<p>I am really interested in architecture in general but I have no clue what it's like out there working for an actual firm. Having some experience to put on my college app would be increadible since I'm considering applying to B.Arch schools like Rice, CMU, UT and Cornell. However, professional firms rarely seem to reach out to high school students and I have few connections with anyone in the business.
So, do you guys have any advice? I put a similar question in the Internships section of CC but no one responded!</p>
<p>BTW what do you guys think about the Summer at Cornell Intro to Arch program? I really want to go but is it worth 5k?</p>
<p>Arch firms do offer internships to high school students. A friend of mine worked in an arch office in Houston for around 2 months during the summer.</p>
<p>I don’t really know if Cornell’s summer arch program is worth it, but a lot of the freshman that are accepted seem to have attended it.</p>
<p>TskDbx,</p>
<p>Do you know how your friend got the internship?</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>Check out [ACE</a> Mentor Program](<a href=“http://www.acementor.org%5DACE”>http://www.acementor.org)</p>
<p>archie12,</p>
<p>Thanks for the link! The program sounds pretty good!
What do you know about summer internships though?</p>
<p>Sorry, I’m not really sure how he got it actually. haha</p>
<p>kcdec, i worked for firms during my high school career. be assertive…call them up and ask if they have any opportunities for you (even if it is unpaid), just because you want experience. they may allow you to shadow an architect for a week or two.</p>
<p>CUAmbassador11,</p>
<p>Thanks for the advice! It seems as if these firms avoid random emails from high school students or something because they never reply! Not even to say “I’m sorry but we don’t have any positions available for high school students”. </p>
<p>And just to get this straight, I’m not looking for a paid internship! That’s waayy to much to ask for right now as an unexperienced high schooler. I just want to see what the architecture business is like out there and have something sweet to put on my college resume :)</p>
<p>Maybe your guidance counselor could help you out. He might have some connections or make some phone calls on your behalf. Contact from a guidance counselor might carry a little more weight than your emails. You might also try calling the firms yourself. Don’t just talk to the person who answers the phone. Find out who is responsible for hiring or (in a smaller firm who the principals are) and contact them directly. Unfortunately there are many recent grads looking for work and your emails may be getting lost in the shuffle. Good luck!</p>
<p>Yes, they do. Learn to CAD…really well. A professional certification looks nice. Look for small, custom home builders that have in house architects. My son just worked this summer as an intern. He is the only high school student they have ever had.</p>
<p>Yeah it kinda sucks how I have no CAD experience either. I’m in this engineering program at school that briefly introduces it, but not nearly enough. So are there any good online CAD instruction programs/videos out there? I find reading long, terribly formatted articles on outdated websites to be annoytingly tedious so don’t send me any of that!</p>
<p>And I have a few more questions:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>When’s the best time to contact the firm about interning/shadowing/volunteering for the summer?</p></li>
<li><p>Is it better to intern at a high-profile architecture firm in the city with a 30 minute commute both ways or at a local but respectable custom architecture business?</p></li>
<li><p>What do high school interns even do? And how would colleges view a volunteer as opposed to an intern?</p></li>
</ol>
<ol>
<li><p>Best time to contact is late winter if you have resume in hand. Perhaps see if this fall there is any way to get a short meeting 15min tops, with a few firm’s HR that hires interns. Perhaps a phone interview. Ask what skills they look for. This may give you a better idea of opportunities in your area.</p></li>
<li><p>There is no ‘better’ place to intern. The better place to intern is where you get offered a position. Theoretically, the local firm will have more instruction, while the larger firm may have more gopher work. This is a gross generalization and can not be used as a guide. The positions are few and far between. Take what you can get and be grateful for the experience. BTW, my son’s experience was a local firm that had a one hour commute each way. This is dependent on your area.</p></li>
<li><p>What do hs interns do? This again, depends on the individual firm and where they are in their individual growth cycle. If they are building business, an intern may have the chance to do some actual work ‘if’ you have marketable skills. How do colleges view ‘volunteer’ as opposed to ‘intern’…? Perhaps only a paycheck? Perhaps based on a personal statement or essay you write regarding your experience? Perhaps based on a recommendation from the firm? Any experience in the given field is valuable. If you do not have marketable skills, then offer to grunt work for free as much as they will allow and perhaps you can shadow on site once in a while (my son learned a ton about working within the environment and keeping and eye for neighborhood architecture…ie no McMansions in an established neighborhood, etc.). He also did many tedious 9hr days of CAD, CAD, & more CAD adding electrical changes, elevations, etc. Eye strain, boring as heck sometimes, but he was darn good and earned respect because he carried himself in a professional manner in keeping with the firms reputation. His work freed hours and hours up for the experienced college interns and architects to do more important work. He went in with the attitude and idea that the majority of his work would be grunt work, regardless of his marketable skill. It was that humble attitude, not resume addition, that got him the job. In essence he acted and dressed as a professional, but fully appreciated his pecking order and took any task gladly and did it at 110% effort. He was pleasantly surprised that his work was based more in productive areas, as opposed to ‘just hang out until we need copies, fedex, or something delivered onsite’.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Regarding where to get any useful CAD instruction. Check your community college. I will say my son had three years instruction, professional certification, and two years practical experience. It is not hard to learn…to use it quickly and efficiently takes repetition. Be careful how you represent this skill. It is by no means the end all and be all. Many here will tell you that. There are many other roads and skills. This is simply my son’s experience, so what I am able to share with you.</p>
<p>Best of luck.</p>
<p>Thanks for answering my questions Blueiguana! The only thing I’m unsure about is how much CAD experience I’ll need. People keep saying that building my portfolio is much more important than CAD which can be easily learned later. </p>
<p>Btw what college did your son attend?</p>
<p>Honestly, focus on your portfolio. All the internships and CAD you have under your belt won’t get you into an architecture program if your portfolio isn’t good.</p>
<p>kcdecember - My response was in direct relation to your question regarding internships. I believe I tried to be honest and upfront in saying I could only share my son’s experience and I was sure there were many other paths.</p>
<p>I believe TskDbx gives very good advise regarding the value of an outstanding quality portfolio getting into school. The recommendation of CAD was simply as a marketable skill to help get a high school internship. Again, TskDbx is correct regarding the portfolio for acceptance. It is a primary factor. An internship, while nice, is something that is going to show up on an activities and interest form.</p>
<p>kcd- call them. dont email them. calling gives you a direct response. emails get forgotten about or thrown away</p>
<p>and everyone is right. FOCUS ON YOUR PORTFOLIO, like what tskdbx said. cad is a program that is really easy and stupid to learn, and they will teach it to you in school. work experience is a plus, but not necessary. </p>
<p>as for your questions:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>call them around february. they will have a sense of the amount of work that they will have to carry them over to the summer. </p></li>
<li><p>i worked in both large corporate in DC [about an hour commute with our lovely traffic] and a small local [10 minute drive from my house]. i did get to do more in the small local (it was 1 architect and 2 interns, plus me), but i got to see a lot more interesting projects in the large one. in a larger one, you may be able to shadow more architects. a 30 minute commute shouldnt deter you.</p></li>
<li><p>you will be a CAD monkey. correcting red lines and such. maybe a little filing and office stuff. but basically, CAD monkey</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Hey guys,</p>
<p>After some research, I found two architecture related programs that suit my interests. The first, of course, is the ACE Mentor Program and the other is an Exploring Architecture Program sponsored by the AIA. Both programs are very well respected and I wish I could participate in both. However, my schedule and lack of transportation limits my ability to do so; therefore I must choose between the two.</p>
<p>Honestly, I have no idea what I should do. The ACE Mentor Program gives hands-on experience in the field and since it’s an national program, it may receive more recognition from colleges. Since the group works with architects, engineers and construction people(?), the program will realistically model an actual project by an architectural group. ACE also seem pretty generous in giving out scholarships. The downside I presume is that the overall group may be larger so there is less individual attention given to each student. Also, transportation might be an issue since I live relatively far from the general location of the firms. Since I’m still a sophomore and don’t get my license until March, one of my parents must take me every week. I don’t know if this is possible or not.</p>
<p>On the other hand, the AIA Exploring Architects program also seems very in-depth. Instead of one large over-reaching project that spans the entire duration of the program, it consists of smaller “activities” and an introduction to different aspects of architecture. Since the eight meetings are located at a different firm each time, the student would be able to see architecture in different contexts and career branches. This program also seems more instructional than hands-on. Though overall a good program, I am doubtful of how close the actual experience will be to real life. Transportation may also be a problem here too.</p>
<p>So what do you guys think? What program seems to have more to offer? Which program should I participate in? Though I’m not basing me decision directly on your opinions, it may help clarify some of my confusion. Thanks!</p>