So, I completed my undergrad in arch. in the Spring of 2006. I have until February to submit my portfolio to certain schools. I have no experience in an office and my portfolio at the moment is not my best work...I am debating on taking another year off - to find a job and just take my time... maybe travel. (o...and study for the GRE because my first score was awful) Anyone in the same boat? Anyone with any thoughts about this? Thanks :)
you enter college most likely coming off of high school, are thrown into this dizzying experience of studio education, and pop out in 4 years on the other side with a degree and trying to figure out what happened. your time off is to figure out what happened, who you are, why you like architecture, why you hate architecture, etc etc etc.
get your app stuff up a bit, TRAVEL!!, head back in another year. getting licensed isn't a race.
If you're having any doubts at all, take the time off. I would always encourage people to take time off anyway, no matter what--I see almost no benefit to stacking intense periods of education one on top of the other. I really think you have to allow your brain time to breathe and grow before dosing it in architectural rigor once more.
I took a semester-long leave of absence during school and when I came back I was refreshed, reinvoragorated, enjoyed what I did much more, and best of all, was way better at designing and retaining concepts than I was before I left.
myriam- love your advice, I am currently in my 3rd year of taking time off and can't wait to go back.
but if i could add one more piece of advice... Uros- get your portfolio together, your application essays filled out, and your GRE re-taken immediately. Don't let important things like that get pushed to the back burner. That way, when the time is right you are ready to go.
defintely take time off, without a doubt. get a job, travel, do whatever. but going to grad school straight from undergrad is a huge mistake in my opinion. getting a job at a firm would be good, you will learn a ton about architecture, get re-focused, mature as a designer and be able to come into grad school with a lot more to offer your peers.
Yea, I'm planning on finishing my portfolio by the end of the month so that I wouldn't have to worry about it later on...but I figured that this is really my last chance that I have to do whatever, because after my MA - it's straight to business...working to pay off the loans...etc.
ya i'm kinda scared of being sucked into the grind cause i got a great job offer that i can't turn down, but i could see myself working there 1-3 years. I dont want to forget about my passion for education, cause I love education and want to teach eventually.
Sorry to hijack this thread, can anyone offer a timeline for recent grads that are going into the workforce and are afraid of the possibility of never going back to school. Right now i plan to stay 1 year while working on my portfolio, but if things go really well I'll stay up to 3. I'm afraid 3 will turn into 5 and 5 will turn into etc...
trust me, eventually you'll want to go to school. don't worry about not wanting to--especially if you enjoy education, you'll want to. and you'll appreciate the break, too.
I'm on my 3rd year of break and am planning to get my license before going back for masters. Probably in a couple more years, depending on money.
out of curiosity, what you been doing the last 6 months?
not working in office, not working on portfolio, not re-taking GRE, and not travelling...at least that is the implication.
my guess is that if you haven't done any of the above in 6 months you probably won't do it with another 6 or more laid before you...so am not sure if you are asking the correct question.
but, forgetting that caveat... absolutely take time off. make your portfolio wicked good, travel, and get a job in an office so you will have some context. sall good.
i took 3.5 years off tween bach and masters degree, travelled, saw the world, got married, built several buildings, etc etc. was def worth it...when i went back to school i knew why i was there and had enough money in the bank to pay for it (i was well paid for those years out of uni)....that last item is no small thingy. meant i could go anywhere i wanted aftre graduatoon and not have to worry about paying off loans in large monthly installments. also meant i just spent enough cash to build a nice house with...but that is a difrent problem altogether...
jump, I've worked on the portfolio and a coiple of projects in the last month - but not in the months preceeding november - so, I know I'll be able to finish it by the end of the year...I'm planning on finishing it ASAP so as not to leave it until the last minute - when I might even be busier.
I am applying for Fall 2007 and when that starts I will have worked at the same firm for 3.5 years. I wouldn't have done it any other way. You really need that break to work in the field and understand the practical applications of what you are doing in school. You will mature as a designer and be able to think about and evaluate why you want to go to grad school. Also its good to see if you even like being an architect. I have friends that work in architecture that I went to undergrad with and now they aren't sure if they really want to be architects. It would be a shame to spend all that money and time on grad school for something that you find out later you don't even like.
Jump - Just curious how you had enough money to travel, get married and then be able to afford grad school working on an architects salary? Teach me your ways!!
I went straight from 5 year undergrad to 1 year post prof. grad school, with three reasons in mind
1. a lot can change in a couple years. studio culture (especially where i'm in school) takes the hours away from life which i might not be able to afford if I have a house/dog/child/family to worry about. I have a hard time putting in 100 hour weeks for three weeks in a row, even without these considerations. I simply wouldn't be able to give it my all if my circumstances were different.
2. I loved my undergraduate experience, and was a bit dissapointed by living vicariously through the work-lives of my intern friends. they toiled, doing uninteresting work for no pay. I know that architecture has a lot of this, and that's a painful realization. my impetus to go straight to grad. school is partly to alleviate the nervousness about being stuck with the uninspiring type of work that the other students from my class were ending up with. So far, i've been introduced to a lot of people who were disenfranchised with the state of proffesion, and have worked hard to change it.
3. my undergraduate school essentially only had one program, so all the grads and undergrads took the same classes, studios, etc.
I wound up knowing too many people who had been out for 4 to 8 years, and had quite literally forgotten how to design. their work was dreadful; even if they knew how to build and draw details, they could not adapt what little they remembered from undergraduate school (usually deeply involved with a different design pedagogy) to academic design.
so there. Who knows if I made the right decision, but i'm still young and am 2/3 the way to my masters, and not (entirely) burnt out on academia.
cpnorris, i had no money for travelling but did it anyway, like most young people used to do...maybe not so common anymore? seen most of canada, USA, mexico, europe, parts of asia...all on the cheap. pretty normal amongst my peers...good dirty living. have to admit i am not inclined to do it no more, but when i was younger spending a night in a park sted of hotel or hostel never bothered me much...
as for money for school, well i went to uni in canada which makes a difference, and when i worked as architect i was in good office in japan where wages were more than enough to live on (including 2 bonuses of about 8K each per year, cuz i worked friggin hard). my wife had same income and we banked a sizeable chunk each month. that would not have been possible in canada. basically, was lucky.
i paid for school by working. as sous-chef and other things for undergrad, and as architect for masters...
my phd is being paid for by the japanese government, an now i am working to save up to finance the purchase of home...kinda slow on that end, but was not interested in owning anything permanent like that til i had kidsa few years ago...
Depends on how old you are. I took time off before going to undergrad, so I chose to go straight through 7 years. No regrets, it was the right decision.
My advice is that if you went straight to college out of hschool, or close to that, take a year off (absolutly no more). If you took time off before going to undergrad or took time deciding what major, etc., then go straight through.
Work will always be there. I think that work can kill some of the creative spirit and it takes time for many to readjust to the studio life (at least that's what I saw). Have fun in school while you can, then get set on readjusting for the real world once school is complete.
uros, i went to the university of manitoba...cuz i was born there, and cuz i actually liked the program after checking out TUNS (now part of dalhousie i think) mcgill, ubc, and a few others. for me a good choice. an for others too. folks i went to school with went to work for starchitects round the world (oma, ito, michael hopkins, etc etc) so we were taught something useful at least, assuming place of employment is an indication of anything.
interesting observation trace. in my school the kids who had worked were more interesting than the ones who went straight through, willing to take more risks in design, and much much more ambitious...may have been age related, however.
Dec 10, 06 11:06 am ·
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Taking time off between undergrad and grad school...
So, I completed my undergrad in arch. in the Spring of 2006. I have until February to submit my portfolio to certain schools. I have no experience in an office and my portfolio at the moment is not my best work...I am debating on taking another year off - to find a job and just take my time... maybe travel. (o...and study for the GRE because my first score was awful) Anyone in the same boat? Anyone with any thoughts about this? Thanks :)
yes, take time off.
you enter college most likely coming off of high school, are thrown into this dizzying experience of studio education, and pop out in 4 years on the other side with a degree and trying to figure out what happened. your time off is to figure out what happened, who you are, why you like architecture, why you hate architecture, etc etc etc.
get your app stuff up a bit, TRAVEL!!, head back in another year. getting licensed isn't a race.
If you're having any doubts at all, take the time off. I would always encourage people to take time off anyway, no matter what--I see almost no benefit to stacking intense periods of education one on top of the other. I really think you have to allow your brain time to breathe and grow before dosing it in architectural rigor once more.
I took a semester-long leave of absence during school and when I came back I was refreshed, reinvoragorated, enjoyed what I did much more, and best of all, was way better at designing and retaining concepts than I was before I left.
myriam- love your advice, I am currently in my 3rd year of taking time off and can't wait to go back.
but if i could add one more piece of advice... Uros- get your portfolio together, your application essays filled out, and your GRE re-taken immediately. Don't let important things like that get pushed to the back burner. That way, when the time is right you are ready to go.
take the time, see the world, work a little, live a little, love a little, then go back to grad school.
take the time, see the world, work a little, live a little, love a little, find something more satisfying than architecture.
Someone needs a hug.
defintely take time off, without a doubt. get a job, travel, do whatever. but going to grad school straight from undergrad is a huge mistake in my opinion. getting a job at a firm would be good, you will learn a ton about architecture, get re-focused, mature as a designer and be able to come into grad school with a lot more to offer your peers.
Yea, I'm planning on finishing my portfolio by the end of the month so that I wouldn't have to worry about it later on...but I figured that this is really my last chance that I have to do whatever, because after my MA - it's straight to business...working to pay off the loans...etc.
be careful though, almost all my friends who planned on taking a year off got sucked into the grind and never returned...
ya i'm kinda scared of being sucked into the grind cause i got a great job offer that i can't turn down, but i could see myself working there 1-3 years. I dont want to forget about my passion for education, cause I love education and want to teach eventually.
Sorry to hijack this thread, can anyone offer a timeline for recent grads that are going into the workforce and are afraid of the possibility of never going back to school. Right now i plan to stay 1 year while working on my portfolio, but if things go really well I'll stay up to 3. I'm afraid 3 will turn into 5 and 5 will turn into etc...
trust me, eventually you'll want to go to school. don't worry about not wanting to--especially if you enjoy education, you'll want to. and you'll appreciate the break, too.
I'm on my 3rd year of break and am planning to get my license before going back for masters. Probably in a couple more years, depending on money.
out of curiosity, what you been doing the last 6 months?
not working in office, not working on portfolio, not re-taking GRE, and not travelling...at least that is the implication.
my guess is that if you haven't done any of the above in 6 months you probably won't do it with another 6 or more laid before you...so am not sure if you are asking the correct question.
but, forgetting that caveat... absolutely take time off. make your portfolio wicked good, travel, and get a job in an office so you will have some context. sall good.
i took 3.5 years off tween bach and masters degree, travelled, saw the world, got married, built several buildings, etc etc. was def worth it...when i went back to school i knew why i was there and had enough money in the bank to pay for it (i was well paid for those years out of uni)....that last item is no small thingy. meant i could go anywhere i wanted aftre graduatoon and not have to worry about paying off loans in large monthly installments. also meant i just spent enough cash to build a nice house with...but that is a difrent problem altogether...
jump, I've worked on the portfolio and a coiple of projects in the last month - but not in the months preceeding november - so, I know I'll be able to finish it by the end of the year...I'm planning on finishing it ASAP so as not to leave it until the last minute - when I might even be busier.
I am applying for Fall 2007 and when that starts I will have worked at the same firm for 3.5 years. I wouldn't have done it any other way. You really need that break to work in the field and understand the practical applications of what you are doing in school. You will mature as a designer and be able to think about and evaluate why you want to go to grad school. Also its good to see if you even like being an architect. I have friends that work in architecture that I went to undergrad with and now they aren't sure if they really want to be architects. It would be a shame to spend all that money and time on grad school for something that you find out later you don't even like.
Jump - Just curious how you had enough money to travel, get married and then be able to afford grad school working on an architects salary? Teach me your ways!!
I went straight from 5 year undergrad to 1 year post prof. grad school, with three reasons in mind
1. a lot can change in a couple years. studio culture (especially where i'm in school) takes the hours away from life which i might not be able to afford if I have a house/dog/child/family to worry about. I have a hard time putting in 100 hour weeks for three weeks in a row, even without these considerations. I simply wouldn't be able to give it my all if my circumstances were different.
2. I loved my undergraduate experience, and was a bit dissapointed by living vicariously through the work-lives of my intern friends. they toiled, doing uninteresting work for no pay. I know that architecture has a lot of this, and that's a painful realization. my impetus to go straight to grad. school is partly to alleviate the nervousness about being stuck with the uninspiring type of work that the other students from my class were ending up with. So far, i've been introduced to a lot of people who were disenfranchised with the state of proffesion, and have worked hard to change it.
3. my undergraduate school essentially only had one program, so all the grads and undergrads took the same classes, studios, etc.
I wound up knowing too many people who had been out for 4 to 8 years, and had quite literally forgotten how to design. their work was dreadful; even if they knew how to build and draw details, they could not adapt what little they remembered from undergraduate school (usually deeply involved with a different design pedagogy) to academic design.
so there. Who knows if I made the right decision, but i'm still young and am 2/3 the way to my masters, and not (entirely) burnt out on academia.
cpnorris, i had no money for travelling but did it anyway, like most young people used to do...maybe not so common anymore? seen most of canada, USA, mexico, europe, parts of asia...all on the cheap. pretty normal amongst my peers...good dirty living. have to admit i am not inclined to do it no more, but when i was younger spending a night in a park sted of hotel or hostel never bothered me much...
as for money for school, well i went to uni in canada which makes a difference, and when i worked as architect i was in good office in japan where wages were more than enough to live on (including 2 bonuses of about 8K each per year, cuz i worked friggin hard). my wife had same income and we banked a sizeable chunk each month. that would not have been possible in canada. basically, was lucky.
so are you in debt, jump?
no. no debt to speak of.
i paid for school by working. as sous-chef and other things for undergrad, and as architect for masters...
my phd is being paid for by the japanese government, an now i am working to save up to finance the purchase of home...kinda slow on that end, but was not interested in owning anything permanent like that til i had kidsa few years ago...
Jump...which university in Canada did you go to? I will be applying eventually to McGill...
Depends on how old you are. I took time off before going to undergrad, so I chose to go straight through 7 years. No regrets, it was the right decision.
My advice is that if you went straight to college out of hschool, or close to that, take a year off (absolutly no more). If you took time off before going to undergrad or took time deciding what major, etc., then go straight through.
Work will always be there. I think that work can kill some of the creative spirit and it takes time for many to readjust to the studio life (at least that's what I saw). Have fun in school while you can, then get set on readjusting for the real world once school is complete.
uros, i went to the university of manitoba...cuz i was born there, and cuz i actually liked the program after checking out TUNS (now part of dalhousie i think) mcgill, ubc, and a few others. for me a good choice. an for others too. folks i went to school with went to work for starchitects round the world (oma, ito, michael hopkins, etc etc) so we were taught something useful at least, assuming place of employment is an indication of anything.
interesting observation trace. in my school the kids who had worked were more interesting than the ones who went straight through, willing to take more risks in design, and much much more ambitious...may have been age related, however.
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