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latortuga81

does anyone have any general guidelines or thoughts on grad school portfolios? length, content, lots of big words, few tiny words, including stuff outside of architecture, slipping large bills inside it, etc.

any advice will help. thanks arkitektors.

jason

 
Aug 2, 07 12:10 am
binary

large fonts... rusty metal case.... spray mount...... concrete dust

Aug 2, 07 12:18 am  · 
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ichweiB

jason.

If you try to make a portfolio that isn't you, it's going to show. I wouldn't try to use big words that you yourself aren't really use to using when describing your work.

Because the portfolio is inherently graphic, in that its one for architecture school, let the work speak for itself. update or refine projects that could be taken further, or add to ones that you just didn't have enough time to completely resolve. Gather together information and images that truly provide evidence of a critical and creative thought process into built form.

Then, describe briefly but completely, the idea behind your project to give the viewer a sense of what is going on in your own words.

Remember that they will be looking at many of them so legthy BS isn't high on their "what we're looking for" list.

Aug 2, 07 12:28 am  · 
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Agreed with the above comment: make it YOU. If you try to push it in a direction that you're not completely comfortable with because you think it's what a school wants, then a) it'll likely be an unconvincing flop like a bad bad actress, and b) if by some chance it does succeed, you may end up somewhere that doesn't particularly suit you because they were fooled by your trendy portfolio.

Aug 2, 07 1:27 am  · 
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agree with the above... it has to be your design... don't try to make a columbia portfolio for columbia and a harvard portfolio for harvard...

also try using the search function for the forum and you should be able to find several threads that will be some help...

Aug 2, 07 9:05 am  · 
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mdler

old english font is a must

Aug 2, 07 3:02 pm  · 
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latortuga81

i think i'll use dry macaroni and glitter.

jason

Aug 2, 07 3:23 pm  · 
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rfuller

I'm currently putting mine together right now. I've only got $2 left, and I'm not sure if I should go with the glitter, or the yarn. Decisions, decisions.

Seriously, though, I started on mine last night. I've got a lot of work ahead of me. Good luck to you Jason. Lord knows I'm gonna need it.

BTW, where are you applying? I'm just sticking with TTU for marital reasons.

Aug 2, 07 3:30 pm  · 
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JMBarquero/squirrelly

all i gots to say is if you can slip LARGE Bills in there, maybe u outta think about NOT going to grad school.

Instead, invest, invest, invest ( so you can have larger quantities of LARGE bills).

Aug 2, 07 5:47 pm  · 
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BabbleBeautiful

colored cherrios and the sugar off a churro..MMmmmm double the fun


But on a more serious note - Every post has so far implied that the portfolio needs text... I've seen accepted portfolios (for 3-year M.arch) without any text. One contained about 10 full-bled pages of his paintings and that's it.

Aug 2, 07 7:36 pm  · 
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xacto

yea my portfolio has less than 100 words. pretty much just project titles and a sentence of description. my profs have told me that when they sit on admissions boards the spend literally no more than a couple of minutes looking at the portfolio. not that its not important - theres too many to review to read them. they have also warned that if you do write, make sure its good.

i feel like text is more important when youre applying for a job (correct me if im wrong).

Aug 2, 07 9:05 pm  · 
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latortuga81

rfuller, the medium-list right now is...

- sciarch
- ucla
- usc
- ohio state
- ball state university
- uc
- harvard (hell, why not?)

can't wait to total up all those application and printing fees. hooray for grad school!

jason

Aug 2, 07 10:10 pm  · 
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rfuller

yikes. You might want to fake your death and then have your family set up a "funeral fund" at a local bank. Make sure they say you died from some rare disease.

Aug 2, 07 10:23 pm  · 
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latortuga81

insurer: what did he die of?

family: he was an architecture student...

insurer: so sad.

jason

Aug 3, 07 12:06 am  · 
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apocalipstick

i'm preparing my portfolio as many above... it's the first time i hear (well, read) that i have to WRITE sth...

can sb explain this? thnx

Aug 3, 07 4:37 am  · 
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there's no 'have to' in portfolios, apocalipstick.

(great name, by the way.)

but if you choose to explain anything about your projects - location, type, name, concept, description, whatever - you should probably keep it concise.

Aug 3, 07 7:14 am  · 
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mad+dash

yes. I agree. Too much text was my problem with my previous portfolio and that i tried to explain everything. I won't do that again this time.

Aug 3, 07 8:08 am  · 
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ichweiB

and one more thing.
Your portfolio as a composition is evidence in and of itself of your abilities. Keep that in mind.

Aug 3, 07 4:01 pm  · 
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apocalipstick

i'm still feelin clumsy when preparing my portfolio :$ but thanks for your piece of advice.. I'll keep on working on it and read this discussion often to find out more guidelines

Aug 5, 07 2:02 pm  · 
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