embARC Summer Design Academy Review

Pre-College Issues Summer Programs
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Hello everyone, I just completed embARC this summer and I’m here to share my program experience. Before I give a review I would like to share my pre-program intentions and goals. I am a rising senior with a strong interest in the engineering field (civil, environmental, mechanical in particular). Architecture and urban planning have always been in the back of my mind, but I knew so little about both fields. I came to this program to open up new paths for myself and understand the difference between architecture and engineering.

This program is a culmination of three classes, each one semester long, collapsed into one month. You’ll receive 1 credit from UC Berkeley at the end of the program if you pass. UC Berkeley will only report a pass/fail grade. Coursework includes sketching/drafting/model-making, lectures/guest speaker events, readings, essays, and oral presentations. Studio is worth 50% of the final grade, Planning Workshop and Survey of Architecture are each worth 25% of the final grade.

Some statistics:
53 students total in the program
3-4 instructors/fellows per class. 1:13 in studio. 1:9 in design-build. 1:18 in planning workshop.
instructors are mostly graduate students
at least 1/4 are international, nearly 1/2 of the students are from San Francisco Bay Area, rest are out-of-state or from Southern California
most international students are from China
about 1/2 of the students are Asian, another 1/3 are white
about 2/3 of the students are rising seniors

ARCHITECTURE & URBAN DESIGN STUDIO:
We learned essential sketching, drafting, and modeling techniques from the instructors via demos during the first week. As the program moved forward, we began receiving more one-on-one constructive feedback from the instructors on our designs, our technique, and our diagramming habits. After every assignment, there was a pin-up where everyone could view each other’s work while the instructors chose a couple to discuss in front of the class. The instructions for each assignment were purposefully vague to allow for boundless creativity and interpretation, while the feedback received is more comprehensive. At least two hours of class is spent working on assignments, and the rest of the time is spent listening to lectures or participating in pin-ups.
During the last two week of the program, we visited a site near Berkeley and examined the activities that take place there to draw inspiration for a pavilion design. We also visited an architecture firm and SF MOMA to learn about the process of designing infrastructure and listen to architects talk about their professional experience so we could apply the advice to our project. In the middle and end of the final project, we participated in a formal review where we give an oral presentation on our work in front of a panel of graduate students and architects.
Everyone receives a drafting toolkit and a workstation in the beginning of the program (cost is covered along with the tuition). However, some instructors request that you buy extra tools such as a curve template and protractor. Everyone must buy their own material for models. I ended up spending nearly $60 on extra materials. Little did we know that there was a scrap pile with untouched materials the whole time.
This section of the program assigns the most homework. Although there are after-class hours from 4-6 pm, I usually had to bring back my projects to the dorms and work on them for an additional five hours until 2 am. You’ll learn to love drawing and model making and you’ll improve so much over the course of this program!

SUSTAINABLE CITY PLANNING WORKSHOP:
Basically the description on the website: “Students engage as genuine stakeholders and participants in a community change process by developing solutions to an authentic urban planning question. Through a series of lectures and group exercises, they learn about current state and local policies and share ideas for helping cities and regions create attractive, healthy and sustainable communities for all. The students also take inspiring visits to sites that are nationally recognized models of sustainable urban development to gain a better understanding of the story of ‘place’ and community-building.”
The curriculum comprises mostly of guest speaker presentations and group research projects on climate change and resilience plans. In order to make the program more rigorous, the instructors introduced a 1000 word research paper assignment into the curriculum. They helped us find a research question by taking us to Berkeley’s community gardens and the university food pantry on the second Friday. We were given the next week to find sufficient information from books and journals in the college library and to finish the essay. The research paper was assigned during the busiest week and many of us had to pull all-nighters or submit the essay late in order to finish it. Most students were so sleep deprived that the instructors had to cancel all the reading assignments that also had tentative due dates.
I personally disliked the organization of this workshop and the workshop’s quality of instruction; however, through this class, I found a keener interest in the environment.

DESIGN-BUILD:
This year our program built three bike trailers for UC Berkeley’s Food Pantry, an emergency relief food supply for malnourished students. The bike trailers will hold garden stands, portable kitchens, and other cargo to ease the transfer of food between community gardens and the Food Pantry and to educate university students about basic culinary skills. The instructors designed the trailers and led the construction, while we helped around the fabrication lab. They emphasized safety and trained us very well with nearly all of the machines in the lab. Some of the jobs include woodworking, welding, grinding, screen printing, and laser cutting. You are allowed to choose the job you would like to learn and execute. Take advantage of these training opportunities to step out of your comfort zone and learn a unique skill. It’s definitely not as scary as you’d expect!

SURVEY OF ARCHITECTURE:
This class only lasts one hour every Monday and there are few assignments from this course. During the one hour, the head of the program gives lectures about the history of architecture and notable architectural/landscape design pieces. The most interesting aspect of this program is the mandatory guest speaker event attendance and response. The principal of SURFACEDESIGN, INC. shared his inspiring work and advice with the audience, and it was this presentation that convinced me to finally consider architecture as an option for my future major.

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DORM LIFE & BERKELEY LIFE:
I happened to get the worst dorm, the Berk On-Arch. It’s far away from the dining hall and the CED building, which made it inconvenient for us to travel there every mealtime. We all ended up wasting most of our meal plan because of the distance issue. However, what really ruined my dorm experience was the archaic plumbing system that broke down every three days, clogging the single toilet in the female section of the dorm. Not only did we all have to fight for the downstairs toilet every morning and evening, but the halls reeked of decaying feces. The plumber was only available during the weekdays so it was living hell when it clogged on a Friday night. It was definitely not worth housing price I paid for. Just pray you’re part of the other half of the program that resides in Stern Hall, a much cleaner and modern facility located next to the dining hall and the CED building.
The residential assistants (IPCP) don’t exercise much control over the students. They only require us to be back in the dorms by 9 pm. They occasionally organize some field trips, bonfires, or bonding activities over the weekends for us, but for most of the time, we’re on our own.
Nevertheless, I really loved the experience of living in Berkeley. I come from the suburbs of San Jose, so living in an urban city for a month was a new experience.
Pros:

  1. AC Transit and BART will be your new best friends; a 25-minute ride on the BART will get you to the heart of San Francisco.
  2. Expect to get sore calves from walking over hills back and forth campus.
  3. Come to Berkeley to escape the summer heat! The temperature rarely goes above 86F (30C).
  4. Great restaurants and snack/drink shops in the area.
  5. Most importantly, you’ll be living in one of the most sustainable cities in the world. From the zero-waste recycling bins to the dense city plan, there will be many inspiring environmental solutions surrounding you. What you learn from the Planning Workshop comes alive before your eyes; this time you can directly observe the effects.
    Cons:
    Berkeley is not safe after sunset. Take advantage of UC Berkeley’s Night Safety Service. Worst case scenario: run all the way to your destination.
    Downtown Berkeley is suspicious. Avoid empty sidewalks and sidewalks next to bars or smoke shops. Some drunk guys and a homeless man cat-called my group of friends and mocked at our Asian appearance. Do not walk alone.
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Overall my experience here was okay. I would recommend this program if you already developed a strong interest in architecture/urban planning. This program is definitely humanities-oriented, so leave the calculators at home and bring your critical thinking skills here. As an STEM-oriented person, I found it difficult to think abstractedly during Studio and absorb the environmental politics and law discussions. I feel like the rigor of the program turned me away from pursuing architecture/urban planning as a major, because I was not enthusiastic about either subject before coming here; however, I don’t hold the majority opinion. After doing a tally of hands on the last day, we discovered that over 80% of the students have developed a stronger passion for architecture/urban planning after attending this program and are intent on applying for architecture/planning school.

Message me if you have any questions about the program!

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Lol looking back at this post, I realize how negative my dorm review was. Even though my dorms were old, the architecture of the dorm really brought my dormmates and I closer together. My dorms had a cozy shared living space where we would all hang out and bake snickerdoodles and watch America’s Got Talent. One night, we went outside, made a fire in the pit, and made s’mores together while singing along to pop music. Every week we would all climb the roof to watch the sunset. We really bonded in those unforgettable moments and these array of activities were something we enjoyed that students from other dorms didn’t have. So yeah, the plumbing system and the distance of the dorm relative to both the architecture building and the cafeteria sucks, but at least you get to bond with your peers and have more fun.

There are pros and cons to each of the potential dorms you might reside in, and if I had a choice, I would’ve chosen the old dorm over the new dorm. The unforgettable activities and the close friendships I was able to build were priceless compared to the luxury of having a modern ventilation and plumbing system.

5

Hi! I recently got accepted into the embARC program and am trying to decide whether to live on campus or drive from my house every day. I am currently a rising junior, and would love for some guidance on what the best decision would be. Thanks!

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Hello @gups906, I personally think living on campus is a better experience as you’ll be able to more closely bond with your program peers and understand Berkeley culture. Berkeley is one of the greenest cities in the nation and if you live on site, you’ll be able to observe and experience this firsthand, from the dense city planning to the very specific garbage receptacles. Exploring the city, tiptoeing through the university libraries, and working out in the university recreational center with my roommate on weekends were some of my favorite memories. Though it is costly, I believe good networking and early college dorm experience will benefit you in the future. Also, as you’ll soon learn, you will have reduced your carbon footprint by around 100 lbs if you live on campus for a month! Still scarred from the embARC reading assignment we did last year called “Carbon Zero”…

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@engineermojo Hey, I got accepted into embARC program and I was wondering if its possible to fit in my schedule to go to university recreational center every morning? Due to the rigorous program? Also, since I signup through another program I don’t know where I’m dorming until I get there in July. I was wondering what dorms am I going to be expected to be given?

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Hello @155512, I don’t think going to the rec center every morning will fit in your schedule. The rec center is on the other side of campus from the dorms and Wurster Hall. It’s about a 10-minute walk to get there. Maybe it’s feasible for the first week and on the weekends but definitely not during the last two weeks. I believe on average students slept at around 1:30 am and classes started at 8:00 am. Be sure to check the rec center hours, as it may not be open early in the morning. I think generally it’s not too hard to stay fit because the campus is very hilly and I remember the facilities and stores being far from one another.

You will receive an email about with your assigned residential assistant and your dorm location a week before the program starts. You won’t know your roommate until you get to your dorm. Last year I think there were three dorm locations for embARC: The Berk on Arch, The Berk, and Stern Hall. The Berk on Arch is the older dorm I described in my original post. The other two dorms are slightly more modern but are still quite old. Students from the Session D program (international students taking humanities classes) shared the dorms with embARC students. In some instances, an embARC student will room with a Session D student.

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Hey I just completed the Embarc Design Academy program.

Dorm life: Majority of the people lived in Stern/Foothill. A few lived in Unit 3.
I personally lived in Unit 3 and it had a the best dinning hall compared to stern/foothill and Unit 3 was Co-ed.
Unit 3 had the shortest walk compared to the Stern/Foothill. Unit 3 lived in the heart of Berkeley and next to Cream.
Yes Berkeley is dangerous at night, but get to know the local from the program which are comfortable walking in Berkeley. Unit 3 had a different check in with other people from different program.

Race/demographic: A lot of the students were out of state and not from California. About four were low income while majority are affluent. I learned a lot and experience what it was like being around other from different backgrounds.

Class: GSI don’t really care if you do the homework or the classwork. Your mainly on your own for the most part.

Advice: Talk to a lot of people and explore Berkeley. Try taking BART. Check out Big C. Take your chances.

I highly recommend you dorm and take this program even if you’re not interested in architecture.

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Hi! I’m currently applying to the Embarc Design Academy Program, I’d like to ask if you remember the average age/grades of the participants in the program? I’m a sophomore and my main extracurricular is art, but likely not going to pursue it in the future so I’m interested in exploring other options through this program. If you have an estimation of the acceptance rate, that would be amazing.

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Hi @8aight, apologies for the late response. The second semester of college was extremely busy for me.

I’d say it 2/3 rising seniors and the rest younger, maybe one or two sophomores. I don’t think the GPA requirement was extremely high, anything above a 3.5 will do. I’m not entirely sure about the acceptance rate, but this is a relatively small and new program (less than 10 years old) and 50-60 students attend.

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It’s alright, and thank you for the reply! I was accepted to embARC, but decided to go to CSSSA instead (not as steep of a tuition). Best of luck with college!