Architecture admissions portfolio
Questions from Christina graduating with a bachelors in sociology. She started in architecture, moved out of the major and is thinking about applying for a masters degree in architecture.
What should I include in my portfolio? What do people look for in portfolios for architecture school without having any background in architecture?
Content for a portfolio might include hand drawings and sketches on paper and mylar, pencil work, pen work, renderings, paintings, collages, mechanical drafting, computer drafting, photographs, & sculpture. The important point here is that the work displays your creativity, not that its just architectural. The second thing to keep in mind is that the work should give the person who’s looking at it a sense about who you are. That is, your creativity, your focus, what are you good at? and what do you enjoy? Here are two links as well. How to make a portfolio video series by yours truly. Portfolio Design by Harold Linton. www.portfoliodesign.com.
How can I use my background in sociology to help me develop my portfolio?
Great question. The answer is, I don’t know precisely. However, I do know that you must like sociology or you wouldn’t have chosen the major. There are insights that you posses regarding the profession (and people) that others would probably enjoy hearing. I would suggest photographs, sketches, text, poems, literature, and even video that you have created. Take a week and work on it. Put every idea you have on paper and work through it. “It’s in the doing that the idea comes.”
I have heard many people suggest that I wait a couple years to apply for graduate school. I have been told that it is always best to go out into the world and gain experience as well as take the time to mature as an individual before going back to graduate school. What are your thoughts on this topic?
Absolutely yes! Wait, get experience, test the waters and then go back to school. Life is short, however it can also be quite long if you hate what you do and have an extraordinary amount of debt.
FYI. The image above is not Christina but an image I found on flickr using the search term ‘pretty girl’. It could be Christina but the odds are against it. Image by liquene.
