I would appreciate input.  My dream school is UCLA, my home town public university, it is not only physically close to where I live I love the program.  I did their summer studio and LOVED it.  I was 6 semesters into a BFA in industrial design when life happened and I spent the next twenty five years fostering and raising kids (a lot of them) and working here and there in the building industry.  Here goes:

Many incoming students in architecture will introduce their interest in the field by saying that they played with Lego building blocks as children.  I did too.  I also had an annoying penchant for deconstructing objects that I found aesthetically pleasing.  At one point, my father had to lock the toolbox to protect their furniture and small appliances.  In other words, ever since I can remember, I have been fascinated with how to solve problems involving three-dimensional space with a view to learning how best to harness my problem solving abilities in order to serve both the spatial aesthetics and function for people and organizations

After a decades long break to raise a family I realized that my drive to Driven to become an architect was stronger than ever driven by a desire to, who can repurpose space and use new technologies and conscious, sustainable design to solve real world problems in aesthetically pleasing and functional ways.  I am particularly interested in urban housing, preservation, creative reuse of existing structures and new materials and prefabrication.  I have taken several learning milestones that prepared me to eventually pursue formal learning to become an architect.  After high school, I interned with Moshe Safdie, worked as a framer and cabinet maker, worked as administrative assistant to a general contractor and as a kitchen and bath designer.   I recognize that Critical thinking skills, practical knowledge of the building process are only a starting point, I need a god command of the design process and I believe UCLA is the best place to acquire that.   I attended the UCLA Jump Start program where I learned that about the balanced program of architectural education, with just the right amounts of history, aquation of technical knowledge and design process.  I would an excellent contractor or developer, but I want more. Professor Sharif said pinned it down for me in a discussion about wanting to explore the more creative and innovative design solutions.  He said that I wanted to learn to “think like a designer instead of a carpenter.”  That’s exactly what I want.

At this point in my learning journey, I realize that my experience has gifted me with persistence and future-oriented perspective that are important tools to any college level education. With the proper due diligence on my options, I have decided to pursue my baccalaureate in architecture at the UCLA Architecture and Urban Design Center, the school in my community with all of the practical benefits I can readily gain learning from an incredibly diverse and erudite faculty of academicians and professional architects who bring their collective experience from all over the world to their work in the campus and the community.  I am particularly impressed with its curriculum providing a balance of history, technology, and hands-on fabrication that emphasize on innovative design.  Its course works will enhance my creative talents with the disciplines that can channel my skills to create designs that any civil or structural engineer can interpret to transition for paper design to real-world structures of beauty and function.    

 I recognize that this is only my first step on the road to becoming a licensed Architect. I plan to leverage my creative skills to shape the landscape of  the city I call home and hope that I can begin that journey this fall at UCLA’s School of Architecture and Urban Design.