Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-Arc)
Pratt Institute
University of Southern California (USC)
Tulane University
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)
Temple University
University of Oregon
Cranbrook Academy of Art
New York Institute of Technology (NYIT)
Kansas State University
Help with applying for B. Arch? (schools and the undergrad portfolio)
Hi everyone,
High school senior here, looking to apply to schools with a B. Arch program. I've done my own share of research, but I because a) I don't have a college counselor, and b) nobody I know/at my school has applied in architecture in years, I'm pretty much on my own.
I know it depends on the school, but the tl;dr is I'm wondering how important the portfolio is when applying at the undergraduate level, and what schools focus on which.
My list currently is Cornell, Cal Poly SLO, Carnegie Mellon, Syracuse, Cal Poly Ponoma, USC, NewSchool, CCA, Pratt, Univ of Oregon. I'm not really sure if I'm looking at schools in the right range, though.
(My unw GPA isn't great (~3.5), and neither is my class rank (top 35%), but my weighted GPA is 4.0 and my SAT is in the low 1500s.)
I've thought about applying ED to Cornell, but I don't even know how much of a reach it is. Am I looking at the right schools? Are there any other schools I should be considering?
As far as portfolio - I was told by Carnegie Mellon they're not expecting "professional portfolio spreads", but I'm not quite sure what to deliver when I only have a limited set of pages (like 10-20 pages depending on the school). I've done a few summer programs (pre-college at Carnegie Mellon and the workshop at Cal Poly SLO), I take engineering at my school, and I learned Sketchup/Revit/Maya etc. on my own, so I have some traditional models as well as a few renders. I also have some traditional art - drawings/paintings and stuff. I know they don't want to see CAD, but apart from that, I don't know anything.
Apparently I don't have to put in things that are obviously architectural, but should I? How important do you think traditional art (contour drawings, graphite sketches, watercolor renders, etc.,) is as opposed to things like bristol models, installations, or 3D renders?
Thanks in advance everyone, I know my questions may or may not have been asked before but there aren't a lot of resources for HS students applying specifically for 5-year programs and I really have no idea what I'm doing.
In most cases, portfolio dominate the application process... and a good one can often compensate for less than ideal grades.
What you need to know is that a portfolio is a resume of your design-thinking skills. This means that what you show should demonstrate how you think about the basics of design (shape, scale, light, perspective, etc). Messing around in CAD and 3D modeling won't get you very far since that stuff is easy. Ask around at the specific schools, perhaps attend an open house, and seek examples of b.arch folios.
I see. Thank you!
Makes sense. Thanks for the details!
Don’t pay attention to jawknee. He’s a tin foil hat wearing wanker who’ S never worked in architecture or any related field.
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