i did jump start during summer 2008 and just finished applying to M.Arch I programs around the country.

i can say with full confidence that it definitely DID help me get accepted to UCLA as well as several other major architecture programs, including U.Michigan w/a 10K scholarship.

the two studio projects were the highlight of my application portfolio; i also made sure to get a 4.0 to set myself up well for admissions.

many, many schools offer summer architecture programs (berkeley, harvard, SCI-Arc, etc.), so i'd recommend attending the summer program @ your top-choice architecture school.



PLUS,
lots of incoming M.Arch I students (at least at UCLA) are required to take jump start before beginning fall quarter, so you might wind up shelling out the cash anyway.

Thanks for the reply.

Did you get a letter of recommendation from one of the professors at Jumpstart? I've been out of school a while now and don't think any of my professors would remember me...

The jumpstart program is incredibly helpful, both for students who are looking to beef up their portfolios, as well as those who just want a boot-camp type of introduction to architecture in order to figure out whether such an education is right for them. Also, the studio professors are highly approachable and are great resources for recommendations and any other sort of help you might want in terms of the application process for schools.

Just a quick correction, I am fairly sure that UCLA does not make the jumpstart program a precondition for students who are accepted to their grad program who have no background in architecture, but they certainly highly suggest it. I applied to grad schools last year with an art background and was accepted to UCLA's program, and they didnt require me to take the summer program. I enrolled in it anyway, and I am incredibly happy that I did, because I have no idea how I would have managed the amount of work from the first semester of grad school without the running-start that jumpstart provided me.

By the way, hobopajamas, who was your studio prof during the summer? Will we be seeing you around Perloff next year, or are you off to deal with the frigid winters in Ann Arbor?

I know there were a number of jumpstarters who got into ucla with letters of recommendation from their jumpstart studio profs.

Did you guys bring a laptop with you?

YES!!!
made sure i had rhino and the adobe suite.
there are only 12 computers in perloff accessible to jump start students.

first time poster, long time lurker here too. hi :)

i enrolled for this summer's jump start and am super excited about it. i'll be done with my undergrad in urban planning fall 2009 and want to apply for mArch programs for fall 2010.

any tips about the good, the bad, and the ugly of the jump start program?



i have a laptop, but i don't have rhino or the adobe suite on it. honestly, i don't have the dough to shell out for all that software right now after paying for this program.

I definitely think it's worth it. I never did a jumpstart program and I am going to have to do one anyway if I choose to start school. Definitely, a lot of schools will require you to do it, especially if your background is different from architecture, and it doesn't hurt either way to have some extra preparation once you get into school.

And definitely, anything that you can do to further prepare, might help you not only get in, but also get some $$ (even though you might not be thinking about that yet at this point.

Good Luck

LAIAD

as lessermatters mentioned, you might also wanna check into LAIAD. I did their summer session, then subsequent fall semester (their grad prep program consists of two semesters). definitely gave me enough portfolio pieces to get me into all the schools i applied to, along with scholarship money. but as expected, it all depends on how much effort you put into it. i think their main strength is doing two semesters... the depth and rigor of the second semester projects will likely stand out in the field of portfolios you're competing against. only complaint is the fall semester ends in mid december... right around the same time as a lot of the deadlines (ie UCLA, Harvard, Columbia), so getting those applications done while wrapping up final projects will be tough. best of luck!

I came across your post about Jumpstart at UCLA. Do you know if that's offered during the year or only the Summer? Unfortunately it has already begun so I've missed the Summer date and don't want to wait a year to prepare myself for M Arch I grad school. The programs at Harvard, Cornell, Columbia, SciArch, and Berkeley have also started. Do you have any advice for me? I have no architectural background.

I will complete high school in April next year and am interested in doing the jumpstart program before my B.arch degree(I am also taking a gap year next year).Is the program recommended?

Hi , 

I would definitely encourage the jumpstart program. I did it this year and was impressed by the structure that they have. You basically have 1 studio but it's split into 2 projects and 1 course that deals with representation. The studio projects are very conceptual and your gonna have to be open minded because your not making what you think is a building . The representation class is very computer oriented(rhino + illustrator )  and they are learning vaults. The repreststion class is very good and people come out of there with the fundamentals in line weights for plans , sections elevations , etc , and towards the end you learn more advanced techniques ( rendering , hybrid line and rendered drawings ) .and like other people here have said it defiantly helps you build a solid portfolio and meet current students. 

Thanks Kell for that r​eply.Are there a lot of students who are prospective B.Arch students?Also do you have to know these soft wares before the program or do you start learning at the program itself?

​

​

​

From what I recall, this year most people in the program had zero knowledge of the programs and learned very quickly throughout the six weeks.  Most kids were flying through rhino and were becoming pretty good . You can download rhino for free online , although it's a Mac version and still in beta . But you may have to purchase illustrator or use there computers. 

The group was mixed , but most were enrolled in undergrad somewhere , either thorugh a cc or university . Half were preparing for grad school apps and half were for undergrad entry into bs in arch or barch programs . 

Another point is that they emphasize hand model making, and require to make lots of models. No lasers . No 3d printing , just classic knife and chipboard maybe some plaster . 

Hi Kell,

I would like to ask if there are colleges in the U.S that do not require physics as a pre-requisite(in the bachelors course) because I have not taken Physics classes during my high school years.thanks.