Resources
Helpful information and tips for your Architectural journey
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Portfolio
A visual portfolio is a critically important part of the application. Almost all Architecture programs throughout the U.S will require a portfolio as part of the application materials.
Schools will often require that a portfolio be composed of any of the following although specific requirements differ by school:
Examples of freehand drawings, including sketches as well as fully developed work
A range of artistic media
Painting
Printmaking
Sculpture
Photography
Video
Woodwork
And other crafts that convey artistic experience and aptitude
Most importantly, a portfolio is a space where a School seeks not only artistic skill in an applicant, but also how their identity or character come through creative expression.
In essence, a portfolio should show who you are as a creative individual. I help students find their creative strengths and to develop that strength through a process of reflection and inquiry.
Written Work
A personal statement essay and any other supplemental essays. Paired with the portfolio, your written work helps convey who you are as a person.
Your statement of purpose or essay should tell a story of who you are.
Here are some questions to think through as you craft your essay.
Why do you want to study architecture?
How does your creative project characterize your value or belief? Through its medium? design process? or visualization?
How does your work articulate and give form to innovative ideas?
How are you able to develop a concept idea to fruition? How are you able to proactively develop and refine through creative abilities?
How does your work critically challenge the status quo of spatial experiences?
How are you able to materialize and visualize your interests that may span from the humanities to the sciences?
How are you dedicated to co-create a sustainable environment?
Interview
Get ready to verbally describe yourself in the admissions interview and add any other supplemental information that help create a picture of who you are.
It is easy to get intimidated during an admissions interview. But if you have made it this far in the admissions process, you are very close to entering the gate of your applied school! You are almost there.
In the interview, take what you have in your visual portfolio and your written work and be ready to explain through your work to talk about your ambition.
How does the school that you’re applying to support that ambition?
Do some research on the school and be ready to talk about it. This shows that you’re not only interested in the school and have done your homework, but you also have taken the time to think through how your interests align with the school’s resources.
The best way to prepare for an interview is to list a series of questions and practice verbally answering through those questions.
We’ll run through some practice questions with you and make recommendations on things to improve upon. Get started by signing up via the contact form below!
What is a NAAB-accredited architecture program?
When searching for architecture colleges to apply to, you’ll notice that some offer 4-year degrees and others offer 5-year degrees. Also, some say that they offer an accredited program while others don’t. It is important to understand how your choice to attend an accredited or unaccredited school may affect your future architectural career.
The profession of Architecture relies on licensed architects. In order to get licensed, most of the 55 U.S. licensing boards require that architects hold a degree from a NAAB-accredited program. The National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB) is “an agency that evaluates architecture programs in the U.S. to ensure that graduates are appropriately prepared to enter the profession.” Feel free to read more upon licensure via link provided below.
What does this mean for you?
If you want to become a licensed architect in the U.S., you need to go to a NAAB-accredited school where you become eligible to take the licensure exams. These accredited schools offer what we call a ‘professional degree’ which includes Bachelors of Architecture, Masters of Architecture, and Doctor of Architecture programs.
A professional, NAAB-accredited Bachelors of Architecture, for example, is typically a 5-year program. So be prepared to go to college for five years and graduate ready to become licensed. You may need to talk to your parents about tuition and the financial picture of funding an extra year of undergraduate studies.
Unlike other professions like medicine or law, an architectural license is not required in order to practice architectural design in the U.S. - though one without an architectural license may not hold the responsibilities as well as the privileges that come with licensure. You may not claim the title ‘architect’ without an architectural license, but may still practice architectural design with some limitations as a designer under someone who is licensed.
So if you are unsure about getting licensed or are not ready to commit to an extra year of college, a 4-year architecture degree is a good way to still study architecture and get a head start in getting work experience. A 4-year degree will typically include - Bachelors of Arts in Architecture, Bachelors of Science in Architecture, or Bachelors of Architectural Studies.
Just remember, most four-year degree programs are not NAAB-accredited so if you want to become licensed in the U.S. one day, you will have to attend an accredited program - whether it is by transferring schools as an undergraduate, or going to graduate school to get an accredited Masters of Architecture degree.
What if I only want to go to college for four years?
What if I want to go to a five-year accredited program, get my accredited degree, and then obtain my Masters in Architecture at an accredited program as well?
That is a path that many take, including myself. It can help place your foot forward in a competitive job market. Also, schools have different styles of teaching so it helps to diversify your portfolio and learn from different schools of thought. Not to mention broadening your academic network! If you’ve already received a professional undergraduate degree, you’ll apply to a post-professional M.Arch degree which is usually shorter for those who have already graduated from an accredited program.
Learn more about NAAB accreditation at this link below:
https://www.ncarb.org/earn-a-degree/study-architecture/accredited-programs
So, how does the Architecture Admissions process work? And what do they look for?
While general admissions applicants are typically reviewed based on GPA, SAT or GRE scores, extracurriculars, and recommendations, etc., architecture applicants typically go through an additional or, sometimes, separate process of review. In the admissions cycle, portfolios are reviewed by an architecture portfolio committee that assesses the creative aptitude and potential of a student’s work.
The committee will often seek candidates who can not only make an exquisite piece of artwork such as a drawing or painting, but also able to demonstrate an interest and curiosity towards spatial matter. After all, Architecture is a study of spatial experiences. Yes, architects design mostly buildings. And in the process of design, architecture calls for the study of site, landscape, climate, materials, culture, etc. No building stands in a void. There is always a context in place. Even if something gets designed in the middle of a desert, there are textures, temperatures, sun patterns, and a spatial context that comes into play when designing.
That means that even if you’re drawing a still life drawing of an apple, for example, the consideration of the background of that drawing will matter. How does the apple sit on the table? How does lighting or shadow work with the surface of the apple? And lastly, how do you portray the surrounding context around that apple? How does the apple still-life compose a spatial experience?
Renzo Piano Building Workshop. Hand-sketch of Jean-Marie Tjibaou Cultural Center. 1998.
Peter Eisenman House Studies IV. 1971.
Architecture is also a field of study that explores spatial qualities. Studies of form and how one experiences that form is at the core of architectural study. What does ‘studies of form’ mean? It could mean how a wall meets a ceiling - does it allow skylight, or is there a balcony, etc. In a more conceptual sense, the study of form could also mean how a two-dimensional plane meets another plane - how space gets composed through the addition or deletion of planes, or other means of creating a voluminous space.
Whether through a still-life drawing of an apple or a three-dimensional physical model, your portfolio ideally wants to show curiosity, a potential, and a certain skill level towards designing and experiencing spatial matter.
Each architecture program has its own school of thought, its own personality, and it’s important to understand those differences when preparing to apply to a program. That is probably why you’ll often hear people recommend going to a different Master’s program - to experience different schools of thought. For example, a school that values design development will seek applications that demonstrate development of a project from concept to its final stages of design. A different school that values technological saviness and digital media will want to see applications that show an aptitude towards the digital. The portfolio is the place to show such characteristics - what you like to make, what you’re good at, and most importantly, who you are.
This means that the portfolio that you submit is a critical piece in the application package. It can mean that someone with a spectacular portfolio can potentially be considered for admission albeit a lower GPA or SAT score. In the Architectural admissions process, the portfolio is no doubt the single most important piece of your application package. So get guidance to create your best portfolio.
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