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How many hours we have to work each day 'just to pass'.

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Urhh my last weeks of semester consisted of, studio get in around 9am-11am. Work until 6pm, dinner + shower, back to studio till, 1/2/3/4/5/6am, depending on how close it got to submission.
Reply 21
1st and 2nd year - yeah I managed to go out about once a week, and worked on Architecture 9-5 every day. I even had time for hobbies, sports every day and socialising at the pub a couple of times a week!

The first half of 3rd year was a little harder - I didn't really go out due to being unproductive the next day, but I rarely stayed up past 11pm.

However, from the January to the May of my 3rd year I pretty much worked constantly from the moment I got up - usually around 7am, until I stopped to sleep - usually around 2am the next morning.

Everybody in my year was the same - our eyes were hanging out of our heads, and we did not see our housemates for longer than it takes to make a cup of tea for several months. Anybody who was not in the same situation had either dropped out by this point, or was having a nervous breakdown and probably didn't pass anyway.

It was a great course though, and the hard work was definately worth it - I can say for sure that there is no degree I would rather have done. Having graduated last July from Part 1, and currently on my year out, I am looking forward to continuing Part 2 this September, although I know it will be even tougher than before.

Yeah the working hours are tough - that's why it's one of the hardest courses not only to get onto, but also to complete, but this just adds to the sense of satisfaction once it's done!
Reply 22
If you just want to do Architecture to pass then I suggest you quit now and get a job. Scraping a pass with a course as competitive as architecture will not get you a job at the end.
Reply 23
Original post by thecaptain
If you just want to do Architecture to pass then I suggest you quit now and get a job. Scraping a pass with a course as competitive as architecture will not get you a job at the end.


That's not exactly true, I've seen 2:2 students get jobs over people with 1:1's because either they know someone at the firm or they can produce better and flashier renders. It's your portfolio that gets you a job at the end of the day not your degree grade.
Reply 24
That is very true. However I would suggest that the people who came out with 2:2's and got the jobs over the people with a 1st are the ones that were really good but just didn't fit in with what the school liked.

Didn't Liverpool School of Architecture try and fail James Stirling? Also wasnt it Foster (or Rogers, I mix them up from time to time) who got a 2:2? The grade means nothing except to get you back in for a Masters. The portfolio is much more important!

I would still argue that if you are going in with the mind set to only pass to not bother. The drive to stop chasing grades only hits in third year.
(edited 13 years ago)
Reply 25
I had absolutely no idea architecture students worked so damn hard, actually thinking about it I know someone applying for architcecture, and there's no way they'll be able to keep these hours up, do many people drop out?
Original post by Orwell
I had absolutely no idea architecture students worked so damn hard, actually thinking about it I know someone applying for architcecture, and there's no way they'll be able to keep these hours up, do many people drop out?


from day 1 undergraduate to the end of third year its usual to lose about a third of the initial intake. quite a few people don't come back for part 2 also after that.
Reply 27
Original post by Orwell
I had absolutely no idea architecture students worked so damn hard, actually thinking about it I know someone applying for architcecture, and there's no way they'll be able to keep these hours up, do many people drop out?


The only people who know (and believe) how hard we work are architecture students. Something slightly wrong with that I think.
Reply 28
Original post by thecaptain
That is very true. However I would suggest that the people who came out with 2:2's and got the jobs over the people with a 1st are the ones that were really good but just didn't fit in with what the school liked.

Didn't Liverpool School of Architecture try and fail James Stirling? Also wasnt it Foster (or Rogers, I mix them up from time to time) who got a 2:2? The grade means nothing except to get you back in for a Masters. The portfolio is much more important!

I would still argue that if you are going in with the mind set to only pass to not bother. The drive to stop chasing grades only hits in third year.


I wasn't talking about the good 2:2 students I was talking about the ones that you know are bull****ting their way through the course and not actually doing much work.
Reply 29
You guys complain way too much about the course. Do none of ye enjoy it any more? I really don't mind the late hours and I always, always have time to go out and spend numerous hours with my gf. I am however doing interior architecture. Our year head also lectures the architecture students and he says we work a lot harder and most of the time produce better work, especially in cad. Anyway, I don't totally agree with him because I know there is more work in architecture but you still have to be able to find that time. And most of the time I'm working, I'm enjoying it. And when I'm not enjoying it, I always look back on it positively. I guess I really just love design so I don't mind the hard work and late hours.
Reply 30
I worked with an interior designer, she couldn't cad a square. Waste of time.

No it's not really comparable sorry mate. No 'enjoyment' if your definition of enjoyment is 90k debt, no job, and horrendous effort for nothing but a school's ego then that's up to you.
Reply 31
Interior designer =/= interior architect. By 3rd year our Cad and 3ds max skills are pretty good, I'd like to see an architects equivalent. Don't be too pretentious and just brush off interior architects, they work hard too. I'm considering doing architecture once I'm finished interiors. I never really worked hard enough in school to get architecture and i thought interiors would be piss but after doing it for the last year and a half I love it and hopefully, if i still feel like it, i'll do architecture after.
Reply 32
Original post by Inside Out
You guys complain way too much about the course.


I would like to remind you that you are doing interior architecture, while we are doing architecture.
Reply 33
Original post by Ex Death
I would like to remind you that you are doing interior architecture, while we are doing architecture.


And you get absolutely no enjoyment from it? You don't enjoy getting new ideas? Getting really nice renders etc?
Original post by ArchiBoi
I worked with an interior designer, she couldn't cad a square. Waste of time.

No it's not really comparable sorry mate. No 'enjoyment' if your definition of enjoyment is 90k debt, no job, and horrendous effort for nothing but a school's ego then that's up to you.


I wish that architects would stop looking on on interior architects/designers. Obviously not all of them are going to be great, but not everyone doing architecture is going to be great either!
Reply 35
Original post by Inside Out
And you get absolutely no enjoyment from it? You don't enjoy getting new ideas? Getting really nice renders etc?


What are you talking about? (yes I like renders...what does this have to do with anything?). I was merely pointing out your fault of basing assumptions on a comparison of your own course with architecture, which is very different in terms of the workload and the way it is taught.
Reply 36
If you want to see why Architects look down on interior designers (degree wise) go to a university degree show where they are both exhibiting. Then you will see why.
Original post by thecaptain
If you want to see why Architects look down on interior designers (degree wise) go to a university degree show where they are both exhibiting. Then you will see why.


http://www.kingston.ac.uk/undergraduate-course/architecture-2011/student-work.html

http://www.kingston.ac.uk/undergraduate-course/interior-design-2011/student-work.html

I'll admit that some of the interior design work looks a bit feeble, however if 9 were selected as they are in the architecture student work, they would be of the same quality, if you can compare the two.

I'll be going to the degree shows in the summer anyway so will see what other universities are like :smile:
Reply 38
That stuff doesn't look bad compared to some of the other interior design stuff I've seen.
Original post by KeyserNI
That stuff doesn't look bad compared to some of the other interior design stuff I've seen.


Indeed, that's why I chose to go there :biggrin:

PS It would be easier if you quoted me, I only saw your reply because I saw that this thread had updates :tongue:
(edited 13 years ago)

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