<p>DD spent hours and hours on her portfolio for RPI. And only for RPI, as it was the only program she applied to that required a portfolio (she applied to several colleges with non accredited Arch majors, but none required a portfolio). </p>
<p>Regardless of what she hears from RPI this weekend, it would be nice if she could get something else out of the portfolio. Should she send it to the other colleges? Maybe to WashU where she was waitlisted (like everyone else)? Will it serve her in other ways in the future (note, RPI being RPI, the portfolio is NOT arch drawings or anything like that, but photos, art work, etc)</p>
<p>She should absolutely send it to Wash U. Although the portfolio is “optional” there, my daughter was accepted last year (went elsewhere, though), and her guidance counselor was told that the deciding factor was her portfolio.</p>
<p>RPI made it explicitly clear that they didn’t want arch. work, but i don’t know about WashU. I’d definitely send it in if i were her, it might be the little push needed for them to offer her a seat.</p>
<p>Did she consider other majors besides architecture? Sounds like it could be used for a BFA, but I find it odd that an architecture school doesn’t want an architectural-oriented portfolio.
How much is she set on architecture?</p>
<p>NYCHADesign, most of the Arch schools my son applied to that wanted a portfolio didn’t want to see any architectural drawings. They want to see creativity, ability to draw, and feel they are going to teach architecture their own way. It was weird since the only reason my DS wanted to apply to an arch program was precisely because he had taken an arch class at a college one summer and loved it…but he couldn’t use any of the work from that class in his portfolio!</p>
<p>That’s definitely strange, Acme. When I applied to Pratt, where I got my B. Arch, they wanted to see a mostly architectural-oriented portfolio. They did allow, of course, for other mediums, such as sculpture, general illustration, but it really had to be arch-oriented. And for good reason, of course. Your son’s classwork should, of course, be included in the portfolio. But I guess standards have been lowered across the board…it may be so that nearly anyone can apply to and get into many arch schools today.</p>
<p>All this art ability won’t be used much in the real world, unfortunately. It’s really more technical than art…</p>
<p>NYCHADesign, S didn’t apply to Pratt, but did go to National Portfolio Day there as a Junior and that’s what he was told by several schools so he geared his portfolio accordingly.</p>
<p>DD got into RPI, presumably largely on the strength of her high SAT’s, her taking BC Calc in Junior year, her physics at TJ, her recommendation from a math teacher. I think they definitely wanted to see tech strength. But not through the portfolio. The portfolio, IIUC, was to show the artistic/creative side. DD had also taken both a CAD class, and an architecture class in HS, but RPI seems to want to teach that themselves, as has been said above. Other schools, like Pratt, have a different philosophy. I daresay there are folks who get into Pratt who can’t get into RPI (though I don’t know, we really didn’t look at Pratt). Certainly RPI gets harder to get into every year overall (I am not sure about the Arch program, our impression was its harder to get into that). I think its not about lowering standards, but about different school philosophies.</p>
<p>BTW, she is not interested in a BFA. Her alternate career interest if she doesn’t do arch is Civil or Enviro Eng. She also is considering a liberal arts major and then eventually getting an M Arch. She isn’t really an artist, more interested in arch as a field for problem solving, etc. I could even see her as an urban planner.</p>
<p>As a deferred student at WUSTL, I think your D should send the portfolio as a non-required supplemental piece. It is late though and so do it pronto. </p>
<p>If your daughter goes on to study either a BArch or a BA (with eventual hopes to pursue an MArch), her portfolio that she has now will be a building block and she’ll add to it as she has other work from undergrad to add. She’ll eventually replace those samples but there will be a transitionary phase where she uses some of what she has in her portfolio now and some new work she does in undergrad school.</p>
<p>In architecture school, sometimes it’s not who gets in, but who stays. I remember many people dropped out pretty quickly. And those who tried to hang on, once they couldn’t pass statics, that was the end for them.</p>
<p>Students are weeded out pretty fast, and it’s obvious who is really meant to be an architect and who isn’t.</p>