10 Observations I had when I enrolled in architecture school

    There are so many things I’ve noticed when I entered architecture school back in the days, well, they weren’t that back, but damn I feel very old to be honest …

Anyways here are the top ten things I think everyone planning on entering architecture school should know before they do the big step :

1.You are going to fail and make a lot of mistakes.

Many people might already know this, still, I had to say it, architecture school is hard, although most people think that it’s just a form of art, but obtaining a bachelor’s degree in architecture takes guts and a whole load of courage. I have learned that mistakes are one of the best ways you learn how to design effectively, it might be the hard way, but chances are it will stick to your head that one embarrassing mistake you made and you probably won’t dare doing it again .

2. There will always be that someone who is more creative than you.

Verdicts are always different in regards to who was the best design of the studio, all in all it’s just a matter of opinion and personal taste and preference, whether someone admits it or not, art is art, but don’t get me wrong, when it comes to architecture, it gets a little bit tricky, as to if one wants to be a good or even great architecture, a design must be both creative and functional, at the end of the day, people are going to live and use your design, so responsible decisions regarding design must be taken in consideration.

3.There will always be a problem in your design.

One of the hardest lessons I learned, is that my designs can never and will never be perfect, a perfect building simply doesn’t exist, you can only come up with the best possible design solution for the problem, but it will always be faulty, and there will always be something you missed, and you better know your professor will tell you about it. Sometimes, in the most harsh way possible, my only advice to you would be to just chill, numb out your feelings of superiority and humbly accept that there will always be something wrong, and if there weren’t you must always strive for something even better than what you came up with.

4. Learning never stops.

Architecture is probably one of the most diverse majors there is out there, it branches in so many fields that it sometimes feels overwhelming to decide where you stand in architecture, the schools of thoughts are so vast that it really isn’t for the faintly hearted, you have to keep an open mind, and always try and experience different styles, see how thing are, even if you change your style of architecture every semester you will still have your own touch, I have seen it many times, lots of students change their styles, but you can tell just by just looking at the pinned designs, which design belongs to whom…my point is, it’s okay to learn about many things that seem at the beginning to have no relation whatsoever to architecture but at some point, you will realize that it does somehow in which you might have never thought it would, and that is the secret of creativity …simply seeing things differently, so remember, don’t ever ever stop learning new things, even when you've  graduated, there are always new things to learn, and all an all that is the reason for human existence.

5.Giving up sleep at night is not an option, it simply is a lifestyle when it comes to architecture.

Ahh, sleep, yes, the ultimate rest time…forget about it when you are in architecture, whether it’s in school or after you graduate, long demanding hours become second nature when it comes to architecture, deadlines are the devil, there is simply just too much to do and no time to waste, I have a friend who quit architecture school just because she hated not having enough sleep at night, to think about it, I’m starting to think she had a point, I find myself wishing that I took her advice and switched majors when I had the chance five years ago…so if you think you have enough passion for architecture and would sacrifice it all, then, you have been warned, you will have to learn how to stay up all night and work long hours, and keep up with everything you have in your life…some people might believe that sleepless nights can be avoided if you work within your long studio hours, but, ehh, I dunno, maybe they were right, guess I’ll never know, because inspiration just seems to come to me late at night, just before the deadline due date a few days before…oh well.

6.Creativity isn’t coming up with ideas out of nothing, but a combination of multiple ideas, and the way you see things differently.

The secret no creative “pro” wants you to know, is simply that, they don’t come up with ideas out of nothing, they are simply inspired by other ideas, sometimes a combination of ideas seen in a different way is creativity in itself, so don’t feel like you are stealing someone’s idea when you corporate it in your designs, other believe that you have done it a different way and sometimes in a better way, so just go out there, see everyday life common things in a different way, and create your designs to solve the problems you have in hand.

7.It’s a one way street.

The cycle of failing and fighting back to prove yourself is a never ending journey, you will be one of those few lucky ones who decide to call it quits in the first few years, but once you reach your third year, you are most likely to find yourself stuck in an impossible cycle of endless thoughts of quitting, and thinking, God, I need to leave this place, I don’t belong here, but the thing is really, that if you made it till third year, you probably have enough passion to get through your fourth and fifth year ( It depends on your University program ), most students leave within the first few semesters, however architecture school is only a prison if you think about it that way, it’s actually fun and challenging only to those who see it that way, it’s all about inner growth and passion, if you believe you can do it and have something to offer society then stick with it, but if you don’t want it, let it go, don’t let anyone tell you that you do or don’t belong anywhere, you are in charge of your decisions, it is never too late.

8.Social life becomes hard to balance.

This is one of the most obvious things you realize once you start going to architecture school, no more time for parties, no more time to hang out with old friends, blah blah, it is the price we all pay, but to be honest, I don’t think we are the only ones in campus with no social life, I hear the law and med students complain all the time, so if your social life are of priority to you, then, I wouldn’t suggest you take the risk, but if you are able to do both, then by all means, go for it, social skills isn’t something anyone can have and maintain good academics with hand in hand, because at the end of your life, you come to understand that family, friends and relationships are far more important than anything else.

9.There are always two options on how to get through architecture school, either stick to your guns or change your school of thought per professor.

Now I will not dare to say which is right or wrong, It really comes down to your own personality and how you believe things should be, there is nothing wrong with either of them, my point is, you have to go with your guts, you have to stand on your opinion and never let anyone let you change the things you believe in, you might get comfortable by letting go and accepting all the suggestions your professor tells you, or keep to your thoughts and explain to everyone why your solution is the best .

10.Giving up architecture becomes harder the more years you put into it.

I said this before and I’ll say it again, it’s really easy to get stuck and end up doing architecture for the rest of your life, if you feel indifferent about it and jut purely complain non stop, then leave it as early as you can, you will do yourself a favor trust me, it won’t be okay to do shitty designs just for your own satisfaction, there are always moral issues and a series of systematic decision making all the time when designing, it is after all a huge responsibility to design human’s lifestyles, it’s more than building spaces that surrounds them, it is the lifestyle you are creating for them.