Last month, the University of Southern California's School of Architecture hosted its annual Blue Tape event, an exhibition surveying work from all levels and discipline. The massive show of work from first year bachelors to masters thesis levels is a prime chance for students to see what's been going on in other studios, and for the School of Architecture to showcase its output to those outside its walls.

Fellow Archinect editor, Justine Testado, and I visited the Blue Tape exhibitions to talk with students, administrators and teachers about what it's like for an entire school of architecture to be on display -- and why it's so important that they open their doors each year.

I intercepted a gaggle of first years exiting their final critique, who kindly agreed (after sighs of exhaustion and shouts of relief) to answer a few questions about life at USC Architecture.

What's first year at USC Architecture like?

Why did you choose USC? [Undergraduate]

Why did you choose USC? [Graduate] (We briefly spoke with a couple of first year graduate students, busy erecting their studio's collaborative final project.)

How did you feel before the final critique?