This student’s portfolio was accepted at Pratt, USC, Carnegie Mellon and Northeastern for BArch and BS programs for 2023 entry. She applied as a high school senior from California. We spent a few months with her, giving feedback on her Common App BArch supplemental essays and portfolio.

The overarching theme to this application was based around translations, since much of her background and interests involved languages, cultural identity, and observational drawing.

Full transcript

This review focuses on a portfolio produced by one of our students for 2023 entry. She applied to several Bachelor of Architecture programs and was admitted to Pratt Institute, the University of Southern California, Carnegie Mellon University, and Northeastern University. Although the Northeastern program does not require a portfolio, it was encouraged, and submitting one strengthened her application.

Structure

The portfolio contained approximately twenty pages and included ten projects, which is a relatively high number. Some portfolios include only a few projects with multiple pages per project, while others, like this one, include many concise projects with one or two pages each. The right balance depends on the expectations of the school.

This portfolio was unified by a single concept: translation. Each project explored a different kind of translation, whether cultural, linguistic, or visual. Every project began with a short description and a project number, typically positioned in the bottom left corner. The description included the materials used and the scale of the work.

Each project page was organized hierarchically. Early stages of development appeared first, followed by more resolved or final pieces. In some cases, entire pages were devoted to one or two strong images, while other pages combined sketches, process work, and written notes. This clarity of structure helped demonstrate how ideas evolved from investigation to resolution.

Translation

Building a portfolio around a single theme helps applicants communicate a personal identity to the admissions team. It also provides a conceptual thread linking diverse media and subjects. In this case, the idea of translation was both visual and cultural.

The applicant’s written materials reflected the same concept. Her essays discussed translation as a metaphor for architecture and connected this theme to her mixed Turkish and American background. This consistency between the visual and written components of the application created a strong, unified narrative.

Project 1: Technical translations

The first project originated from the applicant’s time at the Cornell University pre-college program, which made it inherently architectural. The work was reorganized to distinguish between development material and final outcomes, showing a clear progression from exploratory sketches to a spatial proposal.

Some pages were presented as full-bleed images to give greater impact to key drawings, while others combined multiple smaller studies. Each project began with the same visual structure: the numbered title and description, followed by visual material and written context.

Project 2: Cultural translation through garment design

This project explored cultural translation by connecting the applicant’s Turkish heritage with her experiences in the United States. The work took the form of a designed garment that combined elements of both cultures.

This was an effective shift in medium because it introduced material experimentation and fabrication. A balanced portfolio includes a variety of methods such as drawing, model making, photography, and painting. When a portfolio is dominated by one type of work, whether drawing or digital modeling, it can appear one-dimensional. This project contributed to the overall balance and demonstrated that the applicant could think spatially and materially at the same time.

Project 3: Observational drawing

The next project was a set of observational drawings that studied the relationship between human activity and the built environment. The work was recorded in a sketchbook documenting scenes from the applicant’s local area. This project was particularly effective because it was personal and grounded in direct observation.

Observation is one of the most important skills for an architect. Architecture schools consistently emphasize the need for applicants to include hand drawings made from life, not from photographs. Drawing from observation trains students to translate three-dimensional space into two-dimensional form, and later to translate drawings back into physical space. This cycle of translation is fundamental to architectural thinking.

Project 4: Translating geometry and perspective

The following project focused on constructed perspective, an essential architectural skill. The exercise involved drawing an object, such as a stool, first in orthographic projection and then transforming it into a perspective view through geometric construction. This process demonstrated technical control and an understanding of how space can be represented analytically.

Another project extended this approach to atmospheric conditions. It explored how environmental phenomena, such as heat and condensation, could be translated into drawing. The observational sequence of glasses fogging with condensation, for example, became a visual study of temperature and humidity.

Later Projects: Personal stories

As the portfolio progressed, the projects became more personal. One explored her father’s interests and background, while another investigated technology as a cultural symbol. In the materials list for this latter project, she included “plane tickets,” which became part of the work’s physical composition. The tickets represented the movement between places and cultures, linking back to the central theme of translation.

This looseness of approach was one of the portfolio’s strengths. Rather than limiting herself to conventional materials such as graphite, paint, or clay, the applicant used found objects and ephemera that carried personal meaning. This demonstrated a willingness to experiment materially.

Final Project: Language and identity

The last project returned explicitly to the theme of language. It was based on a quote from the applicant’s grandmother: “With every language you speak, you become a new person.” The project combined this idea with a portrait of the grandmother.

The painting was mixed-media and integrated various materials and techniques. It was an ideal final page because it brought together the portfolio’s thematic focus. Admissions reviewers often linger on the final image, especially during interviews when the last page remains on screen for longer than others. Ending with a thematic image like this reinforces the memory of the work and leaves a clear impression of the applicant’s identity.