Hi Renee, I'm responsible for administration of NCARB's BEA program and I'd like to reply to your question about BEA dossiers.
Remember to check out our dossier tutorial, which outlines the basics for preparing your electronic dossier. This tutorial can be found on our web site (www.ncarb.org) along with other important resources such as the Education Guidelines, the NCARB Education Standard, and general program information that is updated regularly. We are currently finalizing a more dynamic tutorial video in which I walk through how to complete each form and provide tips on uploading your PDF documents and naming your files. This tutorial is meant to help you with the technical aspects of assembling your dossier. NCARB will be sending it to you, and other eligible applicants, within the next few weeks.
Although you are required to personally prepare your dossier, you may ask others to critique it and provide feedback. What I tell applicants is to be specific. Think about what you want the reviewer to know; why you are submitting a specific document, what your role was in creating that document, what you learned from the experience, and how your experience with the project or activity relates to the subject area. Only your experience and learning are important, so as difficult as it may be given our profession's collaborative nature, you must focus specifically on your roles and responsibilities in the project and how it allows you to demonstrate learning through experience-the purpose of your dossier.
I hope this information has been helpful to you. If you'd like to talk about it further, feel free to contact me directly (mkinasiewicz@ncarb.org).
Michelle Kinasiewicz, AIA, NCARB
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Michelle Kinasiewicz AIA
Assistant Director
National Council of Architectural Registration Boards
Alexandria VA
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