Suggestions for industrial design?

worried_mom
Tue, 15 Nov 2005 06:48:11 +0000

I don’t know how other schools handle in-person portfolio reviews as my son only went to one at CMU, but for what it’s worth, here is how CMU did it last year:

The actual “review” of the work was conducted by a committee of 5 or 6 design school faculty members – without any students present. The room was sectioned off into grids with masking tape, and the students were told to set up their portfolio in one of the grids. (The grids were not that large – maybe 2’ by 3’ – so you had to be judicious in setting up your display to make sure your best works were prominent.) Then, while the committee looked over the portfolios, all of the students (and their parents, if present) were sent into another room for a presentation that covered a variety of topics such as admissions statistics and financial aid (which was very informative as it covered everything from the perspective of the design school specifically). After the committee finished, the students were called back individually to meet with one of the committee members for their interview. I do remember my son saying that the interview was more like a “getting to know you” chat than a critique of his portfolio/design project. Most of the questions were about him (background, education, interests, etc.) rather than his work. He thought it was a very positive, friendly discussion and not at all intimidating.