Many students spend several hours each week poring over textbooks, notebooks and computer keyboards in an attempt to pass their next exam or finish their latest essay.
But, instead of working with books and notes, University architecture students spend hours each day working in studios on models and drawings.
William May, a third-year architecture student, said the curriculum teaches students about all aspects of design, which will enable them to enter any particular architectural field upon graduation.
May said the projects students work on in their first two years deal with abstract and spatial issues. He described these as “things you wouldn’t have a preconceived notion about.”
May said as a student progresses into further study, projects become less abstract, and students work on models of buildings such as high-rise complexes, police stations and bathhouses.
Joe Phillippi, a third-year architecture student, said the first two years of the program consist of many different projects. Once students advance in their studies, Phillippi said students may only work on one or two projects per semester.
May said projects can take anywhere from a few days to several weeks to complete.
May said the architecture curriculum differs from other programs because the focus is on the process of creation, not the finished product.
“There’s never a stopping point,” May said. “With this, I always have homework. It’s not like an English paper you can write the night before.”
Joey Lantz, a third-year architecture student, said projects never really are completed, but students simply must reach a stopping point.
“You could go on forever,” Lantz said. “There are always things you hate about your project.”
May said the program is very competitive and the first two years are especially intense. After their second year, students must submit a portfolio of their work, and the department reduces the number of students in the program to about 30.
Phillippi said he liked the program because it is unlike any other major, and he enjoys the satisfaction that comes from producing something.
Because students must spend so much time together, Phillippi said it creates a family atmosphere within the program.
“If you don’t like someone, you have to learn how to get along with them,” Phillippi said.
May said one professor even told first-year students to quit their jobs, break up with their significant others and learn to live on very little sleep.
Charles Jones, a third-year architecture student, agreed that there is a family atmosphere among students in the program, but also said students have good relationships with their professors, many of whom are on a first name basis with students.
Jones said many professors will stay with students after class to help them with their projects, and make themselves available if students have problems or questions.
Lantz said students wishing to become architects must complete five years of undergraduate study, followed by a three-year internship at an architecture firm. After their internship, students must take a nine-part exam to become a licensed architect.
Despite the long hours and tedious process, Lantz said he is happy with his decision to study architecture.
“There’s nothing else I would do,” Lantz said.