Notes for New Students

on student life
03 04
on student life
LAUGH
As we all know, architecture is by and
large a very serious profession and is
to be treated as such. But when you are
faced with a burgeoning workload, looming
deadlines, daunting crits, software crashes
and last-minute printing troubles (all of
which are painfully familiar to virtually every
design student on earth), you must be able
to laugh. You must stand back from it all,
shrug off the seriousness, and recognise the
ultimate joy in what you have set out to do.
Then of course, do it all over again and pray
that the next iteration turns out better...
Practice humour and humour practice. This
helps develop big-picture thinking alongside
an attention to detail: both essential traits
that architects must learn to balance over
the rest of their careers.
Note:
For those who have been in school for a few
years and are feeling a bit jaded- don’t let
the course overwhelm you. Just think of the
Situationists. The spontaneous, ludic part of
our profession (otherwise known as ‘fun’) is
still alive and essential to survival.
make conversation
When you look back on your student life in
years to come, it is likely that you will not
be able to quote those readings nor recall
the dates of famous buildings (that said, it
is also equally likely that you won’t need to).
You will, however, remember your moments
of personal revelation.
No matter how big or small, the discussions
you have now with your peers, professors
and other professionals, make valuable
impressions on the young mind and create
these ‘moments’ that cumulatively influence
your design inclinations, career decisions
and perception of the world at large.
Now you might chance upon these jewel-like
conversations over lunchtime banter or
accidental corridor chats. But for the most
part, you must engage in discourse first, in
order for it to give back to you. Speaking
up in class might initially seem like an
unpopular choice, but this gets old fast.
Because active participation, especially
while you’re at university, is one of the
rare few ways you can get answers and
feedback, make yourself heard, test out
ideas without losing marks, and earn extra
credit- all at the same time.