Apart from developing ideas, decoding the spatial art, evolution of styles, architecture school sure does teach a person a lot of things. For most of us, all these five years are life-changing as well as really challenging. These years not only shape us as a future designer but also shape us as an individual imbibing various values.
Here are the 7 things I learned in architecture school:
The famous to-do list.
One of the major things to be considered in order to ace your assignments is how to organize and prioritize your tasks. All of us know that architecture school can get stressful bombarding the students with all kinds of assignments. The key to completing any overwhelming assignment is to divide it into smaller parts and setting a time limit in order to achieve it. Planning can always prove to be fruitful, help us remain calm, and complete our work just in time.
Practice makes almost perfect.
The proverb we have always been hearing since primary school is definitely true in this case as well. There are no shortcuts to perfection. Sketching and drafting regularly does make one faster and almost achieve perfection. All the efforts put in working religiously during my former years have proven to be useful to me in the later years of my degree. This goes for writing reports and journals for technical subjects as well. Forming a habit to practice or brush up on one skill a day can surely help an individual.
Aye aye captain.
Everyone talks about acquiring leadership skills along the way. But what about seamlessly working with everyone during a group project? Developing a skill like leadership is surely important but so is working with others. Group projects teach you a lot of things but it is equally important to address the harmony, the art of convincing, following, and understanding the other person’s point of view about a particular thing. These are the key ingredients to the recipe of a successful group project. Disagreements can often lead to work done in a disheartened way that only gives an undesirable outcome in the end and spoils relationships with your peers.
An eye for details.
Everywhere I go, all I notice now are details. How one material meets another, all the 14th-century intricate carving details in the structures of Gujarat, how much of a difference does one small detail make. This wasn’t the case before architecture school. Architecture does help sharpen your observation skills. Oftentimes while watching a movie, you do realize that that you end up noticing all the interior details of the room or space shown in the movie or you even find yourself looking at the elements, details, or articulation instead of the character while watching a period drama. And this can never be taken away from a person, in my opinion. Once you start then there’s never going back.
Be confident!
There is not a single time we haven’t heard that, in order to glow up, confidence is the first thing that matters. The same is said when asked about acing a presentation. Well, they say it for a reason. Confidence is like a magic spell you can develop and use on yourself. It is a kind of magic spell that can help an individual reach unimaginable heights. No deed is unconquerable when you have the right attitude and the perfect amount of confidence.
Here’s a cheat code: Fake it till you make it!
Read, read, read.
Reading can not only help you develop all the skills we just mentioned above but also develop other skills required in architecture school. It’s no secret that through reading, one can gain vast knowledge about styles, political factors leading to the emergence of that style, architects around the world with their philosophies and explore forms and techniques to achieve great designs. Development of concepts and using proper terminologies are the top things our professors say we can develop through the habit of reading.
A good listener.
A good listener comes down to not only paying attention during B.S. lectures but also being an open-minded individual ready to accept criticism from professors and peers, as well. This keeps you grounded in a sense which in turn helps you to further develop and improve your design. Being a brat and being in denial will not contribute towards growth. The act of being a good listener boils down to listening to other students’ concepts and ideas and being open to criticism on your own designs and ideas can give rise to healthy studio discussions.
Such skills developed over time might look good on your resume but it can indeed give a person a fresh outlook as well. These can be proven to be useful outside architecture school and can also contribute towards the progress of a person.
