Any updates on embARC…it is 2025 and most information on this thread is from pre Covid era. How does embARC compare to some summer programs on the East coast (RISD or CMU design pre summer). We are on east coast so know little about west coast. Thanks
My daughter is a first year architecture student at Berkeley. She didn’t want to do a month-long program over the summer (like embarc or the program at Cal Poly SLO). So–she did 2 weeks at Drexel in Philly. It was an amazing experience and really solidified her decision to go into architecture and has given her a HUGE leg up in her initial design classes. If you are looking for a shorter program, closer to home, check out Drexel. She ended up getting a lot of merit aid from them. Their 6 year BArch program is combined with a “coop-style” work experience while you’re a student. She wanted a more traditional college experience, so chose Berkeley.
Thank you Ebwlbc. I assume the architecture undergrad your daughter is doing is under the prestigious CED (college of environment design) of Berkeley. Or is it outside CED?
Yes. She is a first year architecture student in CED.
With Drexel’s summer experience, may i ask how west coast school was picked for undergrad and not an east coast undergrad program
She got into every single program that she applied to. We are from California, so in state tuition at Berkeley or Cal Poly San Luis Obispo absolutely made the most sense for this particular major. She chose Berkeley over SLO because ultimately decided she wanted the BA and then spend two extra years to get an March which would be a more open ended/flexible degree than the B.Arch. which is a five year degree.
She loves Berkeley and we are really happy with her decision
Tx ! Would embARC for summer help when applying to CED as freshman ?
I honestly don’t know. Berkeley is the only UC that even takes freshman Architecture students. UCLA has a program, but you have to apply into it once you are already a student. Since she knew Arch would be her major, her strategy was to write one of her PIQs about her goals in architecture. She specifically mentioned CED and Berkeley’s program. Keep in mind–this is her application going to 4 UCs (UCSC, UCSB, Cal, and UCLA). So–she applied to 4, but really wrote the application for the one she wanted. (She got into Cal and UCSC, waitlisted at UCSB, and denied at UCLA.)
She wrote about her experience at Drexel in one of the PIQs and how it informed and led her to her major and career goals. She talked about she experienced Architecture as a collaborative, creative, analytical problem solving experience. She talked about why that kind of group work appealed to her as a person. She related it to sustainable design, climate change, economics…all things she learned at Drexel–that are also valued in all the Architecture programs she applied to.
I’m SURE the summer program helped her, but not because it gave her a leg up on her competitors for that spot. It gave her a genuine, rich experience that proved to her that this was the right career path. I’m sure any summer program could do that for your child too. But–I wouldn’t choose one based on the desire to go to that specific school, although it could possibly help.
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Thank you again.