[SSze]

(Original post by mpppp)
it's so difficult to choose a college!!

indeedy. i'm thinking st. johns because they ask for college essays..

[mpppp]

(Original post by SSze)
indeedy. i'm thinking st. johns because they ask for college essays..

hmmm...so do the girls colleges but I'm also considering fitzwilliam and girton which just do interviews
Good luck!!

[Hutch11]

I'm not sure I qualify to post cos at the start it said for "past, present, future Cambridge architecture students" and I REALLY don't think I will get in (but REALLY want to).

I have good grades but have a problem with portfolio and sketchbooks. Basically I did my art A-Level 2 years early which means I basically did no art since then (doesnt really convey my interest in art I know). Also ALL of my work are expressive (in Auerbach style below)



and all my developments are large pieces (like A0 size) which means I have no drawings in my sketchbook, just photographs I used for the drawings/paintings I did.

I have no idea what I am going to do cos they want bloody sketch books. btw I'm thinking of applying to Girton or Trinity Hall so anyone thinking of applying there pls reconsider, not for your sake but for mine lol.

Also appling to UCL(also dont think will get in ), sheffield, cardiff, bath.

Happy to take any advise from anyone willing to help!! Good luck to everyone, not that any of you will need it!!!

[Hutch11]

(Original post by Jfranny)
Oh, and if anyone wants to see some of my drawings/portraits I'll be happy to upload them, it'd also be good if people could deem my skills not/good enough for Cambridge.

James!

I would like to take your offer on seeing your portfolio if that's still ok James. (even tho I have a feeling I might regret it )

[mpppp]

(Original post by Hutch11)
I'm not sure I qualify to post cos at the start it said for "past, present, future Cambridge architecture students" and I REALLY don't think I will get in (but REALLY want to).

I have good grades but have a problem with portfolio and sketchbooks. Basically I did my art A-Level 2 years early which means I basically did no art since then (doesnt really convey my interest in art I know). Also ALL of my work are expressive (in Auerbach style below)



and all my developments are large pieces (like A0 size) which means I have no drawings in my sketchbook, just photographs I used for the drawings/paintings I did.

I have no idea what I am going to do cos they want bloody sketch books. btw I'm thinking of applying to Girton or Trinity Hall so anyone thinking of applying there pls reconsider, not for your sake but for mine lol.

Also appling to UCL(also dont think will get in ), sheffield, cardiff, bath.

Happy to take any advise from anyone willing to help!! Good luck to everyone, not that any of you will need it!!!

Hi!!

I did my Alevels a year ago too so I haven't got anything recent but I'm working on it..going to life drawing sessions, taking a sketchbook around london, etc you should do the same. They really want to see sketchbooks from what I've heard and then for your portfolio around 15 A1 sheets of work. A0 is huge! By the way I love Auerbach too and I have a lot in the style of him too, it's all your work still and it's what you like so don't worry too much.

Good luck!!

[Hutch11]

(Original post by mpppp)
Hi!!

I did my Alevels a year ago too so I haven't got anything recent but I'm working on it..going to life drawing sessions, taking a sketchbook around london, etc you should do the same. They really want to see sketchbooks from what I've heard and then for your portfolio around 15 A1 sheets of work. A0 is huge! By the way I love Auerbach too and I have a lot in the style of him too, it's all your work still and it's what you like so don't worry too much.

Good luck!!

So is your sketchbook going to be basically all drawings, is that what they ask for??

also did you read any of the books recommended, there's like 4 they "expect" you to read? i only found out like yesterday and most of them are like 600 pages so i dont know what i should do (i did a little background reading but just not any of the things they recommended )

I was shattered

[scarlet ibis]

Hello all

I am an ex Cambridge architecture student. Just to say, that yes, recent is good, yes, actual draings are good, but they will be interested in anything that shows you are creative, that you can think and that you can draw. and if things are too big, photograph them well and bring those. they are not going to penalise you because you were unable to bring in sevearl A0 sheets!

[Hutch11]

hahaha just called up cambridge and it turns out those recommended books are for students that have been made an offer. i am sooo relieved.

also to everyone applying this year and anyone applied to cam before, how much background reading did you do? about how many books? (so i can get an idea)

cheers

[scarlet ibis]

I can't remember, tbh, I just read lots of things that interested me.

Here's some info about the course and interviews that I wrote for someone at my school:

Spoiler:

Show

Hi

I’m quite happy to answer questions about Architecture at Cambridge. I was at Selwyn, from 2004-2007 and I loved it.

What did they ask you in your interview/s? (Did you need to prepare?) I had two interviews, one at my college and one at the Department. The college interview was supposed to be a more general one, about me and my interests, but it was mainly about architecture. The interviewer was a historian so we got onto talking about my Art personal study on Nazi fortifications. But he got that from my Personal Statement. So make sure that you can talk very coherently about anything you say in your PS, eg any architects, buildings or books you have mentioned. He asked some basic questions about favourite buildings, so have a ‘favourite’ up your sleeve. And choose something original! (Don’t say Gaudi or Foster unless you’ve got something really interesting to say!)
The second interview was the subject interview. For this you will need a portfolio of recent work. If you’ve done Art A level then you have a head-start! They won’t want to see architectural drawings, they’d rather you didn’t in fact, unless maybe you’ve got something for work experience – but mainly they want you to come in with no preconceptions) Try to bring pieces in a range of media. If you’ve done any sculpture/3D work, then photograph it (well!) and bring that in. They will also be looking for evidence that you can draw, so still life, life drawing, any sketches of buildings that you’ve done would be good. Bring sketchbooks too. They are interested in the processes by which you came to final pieces, not just the final pieces themselves. And practice talking coherently about everything you’ve brought with you. They’ll want to see evidence that you can communicate your ideas.
So yes, you do need to prepare – the portfolio, read up on what you’ve written about in your PS, and practice answering questions in a formal setting. Even if the interviewer isn’t an architect, they can still help you get a feel for what the subject interview is like. And if your art teacher is amenable, practice talking through your portfolio pieces.

Is the course fun? (Very important) Or repetative? The course is great fun. Its challenging, creative, full of variety and it will make you see the world differently. Its not repetitive at all, the very opposite. It will keep you on your toes and stretch you further than you ever thought you were capable. The studio trip is also a highlight – a week in Rome normally, in first year. The small size of the course means that you will know and be friends with all 40 or so students in your year. You spend so much time with them, in the studio, that they become like a family, especially when spending all night in the studio before big presentations. Which leads me onto the next questions:

How many hours a week do you spend in the studio? Lots. Well, it depends, Working in the studio is good, because of the camaraderie of fellow students, but some people prefer to work in their rooms. Either way, the amount of hours a week recommended for studio work is 70 hours! Most people never actually make that, I probably averaged at about 50 hours a week, and that was pretty standard. Weekends as ‘time off’ don’t exist. You just have more time to work at weekends! The problem with studio work is that you can NEVER feel like you’ve done enough… You could always do another model, replan your building, do another perspective.

What is the workload like? If its not changed structure, Mondays and Thursdays are full days in the studio with your tutors and you have to produce work to present at small private ‘desk-crits’ with your tutors on these days. The other weekdays you have lectures 9-1 or so, and will need to spend the rest of the day working on studio, or at home, on studio work. Twice a term or so you have Big Crits where you have to present (and defend) your project to your peers, your tutors and visiting critics (who are often famous architects, David Adjaye for example). They’re pretty nerve-wracking but you get used to them! They certainly build confidence. On top of studio, there are supervisions on the lecture courses for which you have to prepare essays and example sheets, and read a lot about architectural history. One thing the course is heavy on is understanding cultural context and history. But there are also Structures and Construction lectures, so that you understand how buildings work as well as what they look like. Somehow you fit those in around studio work and are examined on them at the end of the year (you get a full five days to revise after final portfolio hand in at the end of the year… but the exams aren’t work as much as studio work – 40% down to 20% by the end of the third year). So yeah, the workload is heavy, and its heavier than a lot of courses at Cambridge except perhaps equal to Medicine, Law and VetMed.

What are the teaching staff like? The teachers are great fun. Studio tutors are often young, practicing architects who teach as well, and they are really vibrant, exciting people to learn from. The lecturers are also fun. Some are better lecturers than others, and there are some characters! At the yearly cabaret (Christmas party, and notoriously debauched), the staff show they love having fun just as much as the students.

What are the students like? Obviously it varies year on year, but you will have similar artistic/creative interests and you will know them all very well very quickly so yes, you will make good friends. Some have a tendency to be a bit pretentious but they’re in the minority. You’ll meet loads of other people in your college anyway, so that you’ll have a bunch of ‘normal’ friends too, to keep you sane. One unfortunate thing about the course is that it stops you from taking on too much extra-curricular stuff, but if you’re disciplined you can fit it in.
Anything that I have forgotten that you would have loved to have known when applying? Hmm, one thing I would say is that the course is not very well funded, so it is expensive. Courses like the one at UCL’s Bartlett School of Architecture, are better funded have more facitities (the Cambridge course had just one big printer for all 120 students… and towards hand in time it was a battle to get things printed. Some people just went to London and paid literally hundreds to get things printed there, as they had no choice). The Bartlett is as well, if not better regarded than the Cambridge course. Most of your projects will be in London, so you have to fork out for travel to and from your project sites pretty frequently! I struggled financially, and I would say that choosing a big rich college that can help you out (unlike Selwyn where I went) is a good idea. Jesus, Trinity, St Johns, Clare, Pembroke, Magdalene. to name a few. Also choose a college that actually has a director of Studies who is a Fellow of your college. The prospectus has this information. It makes life easier, trust me, not to have to go traipsing round the university when you have a supervision, and they make sure that the college understands you better. Larger colleges where there are more than one architect per year are also better. I was the only one in my year at Selwyn and it was hard at times. Take a laptop. It is invaluable to be able to take your computer with you and work on it wherever you need to.

Despite all this, Cambridge is an amazing place to study. Even knowing what I know now about funding and facilities, I wouldn’t have gone anywhere else. The lecturing and history tuition are fascinating and well taught. It’s a unique environment, and I have some really great friends from my time at Cambridge who mean the world to me!

Are you going on to take masters? If so where? Nope. I am currently working for a research consultancy company, Cambridge Architectural Research, and I am hoping to continue to become an architectural researcher, and perhaps go on to do PhD. I never enjoyed the studio work as much as I enjoyed writing essays and my third year dissertation. I worked at an architectural firm in London for a year, and I didn’t really enjoy that too much so I moved back to Cambridge, bought a boat to live on (see my blog www.nbluckyduck.blogspot.com for more on that!) and put out my feelers, making contact with old supervisors to see if there was any research work going. I ended up here, and I love it. London Met is widely regarded as one of the best places to do the Part II though, and I have friends doing their Part IIs there, in Glasgow, Dublin, Sheffield, UCL and the RCA.

[Hutch11]

thankyou very much scarlet ibis, it's very helpful. i haven't recieved as much info on architecture at cambridge as i would have liked (mainly cos i go to a very crap school, and they dont really care!!!).

about the things you mentioned on choosing a college, well i was thinking about girton (cos in the stats, it seemed easier to get into, even tho i suppose the chances for anyone getting into cam is the same!!). what do you think?

p.s. i love your boat!!!!!!!

[scarlet ibis]

(Original post by Hutch11)
thankyou very much scarlet ibis, it's very helpful. i haven't recieved as much info on architecture at cambridge as i would have liked (mainly cos i go to a very crap school, and they dont really care!!!).

about the things you mentioned on choosing a college, well i was thinking about girton (cos in the stats, it seemed easier to get into, even tho i suppose the chances for anyone getting into cam is the same!!). what do you think?

p.s. i love your boat!!!!!!!

Don't play the numbers game. It doesn't work. Apply to a college you like (and that has the features I mentioned eg size and a DoS who is a fellow) and if you are good enough they will find a place for you. That's what the pool system is for. You may and up at a college like Girton (with its associated practical difficulties, especially for a course that requires making large models and carting A1 'folios around) but you may as well start off applying to a central one!

[Hutch11]

(Original post by scarlet ibis)
Don't play the numbers game. It doesn't work. Apply to a college you like (and that has the features I mentioned eg size and a DoS who is a fellow) and if you are good enough they will find a place for you. That's what the pool system is for. You may and up at a college like Girton (with its associated practical difficulties, especially for a course that requires making large models and carting A1 'folios around) but you may as well start off applying to a central one!

i really dont want to be pooled tho, thats why i was thinking girton cos it is less popular. i think it would just be wayy too much stress to go to another interview, i would rather get it done with (either in or out), more straight forward that way. i understand what you said above but for example if i apply to kings or queens, i think the best that would happen is i get pooled cos i really dont think i am THAT good so it would make more sense if i just apply to a less popular one.

[mpppp]

i thought your chances were slim if you were in the pooling system seeing as they only take round about 40 each year??

[scarlet ibis]

(Original post by Hutch11)
i really dont want to be pooled tho, thats why i was thinking girton cos it is less popular. i think it would just be wayy too much stress to go to another interview, i would rather get it done with (either in or out), more straight forward that way. i understand what you said above but for example if i apply to kings or queens, i think the best that would happen is i get pooled cos i really dont think i am THAT good so it would make more sense if i just apply to a less popular one.

but if girton had a decrease in number of applicants last year, they'll have an increase this year because of people thinking like you... and don't get complicated and try to double bluff. There really isn't any point. Just go for one you like!

[Tempeststurm]

With respect to tactical choices, the numbers don't work like people think. If a less popular college like Girton has fewer applicants, then it won't fill it's places. It will accept as many people as it wants to, then will leave space open for pooled applicants. It will not make offers to less good students just to make up the numbers. Each admission tutor has a very good idea of who they want, and if you are that sort of person, you should get a place somewhere wherever you apply. If you are not that sort of person, then you won't get a place by applying to a less popular college.

[whiz_kid]

hi I'm kinda new here, still I am going to apply to Cambridge' architecture course... can someone tell me if I can include in my portfolio other artistic works than buildings? abstract things maybe?

[scarlet ibis]

(Original post by whiz_kid)
hi I'm kinda new here, still I am going to apply to Cambridge' architecture course... can someone tell me if I can include in my portfolio other artistic works than buildings? abstract things maybe?

Reposted:

Here's some info about the course and interviews that I wrote for someone at my school:

Spoiler:

Show

Hi

I’m quite happy to answer questions about Architecture at Cambridge. I was at Selwyn, from 2004-2007 and I loved it.

What did they ask you in your interview/s? (Did you need to prepare?) I had two interviews, one at my college and one at the Department. The college interview was supposed to be a more general one, about me and my interests, but it was mainly about architecture. The interviewer was a historian so we got onto talking about my Art personal study on Nazi fortifications. But he got that from my Personal Statement. So make sure that you can talk very coherently about anything you say in your PS, eg any architects, buildings or books you have mentioned. He asked some basic questions about favourite buildings, so have a ‘favourite’ up your sleeve. And choose something original! (Don’t say Gaudi or Foster unless you’ve got something really interesting to say!)
The second interview was the subject interview. For this you will need a portfolio of recent work. If you’ve done Art A level then you have a head-start! They won’t want to see architectural drawings, they’d rather you didn’t in fact, unless maybe you’ve got something for work experience – but mainly they want you to come in with no preconceptions) Try to bring pieces in a range of media. If you’ve done any sculpture/3D work, then photograph it (well!) and bring that in. They will also be looking for evidence that you can draw, so still life, life drawing, any sketches of buildings that you’ve done would be good. Bring sketchbooks too. They are interested in the processes by which you came to final pieces, not just the final pieces themselves. And practice talking coherently about everything you’ve brought with you. They’ll want to see evidence that you can communicate your ideas.
So yes, you do need to prepare – the portfolio, read up on what you’ve written about in your PS, and practice answering questions in a formal setting. Even if the interviewer isn’t an architect, they can still help you get a feel for what the subject interview is like. And if your art teacher is amenable, practice talking through your portfolio pieces.

Is the course fun? (Very important) Or repetative? The course is great fun. Its challenging, creative, full of variety and it will make you see the world differently. Its not repetitive at all, the very opposite. It will keep you on your toes and stretch you further than you ever thought you were capable. The studio trip is also a highlight – a week in Rome normally, in first year. The small size of the course means that you will know and be friends with all 40 or so students in your year. You spend so much time with them, in the studio, that they become like a family, especially when spending all night in the studio before big presentations. Which leads me onto the next questions:

How many hours a week do you spend in the studio? Lots. Well, it depends, Working in the studio is good, because of the camaraderie of fellow students, but some people prefer to work in their rooms. Either way, the amount of hours a week recommended for studio work is 70 hours! Most people never actually make that, I probably averaged at about 50 hours a week, and that was pretty standard. Weekends as ‘time off’ don’t exist. You just have more time to work at weekends! The problem with studio work is that you can NEVER feel like you’ve done enough… You could always do another model, replan your building, do another perspective.

What is the workload like? If its not changed structure, Mondays and Thursdays are full days in the studio with your tutors and you have to produce work to present at small private ‘desk-crits’ with your tutors on these days. The other weekdays you have lectures 9-1 or so, and will need to spend the rest of the day working on studio, or at home, on studio work. Twice a term or so you have Big Crits where you have to present (and defend) your project to your peers, your tutors and visiting critics (who are often famous architects, David Adjaye for example). They’re pretty nerve-wracking but you get used to them! They certainly build confidence. On top of studio, there are supervisions on the lecture courses for which you have to prepare essays and example sheets, and read a lot about architectural history. One thing the course is heavy on is understanding cultural context and history. But there are also Structures and Construction lectures, so that you understand how buildings work as well as what they look like. Somehow you fit those in around studio work and are examined on them at the end of the year (you get a full five days to revise after final portfolio hand in at the end of the year… but the exams aren’t work as much as studio work – 40% down to 20% by the end of the third year). So yeah, the workload is heavy, and its heavier than a lot of courses at Cambridge except perhaps equal to Medicine, Law and VetMed.

What are the teaching staff like? The teachers are great fun. Studio tutors are often young, practicing architects who teach as well, and they are really vibrant, exciting people to learn from. The lecturers are also fun. Some are better lecturers than others, and there are some characters! At the yearly cabaret (Christmas party, and notoriously debauched), the staff show they love having fun just as much as the students.

What are the students like? Obviously it varies year on year, but you will have similar artistic/creative interests and you will know them all very well very quickly so yes, you will make good friends. Some have a tendency to be a bit pretentious but they’re in the minority. You’ll meet loads of other people in your college anyway, so that you’ll have a bunch of ‘normal’ friends too, to keep you sane. One unfortunate thing about the course is that it stops you from taking on too much extra-curricular stuff, but if you’re disciplined you can fit it in.
Anything that I have forgotten that you would have loved to have known when applying? Hmm, one thing I would say is that the course is not very well funded, so it is expensive. Courses like the one at UCL’s Bartlett School of Architecture, are better funded have more facitities (the Cambridge course had just one big printer for all 120 students… and towards hand in time it was a battle to get things printed. Some people just went to London and paid literally hundreds to get things printed there, as they had no choice). The Bartlett is as well, if not better regarded than the Cambridge course. Most of your projects will be in London, so you have to fork out for travel to and from your project sites pretty frequently! I struggled financially, and I would say that choosing a big rich college that can help you out (unlike Selwyn where I went) is a good idea. Jesus, Trinity, St Johns, Clare, Pembroke, Magdalene. to name a few. Also choose a college that actually has a director of Studies who is a Fellow of your college. The prospectus has this information. It makes life easier, trust me, not to have to go traipsing round the university when you have a supervision, and they make sure that the college understands you better. Larger colleges where there are more than one architect per year are also better. I was the only one in my year at Selwyn and it was hard at times. Take a laptop. It is invaluable to be able to take your computer with you and work on it wherever you need to.

Despite all this, Cambridge is an amazing place to study. Even knowing what I know now about funding and facilities, I wouldn’t have gone anywhere else. The lecturing and history tuition are fascinating and well taught. It’s a unique environment, and I have some really great friends from my time at Cambridge who mean the world to me!

Are you going on to take masters? If so where? Nope. I am currently working for a research consultancy company, Cambridge Architectural Research, and I am hoping to continue to become an architectural researcher, and perhaps go on to do PhD. I never enjoyed the studio work as much as I enjoyed writing essays and my third year dissertation. I worked at an architectural firm in London for a year, and I didn’t really enjoy that too much so I moved back to Cambridge, bought a boat to live on (see my blog www.nbluckyduck.blogspot.com for more on that!) and put out my feelers, making contact with old supervisors to see if there was any research work going. I ended up here, and I love it. London Met is widely regarded as one of the best places to do the Part II though, and I have friends doing their Part IIs there, in Glasgow, Dublin, Sheffield, UCL and the RCA.

Crucial bit about portfolio taken out:

What did they ask you in your interview/s? (Did you need to prepair?) I had two interviews, one at my college and one at the Department. The college interview was supposed to be a more general one, about me and my interests, but it was mainly about architecture. The interviewer was a historian so we got onto talking about my Art personal study on Nazi fortifications. But he got that from my Personal Statement. So make sure that you can talk very coherently about anything you say in your PS, eg any architects, buildings or books you have mentioned. He asked some basic questions about favourite buildings, so have a ‘favourite’ up your sleeve. And choose something original! (Don’t say Gaudi or Foster unless you’ve got something really interesting to say!)

The second interview was the subject interview. For this you will need a portfolio of recent work. If you’ve done Art A level then you have a head-start! They won’t want to see architectural drawings, they’d rather you didn’t in fact, unless maybe you’ve got something for work experience (but mainly they want you to come in with no preconceptions) Try to bring pieces in a range of media. If you’ve done any sculpture/3D work, then photograph it (well!) and bring that in. They will also be looking for evidence that you can draw, so still life, life drawing, any sketches of buildings that you’ve done would be good. Bring sketchbooks too. They are interested in the processes by which you came to final pieces, not just the final pieces themselves. And practice talking coherently about everything you’ve brought with you. They’ll want to see evidence that you can communicate your ideas.

[mpppp]

(Original post by whiz_kid)
hi I'm kinda new here, still I am going to apply to Cambridge' architecture course... can someone tell me if I can include in my portfolio other artistic works than buildings? abstract things maybe?

out of curiosity which college are you applying to???

[whiz_kid]

(Original post by mpppp)
out of curiosity which college are you applying to???

wow ... I so amazed that people actually reply thank you so much that is so helpful. I have read the portfolio advice like a hundred times and I was trying to find some clue because I didn't expect it to be that loose. I will bring hopefully lots of works in different medias. The college would be another problem because I don't know if I have to choose it before applying, I know that they have different kinds of tests and written exams but I am a bit confused. Can I choose more colleges? I mean I want to get in Clare College- don't know exactly why, I just love the place and felt like belonging there so what if I don't get in?

[whiz_kid]

another important question(for me ): when do I present my portfolio? before interview or after? because I have been told all kinds of things and I am losing it )) I got some now ideas for my portfolio but I am really afraid I wont finish some of the little projects designed for it