i'll jump in here to preempt some prick telling you to go screw yourself and do your own research, because that will probably happen. but seriously, dig around the "commiserate" threads and elsewhere here on archinect--there are tons of people posting portfolios. In the meantime, take an arch prep course, or arch drawing, theory, and/or any visual art or design courses. no arch background means absolutely nothing. visual representation aptitude, and life experience, however, mean a whole lot. consider the MArch, but also consider just going out into the world and poking around for a while. it will show on your applications if you've thoughtfully considered the universe and why architecture for whatever reason gives you a purpose in it... and it will also show if you haven't. i'm non-arch, about to start MArch, and fit the average accepted applicant demographic of late-20s, out of school for several years. there's a reason why that's the average, so think about it. but obviously there is a bottom end to that average, too, so who knows? good luck.

"i'll jump in here to preempt some prick telling you to go screw yourself and do your own research, because that will probably happen."

True. That happens quite a lot here on this forum. What's the deal with that shit.

the anonymous nature of online forums, i assume. lonely weaklings that are desperate for some form of power that they lack in real life. impotence, perhaps... but we digress. on to the helpful advice!

The portfolio question is one everyone has had and it never goes away. If you ever do finish one when you are finished you will probably hate it and want a new one..but anyways.

issuu.com is a self publishing site. Lots of students throw there portfolios on there to have a digital version stored and printed. You can search 'architecture portfolio' or graduate portfolio and you'll find plenty of examples. It doesnt take much to find some great work and it might help you to understand whats happening out there.

this is really a question with no answer because there is no "right" portfolio. I remember in my first semester of grad school at some point we all got our portfolios that we had submitted returned to us which promoted a "let me see yours" portfolio swap. It was interesting to see how wildly different the work was and not in terms of style or layout but content. I can't say there was one universal thing in everyone's portfolio that you could say "oh that is what got them in."

What I can recommend is to research the schools you are interested in and see what requirements they have for the portfolio. Some schools restrict page numbers and page size. Find the most limiting guidelines for each category and use those to format your portfolio. This was you avoid having to make multiple portfolios. And avoid the temptation to use your portfolio to show how creative you can bind something. Other than that, just focus on presenting your work in the clearest and most effective way possible.

"And avoid the temptation to use your portfolio to show how creative you can bind something"

LOL...This was big when I was applying several years ago. It was kind of ridiculous then...its passe now.

Avoid trying to do too much. Nice simple layout with good quality photos and text. Look at your favorite firms website or magazines for ideas.

Dont go out and take a bunch of CAD classes. 1st of all they will not be looking at your drafting skills for entrance to an MArch program, and secondly many CAD programs are quickly becoming old news in the industry and It is difficult to know if you are learning the right one, While I would place my bet on Revit, still should not be your concern right now.

dont get tainted

www.youtube.com/watch?v=wp_nleAHxrE&feature=related

I was just wondering how u gather all the letters of recommendations after a year out of school...

try seven years out of school...
a lot of professors would say it's your responsibility to maintain those contacts, and others allow you opportunities to reacquaint yourself with them via past work, resumés, etc. and yet others just suck and make it difficult or won't do it. i had two options from the past, one with the middle scenario, the other was a friend--I chose the latter. my second was an instructor in a theory class i took recently, the third was my boss.

ur boss can be tough i guess...esp knowing that u won't work for him/her even after u get ur M.Arch....

yeah, i guess you shouldn't ask your boss to validate your decision to leave if he or she is pissed.

I really want to get a MArch but how am I supposed to know if I am even good enough? How am I supposed to know if this dream is realistic or dillusional? Anyone have any advice on what kind of stuff my portfolio should consist of? just drawings? How good do they have to be to get into the MArch program? since MArch programs are for people with unrelated experience what standard do they expect? I have an environmental planning undergrad with little art background, but this summer I am trying to read all I can on developing my artistic abilities and am taking a digital art and design course which teaches adobe illustrator/photoshop/indesign... I just kind of want to know if I even have a chance or should I pursue something else

the point of portfolio is to show critical thinking.

a booklet filled with images that are well-executed but not thoughtful would impress me less than a portfolio that looks less ready to wear but expresses powerful ability to take on and think about complex issues.

sexy images help. all of us are persuaded by them whether we admit it or not, but in the end it is less what you make as what you think, and how well you can show that.

which is to say of course you have a chance. but you won't know unless you try.

Hey all...

Can someone recommend to me a PORTFOLIO TUTORIAL or something? Trying to put together my M.Arch I portfolio.

I think I have some beautiful pictures of work I've done, but I have no Photoshop or InDesign training. I have access to the programs through my school, but I've been floundering around and can't figure out how to do the page-layout for a book.

I've managed to make a New Document, choose Letter size and the orientation, but from there... All the Images I am Placing look horrible, nothing is consistent, it looks like someone slapped the pictures on together. I need to find a Template or something like that... a consistent background color, a bar at the bottom showing page numbers and my name.... And don't get me started on how I'm going to PRINT this out.

I've searched for tutorials on YouTube but none address this specifically. If someone could PLEASE either PM me some advice or refer me to a tutorial, I would be so grateful. Thanks.

PS- Oh, I heard people use LuLu.com... I tried, but half of my things are pdfs, and it seemed to only want jpgs... Or do people only upload pre-finished pdf-pages?

sbeth...go here, archinect published a feature on your question 2 months ago
http://www.archinect.com/features/article.php?id=90236_0_23_0_M

thank you so much! i read it through...really amazing work. i am unfortunately still feeling at a disadvantage for not knowing the proper computer programs. i could have the best design vision in the world, but with no way to put that across, i'm screwed... :(

Sbeth...try blurb.com.

Everyone else... I too am a newbie, working on my first art portfolio ever as part of my non-architecture-undergrad M. Arch program. Anyone ever use blurb.com?!

Good to see a lot of helpful advice on here. Hopefully this time next year I'll be advising all the graduate hopefuls, telling them how I went about getting accepted.