The logo for Architecture Prep. A tutoring program giving guidance to applicants to architecture schools.
An accepted portfolio to the Bartlett School of Architecture UCL. Showing two pages of drawings, paintings and models made by a high school student.

Guidance for applicants to architecture schools.

Architecture Prep is an online tutoring program where students build portfolios grounded in their own creative interests.

Trustpilot

“My son’s tutor invested time to understand his personal artistic vision, then capitalized on his strengths to guide him in creating a portfolio that showcased his unique creativity. My son had a fantastic time — he eagerly anticipated his tutoring sessions.”

Toni · US

“They were deeply invested in my success from day one. They consistently kept in touch with my work and progress. More importantly, they provided vital reassurance whenever I felt insecure about the productivity or direction of my projects.”

Ian · US

“Sebastian takes the time to connect with your child and get to really know them. He gradually tailors his sessions to get the very best out of all of their talents, hidden or otherwise.”

Nandini · India

“They patiently nudged me out of abstraction and into making. At the time, I had no completed design work, and really lacked the confidence to begin designing.”

Ntombi · Canada

“Throughout the process he is also thinking about how the portfolio relates to your personal statement and ensures that you present a thoughtful and cohesive picture of who you are as an applicant.”

Nandini · India

“Charlotte took care into understanding my core interests and strengths, even encouraging me to develop a crochet model inspired by decay and growth in nature, as crochet is something I love doing as part of my hobbies, thus helping me create a highly personal, developed, and multi-media portfolio.”

Diya · UK

“He provided me with a safe and non-judgmental space to experiment with different ideas and techniques, allowing me to express myself creatively and grow as an architect.”

Ivan · UK

“It wasn’t just about fixing things — it was about understanding my story and helping me tell it better.”

Rowan · Saudi Arabia

“He strived to bring out the best in me instead of creating some facade that would be fitting for a top school. He made comments and asked questions that helped enhance my own voice.”

Ryan · Hong Kong

“In a very short time, I began to grow and flourish architecturally from our sessions. Charlotte is extremely knowledgeable and charismatic; I felt safe and confident working with her.”

George · Greece

“He helped me define the underlying themes within my portfolio and he was also very helpful with my personal statement, which made my application strong and cohesive.”

Polina · UK

“The skills I gained during our sessions have been useful beyond just my application process.”

Kelsey · UK

“I gained a deeper understanding into architecture as a degree and what to expect as well as the concepts and philosophies that inspired me to further pursue this career path.”

Renata · UAE

“Rather than pushing me toward a generic design mold, she empowered me to create a portfolio that was deeply true to my specific interests, background, and ability level.”

Cole · US

“Sebastian is an encouraging consultant and a deep listener. Within a few minutes of talking to him, I already felt he understood my goals. I gained, from working with them, a feeling of clarity about my academic and professional goals.”

Ian · US

“My meetings with James not only provided insight into the portfolio aspect of applying to schools but also the world of art and architecture.”

Griffin · US

“He helped me not only with my application but also to clear up my confusion about architecture.”

Nuhamin · Ethiopia

“Charlotte helped create a consistent theme that was authentic and meaningful to our daughter, and which tied back to the personal statement and, ultimately, linked through to the interview conversation.”

Lisa · France

Online tutoring

Monthly online tutoring enrollments, one-to-one.

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AP Core

Materials forming the basis of AP’s tutoring. Self-guided.

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Resources

Articles and videos to gather information.

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About

Sebastian

Head Tutor

LinkedIn
Drawings List

Admissions is one of the few times in life where introspection is valued in a very direct way. When else do you get the chance to seriously assess what you find valuable, or what your talents are, or how those talents may map onto a range of different paths and subjects?

Schools teach extrospective ideas (there is a world beyond you, and you can learn about it with a teacher). Applications and admissions promote introspective ideas (what you find to be meaningful). As someone with my own creative practice in parallel to AP, AP allows me to continually assess my own values, skills and interests, alongside our students. All that progress is then reinvested back into the tutoring program. The two rely on each other, and my development in all this is not so dissimilar to our students’ development.

2015-18

Bartlett UCL, BSc, Architecture (ARB/RIBA Part 1). First-class. Freelanced for two admissions tutoring programs. Served as Senior Mentor to first-year students. Travel scholarship.

2018-19

Worked for an artist in NYC (Sarah Oppenheimer).

2020

Worked for an architecture firm in London (Piercy&Co).

2020-22

Cambridge University, MPhil, Architecture (ARB/RIBA Part 2). Taught the University’s annual summer school to architecture applicants. Travel scholarship.

2022 – present

Set up Sebastian Alexander Ltd (architectural design practice).

2022 – present

Started to take drawing more seriously and began compiling a list of ongoing works. Some of it relates to architectural design work.

2023- present

Set up AP. I manage AP’s structure, tutors, and students. I keep AP at a relatively small scale (around 40 students a year on tutoring enrollments) for quality control.

Our Tutors

AP is a collective of 10 to 15 tutors, each working one-on-one with a small number of students at a time. Tutors are selected on the basis of their academic background, the quality of their own work, and their ability to encourage students. The last point matters most.

Matching tutors to students is a careful decision, since architecture schools vary significantly in pedagogy. Since 2022, AP has worked with around 30 tutors, most of whom graduated from schools including the Bartlett UCL, Cambridge, Harvard GSD, Yale SoA, Cornell AAP, and MIT. Every pairing is made personally, following an introductory call with Sebastian.

Methods

AP’s tutors work individually with each student to identify their core creative interests and explore how these can be expressed architecturally. The process combines visual, verbal, and written methods. Students develop exploratory projects that speak directly to their interests, discuss ideas in depth, and refine their thinking in application essays, portfolios, and interview preparation.

Rather than focusing purely on technical instruction, the priority is helping students develop and communicate their own work with clarity, consistency, and authenticity. The results depend on what a student brings to the process. A student’s own curiosity and diligence help them get the most from the guidance. By connecting personal creative interests to architectural themes, students produce portfolios that accurately reflect their thinking, creating applications that are uniquely their own.

Contact

All introductory calls are with Sebastian. These calls aim to cover our tutoring enrollments, depending on your interests and timeline.

For undergraduate applicants: introductory calls require the student’s attendance (these calls cannot be held only with parents). This allows us to gauge a student’s interest in creative development. If we feel there are concerns, we may not be able to offer enrollment. All applications are welcome.

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