Ok im sure this is such an old topic but Im in second year undergrad and Im soo lost!! well it just feels that way... there are about 65 ppl in my studio and i somehow ended up with a C + as my studio grade for the semester when there are people who had much worse projects and didn't do anything all semester while i busted my as* and got b's. Obviously I am not happy about this no one would be, basically that is failing, to me. The problem is I dont know what I am doing wrong or else I would change it, and I have not gotten any real feedback from my professors in specific ways I can improve. Did anyone else who is still in architecture feel this way second year? Got any suggestions on ways to improve myself. Particularly with creating strong concepts and being able to carry them throughout your project. Or was there anything you worked on, on your own that helped you be more confident in studio?
Also, I had to learn Form Z and I hate it, I am going back to CAD, I am going to learn 3d CAD over break, what is the best program to do renderings with ? export to Form Z? Sketch Up? or I saw on the AutoDesk website VIZ and Maya ?
Oh yeah. I was right where you are in my 2nd year.
I found that I was almost trying *too* hard. I'd either be putting so much thought into projects that the concept was too complex to convey to tutors, or I would end up spending a disproportionate amount of time on presentation to address the balance.
Either way, I felt the same then - that other people's projects were weak and I was just misunderstood. But I soon came to learn that in their minds they had an awesome project too - they just didn't have enough to allow me to grasp their project and, more importantly, they couldn't grasp mine either for the same reason. Remember - the project is always a hundred time better in your head than it is on the boards. It's all about conveying the idea to others. Sell it.
With that said, another point I missed throughout second year was to keep it simple. The simplest concepts can often be the most potent. What makes a good conceptual response to a brief (IMO) is one that is placed perfectly to address the project at hand but doesn't start twisting around the nitty-gritty. If it works, the nitty-gritty will usually solve itself to a degree - if you start making it too complex it's almost impossible to understand.
And yeah, Form Z is a bit crap at first, but once you get used to it it's pretty easy to knock up a model then export to 3dsm for textures and lighting.
Go back to the teacher that gave you the C+. Ask him why- not in a general way, but have him take you through step by step what got your grade there. Listen. ahem.... LISTEN. Do not attempt to defend yourself to the professor at all. Just take the criticism. It may hurt, but take it, go over it, and genuinely ask yourself, "Is that true? Did I put all of the effort into (xyz) that I should have? Did I throw out a good idea for a stupid reason?" etc. And keep asking yourself until you can stop being angry when you think those words, because up until then you haven't been giving honest answers.
I've never seen a C that wasn't the student's fault. Things in the B range, arguable, but once you get to C level, the professor has put some real thought into the grade. You didn't default to a C+, you did something to make your professor think you were worthy of that C+. Doesn't mean an unwarranted C is inconcievable, but if we're talking odds here, this is on you, and the best advice you can get will come from a professor who's seen your work on a daily basis for a length of time. If you approach your prof sincerely, without defensiveness or accusation, and he/she is not forthcoming, then try someone from studio whom you trust to be fair-minded.
i got a C in studio once in undegrad. it was my 3rd year. i was upset with my C because there was another student in the class that did totally mediocre work and got an A. (afterwards I found out she was sleeping with the instructor, but that's besides the point).
Looking back, I think its silly how much i stressed over that C. looking back on the work 5 years later...it wasn't that good, plain and simple. the work was too safe, which i attribute to also working that semester at a job doing CAD work for wharehouses and distibution centers, which you can imagine, was pretty uninspiring.
nevertheless, i bounced back, kicked butt through the rest of my undergrad career, and now i am in grad school and doing pretty well. I attribute the upswing to applying the same work ethic that got me the C, but taking more risks and questioning myself.
with most comments, I agree; however rationalist has undoubtedly hit the proverbial nail on the head.
CandiceE....don't focus on the negative. DO approach your instructor as rationalist said. This is what I would have done too....but also take what you have learned from this episode, harness it and understand (once you speak to the professor) it, and use it to your advantage next term. Things such as this only serve to inspire you to do better, because it either makes you mad enough to want to change things and prove those wrong who might not have seen your "vision". Do ask loads of questions, and be open to all forms of criticism, I know it may be hard, as rationalist said, but once you accept it, it will help u.
I can't say I have added anything new to this discussion, other than reflecting what others have expressed. The most important thing I would say is that you can't give up and allow this to consume you and ruin your christmas break. Take it all in stride and do try to absorb.
As for software....I say this, if you can get your hands on Rhino, it's quite intuitive and you can def. create 3d in cad and easily transfer it to Rhino (as it utilizes the same file extensions w/o any exporting or importing necessary). If you have a render engine for rhino - like maxwell or some others, then even better. Otherwise there is always doing the 3d cad to Viz, or 3d studio max!
If it makes you feel any better...I don't think that there's ever been a 2nd year student that hasn't been lost. I don't think that there's ever been a 5th year student that hasn't been lost. I've been working for 2.5 years after a 5 year undergrad program. I remember what 2nd year feels like, so I'd be happy to extend some advice to anyone that's still an undergrad.
First off - don't sweat your grades too much. Focus on learning what makes a project "good." At my school, a lot of the 1st, 2nd, & 3rd year students developed narratives at the beginning of their project about what the identity or theme of their project would be...often overly abstract...and often reaching to turn a building into something more than it can be. You can do a really solid project by simply analyzing the situation and providing what the project calls for - but you have to add something that shows that you have come up with a sensative & thoroughly considered solution in order for it to be good.
So what makes a good project? At the most basic level of design - (which is all that you are really trying to master in 2nd & 3rd year) - they key is to come up with an overall concept for your project at the beginning - and then design a space,structure, project - that responds to that concept. Sort of like a good argumentative English paper! The first paragraph would explain the situation or concept that you are about to argue for, and the remaining body would be the support for your argument. The concept is only the first paragraph - and your design is the body of work that supports it.
Figuring out a concept can be pretty intimidating at first. Especially when you are in a competitive atmosphere. Block all that b.s. out. I recommend writing a page or two - about all of the things that you know are true about your project. What the function is. Why someone would go there. What you would feel going there. What has been done in the past? What was good about those solutions? What could be better? What is the building context? What is appropriate? What is inappropriate? Any time you can graphically illustrate these ideas with either a collage, or diagram the better - BUT MAKE IT SO THAT A 4TH GRADER COULD UNDERSTAND YOUR DIAGRAMS....DON'T LEAVE IT OPEN TO ABSTRACT OPINION OR YOUR ARGUMENT WON'T BE ABLE TO STAND UP ON IT's OWN!!!! Also - don't try to make anything that looks like architecture yet.
After you explore those things, come up with a sentence that says, my building should do a), b), & c). All of this should be your goal in the first week of the project. That probably sounds scary, but with more and more experience, it won't be. Once you have a solid concept, you can begin drawing architecture - and deciding whether your architectural design (predicate) agrees with your concept (subject).
The other thing that is really critical in architectural education is developing a "design vocabulary." Concepts such as public vs private space, expression of materials & methods, procession/heirarchy of experience vs volumes of space - take a while to grasp. Talk to the other people in your studio about these things, and you'll start to see that they agree with some of the things that you might think are just crazy instincts or ideas. And if they look at you as if you have a cow on your head...chances are that your reasoning might be flawed, so rethink it.
The last thing that I would recommend, and keep in mind, this is one of the world's top 10 architects offices that compiled this, but the concept book behind the Seattle Public library explains the methodology that OMA used for their design. http://www.spl.org/lfa/central/oma/OMAbook1299/page2.htm
DO NOT TRY TO DO ANYTHING THAT HAS TO DO WITH "THE NEEDS OF SOCIETY" WHILE YOU ARE IN COLLEGE!!!!!! Critics won't buy it...
My very last piece of advice is to get enough sleep, nutrition, exercise, & time away from studio/architecture students during the course of the semester. Own your own soul, and if you feel like all of the work isn't really worth it....it probably isn't. It takes more guts to get out than it does to stay in....
Boy, I wish I'd had archinect when *I* was in 2nd year!
I agree with all of the above. Just wanted to add--if you do go talk to your teacher (which you should)( and of course only do it after you have had a lot of sleep), and you *still* feel like you're not understanding what he/she is saying--it feels like it's all over your head--you feel like maybe he/she is speaking too vaguely or perhaps like you are both discussing different projects--there is a chance that you could have simply fallen across a professor with whom you simply don't communicate well. Not all teachers are good communicators and you also, as a student, won't always be in a place where you are communicating well with every type of person/teacher or understanding clearly what people are telling you. Don't beat yourself over the head trying to figure it out. Give it a couple shots--talk to some of the profs who were at your crit, if there's one that you think spoke clearly in a way you could understand--and talk to your fellow students, only one or two, perhaps the top kids whose work you respect and understand.
And then, move on. Try to learn what you can and move on. You may have just had a bad project, a bad semester. Doesn't mean you are a bad designer. Everyone has a bad project--and I mean everyone. Even le Corbusier! You may not even be able to assimilate and understand the experience until years from now. You will learn from it eventually--but don't stress too much over trying to figure it all out now. Focus more on understanding your strengths, and take it project by project. Get some rest, and next semester, don't lose hope--just focus on your next semester project and put this one behind you.
My last piece of advice is the same I give to all undergrad B.Arch majors: if you can, STUDY ABROAD as soon as you can. (4th year is good.) Getting away from the school environment for just a bit helps enormously with helping you to focus on your own inner design sense and to help you build confidence in yourself. You will come back a better designer.
every grade i ever got - ever - i always believed i deserved, even the ones i failed. this was after a little bit of retrospection, because everyone thinks after the grade has been received, well i did better than so and so, and when i considered it i said so what and asked did i do better than myself and the answer was always no, i could do better. think about it this way, the people that get grades they really shouldn't because their work sucks, are the ones that the grades matter to more, the ones who's ego demands good grades and does not care about process and becoming. the people that get grades that they don't like and feel they deserve better are those that work harder, have more to say, and are those who's professors believe they have more to say, but are not saying it. consider this your wake up call, either hit bricks or hit the books. this is the hard part of the hill, the others are already coasting on the downside.
you've gotten a lot of good advice here. read it a couple of times over because you're bound to miss some of it.
then don't read it anymore because you might start to obsess. talk to your instructor, as others have said. reflect on how you feel about your performance relative to what you learn from your instructor. then, unless your instructor tells you very specific technical deficiencies which can be addressed (e.g., you don't draw well), don't think about it until next term. relax over the break and remind yourself who you are and why you're interested in architecture.
then, when you get back next term, begin to seek out an instructor at the school with whom you seem to have an affinity. who's pursuing things in which you're interested? who's doing work which registers with you/rings your bells? try to enter into a sort of mentor relationship with that person, even if they're not someon with whom you have direct class-time connection. most instructors have office hours during which they're available. if you find a good mentor (it may not be the first person you pick), that person can almost serve as your sponsor, your own personal critic, an extra voice beyond that of your studio instructor, and your translator when you don't understand what you're being told.
most students i've seen really excel have someone like this on their side.
I' am in second year as well but I have'nt looked at my grade yet and I dont think I' am going to check either. My first year instructor pounded in us that we do not need to worry about grades. So I never really checked. The only way I found out is when I got the envelope in the mail. It took a lot of my shoulders by not worrying about the grade. It made me focus on my project rather than the end result (the grade). I found that those who were really focusing on getting the good grade were putting tons of work out with little to no thoughts in their projects. My advice would be to cruise, focus on truly trying to understand the basics. I'am still trying and I dont think I will ever get there but its uplifting to know that I'am improving with each step. Read Simon Unwin's Analyzing Architectecture. It'a a good book to learning the basics of basics.
do you feel you've made significant improvement? learned a ton? do your peers look up to you?
i think the best advice i can give to any arch. student, is to piss off your teachers on the first day... then they will look for every chance they get to point out your mistakes, things you could have done better, insult your work, etc. then it's your responsibility to filter it out, take the pieces of info you want, and make yourself better.
criticism is one of the most important parts of architecture, grades...not so much. (it was almost impossible to fail a studio at iit, but you knew who was a slackin bitch, who was an overachiever, who was the king of bullshit, who sucked up to everyone, you knew who was a respectable student with independant ideas, etc...) so, rank yourself, and be determined to get better...
isn't arch school about trying to find an independant "voice"? not everyone is going to like what you do...
(btw, i was the king of bullshit)
(oh, except if your school has one of those tests that determines whether or not you can continue in your major, than fight for that grade and suck up like a little citag until that process is over...)
I don't think grades are meaningless, but you do have to keep everything in focus.
I worked my ass off for the first year and a half and just couldn't 'get it'. I did fairly well as far as grades were concerned, but I could see my projects were inferior to the best. I struggled.
Then, at the end of second year, I learned how to 'learn'. I studied my peers work (the ones that I liked, that everyone liked), studied hard. I went to the library daily, flipping through old Arch Records, books, etc., photo copying (now we've got easy access, of course), and I studied why I liked certain projects, which ones were respected and won awards, etc.
I continued to learn how to learn by studying those that were better than me. I cannot emphasize how crucial it is, in any design field, to truly understand and appreciate, to truly study, those that are great, particularly those that inspire you. Too many, so many, students and professionals disregard this and assume they can just figure it all out themselves.
Think about music. A musician must learn a billion basics, from chords to progressions to songs, before they can write their own pieces. And even then they might not 'have it'.
Do not try to understand the 'building', try to get a grasp on the process. Looking at other's process and sketch models, diagrams, etc., are extremely helpful. Try to find as many abstract models and diagrams and learn about them (this could be books, but ideally it'll be other student's work, probably those ahead of you in school).
Advice to any arch student: Study and learn. Study the projects that the jury loves or the prof loves, learn why they love it, learn to objectively, as best you can, agree or disagree.
You must learn to critique your own work to get better. The best way to do this is to learn why certain designs are good. Once you do that, you can start to incorporate ideas you like and then critique your own design, refine, redo, reimplement. This is the process and it is an essential part of architecture.
Another thing I've realized just recently while looking over my old student portfolio is that I really wasted a lot of time thinking through really fun and great details in my projects... and totally wasted time on developing them and not bringing together a cohesive building with a cohesive set of drawings to explain it. Now that I've been in the workforce awhile I can see that honestly I should have just said "I'll leave those details out for now, or mention them in passing in my crit" and realized that I wasn't going to be able to design a complete, perfect building for every semester. I should have focused more simply making a strong, easily graspable basic building, and then added in the details after that as time allowed. In case you have the same problem (a lot of us who didn't quite finish everything we wanted to by the end of the semester did): remember, you don't have to do a complete building design every semester. Focus on the essentials only at the beginning. *Then* you can add cool extras.
hi Candice,
I'm in my second yr too and was in a similar situation a month ago, when I made a similar post out here, asking for advice on how to push/develop my idea. I was totally lost and felt that perhaps architecture wasn't for me. But I just finished my last project, and I think I may have nailed it. I had a very inspiring final crit, got many comments from my profs and ta's who said how most of them loved my design while grading them. I'm not trying to toot my horn here, but just want you to know that with persistence and hard work, you'll be a good designer. A month ago, I was just designing boxes, but I've come a long way from where I was in only a month. I read a lot of books, took note of all advice I got out here and from my profs. They all seemed to come togethar in the end. I know I still have lots to learn, but it just show that with persistence you will get better.
Be honest with yourself. Don't expect a good mark just because you put in more time than your class-mates. Honestly ask yourself if your design is really good enough for an A+, or where do you need improvements and keep working on it. Question yourself and try to figure out where you're having problems in the design process.
Just hang in there, be persistent. With experience you'll get better. Most importantly read, read, and read about architects that interest you and bite down on their plans/design etc
Dec 21, 06 3:07 pm ·
·
Block this user
Are you sure you want to block this user and hide all related comments throughout the site?
Archinect
This is your first comment on Archinect. Your comment will be visible once approved.
Give me some 2nd year inspiration
Ok im sure this is such an old topic but Im in second year undergrad and Im soo lost!! well it just feels that way... there are about 65 ppl in my studio and i somehow ended up with a C + as my studio grade for the semester when there are people who had much worse projects and didn't do anything all semester while i busted my as* and got b's. Obviously I am not happy about this no one would be, basically that is failing, to me. The problem is I dont know what I am doing wrong or else I would change it, and I have not gotten any real feedback from my professors in specific ways I can improve. Did anyone else who is still in architecture feel this way second year? Got any suggestions on ways to improve myself. Particularly with creating strong concepts and being able to carry them throughout your project. Or was there anything you worked on, on your own that helped you be more confident in studio?
Also, I had to learn Form Z and I hate it, I am going back to CAD, I am going to learn 3d CAD over break, what is the best program to do renderings with ? export to Form Z? Sketch Up? or I saw on the AutoDesk website VIZ and Maya ?
Oh yeah. I was right where you are in my 2nd year.
I found that I was almost trying *too* hard. I'd either be putting so much thought into projects that the concept was too complex to convey to tutors, or I would end up spending a disproportionate amount of time on presentation to address the balance.
Either way, I felt the same then - that other people's projects were weak and I was just misunderstood. But I soon came to learn that in their minds they had an awesome project too - they just didn't have enough to allow me to grasp their project and, more importantly, they couldn't grasp mine either for the same reason. Remember - the project is always a hundred time better in your head than it is on the boards. It's all about conveying the idea to others. Sell it.
With that said, another point I missed throughout second year was to keep it simple. The simplest concepts can often be the most potent. What makes a good conceptual response to a brief (IMO) is one that is placed perfectly to address the project at hand but doesn't start twisting around the nitty-gritty. If it works, the nitty-gritty will usually solve itself to a degree - if you start making it too complex it's almost impossible to understand.
And yeah, Form Z is a bit crap at first, but once you get used to it it's pretty easy to knock up a model then export to 3dsm for textures and lighting.
Hope some of this helps.
Go back to the teacher that gave you the C+. Ask him why- not in a general way, but have him take you through step by step what got your grade there. Listen. ahem.... LISTEN. Do not attempt to defend yourself to the professor at all. Just take the criticism. It may hurt, but take it, go over it, and genuinely ask yourself, "Is that true? Did I put all of the effort into (xyz) that I should have? Did I throw out a good idea for a stupid reason?" etc. And keep asking yourself until you can stop being angry when you think those words, because up until then you haven't been giving honest answers.
I've never seen a C that wasn't the student's fault. Things in the B range, arguable, but once you get to C level, the professor has put some real thought into the grade. You didn't default to a C+, you did something to make your professor think you were worthy of that C+. Doesn't mean an unwarranted C is inconcievable, but if we're talking odds here, this is on you, and the best advice you can get will come from a professor who's seen your work on a daily basis for a length of time. If you approach your prof sincerely, without defensiveness or accusation, and he/she is not forthcoming, then try someone from studio whom you trust to be fair-minded.
i got a C in studio once in undegrad. it was my 3rd year. i was upset with my C because there was another student in the class that did totally mediocre work and got an A. (afterwards I found out she was sleeping with the instructor, but that's besides the point).
Looking back, I think its silly how much i stressed over that C. looking back on the work 5 years later...it wasn't that good, plain and simple. the work was too safe, which i attribute to also working that semester at a job doing CAD work for wharehouses and distibution centers, which you can imagine, was pretty uninspiring.
nevertheless, i bounced back, kicked butt through the rest of my undergrad career, and now i am in grad school and doing pretty well. I attribute the upswing to applying the same work ethic that got me the C, but taking more risks and questioning myself.
who knows. maybe this C is good for you.
very true dot
"An expert is a person who has made all the mistakes that can be made in a very narrow field." - Niels Bohr
with most comments, I agree; however rationalist has undoubtedly hit the proverbial nail on the head.
CandiceE....don't focus on the negative. DO approach your instructor as rationalist said. This is what I would have done too....but also take what you have learned from this episode, harness it and understand (once you speak to the professor) it, and use it to your advantage next term. Things such as this only serve to inspire you to do better, because it either makes you mad enough to want to change things and prove those wrong who might not have seen your "vision". Do ask loads of questions, and be open to all forms of criticism, I know it may be hard, as rationalist said, but once you accept it, it will help u.
I can't say I have added anything new to this discussion, other than reflecting what others have expressed. The most important thing I would say is that you can't give up and allow this to consume you and ruin your christmas break. Take it all in stride and do try to absorb.
As for software....I say this, if you can get your hands on Rhino, it's quite intuitive and you can def. create 3d in cad and easily transfer it to Rhino (as it utilizes the same file extensions w/o any exporting or importing necessary). If you have a render engine for rhino - like maxwell or some others, then even better. Otherwise there is always doing the 3d cad to Viz, or 3d studio max!
best of luck, and do not let things get you down!
If it makes you feel any better...I don't think that there's ever been a 2nd year student that hasn't been lost. I don't think that there's ever been a 5th year student that hasn't been lost. I've been working for 2.5 years after a 5 year undergrad program. I remember what 2nd year feels like, so I'd be happy to extend some advice to anyone that's still an undergrad.
First off - don't sweat your grades too much. Focus on learning what makes a project "good." At my school, a lot of the 1st, 2nd, & 3rd year students developed narratives at the beginning of their project about what the identity or theme of their project would be...often overly abstract...and often reaching to turn a building into something more than it can be. You can do a really solid project by simply analyzing the situation and providing what the project calls for - but you have to add something that shows that you have come up with a sensative & thoroughly considered solution in order for it to be good.
So what makes a good project? At the most basic level of design - (which is all that you are really trying to master in 2nd & 3rd year) - they key is to come up with an overall concept for your project at the beginning - and then design a space,structure, project - that responds to that concept. Sort of like a good argumentative English paper! The first paragraph would explain the situation or concept that you are about to argue for, and the remaining body would be the support for your argument. The concept is only the first paragraph - and your design is the body of work that supports it.
Figuring out a concept can be pretty intimidating at first. Especially when you are in a competitive atmosphere. Block all that b.s. out. I recommend writing a page or two - about all of the things that you know are true about your project. What the function is. Why someone would go there. What you would feel going there. What has been done in the past? What was good about those solutions? What could be better? What is the building context? What is appropriate? What is inappropriate? Any time you can graphically illustrate these ideas with either a collage, or diagram the better - BUT MAKE IT SO THAT A 4TH GRADER COULD UNDERSTAND YOUR DIAGRAMS....DON'T LEAVE IT OPEN TO ABSTRACT OPINION OR YOUR ARGUMENT WON'T BE ABLE TO STAND UP ON IT's OWN!!!! Also - don't try to make anything that looks like architecture yet.
After you explore those things, come up with a sentence that says, my building should do a), b), & c). All of this should be your goal in the first week of the project. That probably sounds scary, but with more and more experience, it won't be. Once you have a solid concept, you can begin drawing architecture - and deciding whether your architectural design (predicate) agrees with your concept (subject).
The other thing that is really critical in architectural education is developing a "design vocabulary." Concepts such as public vs private space, expression of materials & methods, procession/heirarchy of experience vs volumes of space - take a while to grasp. Talk to the other people in your studio about these things, and you'll start to see that they agree with some of the things that you might think are just crazy instincts or ideas. And if they look at you as if you have a cow on your head...chances are that your reasoning might be flawed, so rethink it.
The last thing that I would recommend, and keep in mind, this is one of the world's top 10 architects offices that compiled this, but the concept book behind the Seattle Public library explains the methodology that OMA used for their design. http://www.spl.org/lfa/central/oma/OMAbook1299/page2.htm
DO NOT TRY TO DO ANYTHING THAT HAS TO DO WITH "THE NEEDS OF SOCIETY" WHILE YOU ARE IN COLLEGE!!!!!! Critics won't buy it...
My very last piece of advice is to get enough sleep, nutrition, exercise, & time away from studio/architecture students during the course of the semester. Own your own soul, and if you feel like all of the work isn't really worth it....it probably isn't. It takes more guts to get out than it does to stay in....
Best regards,
JDB in San Francisco
wow thanks jdb270! very helpful advice, i'm only in first year so those advice will definitely help me a lot. thanks!
Boy, I wish I'd had archinect when *I* was in 2nd year!
I agree with all of the above. Just wanted to add--if you do go talk to your teacher (which you should)( and of course only do it after you have had a lot of sleep), and you *still* feel like you're not understanding what he/she is saying--it feels like it's all over your head--you feel like maybe he/she is speaking too vaguely or perhaps like you are both discussing different projects--there is a chance that you could have simply fallen across a professor with whom you simply don't communicate well. Not all teachers are good communicators and you also, as a student, won't always be in a place where you are communicating well with every type of person/teacher or understanding clearly what people are telling you. Don't beat yourself over the head trying to figure it out. Give it a couple shots--talk to some of the profs who were at your crit, if there's one that you think spoke clearly in a way you could understand--and talk to your fellow students, only one or two, perhaps the top kids whose work you respect and understand.
And then, move on. Try to learn what you can and move on. You may have just had a bad project, a bad semester. Doesn't mean you are a bad designer. Everyone has a bad project--and I mean everyone. Even le Corbusier! You may not even be able to assimilate and understand the experience until years from now. You will learn from it eventually--but don't stress too much over trying to figure it all out now. Focus more on understanding your strengths, and take it project by project. Get some rest, and next semester, don't lose hope--just focus on your next semester project and put this one behind you.
My last piece of advice is the same I give to all undergrad B.Arch majors: if you can, STUDY ABROAD as soon as you can. (4th year is good.) Getting away from the school environment for just a bit helps enormously with helping you to focus on your own inner design sense and to help you build confidence in yourself. You will come back a better designer.
every grade i ever got - ever - i always believed i deserved, even the ones i failed. this was after a little bit of retrospection, because everyone thinks after the grade has been received, well i did better than so and so, and when i considered it i said so what and asked did i do better than myself and the answer was always no, i could do better. think about it this way, the people that get grades they really shouldn't because their work sucks, are the ones that the grades matter to more, the ones who's ego demands good grades and does not care about process and becoming. the people that get grades that they don't like and feel they deserve better are those that work harder, have more to say, and are those who's professors believe they have more to say, but are not saying it. consider this your wake up call, either hit bricks or hit the books. this is the hard part of the hill, the others are already coasting on the downside.
you've gotten a lot of good advice here. read it a couple of times over because you're bound to miss some of it.
then don't read it anymore because you might start to obsess. talk to your instructor, as others have said. reflect on how you feel about your performance relative to what you learn from your instructor. then, unless your instructor tells you very specific technical deficiencies which can be addressed (e.g., you don't draw well), don't think about it until next term. relax over the break and remind yourself who you are and why you're interested in architecture.
then, when you get back next term, begin to seek out an instructor at the school with whom you seem to have an affinity. who's pursuing things in which you're interested? who's doing work which registers with you/rings your bells? try to enter into a sort of mentor relationship with that person, even if they're not someon with whom you have direct class-time connection. most instructors have office hours during which they're available. if you find a good mentor (it may not be the first person you pick), that person can almost serve as your sponsor, your own personal critic, an extra voice beyond that of your studio instructor, and your translator when you don't understand what you're being told.
most students i've seen really excel have someone like this on their side.
candice elizabeth,
I' am in second year as well but I have'nt looked at my grade yet and I dont think I' am going to check either. My first year instructor pounded in us that we do not need to worry about grades. So I never really checked. The only way I found out is when I got the envelope in the mail. It took a lot of my shoulders by not worrying about the grade. It made me focus on my project rather than the end result (the grade). I found that those who were really focusing on getting the good grade were putting tons of work out with little to no thoughts in their projects. My advice would be to cruise, focus on truly trying to understand the basics. I'am still trying and I dont think I will ever get there but its uplifting to know that I'am improving with each step. Read Simon Unwin's Analyzing Architectecture. It'a a good book to learning the basics of basics.
Good luck,
fellow Second Year
grades are meaningless...
especially in studio...
do you feel you've made significant improvement? learned a ton? do your peers look up to you?
i think the best advice i can give to any arch. student, is to piss off your teachers on the first day... then they will look for every chance they get to point out your mistakes, things you could have done better, insult your work, etc. then it's your responsibility to filter it out, take the pieces of info you want, and make yourself better.
criticism is one of the most important parts of architecture, grades...not so much. (it was almost impossible to fail a studio at iit, but you knew who was a slackin bitch, who was an overachiever, who was the king of bullshit, who sucked up to everyone, you knew who was a respectable student with independant ideas, etc...) so, rank yourself, and be determined to get better...
isn't arch school about trying to find an independant "voice"? not everyone is going to like what you do...
(btw, i was the king of bullshit)
(oh, except if your school has one of those tests that determines whether or not you can continue in your major, than fight for that grade and suck up like a little citag until that process is over...)
I don't think grades are meaningless, but you do have to keep everything in focus.
I worked my ass off for the first year and a half and just couldn't 'get it'. I did fairly well as far as grades were concerned, but I could see my projects were inferior to the best. I struggled.
Then, at the end of second year, I learned how to 'learn'. I studied my peers work (the ones that I liked, that everyone liked), studied hard. I went to the library daily, flipping through old Arch Records, books, etc., photo copying (now we've got easy access, of course), and I studied why I liked certain projects, which ones were respected and won awards, etc.
I continued to learn how to learn by studying those that were better than me. I cannot emphasize how crucial it is, in any design field, to truly understand and appreciate, to truly study, those that are great, particularly those that inspire you. Too many, so many, students and professionals disregard this and assume they can just figure it all out themselves.
Think about music. A musician must learn a billion basics, from chords to progressions to songs, before they can write their own pieces. And even then they might not 'have it'.
Do not try to understand the 'building', try to get a grasp on the process. Looking at other's process and sketch models, diagrams, etc., are extremely helpful. Try to find as many abstract models and diagrams and learn about them (this could be books, but ideally it'll be other student's work, probably those ahead of you in school).
Advice to any arch student: Study and learn. Study the projects that the jury loves or the prof loves, learn why they love it, learn to objectively, as best you can, agree or disagree.
You must learn to critique your own work to get better. The best way to do this is to learn why certain designs are good. Once you do that, you can start to incorporate ideas you like and then critique your own design, refine, redo, reimplement. This is the process and it is an essential part of architecture.
Good luck
Thank you so much to everyone for responding! Extremely helpful advice, to think about! I feel much better!! Happy Holidays!
I think I speak for.............myself......haha in saying "Im glad we could help you".
Have a great holiday!
Another thing I've realized just recently while looking over my old student portfolio is that I really wasted a lot of time thinking through really fun and great details in my projects... and totally wasted time on developing them and not bringing together a cohesive building with a cohesive set of drawings to explain it. Now that I've been in the workforce awhile I can see that honestly I should have just said "I'll leave those details out for now, or mention them in passing in my crit" and realized that I wasn't going to be able to design a complete, perfect building for every semester. I should have focused more simply making a strong, easily graspable basic building, and then added in the details after that as time allowed. In case you have the same problem (a lot of us who didn't quite finish everything we wanted to by the end of the semester did): remember, you don't have to do a complete building design every semester. Focus on the essentials only at the beginning. *Then* you can add cool extras.
hi Candice,
I'm in my second yr too and was in a similar situation a month ago, when I made a similar post out here, asking for advice on how to push/develop my idea. I was totally lost and felt that perhaps architecture wasn't for me. But I just finished my last project, and I think I may have nailed it. I had a very inspiring final crit, got many comments from my profs and ta's who said how most of them loved my design while grading them. I'm not trying to toot my horn here, but just want you to know that with persistence and hard work, you'll be a good designer. A month ago, I was just designing boxes, but I've come a long way from where I was in only a month. I read a lot of books, took note of all advice I got out here and from my profs. They all seemed to come togethar in the end. I know I still have lots to learn, but it just show that with persistence you will get better.
Be honest with yourself. Don't expect a good mark just because you put in more time than your class-mates. Honestly ask yourself if your design is really good enough for an A+, or where do you need improvements and keep working on it. Question yourself and try to figure out where you're having problems in the design process.
Just hang in there, be persistent. With experience you'll get better. Most importantly read, read, and read about architects that interest you and bite down on their plans/design etc
Block this user
Are you sure you want to block this user and hide all related comments throughout the site?
Archinect
This is your first comment on Archinect. Your comment will be visible once approved.