Susie in CA Posted January 25, 2019 Share Posted January 25, 2019 Hi All, My son is interested in Architecture and found this https://www.summer.ucla.edu/institutes/JumpstartArchitecture program. He would like to attend, but it is not cheap. Does anyone have experience (Or know someone) with it? What do you think? If you don't know the program do you think it is worth the money. In brief what it includes: a chance to study away from home (ds is at the local community college and still lives at home) Learn arch software and design concepts meet and work others interested in the field as well as instructors and guest speakers from the field earn UC credit start creating a portfolio which he does need help with We appreciate your thoughts! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoggirl Posted January 27, 2019 Share Posted January 27, 2019 I have no familiarity with that particular program. However, I am a fan of summer programs if you can swing them financially. Even if they aren’t necessarily “competitive.” Ds did five summer programs, gradually increasing in length and intensity. None were cheap. They were varied in topic. All were pretty dang far from home. I thnk it gave him a huge sense of independence and confidence to attend a college that was far away from home when the time came. Many will say that non-competitive programs don’t help with admissions, but I am not so sure. It may because students who apply to such programs are already in a successful demographic. Idk. Regardless, it bolstered my kid’s belief that he could go into a situation where he knew NO ONE, yet thrive, make friends, and be happy. That was worth a lot to us. For one of his programs his chose a course in computer something-or-other. Can’t recall the exact topic. At any rate, those three weeks helped him determine a topic that he did NOT want to pursue in college. Potentially much less painful (and expensive) to learn this lesson in a summer program than after a few semesters of college. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corraleno Posted January 27, 2019 Share Posted January 27, 2019 I'm a fan of summer programs (DS did one in linguistics and really enjoyed it), but I would definitely check into the housing situation before committing. It looks like they do not offer on-campus housing for this program, so you want to make sure you can find affordable off-campus accommodations for those four weeks. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs.W Posted January 28, 2019 Share Posted January 28, 2019 Architecture schools have high drop out rates, so it is often recommended that prospective students attend some sort of summer program to get an idea of what architecture school involves. UCLA's architecture school is highly regarded, so I would think this would be a good option, but I have no personal knowledge of it. I just saw TBA listed for the costs other than the fees, so I can't really say whether it's worth the cost. I'd just search some other schools and compare the costs of their summer programs (although I think most programs will be geared toward high school students). Notre Dame's program is one I see recommended a lot and it's $1,900 for 2 weeks. My DD is a 3rd year architecture student, so feel free to message me with any questions. She didn't attend an architecture summer program, but she did do a summer engineering program which ultimately helped her find her path to architecture--so like the others who replied, I'm a big fan of summer programs in general. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arch at Home Posted January 28, 2019 Share Posted January 28, 2019 I am also a fan of summer programs. Summer programs give students a taste of the prospective school/program/campus/city with fairly minimal investment. I am not familiar with the UCLA program but, as an architect, I can give a couple of insights. 1. This program will give your student an opportunity to explore one of the popular design softwares. 2. The program appears to focus on 2- and 3-dimensional objects and relationships. I doubt that there will be little if any building related content in the class but is building a base for future classes. 3. That said, the outings and instructors will give you a taste of the dialogue to come in archtecture school. 4. Probably most important, however, is that the program will give your student a fill for the way studios work in architecture school and also the work load. Make sure your student is prepared for working nights and evenings on his projects. Please let us know what you decide. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susie in CA Posted February 4, 2019 Author Share Posted February 4, 2019 Thank you all for your replies. We really appreciate them! At this point it is highly likely that he will apply! If he attends we will let you know what he thought of it. Thank you so much again! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susie in CA Posted February 4, 2019 Author Share Posted February 4, 2019 On 1/26/2019 at 8:24 PM, Corraleno said: I'm a fan of summer programs (DS did one in linguistics and really enjoyed it), but I would definitely check into the housing situation before committing. It looks like they do not offer on-campus housing for this program, so you want to make sure you can find affordable off-campus accommodations for those four weeks. Yes, we are little bummed about the housing. We are planning a trip there to check out the housing options they do list. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susie in CA Posted February 4, 2019 Author Share Posted February 4, 2019 On 1/28/2019 at 11:19 AM, Arch at Home said: I am also a fan of summer programs. Summer programs give students a taste of the prospective school/program/campus/city with fairly minimal investment. I am not familiar with the UCLA program but, as an architect, I can give a couple of insights. 1. This program will give your student an opportunity to explore one of the popular design softwares. 2. The program appears to focus on 2- and 3-dimensional objects and relationships. I doubt that there will be little if any building related content in the class but is building a base for future classes. 3. That said, the outings and instructors will give you a taste of the dialogue to come in archtecture school. 4. Probably most important, however, is that the program will give your student a fill for the way studios work in architecture school and also the work load. Make sure your student is prepared for working nights and evenings on his projects. Please let us know what you decide. Thank you for your insight. This student will be happy working on projects at all hours. Overall, it sounds like the program will help confirm (or not) his choice which is a good thing. Thanks again. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susie in CA Posted February 4, 2019 Author Share Posted February 4, 2019 On 1/27/2019 at 6:21 PM, Mrs.W said: Architecture schools have high drop out rates, so it is often recommended that prospective students attend some sort of summer program to get an idea of what architecture school involves. UCLA's architecture school is highly regarded, so I would think this would be a good option, but I have no personal knowledge of it. I just saw TBA listed for the costs other than the fees, so I can't really say whether it's worth the cost. I'd just search some other schools and compare the costs of their summer programs (although I think most programs will be geared toward high school students). Notre Dame's program is one I see recommended a lot and it's $1,900 for 2 weeks. My DD is a 3rd year architecture student, so feel free to message me with any questions. She didn't attend an architecture summer program, but she did do a summer engineering program which ultimately helped her find her path to architecture--so like the others who replied, I'm a big fan of summer programs in general. Thank you. I will let him know to ask if he has any questions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susie in CA Posted February 4, 2019 Author Share Posted February 4, 2019 Thanks for your response. You point out some definitive pluses about a four week summer program. It will give ds a chance to practice being away. It will also give us a chance to practice being without him. 🙂 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arcadia Posted February 4, 2019 Share Posted February 4, 2019 11 hours ago, Susie in CA said: Yes, we are little bummed about the housing. We are planning a trip there to check out the housing options they do list. No idea about the program. We stayed at UCLA Luskin Conference Center which is like a hotel when my husband was there on a business trip https://luskinconferencecenter.ucla.edu/ We liked the area near Trader Joe’s (1000 Glendon Ave) and Target. It’s near the main street (Westwood Plaza/Blvd) to UCLA but not at the main street. There are rental apartments in that area. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted February 7, 2019 Share Posted February 7, 2019 Sounds like a great opportunity (except for the UCLA part.....hahaha! USC grad here....well, DH is)...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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