Transferred from: UA Design School
Recently, we invited representative seniors who have changed majors and received soft offers to share their experiences, moods and most sincere suggestions in the application process.
Dream of a world-class school and start a new journey of study
—Introduction—
J.Y.
Beijing City University
Bachelor's degree in Architectural Design
GPA：3.5 雅思：6.5
斩获offer(截止发稿前)
MMU Architecture, Urban Design, University of Manchester, UK
MA Architecture and Urbanism
Architectural design, University of Nottingham, UK
MArch Advanced Architecture Design
Architectural design, University of Newcastle, UK
Master of Architecture
...
Application History
I am a graduate of the class of 2023, and I have been thinking about the postgraduate entrance examination for four years in college, and I began to prepare for the domestic graduate examination in 2022, but it is true that the pressure of domestic competition is high, coupled with illness, and I still did not get admitted to the ideal university in the end. But before the scores, I analyzed that I should not be able to be admitted to the domestic graduate school in 2023, and the psychological pressure of World War II may be greater for me, so under the advice of the school teacher, I am ready to apply for foreign graduate school.
It is also based on the fact that the time for graduate school abroad is shorter than that in China, and in addition, maybe I can go to a good school. So at the beginning of 2023, with the encouragement and recommendation of my teachers and senior sisters, after discussing with my parents, after many analyses, I chose to go to a university in the UK for graduate school. UA was selected for planning coaching. At first, I only planned to apply to schools in the UK, so under the control of Mr. Sun in the preliminary preparations, I gradually had a general direction, and finally the "catastrophe" was completed and I received the coveted offer.
The production process
On February 22, 2023, on the day when the results of the graduate school entrance examination came down, I decided that I could not go to my ideal college, communicated with Mr. Sun on the phone, and decided to officially start the production of my portfolio. It was also on that day that Mr. Sun started the first lesson that Mr. Sun gave me. In fact, I was still very scared when my professional skills and software application were not yet mature, and it seemed that I hadn't designed for a long time, so I always felt that I didn't know where to start. Although I have seen a lot of portfolio cases of applying to foreign universities, I still don't know what kind of step it should be. I am also worried that I will not be able to express my inner thoughts truthfully, but in the end, I am most afraid that I will not be able to keep up with the progress, fail to meet the expectations of the teacher, and fail to achieve my goals. However, it seems that it is really like "the boat goes straight to the bridge", but it is not as difficult as I was initially feared.
- 2023.02 Understand and recognize UA
- 2023.02 Started the basic course
- 2023.02-2023.05 First project
- 2023.05-2023.07 The second project
- 2023.06-2023.09 The third project
- 2023.08-2023.11 The fourth project
- 2023.11-present Assault IELTS play
The entire process of making the portfolio can be said to be full of twists and turns. I started working on my portfolio in February 2023, which is not too early and very stressful. At first, I was in a hurry to do a good job, but in the end I found that I had actually done some useless work. It is still necessary to communicate with teachers more and improve in time. In addition, the school's graduation thesis has to be submitted, IELTS has to be classed, and I am busy every day. At that time, I felt that I was going to go to graduate school in China, and my graduation design and graduation thesis were both the papers I chose, so I didn't have a portfolio that I could directly revise and reuse. At that time, it took a long time to prepare a 20,000-word graduation thesis, and the time allocated for the portfolio was relatively small.
So project one is the one I've been working on the longest. When I was doing the second and third projects, I encountered disagreements with my teammates, and finally revised all of them by myself. Overall, the whole process was really up and down. I still remember that the most devastating thing for me was at the beginning of October, when the third project was abandoned because the students I cooperated with had to prepare a graduate thesis. At that time, my mentality collapsed, and I quickly communicated with Mr. Sun how to save it next. However, fortunately, the hard work paid off, and in November, Project 3 was completely completed, and the results exceeded expectations
。
Exhibit of works
My portfolio consists of four projects:
- Project 1: Wildlife Research Center and Visitor Reception Center;
- Project 2: Exchange Center for the Elderly - Peach Blossom Paradise in High-Density Cities;
- Project 3: Green Building Technology Museum - mainly solar energy;
- Project 4: Age-Friendly Communities – Exploring the Interaction Space between Older and Younger;
Project I
Wildlife Research Centre And Visitor Reception
As more and more humans gradually expand the area of cities, wild animals are gradually losing their homes. But think about whether there can be a form of establishing a wild nature reserve, which can achieve close contact between humans and animals and observe the living habits of wild animals up close while not disturbing the lives of wild animals themselves.
The site of Project 1 is located in the mountainous area of Mianyang City, Sichuan Province, which is home to a wide variety of wildlife and is also a gathering place for birds. Therefore, it is a very suitable center for wildlife research and education for wildlife conservation. At the same time, it has beautiful natural scenery and relatively convenient transportation. Therefore, after considering many aspects, it was decided to make a combination of a wildlife research center and a visitor reception center.
· Project 2 ·
In the context of high-density cities, the contradiction between the needs of the elderly and the local situation is becoming more and more intense. The elderly have nowhere to go, there are high-rise buildings everywhere, and there is no complex suitable for communication and learning among the elderly. The stress of young people is passed on to the elderly, affecting the mental health of older people.
Therefore, the second project is an activity complex for the elderly, and the elderly can also have their own paradise in a high-density city. Here, it can meet almost all life needs and improve the quality of life, not only a dating center for the elderly, but also a place to learn from each other and pass on happiness. The site of the second project is Shanghai, because there are many local sloping roofs around the site, therefore, the second project also adopts the form of sloping roof, which not only meets the needs of the elderly, but also uses large roof technology to increase the characteristics of the project.
Each structure is meticulous to highlight the characteristics of the building structure, and the modern transformation is carried out on the basis of the traditional beam structure. This project is also my favorite and most satisfying project. At first, I didn't think that one day I would be able to model in such detail. (It's not enough) but it's not what I expected. I also like the structure of the pitched roof. Retaining the characteristics of the traditional structure and modernizing it is not only the improvement of the façade, but also the issue of green performance such as shading and ventilation.
Experience
Looking back on the whole process of making the portfolio, I am very grateful, especially emotional, and very grateful. During this period, although there were twists and turns, in the end, there were good results. And for most of the year, although it is inevitable to stay up late to draw, the days are very fulfilling, and the harvest is also great. Before that, I didn't think I could make such a work. I also improved my software skills.
I would also like to thank all the teachers at UA for their patience and the ideas that always come up with me in the process of discussing with them to make my project go smoothly. When I am entangled and confused, I will always be shown a new path. He is not only a teacher, but also a guide for the continuous improvement of works in the same design team.
Source: C.J.Y.
The works and pictures in this article belong to the author
Reproduction without permission is prohibited
Professional mentors
INSTRUCTOR: TOM SUN
Edinburgh / UCL Master of Architecture, China Architectural Design and Research Institute / Tsinghua Architectural Design Institute work experience, UA teaching leader, 8 years of experience in tutoring for study abroad planning portfolios, focusing on the application of famous universities in Europe and the United States, successfully tutoring hundreds of students to win offers from Harvard, Pennsyl, UCL, AA, TUD, University of Hong Kong, National University of Singapore, University of Melbourne and other world-famous universities.
Teacher's Message:
I would like to congratulate J.Y. on winning the offer of her choice from a prestigious university in the UK! J.Y. has his own unique insistence on architectural design, especially on how to integrate traditional Chinese architecture with modern life, so he quickly formed his own design path and grasped the core of design in the process of advancing the portfolio. In each proposal discussion, he can take the initiative to put forward his own design ideas, and always maintain a unique way of thinking about case analysis. The reason why the portfolio blooms is because each designer is unique, so the value of discovery and guidance is far greater than the teacher's blind output and teaching.
I am glad to witness J.Y.'s persistence and growth along the way, and her software skills, design thinking, and drawing expression skills have been rapidly improved. All of this is just the beginning of J.Y.'s life journey. What's even more gratifying is that she has found the purpose and direction she loves and works for.
Here, I sincerely wish J.Y. to make more brilliant achievements in his future study career, continue to sail away, move forward bravely, and write his own wonderful chapter!