The Life Of An Architecture's Student

What if you are asked to describe the taste of a Doughnut Burger…? Confused right. How can one describe the taste of Umami, which is both savory and sweet? Describing the life of an architecture student is just like that. One just runs out of words. The life of an architecture student is as they say larger than life, literally. Still on a broader level below are summed up, the plethora of things that an architecture student goes through.

CLASSROOM AS DESIGN STUDIO

First, the good part. Design studio of architecture students or their “Classrooms” give a tinge of Alice of Wonderland in the beginning. A land of fantasy for students of other streams. A large drafting table wholly for oneself with the supporting spaces for stationaries, fascinating ambiance of starchitects pictures with their works and the flexibility unlike our engineering counterparts where you can eat talk and sometimes even sleep in the studios is something that gives others a bit of complex. It’s not just a studio, it’s our second home.

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ARCHITECTURE STUDENT- STUDY TRIPS

Now the best part. Whether it’s the site visit for building construction or the visiting the old mausoleum of the town for measured drawing, college trips are an integral part of any college going person in general but when I say its architecture student’s trip, it is on another level. Unraveling unknown destinations and different regions with their food, their cultures is a feeling one cannot explain in words. Travel is in the genes of any architecture student and trusts me no other profession celebrates travel like architecture. And if you are an architecture student you are lucky to have this pro.

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ALL NIGHTERS

And now the worst part, the workload. Pursuing a degree in architecture is quite a challenge. The course demands us to work supremely hard against time, literally. The one thing common in all architecture students is that the shortage of time that we face compared to the amount of work to be done is that we end up compromising on our sleep and end up staying up all night to get the work done. This is a trait which is quite common for all architecture students and even in architects.

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STATIONARY

Have you ever had your seven-year-old nephew picking up your T-scale and exclaiming “wow, what a sword!” Maybe it's just me. But I am sure similar amusements must have been with you when it comes to our stationaries, at least until we are accustomed to the computer-based software and use them for the design. Whether it’s the expensive color pencils that itch our pockets or the laser cutting we do for the model making, we cannot deny the awesome sensation of working with the so-called “tools”.

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BEING SOCIAL

Juggling with the historical sketches to the estimation calculations, from drafting building construction sheets to making presentations, an architecture student has to cope with almost all the aspects of a building. Given the strict deadlines, it is quite painful for us to invest time and energy in non-academic activities like an outing in the weekend or attending the wedding of the long lost cousin. We often have to bear the brunt of being a bit anti-social on a personal account but on a professional front, we are supposed to make as many contacts as possible, an important trait for our profession.

ALL-ROUNDERS

Well, the construction industry is quite huge and complicated and to hone oneself to become a good architect, architecture students are groomed in every subject directly or indirectly related to the industry. Whether it’s the communication skills to woo the clients or the studying sustainable technology to enhance our buildings. From micro level town planning to the macro level furniture design elective, architecture students are taught almost every subject related to the profession.

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