<p>My S is a Junior and is thinking of applying to different colleges for Architecture major (BArch) and I was wondering what types of things belong in a portfolio. Also, should it be limited to high school level work or does middle school level work count? He has a very extensive portfolio from middle school (the school was very involved with their art program) but very little from high school (he took one art class in high school and will take a second one senior year).</p>
<p>Thanks for your responses.</p>
<p>i would say that usually only put high school drawings in, but maybe you could slip in one or two of his best pictures. </p>
<p>usually they don’t like to see any technical drawings (like architecture drafting). They want to see creativeness, whether that is black/white drawings, watercolor, sculptures, 3D models, photographs. The portfolio is for creativeness not a judgement on what arch. drawing skills you have. You want to really include pictures that demonstrate creative ability</p>
<p>additionally, you want to have still-life pictures. this is because it is easier to replicate a drawing which already has shading and tonal values, etc. If you try to get someone to see what you see on a paper without copying it from another picture this is very important and some schools require a number of these. The ability to perceive spacing and shadowing on your own without a picture already taken is key.</p>
<p>Each is individual and normally VERY explicit in their instructions. I advise you look at some schools arch admissions sites and see what they want. RISD was very different from CMU, but because I had looked at them together I was able to see how I could choose work that would be applicable to both.</p>
<p>i know futurearchitect7 also knows this, but if you are applying to SU, make sure you look at their requirements EARLY, as in now, because they are very clear on what the want (like 8 still-life’s) and even the layout is very clear. </p>
<p>Again i urge all people looking into architecture to really use this summer as a launching pad. As I am sure you all will find out architecture is a very demanding major, and it starts at the application time period. Don’t look what your friends are doing, because they don’t have a portfolio or additional essays for architecture. Make sure you start getting a list, working on essay ideas, and working on your portfolio.</p>
<p>hawkswim09, I heard that the emphasis on “creativity” may be the case for some of the more artistically-bent schools, but that for most schools technical expertise was favored over creativity. Of course, this didn’t mean showing architectural drafts, but showing technical ability through drawing, painting, and other [typically non-CAD] means.</p>
<p>basically, they want to see anything that you have done with the exception of architectural drawings, aka NO CAD, no plans, etc. This doesn’t mean that you can’t include a picture of a model building you built, that would be awesome. Additionally, technical skills like the ability to spatially arrange the pieces are also important. </p>
<p>the reason why they don’t like architectural drawings is that they want to teach you the basics. </p>
<p>i had heard the word creative a lot at the schools i visited, even schools like RPI, as well as portfolio reviews. </p>
<p>it all depends on what creative means to a particular person. it doesn’t have to be abstract art, it could be a ceramic piece with unique design, yet has a very technical base structure</p>