How to Prepare for Architecture School?

[Discipulus]

Hey guys I'll be a freshman at Notre Dame in the fall, and I'm wondering what all I can do to prep. I know the whole draw draw draw deal, but what else?

I've some books that I'm going through, and I'll be getting "101 things i learned in arch school" within the week.

I'm very much into classical arch (as you can see by the school choice); but I also know that you can, and should, learn from anything and any style. Thanks in advance!

[urbanlife]

My suggestion would be to get as much sleep in as possible cause that will soon be a distant memory, and to forget everything you think you know about architecture and go into it thinking you are going to have to relearn crawling in order to relearn how to walk. Oh and be prepared to fail at things you think you are going to be good with, ask as lots of curious questions and read everything your professors mention cause you will surprise yourself with architects and theory you never knew existed.

Oh and as always you should probably pick up Peter Zumthor's books...mostly because after years of architecture school, I have really found myself looking up to his work.

And a very important factor, photograph everything you do, and I mean everything, even those stupid models that made no sense that you just want to throw away, every crappy drawing you do that initially made no sense. Photograph so much that you need to get a terabyte hard drive just to hold it all because when it comes to making a portfolio later in life you will want to kiss your own ass for taking all those photos.


And again, expect to fail, that is the only way you will learn from this because the reality is you probably know little to nothing about anything when it comes to architecture.

These are all the things I have learned from my years in architecture school. I hope the advice helps and always feel free to ask more questions.

[Discipulus]

Thanks very much I appreciate it! I went to an art hs so I know about the work and not sleeping. I used to do polyphasic sleeping and I imagine that'll be in play next year as well.

I was thinking about getting some sort of recording device for lectures do any of you have suggestions? I know I could use my computer but I don't know about good software.

[plinko]

Urbanlife covered alot of things. You have to retrain your brain to look at the world differently.

One thing I can suggest...if you love to draw...keep at it. Don't give up the sketchbook. One of the really odd things I've found when I've gone to recent thesis presentations or interviewed recent graduates is that while they can create anything on the computer, they can't draw by hand. That's not exactly a curse or anything, but I tend to find it a little disappointing. Graphic skills with a pencil or pen are still easily as valuable as those with photoshop or the latest 3-D modeler, ESPECIALLY if you are interested in classical architecture styles.

The sleep thing cannot be understated. Where and how you went to HS is irrelevant. The sleep deprivation that goes on in architecture school rivals medical school. The problem is that you get to the end of that and then have to present your projects. Sometimes it just goes ugly that way.

One other thing (urbanlife touched on it). All drawings, sketches and models are sacred and should be kept. Anything. BUT, don't be sentimental about them. You'll have numerous professors that will draw right on top of them (or take pieces away from your models or even break them) during crits. It's kind of horrifying, but you have to get used to it.

The last thing is this: you are never done designing a project. Not in school. Not EVER. If you get your project completed days before your crit, go back and explore specific areas and add new detail or thoughts. I spent 5 years taking pride in always 'finishing' each project and then presenting. But deeming it 'finished' in my head would lock my brain into being unable to think of anything I would do differently or how I would move forward. It's a curse and you get killed in crits for it.

...just some friendly advice...

[Discipulus]

Thanks! Fortunately ND doesn't even start computers until 4th year I think. You guys know of anything else I should be doing right now?

[urbanlife]

Actually a good summer excersize would be to use your are schooling and get yourself a sketchbook and some pencils and whatever else you like to work with and go out and start finding spaces, buildings, and architectural details that you find interesting...or even ones that you don't find interesting and start drawing them.

If you spend your entire summer doing that, it will give you a good start on paying attention to details you never stopped to really pay attention to before. Plus it will help getting your brain prepared to be better aware of your surroundings and giving you a better sense of documenting space.

[Discipulus]

Will do Thanks

[Jasoncw]

Once you get into school you'll be bombarded with information while at the same time having access to even more information through your professors and the library.

The more you learn and the more of a background you develop before going into school, the better position you'll be in to make sense of all of the information that will be dumped on you. You'll have some familiarity and some context to help you make sense of and file away all the things that you encounter.

The point wouldn't be to skip over or brush off the lower level classes, but for example, if you already had a good general understanding of the history of architecture, then you'd be able to pick up on the details better in history class, or you might pick up on interesting connections that you wouldn't have noticed if it was your first time being exposed to that subject.

Learning more about architecture before you get in will also help you understand what it is that you're personally trying to "do". Your professors can't help you do what you want to do if you yourself don't know what you want to do.

I'd also do everything that the others said.

Good luck

[Discipulus]

Thanks! off to the books it is then

[Zerton]

Get an external hard drive and sleep.

[Discipulus]

Thanks Am I going to need to invest in a good camera this early? If I get one, though, I'd want it to last me for a good while outside of school as well; I liked the Nikon D5100 D-SLR if any of you know about these. Thanks again

[urbanlife]

Originally Posted by Discipulus

Thanks Am I going to need to invest in a good camera this early? If I get one, though, I'd want it to last me for a good while outside of school as well; I liked the Nikon D5100 D-SLR if any of you know about these. Thanks again

Don't worry too much about that. As long as you have a camera you enjoy in general, that is plenty good enough. I have been using a great little DSLR that isn't anything special, but has always worked great for my needs. The most important thing is just to document every piece of work you do no matter what. I mean to the point it seems like you have an addiction for taking as many photos of everything you do because when it comes time to putting a portfolio together you will have more than what you need and will be super happy about it. I say this because it is one of the mistakes I didn't do enough of in school and have paid the price with it when it came to drawings and some technical work I have lost over the years that I didn't document.

And personally I have always wished they pushed that even harder in school, like making us submit a working portfolio at the end of each quarter.

[Jasoncw]

Yeah, quarterly portfolios would have been nice.

I also think what would be pretty cool is if for the end of each semester each studio made a book showing everyone's work. It would help everyone learn how to think about designing page layouts as well as designing their presentations to be easily adapted to book form later on. It would also be a nice memento.


But anyway, if you're into photography, or if you have money to burn, get a fancy camera. Otherwise a normal camera would probably do. Once you get into architecture school some of your classmates will fancy cameras and if they're into photography they might even take nice photos of your projects for you.


Another thing to keep in mind for later, is that after you graduate every professor and classmate you ever had becomes a professional contact. If you can make more than the standard student/professor relationship with your professors, aside from the good relationship itself, they'll also be able to hook you up with jobs and write good letters of recommendations for you. The same goes for classmates because it won't be long and they'll be architects themselves, and aside from being friends you can benefit from each other professionally.

[Discipulus]

Been hearing that a lot it seems All I'd currently have is a little $100 digital camera; not great, you get what you pay for. Do you think that'd be okay?

I'm not greatly into photography, and I certainly don't have money to burn, but if there's something that's necessary, then it's necessary, just wondering if this were one

I usually do make good relationships with teachers, often better than with the other students. And I was potentially looking at working or at least interning with professor Stroik who teaches there part time and says he's always looking for talent, so hopefully that'll work out. And I emailed him earlier this year about what I could do to get ahead and he recommended one of the books I use, so I'll go in being acquainted with someone at least.
http://www.stroik.com/


Thanks

[miketoronto]

Please know some architects. I have had to deal with students considering architecture school, and when I ask them who their favourite architect is they are clueless and don't know any architects.
They don't even know that buildings only a block away are designed by some of the most important architects of the 20th century.

So please know stuff

[urbanlife]

The camera isn't that big of a deal. I used a little point and click camera for the first couple of years. Though I have gotten a little bit more into photography, so I stepped up cameras, but it is still an affordable camera, it was under $300 when I got it. The key is just to make sure you take as many pictures of your work as you can and to make sure the images are clean and clear. Everything else can be edited in Photoshop.

I once made a model that kind of sucked...or at least wasn't exactly what I wanted it to be like, and through extensive editing in Photoshop I managed to make the image look exactly like what I wanted, which is all that mattered because that is the only proof I have of that model anymore.

[plinko]

Must be nice. When I went to arch. school digital cameras were pretty much in their infancy. Most professors wanted slides and setups with special tungsten lighting and all kinds of other nonsense. Talk about expensive and annoying.

Then again, I've got some pretty good model photos taken with a $30 Canon point and shoot (the old non-digital variety).

[Discipulus]

Alrighty then, I'll stick with my little camera and take tons of photos. Got my books in yesterday, so I'm looking forward to them, and hopefully can learn a lot

[jetsetter]

Get all pretentious and obsessive about Modernist architecture. Unless you attend a school like University of Notre Dame it will be all Modernism all the time. You will end up producing derivative terribleness and believing Modernism in one form or another is the only acceptable form of architecture to practice today.

[plinko]

Originally Posted by jetsetter

Get all pretentious and obsessive about Modernist architecture. Unless you attend a school like University of Notre Dame it will be all Modernism all the time. You will end up producing derivative terribleness and believing Modernism in one form or another is the only acceptable form of architecture to practice today.

Way to actually read the thread...