I was wondering if anyone has been to Junior College, and what type of electives did you take to get an advantage into Arch School?? I took Sculpting and Drawing classes, is that gonna benefit me or give me an upper hand when transferring...... Know most of you probably did not attend a junior college, but I am fixing to transfer and I want to have somethings that might stick out.
ok, i just got out of junior college with my two-year degree in architecture and i'm transfering to Ohio State this fall.
make sure they're not making you take a load of drafting courses. you should have design courses, but if they don't offer it then take plenty of art classes. make sure to get a lot of your gen eds like calc and physics out of the way now.
also, look at where you are planning to go after junior college, and do it early. i was shot down by certain out of state schools because they didn't even recognize my junior college, funny though because it was ranked the top community college in america two years ago.
anyways, talk to the schools you want to go to, and they'll help match up courses that will transfer. it'll save you a lot of money and pain in the long run, i've seen the pain and you don't want it. trust me.
That sounds very promising ECA03 - could you recommend me any classes??? Know not all colleges have the same curicullum but maybe some suggestions?? I have to take two more electives to finish my Ass. 2 year blah.
your best bet is to just call the admissions dept of the schools you want to apply to and say, "if i take calc I at community college X, will it transfer as credit for your arch program? and what grade would i need for it to transfer?" they may ask you for info on that course, which you can get from your course catalog. like what the course consists of, credit hours, etc....
i can't be specific in class suggestions because every school varies in what they take/don't take. anything art/design based. for example: photoshop class, sketchup/3D rendering class, sculpture class, painting, drawing. anything of that nature shows more creativity and thinking outside the box as opposed to a drafting or cad class. they like creativity. remember that.
the jr college i went to had architecture as specific associates degree.
you can always go to a jr college and get a general ed degree, and just transfer all the credits (that the new college will accept) but sometimes not everything transfers.
also, some 4 yr colleges, if you receive a 2 yr associates degree, transfer you in directly a Junior since you have proven you have completed a 2 yr associates.
and lastly, try to find a jr college that has an articulation agreement with major schools, ideally the school you want to attend (4 yr). if they have an articulation agreement, then EVERY credit from the jr college will transfer.
"Know most of you probably did not attend a junior college"...I did, but only for 4 or 5 years (can't remember, lol). Then 3 years at University...now I'm off to Penn- woohoo!
Anyway, I found that a lot of the CC transfers had better education in the end because they had a more technical back ground. A lot of the "straight to university" kids were great at theory/ concepts, but couldn't draw/ draft.
IMHO, you have to learn how to draft before doing anything effectively. There is some real value in those HAND drafting courses. Lineweights, hierarchies, DISIPLINE...
Also, I think it's a good idea to focus on the free hand drawing classes cause you probably won't get a lot of that at University.
i was fortunate to attend a j.c. with a great architecture program.
i would have to disagree with eca03 and agree with whattodo (i read your comment after i started typing this, so much of what i'm saying you've already said!) in that i think drafting classes are very important (although don't get me wrong, not as important as design).
when i transfered you could immediately see a difference between transfer students and students that went straight into the program from high school.
the big difference is that we knew how to draw (lineweights, orthographic views, composition, etc.). it's just something that wasn't taught to them.
it's all about how you present and communicate your ideas.
agreed....I think they were all the more important cause my "design" classes in CC consisted of ...
1. compose As-builts of this model home
2. revise revise revise....letter letter letter
3. last 2 wks- "what would you change"
didn't learn any really theory of conceptual approaches, but I understood construction and actually how to draft.
I feel bad for the people going straight to CAD w/out hand drawing first. I understood the importance of each line and its weight when I had to draw them each by hand. This understanding allows you to create readable cad drawings because lineweights are lineweights not just different colors on the screen.
I agree 100%. I took a drafting class at a community college, and while I didn't get any portfolio fodder from it, it taught me tons about proper drafting conventions, lineweights, construction, etc. That knowledge came in incredibly useful when I began working in firms and learning AutoCAD, and was also a big help in making presentations for my design studios.
Can we just take the steps necessary to have Mondays completely abolished? They are just useless/ painful days from which no good can come.
And, before you point out that Tuesdays would just become Mondays, thus negating the elimination of the initial day….work with me, please. I realize it’s a short sided plan…but it would make me feel better.
i'm not completely downing drafting classes, i'm just saying that some of them get you to think way to technically. you need to have a mixture of both. my design I-IV classes incorporated drafting, sketching, color rendering, and model building all in one. so it was surely a great experience and i know i'll be very well prepared when i transfer.
and btw, when i talked to a few schools about transfering, they discouraged the submission of any work that was technical/drafted in nature in the submitted portfolio. like i said drafting is a great skill as a basis for all architectural design, just a lot of schools don't see that when they review your application and portfolio as a transfer.
it's all about balance and it sounds like your j.c. is preparing you well. luckily the j.c. i attended had great design and drafting courses as well as great rendering, free hand drawing, architectural perspective drawing, even cad, form z, and 3ds max classes.
I understand what you’re saying, but I still think that "thinking way too technically" is important at this point. You'll get the design/ theory where you transfer, but you won't get basic skills.
There is a learning curve when you transfer. I really struggled my first semester at University and wanted to drop out, then, i stuck it out and graduated at the top of my class. I had to learn to think differently and now I’m in the professional world, I am grateful I have the technical background that others didn't get.
good point. i've been working at a firm for a year now while attending junior college, and that on top of j.c. is great. i learn a ton and do believe i'm ready for transfering. we'll see though, right?
treekiller, did your high school have a specific architectural drafting course? from what i remember, it was mainly a focus on mechanical drafting.
a friend of mine who i went to jc with (who didn't go on in architecture) but became a high school drafting instructor. he's really focusing on architecture and introducing the kids to design, which i think is great.
eca03, ink on mylar!!! omg, i remember the first design studio i took @ my j.c. for our final we had to ink our drawings on mylar! it was a learning experience, to say the least. and actually, i liked inking drawings rather than pencil, even though your margin for error is a lot lower, but that's why they invented this:
EC3- my matriculation at OSU was over 12 years ago, many things have changed including the building. Just be audacious and full of conjecture, don't let kipnis make you sweat or cry, and have fun!
if youre drafting your own design, why wouldnt you put it in your portfolio? i would think having at least one plan/section/elevation drawing in your portfolio is something a school would be looking to see.
when you say drafting do you mean like copying someone else's drawings to learn the skill?
after taking four undergrad arch studios, i would say my portfolio is balanced 10% painting, 45% models/constructions and 45% tech drawing (all hand drawn) - plan/section/elevation/tonal rendering/perspective/axon/site map/kinetic/survey. They were either all my own designs or surveyed from buildings around campus, but if it is well crafted, i dont know why you wouldnt included it.
Electives from a Junior College that Benefit
I was wondering if anyone has been to Junior College, and what type of electives did you take to get an advantage into Arch School?? I took Sculpting and Drawing classes, is that gonna benefit me or give me an upper hand when transferring...... Know most of you probably did not attend a junior college, but I am fixing to transfer and I want to have somethings that might stick out.
P.S. Would a class in Porfolio Development help me, it's for Graphic Design............
ok, i just got out of junior college with my two-year degree in architecture and i'm transfering to Ohio State this fall.
make sure they're not making you take a load of drafting courses. you should have design courses, but if they don't offer it then take plenty of art classes. make sure to get a lot of your gen eds like calc and physics out of the way now.
also, look at where you are planning to go after junior college, and do it early. i was shot down by certain out of state schools because they didn't even recognize my junior college, funny though because it was ranked the top community college in america two years ago.
anyways, talk to the schools you want to go to, and they'll help match up courses that will transfer. it'll save you a lot of money and pain in the long run, i've seen the pain and you don't want it. trust me.
That sounds very promising ECA03 - could you recommend me any classes??? Know not all colleges have the same curicullum but maybe some suggestions?? I have to take two more electives to finish my Ass. 2 year blah.
your best bet is to just call the admissions dept of the schools you want to apply to and say, "if i take calc I at community college X, will it transfer as credit for your arch program? and what grade would i need for it to transfer?" they may ask you for info on that course, which you can get from your course catalog. like what the course consists of, credit hours, etc....
i can't be specific in class suggestions because every school varies in what they take/don't take. anything art/design based. for example: photoshop class, sketchup/3D rendering class, sculpture class, painting, drawing. anything of that nature shows more creativity and thinking outside the box as opposed to a drafting or cad class. they like creativity. remember that.
the jr college i went to had architecture as specific associates degree.
you can always go to a jr college and get a general ed degree, and just transfer all the credits (that the new college will accept) but sometimes not everything transfers.
also, some 4 yr colleges, if you receive a 2 yr associates degree, transfer you in directly a Junior since you have proven you have completed a 2 yr associates.
and lastly, try to find a jr college that has an articulation agreement with major schools, ideally the school you want to attend (4 yr). if they have an articulation agreement, then EVERY credit from the jr college will transfer.
"Know most of you probably did not attend a junior college"...I did, but only for 4 or 5 years (can't remember, lol). Then 3 years at University...now I'm off to Penn- woohoo!
Anyway, I found that a lot of the CC transfers had better education in the end because they had a more technical back ground. A lot of the "straight to university" kids were great at theory/ concepts, but couldn't draw/ draft.
IMHO, you have to learn how to draft before doing anything effectively. There is some real value in those HAND drafting courses. Lineweights, hierarchies, DISIPLINE...
Also, I think it's a good idea to focus on the free hand drawing classes cause you probably won't get a lot of that at University.
Best...
i was fortunate to attend a j.c. with a great architecture program.
i would have to disagree with eca03 and agree with whattodo (i read your comment after i started typing this, so much of what i'm saying you've already said!) in that i think drafting classes are very important (although don't get me wrong, not as important as design).
when i transfered you could immediately see a difference between transfer students and students that went straight into the program from high school.
the big difference is that we knew how to draw (lineweights, orthographic views, composition, etc.). it's just something that wasn't taught to them.
it's all about how you present and communicate your ideas.
agreed....I think they were all the more important cause my "design" classes in CC consisted of ...
1. compose As-builts of this model home
2. revise revise revise....letter letter letter
3. last 2 wks- "what would you change"
didn't learn any really theory of conceptual approaches, but I understood construction and actually how to draft.
I feel bad for the people going straight to CAD w/out hand drawing first. I understood the importance of each line and its weight when I had to draw them each by hand. This understanding allows you to create readable cad drawings because lineweights are lineweights not just different colors on the screen.
I agree 100%. I took a drafting class at a community college, and while I didn't get any portfolio fodder from it, it taught me tons about proper drafting conventions, lineweights, construction, etc. That knowledge came in incredibly useful when I began working in firms and learning AutoCAD, and was also a big help in making presentations for my design studios.
err....DISCIPLINE
obviously didn't learn how spell there.
alright,....I should not type on a Monday
"...any real theory or conceptual..."
actually, I shouldn't do anything on Mondays.
ha ha ha, sounds like you had a good weekend!
Can we just take the steps necessary to have Mondays completely abolished? They are just useless/ painful days from which no good can come.
And, before you point out that Tuesdays would just become Mondays, thus negating the elimination of the initial day….work with me, please. I realize it’s a short sided plan…but it would make me feel better.
hey, i am in complete agreement!
let's make mondays the new sundays!
hey, if cobalt is the new black, then certainly mondays can be the new sundays.
i'm not completely downing drafting classes, i'm just saying that some of them get you to think way to technically. you need to have a mixture of both. my design I-IV classes incorporated drafting, sketching, color rendering, and model building all in one. so it was surely a great experience and i know i'll be very well prepared when i transfer.
and btw, when i talked to a few schools about transfering, they discouraged the submission of any work that was technical/drafted in nature in the submitted portfolio. like i said drafting is a great skill as a basis for all architectural design, just a lot of schools don't see that when they review your application and portfolio as a transfer.
yeah, for sure eac03.
it's all about balance and it sounds like your j.c. is preparing you well. luckily the j.c. i attended had great design and drafting courses as well as great rendering, free hand drawing, architectural perspective drawing, even cad, form z, and 3ds max classes.
where are you considering transfering to?
definitely agree with your last post eca03.
I understand what you’re saying, but I still think that "thinking way too technically" is important at this point. You'll get the design/ theory where you transfer, but you won't get basic skills.
There is a learning curve when you transfer. I really struggled my first semester at University and wanted to drop out, then, i stuck it out and graduated at the top of my class. I had to learn to think differently and now I’m in the professional world, I am grateful I have the technical background that others didn't get.
whattodo,
good point. i've been working at a firm for a year now while attending junior college, and that on top of j.c. is great. i learn a ton and do believe i'm ready for transfering. we'll see though, right?
ohio state, here i come.
cool man. good luck with your studies!
remember, when drafting, it's top to bottom, left to right! (don't wanna smudge your lines!)
thanks cris!
well, we architects do it with models
and we go all night long
and remember, if you ever do ink stippling on mylar, try NOT to smudge, doesn't go to well. haha
why go to cc for drafting? I learned how in hs and it served me well at OSU...
I didn't have fancy drafting classes in HS, so I'm glad I learned it in CC.
treekiller, how'd you like osu?
any tips or advice?
treekiller, did your high school have a specific architectural drafting course? from what i remember, it was mainly a focus on mechanical drafting.
.
a friend of mine who i went to jc with (who didn't go on in architecture) but became a high school drafting instructor. he's really focusing on architecture and introducing the kids to design, which i think is great.
eca03, ink on mylar!!! omg, i remember the first design studio i took @ my j.c. for our final we had to ink our drawings on mylar! it was a learning experience, to say the least. and actually, i liked inking drawings rather than pencil, even though your margin for error is a lot lower, but that's why they invented this:
EC3- my matriculation at OSU was over 12 years ago, many things have changed including the building. Just be audacious and full of conjecture, don't let kipnis make you sweat or cry, and have fun!
if youre drafting your own design, why wouldnt you put it in your portfolio? i would think having at least one plan/section/elevation drawing in your portfolio is something a school would be looking to see.
when you say drafting do you mean like copying someone else's drawings to learn the skill?
after taking four undergrad arch studios, i would say my portfolio is balanced 10% painting, 45% models/constructions and 45% tech drawing (all hand drawn) - plan/section/elevation/tonal rendering/perspective/axon/site map/kinetic/survey. They were either all my own designs or surveyed from buildings around campus, but if it is well crafted, i dont know why you wouldnt included it.
sure zapagap.
guess i should have specified not to include that cd set for the house addition you're doing. stuff like that.
but yes, if the drawings are related to your design projects/process then by all means they should be included!
oh...i see what your saying. yea, i didnt include any of my cad/office work in my portfolio. i would agree thats probably not the best idea.
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