yeah, the grad division seems much more concerned with a system that'll function over a stylish GUI. fair enough i guess.

tell UCLA that ;)

i should've put "function" in quotes.

I used a clear spiral binding. I hate them, but I'm hoping because its "clear" that it will imply invisibility.


seam stitching I think is would have been ideal, but I screwed myself on size and couldn't do a folded booklet.

perfect binding would have been the second choice, but it wouldn't lay flat on a table.


what did you do?

chrome wire with single ply chipboard, so it would lay flat like many of the schools requested. I would have preferred doing perfect binding...but, oh well.

the chrome wire will look classy with the chipboard.
nice elements together.

I had my cover laminated with this slightly textured clear that gives a nice feel when you hold it. Stiffened up the front and back cover to almost rigid which I like.

You guys! That is so scary about the UCLA thing. I missed the report, was it just UCLA or were any other schools affected?

Definitely call your credit card companies. What can you do about your SSN though?

And I agree with jason, these interfaces are confusing.

the weird thing the ucla interface is making sure you've got all the odds-n-ends, downloads, etc. had to make a separate checklist for accuracy. plus some of the downloads had the wrong dates, so i just updated them in acrobat before i printed.

for my portfolio, i bound with black plastic coil. the cover is black cardstock with a diecut to expose a small image and personal info on the first (white) page beneath it. figured sensitivity to simplicity and ease of use would be appreciated.

wise choice brocolli, sounds like a clean design.

What you do about your social is call the three credit reporting agencies (Experian, Equifax, and I forget the other), and put your credit on 'fraud alert', that way if anyone tries to open a new account in your name, they call you up at the phone number you specify in your fraud alert, and if it's someone else, then you tell them so and the line of credit isn't opened.

I did a black metal spiral bind with a sheet of black photo mount board as the last page. Then I glued that page down in a custom chip board book cover, so it looks like a hard bound book yet has the functionality of a spiral bind.

That UCLA thing is a bit scary. I think I'll just ignore it and hope that all is well.

What GSD equivilant course did you guys put for CAD and 3D CAD classes? Digital Media 1 and 2? I'd call the school but my boss is in the office.

Also portfolio's to lay flat? What schools? I'm applying to GSD, Columbia, Pratt and Parson and I don't recall any of these schools having this requirement. I hope I didn't overlook it.

Does anyone have an opinion on paper thickness? I'm printing on both sides (4c process) and don't want things to show through. I also don't want the pages to be uncomfortably heavy to thumb through.

Thanks a bunch for any answers. Getting a quote from the printer now.

baboomba,

i heard that the HP double sided is good for it.

Thanks, but I don't think that's an option for me. I'm not printing it at home, I'm having it done at a commercial printer.

Regardless, thanks for the input. I'm getting a little stressed and appreciate whatever help I can get.

alfrejas24 - I don't know of any school that actually requires it, however i personally find it annoying when i'm looking at a book and set it down for a second and it auto-shuts. I hate the way spiral binds look but I chose to do it anyways because it makes more sense from a functional stand point.

baboomba - i like a heavier paper personally. it feels better in your hands and takes ink better too. if you can, I would suggest printing a couple tests, or atleast one test sheet before printing them all to make sure it has the quality you are looking for.

Arrgh... I need to have a statement of purpose for GSD done by the end of the week, but I'm totally blocked. I have a good idea of what I want to say, but no idea how to begin (other than the cliched "I've always wanted to be an architect since I was a kid...")

What sort of ideas are you guys using to begin your statements on a strong note?

hmm, I'm thinking coil binding of a translucent plastic folder with cd insert and project list, with die-cut felt covers. I haven't really started the portfolio cover yet, but it's taking shape inside my head nicely.

wait, why'd I say 'coil'? I never use coil. Wire-O is the way to go!

cp,

Thanks also for your input. Right now, I've selected 70 lb. text. Good idea about having them run samples on different papers.

I've already decided to have mine perfect bound. I can see that spiral has its advantages, but I'm going for the "sportscar" feel. Right now, my portfolio is 7.5 x 9.5. I'd like to go smaller, but that'd put a crunch on the content.

Gin,

I'm also in trouble with my personal statement. I'm about to cut out of work early to go work on it. Thinking about renting a hotel room for two days and turning off the cell phone. Gotta get serious now.

No good ideas. Sorry. Good luck.

cliche is okay as long as its true and you write it with style

I say you should just be honest in your SOP. If you knew you wanted to be an architect since you were a kid then say that cause thats the truth. Who cares about cliche as long as you're honest. Its only cliche if it doesn't have meaning.

"Its only cliche if it doesn't have meaning."

very poignant, cpnorris. cliche is so passe.

baboomba - i went w/ a commercial printer as well. i had them use a 100lb text for the pages, and a 120 lb cover stock (i also went w/ the perfect bind). i initially had them using an 80 lb text but the 100 lb felt a lot better and still wasn't too heavy. definitely have them run some samples - i'm assuming they're using a digital press so it shouldn't be a big deal.

How much money is that costing to get portfolios printed and bound with a commercial printer?

For anyone applying to UCLA for this week:

I was annoyed that their December 15th deadline was a "received-by" and not a "postmarked-by" date. So I called them, and it turns out that actually it IS a postmark date. They just don't like to say that on their website (w.t.f).

So that buys some of us at least another night of work!

(Unless you're mailing internationally, then it really is the "received-by" date.)

I got quoted about $350 for eight 10 page portfolios from a local printer here in Chicago. I know it's pricey about when I figure the cost of buying a new printer, all the ink I'll use up (I have lots of color in my portfolio), buying quality paper + the time and aggravation of printing, it's worth it.

It's costing me about $26 per book (I'm having 10 books printed) - that includes perfect binding. I estimated that's about $100 - $150 more than it would have been to print it at home - buying my own ink, and paper.

the quality is top notch (better than what i could do on my epson at home on epson paper) and the professional binding combined w/ the time i've saved not printing out and binding every copy myself made the commercial printer using a digital press a better option for me.

the key is finding someone w/ a good digital press. then the cost is going to be pretty reasonable vs. a traditional press that would have massive set up fees. Lulu is a good option i think (i've never used it) but my format didn't work w/ their formatting options so I went w/ a local co. that could print my format exactly how i designed it.

Hi everyone...first time post , Great Site, i have learned a lot.

I have almost finished my apps...7 total and its been a nightmare getting them all organized and finished. I am stressed cause I don’t have an architecture background and grades are kinda shit, but have worked pretty hard on my portfolio.

I printed 8 portfolios at 30$ a piece from a legit local place, i think they gave me a deal as the felt sorry for me for how much they usually charge commercial clients.

The messed the first 4 up cutting them (full bleed) totally crooked cuts on the bottom and i made them redo them, turned out sick, but a stressful process.

I would defiantly say that if you are getting them printed professionally give some extra time for them to screw it up and then fix it if you can.

if what you're saying about ucla is right then it's also $25 overnight fedex saved!!

alfrejas24,
what printing co. are you using in Chicago?
anyone else know any good Chicago printers?

I've also registered to apply on-line to UCLA, but I didn't get the "your application was hacked" email. Does that mean they did not access the database where mine was stored? (You'd think that all of them would be in the same place but who knows how it's structured). Do you think it's still worth calling equifax and getting a fraud alert put on my credit report?

Also, FYI, about UCLA and postmark vs. received date being December 15, I had this email exchange with them. It's a bit vague.

******

I am applying to UCLA's M.Arch I program for entry in Fall 2007. On the website for the Department of Architecture and Urban Design, the deadline is listed as December 15. However, on the general graduate application for UCLA, the deadline is listed as January 5, 2007. Which deadline is accurate, and does that deadline include receipt of all materials including portfolio/recommendations?

Thank you,

******

The deadline for application materials, including all supplemental
materials, is December 15, 2006 for admission in Fall 2007.

Admissions Office
Department of Architecture and Urban Design
UCLA

your better off getting the apps in early- unless you want to be known as being late for your own graduation before you've even been applied?

I gotta say, after seeing this thread, i dont feel so alone in thinking i'm the only one rushing to finish up my applications.

Submitted application for SCAD today. Started CCA and Pratt applications.

Is anybody else wierded out by the fact that they're still asking for information on our PARENTS? Do we really have to fill that out?

so since UCLA and Berkeley are ONLINE applications, does that mean the only things i have to physically mail them are

1) portfolio
2) transcript
3) rec letters

thanks... 50 hours to go.

UCLA has a bunch of department submittals as well. They are attached to the online app. and seem to never print right. other than that stuff your list is right on.

jekle
I'm using a company in the norhwest part of the city called Sunrise Hitek. The guy Im dealing with is Kevin Charnota (773) 792-8880. He gave me a tour of the shop and showed me some of the work they do, great stuff (a lot better than Kinko's). They have 2 new indigo digital printers.

IMPORTANT INFO FOR ANYONE PLANNING ON PRINTING BETWEEN CHRISTMAS AND NEW YEARS!!! Most places I called (including Sunrise) will be closed that week. So take that into consideration.

thanks for the info

Okay, I have a first draft of my Statement of Purpose for GSD completed. I'd like to have some other people read it and offer their feedback, but I don't wish to post it here. If you're interested (and not applying to an M.Arch. program yourself), feel free to contact me.

LiG- maybe we could swap? I need some other eyes on mine as well.

i wouldn't swap, because you're bound to unconsciously pick up ideas or style from who you're reading, and even unintentional plagarism still will throw you quickly to the reject pile.

on another note, will pulling an all-nighter or two to finish my application seriously decrease my writing ability? i can't work on it during the day because my employer doesn't like to give time off

I'm not applying for architecture programs though. MFA here.

All I know , is that tryng to apply to 5 schools had made me schizo about my message...I tried to change my statement for 5 schools, now I feel like a sell out...

1. one was digital focus
2 one was Environmental
3. one was just arrogant
4. one was like all about construction experince.
5 a fusion of all the above.


Whatever, come teh end of March I will probably have differnt idea all together if what my main message of purpose is.

Thanks for the additional info on paper thickness.

FormFunction, that's what I started out intending to do, but after my visit to CCA, when I found out that there IS a school that will let me do exactly what I want, I decided not to go that way. Now all my essays are variations of the same thing- some are longer, some are shorter, some dwell on specific questions more, but they all end up saying the same thing about me, and pointing out one or two reasons why I feel the particular school I'm writing to is a match for me.

How was CCA's program? I was thinking of applying there for a while but then decided not to.

Their design (graphic, industrial, and interactive) programs are EXCELLENT, their facilities look great (building a new graduate center to be complete by fall 07, all buildings are green), not sure about the architecture program. I spoke briefly with the program head about TA possibilities, but I don't actually know whether they're any good at that. All the questions I overheard seemed geared towards the first professional M.Arch.

Housing there blows a bit though, because its San Fran and it's a bit of a commuter school. They do however have a nice arrangement with UCSF or SFSU or whatever it is that's about a mile away to buy out a little of their housing, but that's a limited deal.

Yeah I am unsure about the M.Arch program too which is why I am not applying. It would be fun to go to an art school and be around all the creativity of different fields but their M.Arch just became an accredited program this year. I am a bit skeptical of paying $30K a year to be a guinea pig. But the interdisciplinary opportunities would be pretty cool.