i am applying to ucla's m.arch 1 program for 2006 among several other schools. i went to undergrad at ucla and graduated in 1999 so i've been out of school for a while. i took the ucla summer program this past summer and i thought it was a really good experience. i would recommend that you look into other schools' summer program. sciarc has making and meaning and i would even consider looking out of state. there are a lot of great schools and doing the summer program at your top choice will expose you to the school's philosophy and will probably benefit you the most, at least in my opinion.

you are in a good position to really research schools since you're still a while away from actually applying. i hate to bring up rankings but if you look at the DI 2006 thread, you'll get some ideas of what schools are considered top tier (by DI anyway) and that can give you a starting point. archinect also has student blogs from various schools under "links" on the list to the left of your screen.

also, search through portfolios posted from the past. someone is planning on starting a thread for current applicants in early feb and if that happens you'll be able to see what archinecters are doing. a good source for portfolios is the schools themselves. most schools, when you visit, will have portfolios of the students they accepted available for review. if you have the resources, visiting the schools and looking at student work will provide you with a lot of insight on what the schools are focusing on.

i don't know how well you can draw, but taking a class will help you to actually do it and a lot of schools are interested in your freehand drawing skills. regardless, it would be a valuable skill to have.

the summer program, for me provided me with about half of my portfolio, the other half consisted of photography and freehand drawings i did on my own and for a class i took.

this is getting way too long now so good luck.

thanks skeerd for the advice. I really appreciate it!

Good luck with your app!