If you do not have use of InDesign I would set your pages up in individually Illustrator.

Never do any graphic work in photoshop. the only thing you work on in photoshop is individual pixs.

topic has definitely been cover many times before...I know cause I usually post in them. Use Indesign for portfolio layout. Illustrator is a vector based artwork program(make cool diagrams) - photoshop is what it is...edit photos.

aren't these things due in like a couple days? you certainly procrastinate like an architecture student--maybe play that up?

yeah seriously about the due date. Best of luck with that train wreck.

Are you making a digital or hard copy portfolio? But I agree with STONES and PencilPusher. InDesign all the way

Best way imo would be to make/ print individual pages in indesign.

i got til jan. 15 and feb. 1st X.X

You are asking about what program to use to create a grad school portfolio when it is due in 4 weeks? Are you serious?!! You would be alright if you were applying to a trade school, but GRAD school? Why not wait a year and take some time to learn the skills that you will need in school and create an amazing portfolio that will surely get you into a school instead of throwing something together now and waste all the time and effort?

Indesign or Quark. Use Photoshop for editing images. I have to assume you're coming from a none-architecture background, in which case, don't worry about not knowing the software already.

That being said, find someone who can help you get this done and teach you the shortcuts. 4~8 wks is an awful short time to get a portfolio done (unless you're working on it all day/night every day, in which case it's still a short time).

p.s. make sure you allow adequate time to print/proof/edit/reprint/bind

well i have run into a couple of issues:

1.) i have about 12 drawings that i plan to use in my portfolio, i got them all scanned on pdf. but it seems nearly impossible to change pdf to the type of file that indesign uses (i cant recall the file type right at the moment). i am using a sort of bootlegged adobe suite, i downloaded a pdf converter but it doesnt work on my computer because indesign technically isn't installed on my computer. does anyone know how to get around this? i am using a full version of indesign cs4 through the internet

2.) i have searched for solutions but i think i have accepted that i cant use indesign. and i thought of a layout that could work well with illustrator. the book will fold vertically top to bottom so it doesnt look so blank, you will only be able to read one page at a time. i noticed a lot of portfolios have content on both pages when opened left to right horizontally. also i think a vertical orientation will be easier to produce over and over on illustrator. is there anything wrong with that ?

- hopefully in a couple of days i will be able to post what i have on this site

-and to ppl who say i should compile more content and apply next year. i understand your advice, and i might still do that. i could create much better drawings than what i have with another 6-8 months of time. but my goal was to get in as soon as possible, so i am trying this. it might work out that i have to wait and apply next year.

however i feel if i do apply next year i can still put my portfolio layout together now and add drawings later as i please.

Uhh, indesign can place pdf files like photos or illustrations. You can open a .pdf file in illustrator and edit it.

[i]i noticed a lot of portfolios have content on both pages when opened left to right horizontally. also i think a vertical orientation will be easier to produce over and over on illustrator. is there anything wrong with that ?

Technically, no.

Unless you're are using a super thick stock, specialty laminated paper or dry inks (laser toner, solid wax ink)... it's actually preferable to not use double-sided print.

Typically, paper has a saturation point where it starts to wrinkle if you print too much on it. And places that are dark or have a lot of color will be visible from both sides. It's distracting and bled from the opposite page may ruin the page.

The seeing the content on the other side of the paper isn't just limited to liquid inks either. Solid inks can show up too.

This is why teachers and professors typically ask that you only write or print on one-side of a piece of paper.

First rule about using "Bootlegged" software: Don't talk about "Bootlegged" software in a public forum.

Second rule about using "Bootlegged" software: Don't talk about "Bootlegged" software in a public forum.

We are all upstanding citizens here ;) We own all the software we use. Right people?

If you do not know the adobe software well enough yet to know that InDesign imports .pdf's and how to format vertically vs horizontally, then you still have a lot to learn before going to Grad school. You are already admitting above that you are not 100% confident you are going to be submitting the greatest work . . .

"I could create much better drawings"

I would suggest you overcome the anxious desire to apply. Getting shot-down even with only medium-high hopes suxs. Do the better drawings!

I know this all might be stuff you don't want to hear, but you asked for advice from us and we are giving you honest advice. Advice, by nature, is counseling from another persons experiences. Use us over the next year for critiques, and rather then apply late with a so-so portfolio, apply early with a kick-ass one!

why the last minute rush? as noted above, 4 weeks is not much. I'd say it took me about 4 months, on/off and I was producing work specifically for it for half of undergrad.

Designing a good portfolio takes a ton of time, just from the design standpoint (forget the technical).



My suggestions:

Simple. Stupid simple. You need something really, really simple otherwise there is no way it won't look like something that was thrown together.

Printing. You better start testing. I assume you'll be printing yourself, but you better make sure you cover things (like the resolution of an image not being high enough, etc.).

Standards. You best pay attention to the requirements of schools you are looking at.

Software. Use what you know, it doesn't matter. Don't try to learn something now, you'll just get it all screwy (linking files, like in ID or even Ill, can be a nightmare if you don't plan). Why are you 'scanning' to pdf? Just scan to a jpeg (max quality) or a TIFF (better option if you have the hard drive space). If you are 'exporting', the pdf is better.


Good luck

what trace said.

for when it comes up, when you place a pdf in in-design check the import options box before hitting ok and then choose the page you want to import. then hit ok. pdf links are not hard in in-design and also open in illustrator. actually you can save as a pdf file from illustrator if you really want to and never bother with the AI format at all. that's how integrated it is...

if you don't know indesign/illustrator or other design programs I suggest using Powerpoint or microsoft word. You can easily create cimple documents which will allow your work to shine.

I applied to grad school last year and was rejected. I also pushed the deadline with the portfolio, had someone else help me, didn't know the programs myself. I got waitlisted at 1 competitive school and rejected from the 2 others.

Though that sounds like a sob story, it's not intended to be. I learned SO MUCH just from the PROCESS of applying. That sounds dorky... but after having made a port myself, I could better understand what OTHER people's ports were doing right, and why mine had failed. If I had never attempted, I would never have gotten the difference.

If I choose to apply again, I am much more sure of being accepted, since now I know what they are looking for, and I have 1 bad project underneath my belt to learn from. So I say- go for it!

Also- your GRE scores and essay will help a lot...
Plus- if you are applying to 10 schools of varying selectivity, you are much more likely to get in.
Good luck!

Nice advice trace.

K.I.S.S. (keep it stupid simple) definitely applies for nice drawings speaking for themselves.

Interesting point Sbeth85, since the main work process in architecture is working by iteration, a multi-year app process is a good learning method - especially if you're coming from a field outside of design.

It'll be nice to see what you're working with/to.

its not bootlegged i get to use it because my undergrad ASU has online apps they are amazing i love my alma mater lol. i graduated i still have access to those programs i mentioned plus like MATLAB, STATA, pretty much any academic program out. i dont own them so much as i earned them =P in my opinion....

when i say its not my greatest work i will be submitting. it is the greatest work i have produced thus far. i can make better drawings just from the experience i have gained from these past 13 drawings.

i already figured out how to orient it. i want to work with 8 inch Height and 10 inch Width. that falls beneath the dimensions that most schools require i believe.

i have not tried using 'place' to get images on indesign i will have to try that. but thus far i am not comfortable with indesign, i actually hate it i think i will abandon that program for now.


actually i have realized another problem since these responses. all of my drawings are actually extremely grainy, the lines aren't full and they just look like shit honestly. My solution was to edit them on illustrator and go ever the lines and fill them to correct line weights etc.

if i did that, does that defeat the purpose of showcasing hand drafting?

that brings up another solution. are .tiff scans much clearer than pdf ? i was thinking about going over all of my drafting and darkeneing the lines so they really show on a scanner. retrospectively, my drafting is poor because my line weights are so weak at the moment. i suppose i generally do not press my pencil too hard in life, i learned in drafting you gotta press pretty hard all the time XD.

maybe .tiff will produce a scan quality i wont have to edit after ?

i actually have been fucking around with illustrator these past few days and i enjoy teaching myself the program. i dont understand how it can take so long to create a portfolio, especially a simple one. placing pictures and text doesn't sound too daunting.

basically i have all of my drawings. do you think .tiff scan will produce much clearer images, that look like they do in real life? I believe if i can get clear scans. assembling my portfolio will be as easy as placing images and text within the confines of 10x8 inches.


i really appreciate all of the feedback i am actually learning alot just from this thread and messing around with these programs.

We can't really tell you anything unless you post screenshots or examples. Indesign is like 95% "placing."

As for correcting the lines, there's easier methods in photoshop to make look better.

Also, generally... when you're imputing hand drawings specifically for use in digital media, you're suppose to sketch in blue, green or red pencil and then cover over in black ink or graphite.

This allows you to pull the color sketching out and end up with very clean, thick black lines.

this folder contains 11 drawings i want to include 10 of them. one of the figures i am probably gonna omit.

http://www.mediafire.com/?gg446mb95g8b8

all of the figure drawing was done with sanguine charcoal, does .tiff scan in color? i suppose jpeg does.....

what do you suggest i do with those arch drafting images? there is a sequence to all of the drafting that i want to explain with text in the portfolio. i wonder if i do not have enough free hand drawing though..

12 drawings iplan to omit 1 i used mediafire cuz they are still .pdf

oh one last thing...the drafting has a demo plan, construction plan, furniture plan..and i was supposed to produce a cieling plan but the class didnt cover that in time...should i draw up a ceiling plan for that also ?

Scanning to pdf is not wrong, or bad, but it doesn't offer anything helpful either (it will be using jpeg compression).

Personally, I like to keep pdf's of drawings as vectors only (presentations are combos, of course).

So here's what I do:

Content files:

Illustrator files (.ai) - all drawings that are digital, ie 'vectors'

TIFFs (and note to everyone else, I use jpegs more now, but awe isn't as savvy so keeping it to a lossless file format makes sense) - all scans, all renderings, all photos


Presentation files:

Illustrator - combos of the above, exported to PDF

[note about links and placing - if you are unsure, embed the files and remove any possibility of problems when you run to kinkos to print at 4pm to get out by 5pm]

InDesign - I tend to take the above Illustrator files and place them, then export to various pdf settings (I do need to start laying the pages out in ID)



If I Were You:

Scans - scan to TIFF. Work on the scan resolution and settings, you should be able to bump it up enough to get the line work. Then open the TIFF in Photoshop and play with the Levels to get the lines more clear.

You shouldn't have to 'draw' anything. BUT it doesn't matter how or why you do something, only what it looks like, so don't be afraid to adjust.

Image Adjustment - Photoshop

Presentation - do this all in Illustrator (keep an eye on file size, though, as it can get ridiculous)




Time - we are all not saying that the actual placement of images and text takes long. It doesn't. It could probably be done in a day. What takes a long time is the design. Original quality takes time.

hi, which schools are u planning to apply to?

The problem with your scans is that they aren't scanned as grayscale images. They are scanned using black-and-white (line color) Bitmap/TIFF format from like 1988 [basically monochrome].

You need to scan these either in grayscale or color! If you scan them in color, convert them to greyscale in photoshop!

The only easy suggestion I have to fix these files is do the follow:

For 001.pdf for example:

Open in photoshop.
Convert the file to greysale (leave at size ratio 1).
Duplicate the background layer 5 times.
Set all layers to multiply.
Select Gaussian blur from the effects menu. Set the blur amount from between 0.9 to 1.3.
Starting with the top layer, apply the blur. Then apply to each individual layer except the last layer. Repeat until the layers blend together resembling pencil sketches.
Then blend the last layer just a little bit.
...
Then write me a check for $50 dollars.
Put it in the mail.
You're done.

not MIT X_X

i am applying to university of miami i am applying to arizona state, parsons, UC bolder...still researching other options in the northwest and east coast/southeast..my ultimate goal is to get to south beach for the next 3-4 years @_@;

and its possible i will apply in winter next year to schools with deadlines i already missed with more drawings if this doesnt pan out in time...but like i said my goal this whole time has been to get into UM and that deadline is feb. 1st

what do you think ?

Also, I should mention once you blur the layers and you are mostly okay with the overall picture...

You should resize each file and make it about 500 pixels smaller. These PDFs are massive (like 18x20 and 200 points per inch). Luckily, you at least have high-resolution files!


Sized down to 1024 by 971 because flickr hates my guts.

Better?

i owe you money uxbridge

design takes time. trace is a professional and am sure even for him a portfolio takes time.

be glad you have all this software to play with. when i applied to fine arts it was all slides sent in the mail, and for archi-school application i had to cut and paste and photoshop and photo-reduce and all that jazz. very expensive process. now its dirt cheap and archinect is here to help out. what more could you want?

btw, i absolutely would recommend in-design for portfolio. it isn't difficult. shouldn't take more than an hour to master the program really since it has so few options/tricks. illustrator and photoshop are much more deep and will take months and years to get a proper handle on.

if you are aiming for KISS, in design is def the way to go...

Well..I used those blurring techniques and they did exactly what I needed them to do. all of my lines got darker and it works really well on my figure drawing. however when i move the edited images to illustrator the blurring effects do not carry over. i am not sure why.

anyways i want to put up a jpeg of basically what i am trying to do...i am not sure what issues i will run into when it comes time to print..but so far in illustrator i set my page to be 9 inches wide x 7 inches tall...so i hope if i just put everything in the little white rectangle it will print to those dimensions.....

i want to use the orange and green color scheme. and basically all my pages will be similar to this...a drawing with a title accompanied by text describing something unique about the drawing or drawing process. i am not sure what KISS rules are exactly..but this is about as simple as it gets i think X_X. there will be a little more sequence, a title page, basic table of contents, and a simple introduction.



any suggestions and advice are appreciated ...

oh man, i will do your entire portfolio for $50 bucks.

in the spirit of design fee undercutting, i will do it for 49.95.

why do you have a drawing instead of a maquette next to the description of maquette?

how did you move the images to illustrator?

haha now i feel like i am doing something wrong. whats wrong with that page? I will post more pages later today or tomorrow when i finish them.

in the drafting class i took, the teacher kept referring to this paticular drawing assignment as a maquette so i called it that. it was the first thing we drew. i can change the description and the title if that is incorrect.

i placed the images on illustrator. i saved them as .tif i solved that problem after i posted that...if that is the correct way to place images

@ uxbridge- while i do owe you money for your photoshop advice. i dont have 50$ for you to make one for me because i will still have to print/bind and that could be another 50$, i havent even gotten to printing yet.

@vado retro- by undercutting you are leaving money on the table. i hope your undercutting is not habitual it could hurt you in the long run.... undercutting permanently fucks the whole market be careful...=P

i got my B.S. in economics, i am not familiar to this process please I seek advice... i am not shopping X_X xmas is over >.>;;

maquette usually means a model not a drawing, at least in art and architecture. its a kind of 3d sketch for a larger project that is intended to be realised later on...i think.

i was wondering if maybe the images were links and not embedded and that is why you could not see the work you put into them (they could be previewing at low res). i am not so familiar with illustrator though for that kind of work. perhaps someone here will know what the problem is...

If you want to post previews, go to Export, check 'limit to artboard' (or whatever it is), export as a jpg at 72dpi


when you post an image, do it like this:

[img]http://www.x.jpg width=415[ /img]


that will make it fit the page (delete the space in the second [/img]

so...i think i have finished my portfolio. i created a title page, contents, and 10 different works pages. but i have encountered yet another problem..

i want to post previews but when i try to export pages to photobucket it says 'invalid file'...the only pages i am able to upload are ones with out pictures in them...all of my images are currently saved online, and all of my illustrator pages are saved online...i was thinking about exporting each page to a flash drive when it comes time to use the files...but if i am having trouble uploading pictures to the internet does that mean there will be trouble printing? i am not sure if it is because the images placed are saved as .TIFF online and not saved to my hard drive or a flash drive...if that makes any sense does anyone know how to fix that problem ?

here are my title page and table of contents..for some reason the whole table of contents isnt uploading................if i can figure out how to upload content pages i will post those too...but i think i am pretty close to being ready to submit my work..all i have to do is figure out my printing situation..

well the red x is telling me something else is fucked with how my files are saved...i will solve this tomorrow >.>;

OK i solved my internet problems..for some reason when i use export and host the image online it doesnt work. but when i use 'save for web&devices' and save it as jpeg it works.

so here is my title page, contents and what i believe to be the strongest 2 pages from my drafting and figure drawing.

first of all critique/advice?

second of all...printing, i need printing advice..i live outside of los angeles and i have been using reliable graphics for copies, and scans. but i do not know the extent of what they can do. what paper weight they have, binding, printing options etc.

the pages are set at 9"x7"

unfortunately the text is really small i am not sure if anyone will be able to read it...i would like to use issuu.com to post all of it but i am not sure how to do that..so here is an example of 4 pages

well done on getting through the technical hurdles. that is no small thing.

as for the content of the portfolio it has the benefit of being clear, which is a good thing.

I would not recommend defining the technical terms nor explain how you learned about technical things. Also don't recommend apologizing that the scans aren't picking up the color. None of that stuff really tells us anything useful.

the idea of portfolio is to show how you think. the tech dwgs show you can follow instructions and it seems you have gained some dwg skills, but what do you think of them and how would you like to use those skills?

your cover letter is rather vague on that point. perhaps that is a place to start. ie, you say economics "lends itself to solving public and private problems." How does economics do that? that's a pretty big thing to say and in many ways too vague to have any meaning. you make other claims in the letter that are similarly grand gestures. nothing wrong with that but without filling out those ideas with solid examples or details it sounds hollow.

if you can backup your ideas more specifically, with examples of your own work as evidence of your thoughts, then perhaps there is something to talk about. but as it is the portfolio is pretty mute. there is nothing for a jury to grab onto. if you can, try to make a narrative to tie things together. what is all of the technical expertise for? if you can't show it with the imagery then perhaps you can tell about it with your text.

as for text size, it depends on the font but 9 to 12 pt is usually more than big enough for print. i can read the text from your images on my screen with no problems at all so am certain they will be clear when printed. they may even be on the large side.

try posting on issu and get more opinions than mine. there are lots of smart people here who can help out.

I stick with what I said two weeks ago

"You are asking about what program to use to create a grad school portfolio when it is due in 4 weeks? Are you serious?!! You would be alright if you were applying to a trade school, but GRAD school? Why not wait a year and take some time to learn the skills that you will need in school and create an amazing portfolio that will surely get you into a school instead of throwing something together now and waste all the time and effort?"

Except now you have already spent alot of time on this. It CLEARLY looks like you could use the time to expand your technical skills (which is obvious based on the name and subject of the original post), develop some ideas, and get some experience with architectural projects.

that orange and green is possibly the worst coior combination i have ever seen and that's sayin' something!

and why 9x7 when you have no bleeds (unless that hideously ugly orange band is a bleed)? if you have no bleeds, you might as well go 8.5x11 and spare yourself the trouble of having to trim it down.

wait? orange and green...



say it ain't so?

@jump- i will edit my text and try not to spend any time describing technical terms..i figured anyone who reviews my portfolio will know
any terms i can hope to define, but i was not sure what to write about. i was hoping my non-arch degree could be an excuse for that simple approach, but i suppose that is cutting corners.

i want to relate economics to architecture..i honestly believe the intellectual framework i have aquired from my economics education can provide me with useful solutions to architectural problems. if it doesnt provide aesethetic solutions, it can provide logistical, quantitative, and effecient ideas to compliment aesethetics. i suppose i need to come up with stronger reasons, and demonstrate how work i have done can produce good architecture.

@wrought- well i still have 3.5 weeks before the one deadline i wish to make. and i cant argue your point that my technical skills can be improved, because they can and i have the capacity to get better. but for fall 2012 admission i am nearly ready to apply with this portfolio. i could certaintly improve it over this year and add different content from newer drawing projects. i think for an economics degree so far i have done alot with a little. although i dont have much to compare to, a lot of people posting portfolios have arch b.s. and if you look through the aesthetics to the content, i think my writing skills and ideas can be on par with architecture students. the only difference being terminology we are comfortable with. econ and arch use whole different vocabularies, assumptions, tools, and ideas. but the purpose of both is long term efficiency, long term solutions. a building is a long term investment.


@ won and done - am i using the wrong orange and green? i choose orange and green because they are UM colors where i will apply... and a side note - how can there be a 'worst' color combination isn't that subjective? i thought the orange green looked nice.

what do you mean by bleed? the orange/green band are supposed to be borders (bleeds?) ... what is the trouble in trimming down i can just cut the excess paper as it will print dashed lines around 9"x7" dimensions, the orange/green bands are inside of those dimensions...i dunno i feel if i print 9"x7" on thicker paper it will come out nicer, and sturdier than 8.5x11..a more compact and improved presentation...then again i am the n00b.



another question...
what are issues i can expect to face in the printing/binding process?

just keep it simple. non-standard sizes are only great if the content needs it. here you are not doing anything that makes it a logical step (btw, full bleed means printing to the edge of the paper).

basic advice just on style points, drop the colors, and the frame. architecture is a team sport but you are supposed to have judgment ;-)

as far as the text goes, frankly no you don't have the same sophistication as people who have studied architecture before. it is not expected of you however. what is expected is that you have an opinion and can demonstrate that you have made the connection between design and economics (or whatever). it doesn't look like it so far.

just saying you think there is a connection between what you have done and what you would like to do from now on is not enough. you need to show it, preferably with imagery that you can put into a portfolio. there are all kinds of ways to do that and am sure you can come up with something cool given enough time. 3 weeks deadline may require an epiphany.

is there nothing beyond organizational skills that you think is connecting you to archtiecture? those skills will come in handy, but architecture is about taking skills and applying them to achieve results - the skills themselves are not important except as a means to an end, ditto for the technical skills. maybe you can ask yourself, what kinds of ends are you expecting/looking to achieve? you know...as economist are you into schumacher, the Austrian school, keynes? how do those schools of thought lead to something in the world of ideas and construction that you want to be part of?

printing and binding is easier if you stick to 8.5 x 11. print it yourself and bind at kinkos or do it all at kinkos. since you have no special requirements with full bleed and so on i would be surprised if you had any problems binding the portfolio at all.

Here is a thread started by a grad school applicant similar to yourself (no design or arch. background), which includes a portfolio for you to observe.

http://www.archinect.com/forum/threads.php?id=103555_0_42_0_C

Although both portfolios are very simple, I don't think yours shows any depth of thought (based solely on the few pages you have pasted). However, I think the other portfolio does convey a level of critical-thinking and creativity through the projects and text displayed.

Although you have an econ. degree and you DO have a disadvantage because you have not been exposed to many arch. ideas and projects. However, academic administrators are going to compare your work equally to others.

recent post is good source for what architects think of where the connections outside design world might go. the project by elemental is entirely about economics and equity. very powerful work.

this is the vibe i'm getting from your portfolio...

well after looking at the poli sci portfolio i understand mine is severely lacking, all of her drafting trumps mine by far. I suppose I will switch it to 8.5x11 and edit the text. Now I realize I probably don't even need borders or 'bleed'! What about vertical vs. horizontal?

Should I include any colors at all?

if i bind at kinkos its fine to use regular paper or whats the deal with that?

i got responses from professors i think i will have strong letters at least to compliment a shitty portfolio x.x;;

thanks for the feedback !

i have settled on my portfolio, i am gonna go to kinko's and have it bound at 8.5x11..simple black and white no colors, no bleeds, no borders, just short descriptive sentences and my work...if anyone wants to critique my letter of intent please do so i am submitting it tonight or tomorrow X_X

To The “U” School of Architecture Admissions Dept.:

“He lives out his transformative vocation by assisting someone else’s. Then, we can forgive him his signature on his buildings. We can forgive him because he makes pieces of stone serve hearts of flesh.” - Robert Mangabeira Unger Law Professor at Harvard on the figure of architect as an agent of hope. Dr. Unger illustrates what it means to be an architect, a profession which I imagined as an independent, self serving path to imposing one’s will on the “face” of society. Architecture is completely dependent on a client’s desire, ethical conduct, spatial-temporal variables and logistical limits. There is “good” and “bad” architecture, the “good” operates within these constraints while the “bad” ignores them. As a student of economics and statistical analysis I see architecture as the dependent ‘Y’ variable which acts in response to independent ‘X’ variables. The ‘X’ representing economies, population growth, time, and societies desires. Architecture only acts in response to those variables. I have studied and come to understand the independent variables, it is now that I intend to understand and become the dependent variable: the architect.

I wish to study architecture at The University of Miami because the region is already immersed in vibrant architecture, located in an enormous metropolitan area with problems to be solved, and a prestigious program. The University will mold me into an active disciple of architecture. Architecture has been described to me as a team sport I believe I can be a useful player with a different set of intellectual tools, I can share ideas or solutions that could be overlooked by one who only knows architecture. As a concrete example I have learned how to value consumers ‘willingness to pay’ using regression techniques that can be exercised on a program as simple as Excel. In devising a project; using publicly provided data of comparable rents, and exogenous factors I can help determine what consumers value most. From that my team of architects can design structures that behave near their ‘profit’ maximizing levels (a general equilibrium maximizes not only the firm’s satisfaction but also the consumers). Acting as part of a team my contributions can help design structures that exist in harmony with time.

Economics can lead one to work in public office, I am not a fan of politics but I do wish to act for the public as an agent to help rebuild the U.S. and the world. I believe generations before me have not acted in the best interest of the future, as a product of past generations I hope to construct an improved future that flourishes in time and change

I don't understand the point you're trying to get across in your first paragraph. It isn't clear to me. But, then again, neither are most professional architects. Also, in your last paragraph, you might want to temper down the statement about earlier generations not acting in the best interest of the future, since your portfolio reviewer will likely be from that generation. But without addressing the content, there are a lot of grammar problems. I would try to find an English teacher or similar to proofread it. As a starting point, here, I will retype with some suggested corrections.

--

“He lives out his transformative vocation by assisting someone else’s. Then, we can forgive him his signature on his buildings. We can forgive him because he makes pieces of stone serve hearts of flesh.”

- Robert Mangabeira Unger, Law Professor at Harvard concerning the figure of architect as an agent of hope.


Dr. Unger illustrates what it means to be an architect. Architecture is a profession which I imagine as an independent, self serving path to imposing one’s will on the “face” of society. Architecture is completely dependent on a client’s desire, ethical conduct, spatial-temporal variables and logistical limits. There is “good” and “bad” architecture. The “good” operates within these constraints, while the “bad” ignores them. As a student of economics and statistical analysis I see architecture as the dependent ‘Y’ variable, which acts in response to independent ‘X’ variables. The ‘X’ represents economies, population growth, time, and society's desires. Architecture only acts in response to these variables. I have studied and come to understand the independent variables. It is now that I intend to understand and become the dependent variable: the architect.

I wish to study architecture at The University of Miami because the region is already immersed in vibrant architecture. Located in an enormous metropolitan area with problems to be solved, it is a prestigious program. The University will mold me into an active disciple of architecture. Architecture has been described to me as a team sport. I believe I can be a useful player with a different set of intellectual tools. I can share ideas or solutions that could be overlooked by one who only knows architecture. As a concrete example, I have learned how to value consumers' "willingness to pay" using regression techniques that can be exercised on a program as simple as Excel. In devising a project, using publicly-provided data of comparable rents and exogenous factors, I can help determine what consumers value most. From that, my team of architects can design structures that behave near their "profit-maximizing" levels. A general equilibrium maximizes not only the firm’s satisfaction but also the consumer's. Acting as part of a team, my contributions can help design structures that exist harmonically with time.

Economics can lead one to work in public office. I am not a fan of politics, but I do wish to act for the public as an agent in helping rebuild the U.S. and the world. I believe the generations before me have not acted in the best interest of the future. As a product of past generations, I hope to construct an improved future that flourishes in time and change.



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