don't do it.  get a business degree or an engineering degree.  much more profitable.  you will be able to make money and enjoy your life.  

i say this because i hear nothing about why you want to study architecture.

Here we go again.  Architecture can be a fascinating topic of interest, but as a profession it is usually poor paid, insecure, and often frustrating and demoralizing.  Do your homework on the realities of the profession itself before you start obsessing about how to enter it.

Plenty of people have a romantic view of architecture

Because you are - or you were - constantly fed this view, as an archiecture student. Hopefully the folds of the bag are receding, and the cat is a lot more visible, nowadays.

The disconnect between the views of a student about architecture and the real-world practice of architecture is a bit like someone who attends conservatory to become a pianist, assiduously studies and plays piano during those college years, dreams about concerts, and after graduation, suddenly becomes aware that pianists pick up turnips on some remote farm - "What? you didn't know that this is what pianists actually do?"

I read a recent article where about 40% of recent college graduates would pick another major if they had to do it again. They either come to actively dislike their major or are indifferent to it by the time they graduate. Never underestimate the power of colleges to take any topic and make it soul-deadening.

wait, why is my statement turned around to me Adrian?

I was never fed this while in undergrad or graduate school but I've seen plenty of folks go through 7 years of school without once knowing what to expect, cure the scary music, on the outside... wooooooo.

I thoroughly enjoyed that pianist example.

Non Sequitur,

No it wasn't about you, I should have phrased it better. It was a general statement. Because one is - or was - constantly fed this view etc

a bachelors would be 5 years and a masters would be 2-3. or you could do a bachelors at 4 years and a masters at 2. 

But i have to agree with everyone else who has posted. If i could do it again i would pick a different major. If you are looking for something creative just sign up for some drawing classes and wood work classes at your local CC. People will be impressed with drawing and wood working skills. All architecture school will do is make you a smug critic. 

All architecture school will do is make you a smug critic.  So true.

All these posts are so depressing!! I do agree that you should definitely research what an actual architect does and the reality of the profession. The romanticism of architecture in school can skew many peoples vision on what the profession really is. However if one where to learn just detail drawing and document development in school I fear the monotony that would come with it.  There is plenty of good to come with an architectural degree and if your passion is truly design and the built environment then architecture may be for you. 

However if one where to learn just detail drawing and document development in school I fear the monotony that would come with it

That is 90% of what the profession is.  You are being paid to produce documents to build a building that will meet all the applicable codes and laws, will stand up in a snow storm or wind storm, and will suit the client's needs.  Not much "design" in the aesthetic sense of the word which is what draws most people into the profession.  Most architects spend their careers in obscurity and, yes, monotony.

geezertect, 

I'm aware this is the bulk of the profession, but I was just saying that if architecture school was "90%" detail drawings and learning codes and laws, that would be pretty boring and maybe not produce the same type of graduate as a school that focused more so on design. 

I remember many of  undergraduate studios as pure sky-hook filled theoretical piles of design naivety... but, I also knew that this was not how the professional world was. I took full advantage of both the fluffy fun-filled design and hard building-science opportunities. Damn... that was 15+ years ago. Damn you for making me feel old.

lacair:  OK, it probably does.  Just don't assume that a design oriented education will automatically result in a design oriented career.

Architecture school teaches you what it's like to be an architect in the movies. 

Architecture school teaches you what it's like to be an architect in the movies.

++++++++++++++That's the quote of the year!!

Architecture made me sassy and I can now critique anyone and anything. I now only wear black, I have a awkward haircut, ride a bicycle, live in a megacity, vegan and can now appreciate postmodern art whilst sipping on the best of red wines/craft beer. Don't ever talk about CAD to me cause I will insult your life choices and tell you how amazing I am because I'm not a CAD office monkey but instead a beautiful Gorilla doing what clients wish of me but of course I still do CAD.

Do you want to become me?

Architecture school teaches you what it's like to be an architect in the movies. 

lol to a lot of the responses here. thank you all for allowing me to take a glimpse into what the profession may be in reality.  I can't deny the fact that I was to a certain point romanticizing about the discipline of study. It really fascinated me at first to even imagine designing buildings that have awe-inspired me in the past, and my trip to Barcelona last year also served as a clincher. I am artistic, but thought that it would be better if a job allows me to be practical and artistic at the same time...All in all, it got me thinking of different aspects of the career. And I really appreciate the amusing / interesting feedbacks from you guys ;) 

Does that mean you are gonna change your field of study now?