Jordan Lockman

I got the book but not the flash cards. You can make your own flash cards and the book was helpful, but kind of expensive for what you get. I would recommend getting practice tests and researching the answers over buying the pre fab flash cards and book. Just a thought. If you feel like you still want more information after you have the practice…[Read more]

Not an exaggeration. It is a bummer that the people doing the maintenance and installs do not have the basic knowledge to not pile mulch up the stem of the trees as much as a foot. This happened in front of my office last summer.
 
I like the idea of using perennials around the trunks of trees along with mulch and a natural edge so the planting…[Read more]

Every school is a little different. The school I went to went mostly on GPA since you applied after a year of school. So that does not help you much.
I agree with Thomas that you should just ask the professors what they are looking for. I know that what you had stated above would be great to hear if I were admitting students.
As for a portfolio…[Read more]

I wonder why there are so many different types of programs out there. It is wierd that a person can go to school for 3 years and get an MLA while someone else has a BLA that took 5 years and still others have a 4 year BSLA. In many ways these three degrees are all at the same level and some states arbitrarily put one over the other as far as experience.

What kind of things are you looking for?

Check this out from the 2006 convention that was in town.

It will be cold, but still lots to see if you dress warm enough.

1. If I had one stop to make I would check out the river front area, where gold medal park, guthrie theatre, new 35w bridge, stone arch bridge area.
2. The new Baseball stadium is nice, more notably is Target Plaza, the…[Read more]

I like mechanical pencils the really cheap plastic ones, walmart and office max had plenty to choose from. I have a whole bunch of 4 different sizes(.3,.5,.7,.9). Then during the test when one runs out of graphite/gets jammed/etc. I toss it and grab another. This was a real time saver that didn’t involve any sharpening or messing around. I have…[Read more]

My study group and I took a, b, and d at the same time and did just fine. It was a little stressful, but we all passed them on the first shot. I then took the graphic exams one at a time and that was helpful since they are very different tests while the multiple choice have a lot of overlap. I did take E twice, but that is a really difficult test.…[Read more]

I drew right on the vellum with a lightweight pencil that was easy to erase or draw over with a darker pencil. It ended up not looking like something that I would present to a client, but it was just fine for the graders to look at.
I had a stack of precut trace that I tried sketching basic concepts on for the more difficult problems, but mainly…[Read more]

Maybe the question should be. Are vertical gardens more sustainable?

I do like Ivy on a stucco or brick wall. Are they any worse or better than replanting urban street trees every 5 years?

Vertical gardens in general are:

Sustainable-
Absorb heat, looks really nice,

Not Sustainable-
Fertilizer and other inputs, irrigation, conflicts with building maintenance, cost, materials,

Some people look at vertical…[Read more]

A – The format changes a little per test, general problems that I have heard about at reviews.
1. Small scale design with drive through, parking area, pass-by lanes, etc. Remember to avoid existing vegetation, driveways far enough apart, are setbacks followed, pedestrian circulation.
2. Two design Options on same piece. (quick and very unique from…[Read more]

I was also surprised about the plant selection questions. I feel that plant selection in my office is the one thing that separates me from the Architects and a big reason why I love the field, but there is not a good way to test on it. So we are left with weird and subjective plant selection questions. I have passed a local nursery association…[Read more]

It looks like you need help on the “materials and methods of construction” portion. It would not hurt to talk to some installers and see if they can help give you some real world information on how things get built.
Have you taken the trip to Lowes/Home Depot/Menards to touch look at and figure out what pieces work best for what. I got a free book…[Read more]

Are you talking about section E the grading section or are you talking about section D the multiple choice Design-construction documentation section?

Many people have problems with Section D the most difficult multiple choice section, but the pass rate is still pretty good 60% most of the time. Although it had a pretty bad number for Septembers…[Read more]

The biggest blunder that I can see is arguing “CLIMATE CHANGE”! There are a million reasons that everyone can get behind to save the earth, but instead energies are wasted arguing climate change.

Just about everyone really wants to be “GREEN”, but not necessarily be called green, they just want to do the right thing and still make their…[Read more]

Well Said.