con-
ferences you should be aware of. The national conference
is every fall, in a different city across the country. The New
Jersey Chapter of the ASLA (NJASLA) hosts their confer-
ence in Atlantic City in February or March. Go to both at
least once while you are a student. The student member-
ship is $50 annually. NJASLA is a great place to network
because Rutgers is the only university that sends students.
All the professionals there (NJ and NY based) are eager to
talk to you about their practice. If you are hoping for a job
or internship, dont forget a printed portfolio or at least a
card with a link to a digital version. The general ASLA con-
ference is much bigger and therefore more difficult to meet
random professionals. Go to the national conference for
the range of interesting talks, the fun vendor expo, a new
city, and the potential of connecting with someone really
interesting.
Grad Club
The graduate LA club varies widely from year to year. It is
an official club in the eyes of the Rutgers Graduate Student
Association, which means we can apply for funding for
events at the beginning of each semester. Second-year
MLA students are usually in charge of applying for fund-
ing and organizing the club, but anyones suggestions
for events and projects are welcome. In the past we have
held workshops in various software programs, hosted or
co-hosted lectures, run fundraisers (for ASLA travel funds)
during Rutgers Day, had end of semester study breaks,
etc. Try to attend Grad Club meetings and events, since its
a good way to connect to the other years.