{"id":134682,"date":"2025-09-10T21:36:08","date_gmt":"2025-09-10T21:36:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/134682\/"},"modified":"2025-09-10T21:36:08","modified_gmt":"2025-09-10T21:36:08","slug":"12-tips-for-architecture-students-as-the-school-season-begins-features","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/134682\/","title":{"rendered":"12 Tips for Architecture Students as the School Season Begins | Features"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Image\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

As the academic<\/a> year begins, architecture students are entering the next stage in their design education, be it starting a new undergraduate or postgraduate degree or beginning a new semester midway through their studies. If you are one of the many students embarking on this next chapter, we offer you not only our congratulations and best wishes but also a non-exhaustive<\/a> collection of thoughts and advice to support your journey.<\/p>\n

Do you have advice for architecture students as the new school season begins, beyond those set out below? Let us know in the comments.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tImmerse yourself in the creative process\u2026<\/p>\n

Where architecture offices each tend to develop standardized steps, processes, and media through which architectural outputs emerge, your time in architecture school is an opportunity to explore the full range of creative processes open to you. If you come from a crafting background, you may enjoy exploring architectural models as a medium to create, whether handmade, 3D-printed, or digital. Similarly, someone from a drawing or painting background may enjoy experimenting with different drawing methods, materials, and equipment. An even more enjoyable approach may be to elevate a new process through each project so that, over time, your own unique approach to the design process emerges.<\/p>\n

\u2026and be proud that you get to create<\/p>\n

The further you progress in your architectural career, the easier it is to take its uniqueness for granted. Both architectural education and practice have\u00a0numerous systemic issues<\/a>\u00a0that Archinect often reports on, but at their best, they offer\u00a0the individual an opportunity to bring something new, tangible, and innovative to the world. In comparison to other academic disciplines, an architectural education can be unique in the opportunity it gives you to take ownership of a creative challenge and craft a solution, both by yourself and in cooperation with others. \u201cIt\u2019s worth remembering that we are blessed to get to create,\u201d Rick Rubin writes in The Creative Act: A Way of Being<\/a> (a book which I encourage all architecture students to read). \u201cIt\u2019s a privilege. We\u2019re choosing it.\u201d<\/p>\n

An even more enjoyable approach may be to elevate a new process through each project so that, over time, your own unique approach to the design process emerges.
\nRemember that consistency is more important than talent\u2026<\/p>\n

\u201cTo be great at something, you don’t need to be special. You just need to be what most people aren’t: Consistent. Determined. Willing to work for it. No shortcuts.\u201d The sentiments in this quote from NFL star Tom Brady can be found in areas as far-reaching as Steven Pressfield\u2019s book<\/a> on the creative process (which I also always recommend to architecture students) and Cal Newport\u2019s writing<\/a> on focused productivity. Throughout your education, showing up each day and incrementally advancing your assignments and projects, instead of waiting for inspiration to strike, is more likely to deliver an exceptional creative outcome, even if your initial talents and abilities in design are not as strong as your peers. It may be weeks or months before the fruits of this approach become clear, but when they do, they place you in an enviable position.<\/p>\n

\u2026and that consistency creates freedom<\/p>\n

While a consistent, disciplined approach to your projects and assignments sounds as though it runs the risk of stifling opportunities for innovation, inspiration, and freedom in your work, you will find over time that the opposite happens. Weeks of consistent output will, in fact, give you the foundation and confidence to take risks in your work, whether experimenting with a new medium, exploring a new design move, or reading about less obvious people<\/a>, precedents, and approaches. With a body of work already behind you, these explorations become free play. Not only will this make your journey into the unknown more enjoyable, but it may also increase the likelihood of uncovering a breakthrough that you retain and build upon.<\/p>\n

Weeks of consistent output will, in fact, give you the foundation and confidence to take risks in your work.
\nBe realistic and strict with time management\u2026<\/p>\n

In comparison to your early school years and professional career, your time in architecture school will be unique in how much control you have over your schedule. As challenging as it can be, establishing a schedule for your day will not only benefit your work and life in the short term but will also equip you well for managing your time if you graduate to an architecture office. Your schedule should be strict in the sense that you leave sufficient time for consistent study and coursework, but realistic enough that it allows time for life beyond your degree. You should not be a slave to your schedule. Instead, construct a schedule that is effective and that you would enjoy carrying out. As a final piece of encouragement, keeping strictly to your schedule for the majority of your time offers you the freedom to occasionally break it without feeling guilty.<\/p>\n

\u2026and avoid the \u2018all-nighter\u2019 culture<\/p>\n

For years, architecture has decried an \u2018all-nighter\u2019 culture<\/a> that seeps in through architecture school and arguably contributes<\/a> to the higher-than-average levels of unpaid overtime throughout the profession. By practicing good time management throughout the semester, however, you should not find yourself required to work through the night. Nor should you succumb to the romanticized image of the creative genius working obsessively from dusk till dawn, which, as I reflect on my own school years, also drove an all-nighter culture among colleagues. If you do find yourself working overtime as end-of-semester deadlines approach, it is worth bearing in mind<\/a> that the hours between 12 am and 6 am breed little productive, project-defining work. Your mental and physical health, and indeed your work, will thank you for catching some sleep even at the busiest of times. <\/p>\n

You should not be a slave to your schedule. Instead, construct a schedule that is effective and that you would enjoy carrying out.
\nGet to know your colleagues\u2026<\/p>\n

The classmates you meet in architecture school are likely to someday become your colleagues and collaborators in practice. Even if they don\u2019t, many are likely to travel on a similar path to you beyond education. Forming genuine friendships, acquaintances, and support networks with your peers will not only benefit you in the long run but will make your time in architecture school significantly more enjoyable and fulfilling. This attitude should also extend to faculty<\/a>, many of whom will have unique backgrounds and engagements outside their teaching role, for you to gain inspiration from.<\/p>\n

\u2026and your college <\/p>\n

Beyond your architecture school, your wider college\/university institution will likely offer resources, workshops, and facilities tangentially related to your career, from entrepreneurship to communication, productivity to mindfulness. These resources, in addition to filling gaps you perceive in your architectural education, provide yet more opportunities to meet people beyond your field. Pay particular attention to the beginning of each semester for \u2018new student\u2019 orientation opportunities, which can serve as a useful introduction to the academic world beyond architecture. It is the regret of many graduates, me included, that we did not take full advantage of the expansive university network while we had it. <\/p>\n

Forming genuine friendships, acquaintances, and support networks with your peers will not only benefit you in the long run but will make your time in architecture school significantly more enjoyable and fulfilling.
\nGet comfortable with critique\u2026<\/p>\n

Critiques, for better or worse, are at the heart of architectural education<\/a>. Even after years of exposure, they can feel brutal. While it is natural to be protective of your work, it is worth trying to reframe critiques, particularly formal end-of-year critiques, as opportunities to expose your work in an effort to improve it. When feedback comes, listen carefully without rushing to defend yourself<\/a>. Often, the most painful comments reveal blind spots you couldn\u2019t see alone. Over time, you may learn to separate your self-worth from your drawings and develop a resilience in the face of objection that will, in fact, serve you well in practice, where clients, planners, and communities will all have strong opinions about your proposals. In both education and practice, it is also worth remembering that not every piece of feedback you receive is necessarily productive, or even well-informed. Filtering through feedback in search of ideas and views that improve your work is a skill in itself that is learned through repetitive practice.<\/p>\n

\u2026and actively seek it out<\/p>\n

To further improve your ability to internalize critique, you may consider increasing your work\u2019s exposure to opinions beyond your own. While this could be done through additional critiques from faculty, seeking feedback from your fellow students in informal, self-organized critique sessions can become both a productive design session and an enjoyable social occasion. As Rubin notes in The Creative Act<\/a>, the purpose of seeking out feedback isn\u2019t always to hear what others have to say but to notice how your own opinion on your work changes when you expose it to others. In doing so, you may spot flaws and opportunities in your own work before anybody else says a word. <\/p>\n

The purpose of seeking out feedback isn\u2019t always to hear what others have to say but to notice how your own opinion on your work changes when you expose it to others.
\nPlan financially\u2026<\/p>\n

Architecture school is expensive<\/a>, with the cost of materials, printing, travel, hardware, software, and model-making all adding up quickly. Students, particularly those new to architectural education, can underestimate these costs at the beginning of the semester, finding themselves financially drained just as they need resources to see projects to completion. It is worth treating your finances with the same strict, consistent, realistic approach that you should bring to your schedule. Plan budgets for projects, track your spending, and seek out advice from older students on which stages of the semester are the most financially draining. Seek advice, too, on what free or discounted materials and resources are available in your school, from books to model materials to printers.<\/p>\n

\u2026and pay attention to student discounts and offers<\/p>\n

Beyond your architecture school, invest time early in researching the full landscape of financial resources available to you as a student. In the software world, Autodesk offers products such as AutoCAD and Revit free to students, while Adobe and Parallels offer heavy student discounts. In day-to-day life, online shops, cultural institutions, and leisure and fitness facilities often offer student discounts, with dedicated apps such as UNiDAYS dedicated to collating them all in one place. In addition to researching discounts, also take time to research financial funding available across your college or beyond, be it student support funding, travel scholarships<\/a>, or dedicated awards for architecture and design students. <\/p>\n

Finally, follow our ongoing Archinect Tips<\/a> series for advice and guidance on navigating through your architectural career.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" As the academic year begins, architecture students are entering the next stage in their design education, be…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":134683,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[76,354,355,49,48,356,75],"class_list":{"0":"post-134682","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-arts-and-design","8":"tag-arts","9":"tag-arts-and-design","10":"tag-artsanddesign","11":"tag-ca","12":"tag-canada","13":"tag-design","14":"tag-entertainment"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/134682","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=134682"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/134682\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/134683"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=134682"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=134682"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=134682"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}