ACE Mentor Program

College Majors Architecture Majors
1

<p>This was a fabulous program that I participated in this year. It is a national after-school program that teaches high school students about architecture, construction, and engineering. It was very helpful to me in determining whether I was interested in architecture or engineering. The class schedule, field trips, etc, depend on the chapter, but this is a great program to take part in even in your sophomore year of high school. </p>

<p>I just wanted to point this program out because for anyone interested in architecture, this is a great program to get involved in to start learning the basics. There are also programs to help students get internships and even scholarship money. This is also a great way to get some connections in your local architecture communities, especially if you get involved early. I already made great friends with architects and engineers at some of the biggest firms in the Providence/Southern Mass architecture community. </p>

<p>If anyone has any questions about this program, you can either reply or send me a private message.</p>

2

<p>Hey this program sound interesting. Is it only in Rhode Island or like a national program, I would love to hear more about this program.</p>

3

<p>it is a national program with “affiliates”, more like groups, around the country (Providence is just one)…the website is [ACE</a> Mentor Program](<a href=“http://www.acementor.org/]ACE”>http://www.acementor.org/).</p>

<p>The following was my experience…during the first few classes we learned about things like scale, site analysis, a little intro on structural engineering. Each class was 2 hrs. The first hour was a lecture on topics like green design, structural engineering, construction management, public speaking, etc. Then the next hour was dedicated to our project. The first half of the year it was a simple house, but even this was interesting and thought provoking. The second half was we had to design an entire duplex and present our final designs (interior floor plans, site plan, exterior, sections, etc.)</p>

<p>We also went on a number of field trips to site offices of buildings under construction - we went to 2 sites over my time. </p>

<p>At one site we were shown Revit a brand new 3D modeling system which is going to be revolutionizing architecture, meaning those who can use it are going to have a great advantage. I also learned how to completely use Google Sketch-up which is a free downloadable 3D modeling system that is more basic than Revit. </p>

<p>I made great connections with a lot of architects, construction managers, and engineers over my time at ACE, as well as receiving a 4,000 scholarship.</p>

<p>It is a great way to learn about the different responsibilities of the fields and can get you internships and scholarships (this all depends on what affiliate you have b/c they are not all the same)</p>

<p>Like i said above, this was my experience at Providence, there are probably some that are better and some that are worse, but it is at least worth looking into.</p>

<p>Plus it is FREE (or at least it was in Providence, but I am almost positive it is free everywhere)</p>

4

<p>Thanks for the information hawkswim09, i’ll be sure to check ACE out and see if the offer it in my area.</p>