Growing up in a society crazy about Bollywood, we always have some big, fancy perceptions about how our next 4-5 years in college are going to pan out after we exit the school. After working hard for our board exams and NATA, we believe that college life is going to be a good 5-year break from hard-work. But when you get in there, that is when you start to realize that the reality is in complete contrast. You have to grind yourself for days and many a times, at nights to get those “decent grades”. Every stage of life is an experience in itself, but none can be as good as college life. College is not just about education but a bundle of emotions and memories, that stay with us for a lifetime. Architecture college is a universe in itself. Students, faculty, seniors, juniors, turn out to be your extended family. They all are there to help and guide you through the adventures of architectural learning.
Having said that, architecture college is a melting pot of versatility. People there, come from different cultures, different backgrounds, each of them having a plethora of interesting ideas and a whole lot of imagination. There’s a cultural exchange of beliefs and thoughts. For example, a person born and brought up in Udaipur will have completely different design ideas compared to a person from say, Madurai. In this new era, where fusion is supposedly the most revolutionary trend, it becomes important and enriching to work with people from such different cultures and brainstorm on a design. It is always mentally stimulating to engage in long discussions with this diverse group, with each person having a completely different perspective of looking at things. We get to know about different places, new environments, and eventually learn to adapt and adjust to diversity. Amidst these discussions, it becomes hard to keep track of how quickly these discussions turn into heated debates. Nevertheless, they are constructive almost every time and you go back with some valuable knowledge added to your repository.
We can never overstate the importance of design aptitude and creativity to an architect, but an equally important attribute of being a successful architect is presentation. How well you can convey and present your ideas to your clients ultimately makes or breaks the deal, no matter however mind-blowing the design might be. Architecture college equips you with this weapon by pushing you out of your comfort zone and making you present your ideas to the jury. From designing a small scale project with a ready-made program in the second year to designing a large scale housing project in fourth, with a self-made program, we grow. Such hands-on exposure helps people transform completely. There always are some natural introverts who have their body trembling, their voice shaking in their first year. But by the time you see their model presentations in their third year, you’ll have a hard time believing that it’s the same person! We learn to be independent and strong.
All this being said, nothing is more important in these 5 years than making good friendships and connections. Those small coffee breaks, the roasting, the support, the gossip sessions, and small fights and politics are a part and parcel of any college student’s life. But what makes architecture student’s college life more interesting is the sharing of design ideas, the class contribution of money to bring stationery for the whole class, the hour’s long jury sessions, and the terror of submission deadlines. You’ll need a ton of mental and emotional support to get through all of this, (not to scare anyone!!), and who will be better than 4 of your best ones to get you all repaired for that next project which has to be submitted tomorrow morning on which you haven’t started to work on yet! These friends will not only stay with you for the time being, but they’ll be your permanent family. A family who will always have your back!
All in all, Architecture teaches you to push your thinking beyond boundaries. It teaches you to work hard to achieve your dreams. It makes you do things out of your comfort zone. It teaches you the value of friendship. It shapes you as an individual and leaves you with some everlasting warm memories. Lastly, College is a place, which in its subtle ways, prepares you for your next chapter of life, that is adulthood.
