Whenever we want to pursue graduation many things surround us. There are parents, relatives, friends and many other people whom we many times don’t know much about giving us advice about what is good for us and what is not. There are bright people of our age who are always compared with us to make us take the decision quickly and immediately. The most important thing about selecting your area of graduation is what do you want to do, where do you see yourself as a person in the future, and how you want your life to be and hence this decision is very significant for all. Finally, when you decide upon a course then you start searching about it and have an impression in your thoughts about how that course or how it would be.
Architecture College has a different ambiance when it comes to teaching techniques and approaches, interaction with faculty members, and bonding with batchmates, seniors, and juniors. The first week usually is about orientation and to make one aware of what exactly is this study of architecture about and insight into the coming 5 years of the degree course. This makes you crave more for the forthcomings with all the fascinating things which are there in the orientation program. Everyone during this course from faculty, subjects- technical and non-technical, study tour till people around you or whom you meet has something to teach you and once you enter Architecture you are a student for a lifetime as it is such a varied arena to explore.
The course content is also framed keeping in mind the overall development of a person. The first two years of the course focus majorly upon the basics that are much needed to perceive the better imaginative and creative aspects of Architecture. The first year helps a student understand the most important basics which are the design elements and principles which is the fundamental study for this course and its curriculum. The subjects and skills learned in the first year are also carried forward in the second year. Some other important ability which is developed in these two years is the aesthetics and graphical visualization and basic understanding of drawings and details.
These two years are very vital as a student as they shape you with all the subjects and basic skills for their application in the later duration of course. Also, you develop as a person in these years and get ready to face the challenges of the future. The juries, presentations, and discussions advance one as a confident person who can put forward and explain their point of view in front of others. This also helps you overcome your flaws if you are not good at anything may it be even a language-related issue. You improve your sketching, handwriting, etc. also in these primitive years of Architecture student life.
The next years are more hectic than the first two years as they are more about the practical application of the subjects. This part of the curriculum focuses more upon the detailing part of the subjects, more knowledge about the graphical representation, and digitization of drawings. This is a very crucial time as a student as you develop your opinions, choices, and approach towards Architecture, Design as well as Art. As an individual you learn management and administrative skills which is the most important part of architecture practice and unfortunately can’t be taught in colleges and mostly learned through experience only. You get to know inclinations and observations towards a particular subject or topic that interests you. This helps you envisage your future decisions and visions.
The last year is a mix of academics for the last four years and professional work. With the overall experiences of all previous years, one can accomplish the training and thesis with confidence and professional understanding. The journey is not the same for all but it grooms you as an individual also apart from giving you only subject-related knowledge. This realization comes in when you are within a group of people with a conventional pattern of study and you acknowledge the learnings both tangible and intangible.
