Hi Bloong,

I am in the same boat as you. Applying to M.arch I degree this year. My undergrad was in psychobio, I did the UCLA Jumpstart program in summer '09, got A's in all the classes and was in the exhibit at the end of the session.

Currently putting together my portfolio, and I feel the same way looking at other portfolios. It's a little bit daunting to see a lot of architectural projects in them when I have none. What are some things you are including in yours? I think it will be a jumpstart (lol) to put the jumpstart projects in there. I'm including the drawings from jumpstart, misc drawings, paintings, sculptural projects, and I'm thinking about doing a furniture project but not sure if that will be a good move.

So far as schools, I heard UT Austin and CCA have good up and coming schools but are not like Ivy-league types. I would love to find out about more schools in the same tier as well.

yea i am putting the projects i did from jumpstart and some independent works i did as well as drawings/sketches.

but its really hard to start any independent projects because its hard to evaluate your own work...

please give us some feed backs!

hi, can you post up some of your works from jumpstart to share with us?

Rather than relying on viewing other's portfolios, may I suggest you view the website -- http://www.portfoliodesign.com Done by Harold Linton, author of the book, Portfolio Design, he provides some examples and provides an outline on the process of creating a portfolio.

As well, he is willing to have you send samples of your portfolio for feedback.

Also, contact the schools to which you are applying directly and ask what they are seeking to see in the portfolios of applicants.

Final resources on becoming an architect are http://www.archcareers.org and Becoming an Architect, 2nd Ed.

Best!

You don't even need to score 1200+ .... I have no idea where you got that information. However, in your case, having a weaker GPA, it will help you.

Not exactly sure why you are stuck on IVY league schools -- might be a little bit of a stretch (not saying it's impossible) since your previous academic background was a little on the underwhelming (if not unsatisfactory) side. I've seen people rejected from there with 4.0 GPAs.

We will be happy to review your folio once you get it together.

I got 1200+ based on people's recommendations on getting ~ v600/m600... to show the competency in verbal and math i guess.

and, i am applying to ivy schools on a whim, and i am sure there are people like me out there who would love to go to ivy league but the chances are very slim in getting admitted to those programs but still wants to try

i know even ucla/sci-arc might be a tough shot for me to get admitted into. that is why i am trying to find out about some schools that are in the lower tier from ucla/sci-arc. but usually, from the information i get from the forum is to look for schools that suits you the best. i guess there isnt really an obvious rankin system for m.arch 1 programs like law/business schools have

but thanks for the inputs and the offer. i will definitely contact you for a review med!

and thank you for the resource dr.arch!

Bloong, don't think that just because it's a state school, it should be considered "easy" to get in. Most of the schools are competitive. You need to totally be aware of that because if you get rejected from those, you shouldn't feel all doom-and-gloom.

UCLA is a top-notch school with one of the most competitive admissions in the country. Really most arch schools -- including the public ones.

I'm looking around just in my area right now and trying to figure out where everyone went: Ball State, Syracuse, Tennessee, Virginia Tech, UVA, Michigan, Catholic U, U of Maryland, Washington U, Cornell, Zurich University, and some school in Belerus. All of us have the same kinds of positions. Some of the head designers of GSA Design excellence projects went to the Public schools.

In addition to Dr. Architecture's links...

I'd also suggest Archinect's guide... and this very handy one by Cooper Union.

The Cooper Union take on portfolios is a bit interesting if not unorthodox for portfolio building.

med, i dont consider any grad schools an an easy school to get in to. but there is an obvious disparity in acceptance rate between say harvard vs. i dont know... uh CCA?
i guess i am looking for a good balance in that disparity since i know my weakness in GPA will be a huge handicap as an applicant.
and since ive only lived in California, i dont know too many programs out there thats out of state. but ill look into the schools youve mentioned. thanks!

and thanks unicorn! the resource definitely answers some of the questions i had regarding portfolios.

bloong - who did you get for your letter of rec from the jumpstart?

vyan, i going to get a letter of rec from Kelly Bair. she was an awesome instructor and i think it will be beneficial for me (hopefully) since shes faculty at ucla and sci-arc.

did you happen to take jumpstart too?

no. i actually graduated from their undergraduate architectural studies. We were the first undergrads in their architecture program and now I am applying for their grad school.

Hey Bloong,

How did your grad applications go?

Your GRE score can definitely be way lower than a 1200.

Time and time again, we get prospective students here who rattle on about how they expect to both get into and succeed in an IVY league school when their undergrad performance was unsatisfactory at best.

At least your expectations are a little less delusional.

I know people who got well above the "minimum requirements" and still even got rejected from some of the public schools (UCLA, VT, Maryland, Clemson, Michican, etc)

Just saying.

Shit I forgot I responded to this before....

Aint that some shit..