Some of you may know me from other discussions on rating the schools.
I turn to the collective experience of Archinect in asking about the latecomer to architecture school, say someone beginning study in their mid-20s or beyond.
In my own Australia, perhaps 95% of students start architecture school straight after high school. I suspect the same applies to NZ, the RSA, Canada, the UK and India. The few who arrive from other avenues seem to have a tough time of it.
The USA has more diverse models. I'm wondering how those who commence a MArch after a stint elsewhere find their education.
In the first architectural studio I ever had our teacher told us your not an architect till you 40. At university i think the mediam age of students was around 28 or so. In my thesis class I was the youngest at 22 and the oldest person was 47. I think there is a certain amount of life experiance that you need to design, you just pick up what works and how people behave. Look at all the sucessful architects that had previos careers before bocoming sucessful architects.
Speaking from the instructor's side, not the student's, I have found that returning students tend to come in two flavors- those that left school at a relatively young age, took a few years off, and came back. The others completed their degree, got a job, started a family and decided that they wanted to get an architecture degree. For the former, the transition is fairly easy, as they are still relatively close in age to most of the class. The latter have a much more difficult go at it. Being stuck in a studio with a bunch of 20-year-olds until the wee hours can be.... well it's not easy. One of the big factors is stamina. It just takes a lot of energy to get through an architecture program, and older students tend to have a lot of responsibilities that the younger students don't- kids, mortgages, even businesses they are trying to run.
Again, speaking as a person who has taught design studios in the past, returning students can be difficult to have in studio. One of the difficulties in teaching the beginning design studios is trying to "deprogram" students who (because of the education system, IMO) believe that everything has a right or wrong answer. They have spent their educational career being tested and evaluated, and being thrust into a program where two different professors can have completely different opinions of their work can be frustrating, to say the least. This can be doubly so for older students with degrees in more traditional fields.
From the perspective of someone who studied architecture in my early 20's and watched the older students - early 30's - I would say the older students tended to be more focused and determined.
They came back to college with one reason - getting that degree. The rest of us were kids away from home for the first time. Sure, we all worked hard, but the extra stamina of youth that adso speaks of was wasted on keg parties and college partying.
If anything I'd say the older students are better student designers. With age comes something. Call it experience, perspective, what have you. Not that younger students aren't ready for architecture school, but I believe older students have some advantage with age.
I'm 24 and will be starting my first year this fall. I met some of my classmates and there were two guys aged 35 and a woman in her 40's. So its never too late to start. If you love architecture, you'll succeed.
i started last summer at 34. it's a little weird hanging with youngsters all day every day, but that said, the other baddest mf'er in my last 2 studios has been a 19 y/o kid. i enjoy the shit out of his company regardless of his age because he is dedicated. there's one other gal in our first year who is older than me. i think the older folks have an advantage in experiences soaked in so far and seem more solid on the design end of things than the youngsters, but i agree we have to unlearn more than they do. pulling long-/all-nighters for weeks is tougher on an old body too... but i'm having a great time so far. phillip johnson started when he was 34.
I started when I was 16 while my classmates were between 2 and 30 years older, growing up as a person and professional was painful during most of my studies. My older mates were more experienced, had more skills and in fact had better grades in design class. Now that I'm 25, I'm more focused in what I like of this career and I'm more open to learn and understand it all than when I was in college and I would like to study related careers, so it's never too late if you love it.
In my case I think it was the people who were 24-28 when they started studying that have been the ones most likely to hit it off big, pretty much from start to finish (I was 25 myself, but I haven't included myself in this observation).
Of the ones who got into architecture school right after high school I think 60% atleast have dropped out over the years, but the ones that stayed are pretty ok overall, altho I see some tendencies of slight copycat-ism, whereas the 24-28 y.o's often have a more thought-through personal style to their work.
The older students (say 33+ or so) have had a more pragmatic and somewhat less artistic approach to architecture, but in general they're the age group that have shown the best motivation and focus next to the 24-28 y.o's..
So in conclusion i think one SHOULD wait a few years after high-school before going to architecture school.
I started my M.arch at 50 - at this remove - was it a good idea? better than the alternative(forced retirement(age 55) from the videogame company I was at) and I took my video game design skills and incorporated that into architecture - I had a related background - If you do not - that's the problem - Age 25, no problem
I think I'm starting to get why you are such a negative Nancy. This profession can't be fun for an older gent facing the amount of volatility you've had with layoffs and whatnot.
I started school at 22. Best decision I ever made. I was WAY more focused and then when I graduated at 27 I went into the workforce and accelerated quickly as I could manage clients in ways that a 22 year old could not. My only regret is not focusing on my exams before having a kid a few years after graduating.
Starting architecture school after the age of 25
Some of you may know me from other discussions on rating the schools.
I turn to the collective experience of Archinect in asking about the latecomer to architecture school, say someone beginning study in their mid-20s or beyond.
In my own Australia, perhaps 95% of students start architecture school straight after high school. I suspect the same applies to NZ, the RSA, Canada, the UK and India. The few who arrive from other avenues seem to have a tough time of it.
The USA has more diverse models. I'm wondering how those who commence a MArch after a stint elsewhere find their education.
Dr Garry
25 is young. If you were 55, then I'd think twice, but still not advise against it (well, maybe for health reasons!).
Louis Kahn built his first bldg. at 50... We still have hope
In the first architectural studio I ever had our teacher told us your not an architect till you 40. At university i think the mediam age of students was around 28 or so. In my thesis class I was the youngest at 22 and the oldest person was 47. I think there is a certain amount of life experiance that you need to design, you just pick up what works and how people behave. Look at all the sucessful architects that had previos careers before bocoming sucessful architects.
Philip Johnson was 40 something when he started his MArch.
Speaking from the instructor's side, not the student's, I have found that returning students tend to come in two flavors- those that left school at a relatively young age, took a few years off, and came back. The others completed their degree, got a job, started a family and decided that they wanted to get an architecture degree. For the former, the transition is fairly easy, as they are still relatively close in age to most of the class. The latter have a much more difficult go at it. Being stuck in a studio with a bunch of 20-year-olds until the wee hours can be.... well it's not easy. One of the big factors is stamina. It just takes a lot of energy to get through an architecture program, and older students tend to have a lot of responsibilities that the younger students don't- kids, mortgages, even businesses they are trying to run.
Again, speaking as a person who has taught design studios in the past, returning students can be difficult to have in studio. One of the difficulties in teaching the beginning design studios is trying to "deprogram" students who (because of the education system, IMO) believe that everything has a right or wrong answer. They have spent their educational career being tested and evaluated, and being thrust into a program where two different professors can have completely different opinions of their work can be frustrating, to say the least. This can be doubly so for older students with degrees in more traditional fields.
From the perspective of someone who studied architecture in my early 20's and watched the older students - early 30's - I would say the older students tended to be more focused and determined.
They came back to college with one reason - getting that degree. The rest of us were kids away from home for the first time. Sure, we all worked hard, but the extra stamina of youth that adso speaks of was wasted on keg parties and college partying.
If anything I'd say the older students are better student designers. With age comes something. Call it experience, perspective, what have you. Not that younger students aren't ready for architecture school, but I believe older students have some advantage with age.
I'm 24 and will be starting my first year this fall. I met some of my classmates and there were two guys aged 35 and a woman in her 40's. So its never too late to start. If you love architecture, you'll succeed.
i started last summer at 34. it's a little weird hanging with youngsters all day every day, but that said, the other baddest mf'er in my last 2 studios has been a 19 y/o kid. i enjoy the shit out of his company regardless of his age because he is dedicated. there's one other gal in our first year who is older than me. i think the older folks have an advantage in experiences soaked in so far and seem more solid on the design end of things than the youngsters, but i agree we have to unlearn more than they do. pulling long-/all-nighters for weeks is tougher on an old body too... but i'm having a great time so far. phillip johnson started when he was 34.
Half my students were older than me last year (it is montana) -- 25 is fine!
I started when I was 16 while my classmates were between 2 and 30 years older, growing up as a person and professional was painful during most of my studies. My older mates were more experienced, had more skills and in fact had better grades in design class. Now that I'm 25, I'm more focused in what I like of this career and I'm more open to learn and understand it all than when I was in college and I would like to study related careers, so it's never too late if you love it.
In my case I think it was the people who were 24-28 when they started studying that have been the ones most likely to hit it off big, pretty much from start to finish (I was 25 myself, but I haven't included myself in this observation).
Of the ones who got into architecture school right after high school I think 60% atleast have dropped out over the years, but the ones that stayed are pretty ok overall, altho I see some tendencies of slight copycat-ism, whereas the 24-28 y.o's often have a more thought-through personal style to their work.
The older students (say 33+ or so) have had a more pragmatic and somewhat less artistic approach to architecture, but in general they're the age group that have shown the best motivation and focus next to the 24-28 y.o's..
So in conclusion i think one SHOULD wait a few years after high-school before going to architecture school.
^12 year old thread bud.
I was 25 when I started at Tulane. I'm doing pretty ok for myself.
I started my M.arch at 50 - at this remove - was it a good idea? better than the alternative(forced retirement(age 55) from the videogame company I was at) and I took my video game design skills and incorporated that into architecture - I had a related background - If you do not - that's the problem - Age 25, no problem
I think I'm starting to get why you are such a negative Nancy. This profession can't be fun for an older gent facing the amount of volatility you've had with layoffs and whatnot.
It's funny how wrong I am about other users ages.
I went back for my M.Arch at 27. I'm so glad I did it then and not at 22. I would have been a terrible grad student.
with a new recession all but certain - I would do something else
The trenches will change yah...lol
Without Dodd-Frank I'd say the odds just jumped massively.
I started school at 22. Best decision I ever made. I was WAY more focused and then when I graduated at 27 I went into the workforce and accelerated quickly as I could manage clients in ways that a 22 year old could not. My only regret is not focusing on my exams before having a kid a few years after graduating.
Recession? What are you talkin' bout Willis; we're going to war.
can an architect firm be retooled to build bombs the way manufacturing facilities were retooled back in the day?
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