How should I begin to prepare for Architecture school?

Question

I'm terrible at sketching - i know i should work on this - how? should i focus on sketching buildings, or just everything?

what books can i read to understand the job? should I try to do a job shadow?

what are essential skills for an architect?

Answer 1

You should learn mechanical and computer aided drafting. (Mechanical is REALLY old school, but it will help your sketching skills. You need to be able to rough in ideas in front of a client and won't always have time or the option of a computer handy with the right loaded software.)
You will need strong business skills. Architecture is creative, but budgets are always limited and you have to be able to manipulate numbers or starve.
You would be smart to take some psychology. You will learn what motivates people and how to interpret what they are saying. Learning how to sell your services will also come into play.
Finally, plan on spending an inordinate amount of personal time ingratiating yourself to people who can afford your services. If you can meet corporate types in a casual setting on a regular basis, they come to trust you and you can break into those circles of referrals. Learn to play golf where the CEO's play or take up a charity dear to corporate hearts and really spend time working on it.
As for books, check out books about the work of all the masters, look, analyze and look some more.

Answer 2

well, I can see you are serious, so I can't really answer you. I wanted to say "Build an ark!" so you could be ready for anything. Good luck though!