Guidance for applicants to architecture schools.
Architecture Prep is an online tutoring program where students build portfolios grounded in their own creative interests.
For undergraduate and graduate architecture school applications, all over the world. Some of the schools our students have chosen to attend include:
Harvard GSD, Cornell AAP, Yale SoA, The Architectural Association, Stanford University, University of Cambridge, Cooper Union, UC Berkeley, Pratt, USC, Rice University, Columbia GSAPP, RISD, Princeton University, MIT SA+P, The Bartlett School of Architecture UCL…
With the help of AP’s distinctive program, my son was admitted to his first-choice school. I only hope he will have professors who rise to AP’s level of inspiration and engagement. We recommend AP without qualification.
N.L – BArch applicant
Tutoring
Monthly online tutoring enrollments, one-to-one.
AP Core
Materials forming the basis of AP’s tutoring. Self-guided.
Resources
Articles and videos to gather information.
About
Sebastian graduated with first-class honours in BSc Architecture from the Bartlett UCL, and completed his MPhil in Architecture and Urban Design at Cambridge (ARB/RIBA Part 2). He now runs a practice in addition to AP. He is also a visiting critic for schools of architecture in the UK and US.
As a student at the Bartlett, Sebastian served as Senior Mentor to first year students, and at Cambridge he taught the University’s annual summer school to architecture applicants.
He has worked for UK and US-based architects and artists under scholarships in addition to his own practice. Starting in 2018, he tutored for two separate admissions tutoring programs before setting up AP.
Sebastian manages AP’s structure, tutors, and students. He keeps 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 communicate their thinking 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.
–
seb@architectureprep.com
