Either you want to be a better Architecture Student because you feel like you're not successful, or, you've tasted success and you want more of it. Either way, we've got you covered. Our writers are all recent Architecture School graduates and we've put together a list of 7 things you need to be doing to be a better Architecture Student.
In This Article:
1. Define "Success"
2. Sales / Storytelling
3. Iterate, Iterate, Iterate
4. Time Management
5. Exposure
6. Passion
7. Understand Your Professor
8. Invest In Yourself
How To Be A Better Architecture Student | Tip #1
Define "Success"
What does "better" mean? And better than what? Better is a relative word, meaning you have to have a comparison for it to have meaning. Do you want a better grade than you're getting now? Do you want your classmates to have a better opinion of your design skills? Do you want to personally like your own designs better than you do now?
Understand that your stress levels are directly associated with your idea of success. If success is an image that's always defined by someone else's work, you will always feel like you're coming up short because you're not that someone else and you never will be. It's a good thing too because the design world doesn't need any more of them, we need you.
Success is progress. You're a better designer than you were a year ago, that counts. If you want to win a competition against other designers, you do it by doing the best work you can do. Success starts and ends with you.
Being a Better Architecture Student is just a cloud of an idea that you'll never touch until you know what it means to you. Most Architecture Students want a better grade and/or to feel like they're better at designing than they are right now. So, the following tips are made to help you do just that.
How To Be A Better Architecture Student | Tip #2
Sales / Storytelling
Master the art of persuasion. To be a better Architecture Student, you must understand that how you speak about your design is just as important as the design itself. What you say about your project shapes the way people think about your project.
Think of an abstract painting. If you see it with no description, you're on your own to decide what it means and if it's any good. However, if the artist stands next to the painting and tells you about it, you'd begin to see what they wanted you to see. Again, what you say about your project shapes the way others think about it. So, what should you say?
Your architecture project is not a building, it's an image of an idea. If you can sell people the idea, they'll believe in the image. This is how all marketing works and your project is no different. For example, instead of saying "it has outdoor space to connect with nature", try something like, "There are spaces where you can escape the noise and chaos of the world in the lush setting of private gardens." The idea of a lush escape from life's worries is appealing to just about anyone, and your project is now associated with that idea.
Remember, you're selling ideas. Your project is just the picture of it. Since Architecture is experiential, describe it to people that way. Appeal to the senses for a more impactful presentation. If someone walked through your project, what would it smell like? Where would their eyes be drawn? Where might they feel the warmth of sunlight on their skin?
What if I told you that you didn't need to lift another finger to change the way people think of you as a designer, you only need to change the way you speak? It's a nice idea, isn't it?
How To Be A Better Architecture Student | Tip #3
Iterate, Iterate, Iterate.
It's true what we said in the last section: The way you talk about your project changes the way people view it. But, there still has to be something worth viewing. There's no avoiding it, if you want to be a better Architecture Student, you have to produce quality designs. Fortunately, the recipe for quality is simple.
Quantity = Quality
Iteration is your best friend. Design it. Then do it again. And again. And again until you've explored every option and found the best idea to move forward with. Do this during every stage of the design that you can and you will convince yourself and everyone else that your design is the best solution of them all.
Here's an example. You've got 15 minutes to come up with a new concept for a 12-story hotel. Student #1 spends all 15 minutes developing one idea and then presents it. Student #2 quickly makes five ideas and presents the three with the most potential. Which student do you think would make a better design in the next round? Who learned more about what works and what doesn't? Who has more proof of ideas they tried that didn't work and can further justify the one they chose?
It's a simple and effective way to become a better Architecture Student. Why don't more people do it? Perfectionism and fear of failure keep most people from showing their ideas until they're convinced it's a winning idea. They don't understand that every idea you have is sparked by some potential you saw in your project, and killing the idea before it's on paper forever hides that potential. If you show the idea, that potential has to opportunity to grow into a great feature of your design.
The other reason Architecture Students avoid mass iteration is that they think it will take too much time. If that's you, our next tip will fix that for you.
How To Be A Better Architecture Student | Tip #4
Time Management
Your worst enemy. Most Architecture students have a really complicated relationship with time management. They know it's a good for them, but they also don't believe they can have it. If you want to be a better Architecture Student, the reality is that this is a major part of growth.
Forget everything you think you know about "time management". It isn't about going to bed on time and mornings at the spa while your project sits neglected on your desk at school. It doesn't mean you have to give up the "hard worker" reputation you earned by pulling more all-nighters than most. It's not some annoying to-do list you forget about and then stop using.
Time management is the feeling that you just worked on something for 8 hours and actually got 8 hours worth of work out of it. It's about spending less time stressing over details no one else will ever see and spending more time on parts of your design that really need it. Even better, time management can be summed up in one word: priorities.
Prioritize. Accept the reality that there isn't enough time to do everything, so it's inevitable some things won't get done. Choose in advance what's important to work on, and what things can take the "L" if they need to. If you don't choose, life will do it for you and that's a dangerous game to play. That's how you spend two hours watching videos about why these two elements won't join when the two elements aren't even visible in any of your renderings.
While you're working, set a recurring timer for every half hour. Every time it goes off, ask yourself if what you're doing right now is the most important thing you could be working on. If the answer is no, exercise your free will and make the right choice to switch to something else.
When you put this skill to work, one of two things will happen. One: you get the same amount of work done in less time, freeing up more hours in your week. Two: you get more work done in the same amount of time, boosting productivity and quality of design. It's clear why time management is an important skill to have if you want to be a better Architecture Student
How To Be A Better Architecture Student | Tip #5
Exposure
This is a quick way to improve your designs and become a better Architecture Student. Keep up on what design innovations are happening in the field and use some of those ideas when your project calls for it.
Many Architecture Students have this idea that if they look at other people's ideas, it will contaminate their "pure creativity". There is some truth to this, but pure creativity is a very, very, very slow process and rarely produces the best results. Every idea has to come from one brain that only knows so much.
Tapping into the world of design will elevate your design abilities greatly. You will be able to pull from ideas that have already been tested and refined. There's a saying that goes something like, "you don't have to reinvent the wheel to design a new car." Educate yourself on where the design world needs innovation so your innovation will be useful and new.
When you isolate yourself, you run the risk of coming up with ideas that have already been done and wasting your time. It's like saying, "what if there was glass that could change from clear to frosted at the touch of a button?" It already exists, you'd be wasting your time trying to invent it. But, what doesn't exist yet is a cost-effective option that's widely available everywhere. That would be a useful place to put your creative energy.
Exposure is easy these days. Follow social media pages, subscribe to Youtube channels, listen to podcasts, sign-up for magazine subscriptions, go visit architecture in your city and beyond. It's been said that the best designs are the most informed designs. So, if you want to be a better Architecture Student, this is a great tip to put to use.
Visit our Architecture Student Relaxation page for inspiring Instagram pages and Youtube Channels.
How To Be A Better Architecture Student | Tip #6
Passion
People do their best work when they're free to choose to do what they love. Pursuing your passion is the most enjoyable way to become a better Architecture Student.
We live in America. If you're fortunate enough to have the opportunity to get a college education, you've got options. Don't just get a degree. Find something you love in the field and go for it. There are enough people in this world doing a half-ass job at work because they're not passionate about what they do. Don't waste this opportunity and just turn into another one of them.
The world of Architecture is so big it's almost limitless. Tinker Hatfield is one of the most renowned sneaker designers in the world, and he has a bachelor's degree in Architecture. You are learning how to design, and you could design anything that interests you. Even within the field of Architecture and engineering, you could pursue a career in sustainable materials engineering, architecture visualization, video game architectural design, innovative technology consulting, interior design, architecture podcast or youtube channel, the list goes on.
Don't wait for school to teach you everything you want to know. They will give you a base foundation to jump from, but where you go from there is up to you. If you don't make the decision and actively pursue it, you're likely to take the path of least resistance. That path is almost always paved with the stones of disappointment and regret.
In every design studio you take, find a way to implement your design passion into it. The result is you'll be more interested and invested in the work you're doing, ultimately making you a better Architecture Student.
How To Be A Better Architecture Student | Tip #7
Understand Your Professor
This tip ties into tip #2. For Architecture Students who want better grades, this is extra important. Hopefully, you have good professors that give you a clear understanding of how you will be graded in the end. But too often, studio instructors are harder to read than that.
Understanding your professor is mostly about understanding what they want to see out of you. Some instructors want to see you step outside of your comfort zone and take a risk. Other instructors think a particular type of Architecture is the best (deconstructionism, brutalism, etc.) and they will gravitate to projects that fit that category. Some instructors don't care what you do as long as it hits the requirements of their rubric. Your instructor ultimately gives you your grade, so knowing what they value will give you the best chance at success.
Be aware of your audience when you're designing is all we're saying. Don't just do whatever your instructor says, you won't earn any respect that way. The Architecture Students that instructors talk about for years to come are the ones that took their advice and applied it in a creative and unexpected way. Let your light shine, just don't forget you're not the one who gives you your grade at the end of the semester.
How To Be A Better Architecture Student | Tip #8
Invest In Yourself
Our last tip is one of the most simple. If you want to be a better Architecture Student, invest in yourself. A lot of Architecture Students don't really know what this means or how it works, so here's the simple answer: value yourself enough to take a chance on you.
Imagine you have a very close friend that dreams of being a chef. They're two years into culinary school in college and they're working their ass off. You find out that they've been using a horrible, cheap, dull knife set since they started and it's making it difficult and dangerous for them to keep up. They don't have a lot of money but they could get a new knife set for themself if they made it a priority. If you care about this friend, you would be encouraging them to get the knife set they need, and you might even offer to get it for them. That's what you do when you love somebody. Why are you treating yourself any differently?
If you need a new laptop because the one you're using lags like crazy and slows you down, then get a better laptop. Are the people in the studio distracting you from your work? Get some noise-canceling headphones and get your work done. There's probably a list of time-saving modeling tools you've been putting off buying, and if not take a look at our list. You have needs, and if someone you loved were suffering the way you are, you'd beg them to take better care of themself.
A haircut for an interview, new efficient tools, new clothes for an important presentation, AIA memberships, networking events, better software, etc. When you take care of your needs, others see you as someone who provides value and not someone who needs to be taken care of. That's how you get top dollar when you enter the job market at graduation.
How To Be A Better Architecture Student | Recap
All 8 Tips Again
1. Define "Success"
2. Sales / Storytelling
3. Iterate, Iterate, Iterate
4. Time Management
5. Exposure
6. Passion
7. Understand Your Professor
8. Invest In Yourself
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