well,
i think you should be clear about your own strengths and knowing what Columbia is like. you are showing them your skills, of course 3 dimensional is one of the spirits found in architecture and architecture education. but columbia 's 3D notion (application and theory) are very different in other design fields.
therefore, to make you feel better, and you should be proud of your work, you should have a balanced amount of drawings, photos, models and 3D renderings if you have any.

Just want you to remember architecture is not a graphic art or a product design, ask yourself what you want to learn and do before devoting yourself to this 3 year program.

They don't care they just didn't want to list every possible thing that someone could put into their portfolio. I had loads of architectural models, furniture, art installations etc.

Your portfolio should demonstrate the types of ideas you have about design and your process work. My weakness has always been hand drawings, but my strengths are built models, 3D models and photography, so that is what I showed in my portfolio....even if I use hand drawings to work things out, they're not my strengths, so I did not show them.

1. System
2. Process

It important to show well crafted and well thought out work whatever it may be.

More importantly, Spend a long time on it and spend some money on printing and binding it. It will pay off in the end. Make sure you present whatever it is in a very clean and orderly way (think systems). The portfolio itself should be a piece of design. Make sure the photos are shot well, there are no typos and the descriptions are short, to the point and explain your roll in whatever it is you did. If you were part of a team, say so. Remember, the admissions committee is looking at hundreds of portfolios so don't waste their time with writing little manifestos or putting your whole bio in there. Just show the work and keep it free of clutter.

I wouldn't spend too much money on it, though...I just got my portfolio back from columbia and they put a huge 'received' stamp on my cover page, rendering it now useless!

dobedos - if re-use is a big enough deal, you could be crafty and anticipate how the book will be treated: select a material and design a cover that will IMPROVE when it is banged-up and worn out with stamps and markings and scuffs on it, rather than following the automatic tendency to envisioning it as some pristine new object.

show what best demonstrates your CREATIVITY and DIVERSITY of work...



and
1. System
2. Process

thanks for all the help everyone.

could anyone clarify what is meant by system?

i am guessing by process (if using the term the same way my current school uses it) you are talking about the process in which i reached the end product/project...so, concept sketches, sketch models, brainstorming diagrams, research, etc.?

thanks again, this has been great so far.

Hopefully this thread can help:

http://www.archinect.com/forum/threads.php?id=60883_0_42_0_C