Ask Me Anything! (for prospective architecture students)

Hey! I'm currently in year 12 and I've been wanting to do architecture for 5 or so years now, I'm currently studying Maths, Further Maths, Physics and Fine Art (all for A2 as well) with targets at AAAA* respectively. I just wanted to know what kind of things you do in the actual course, like is it still creative and lots of designing or is there a heavy element of maths? Is there a lot of writing? Sorry if you've already answered this, I've always seen it as a mix of science and art and that is where it has the appeal for me but it would be nice to see a student's take on it. Thank you!

Depends on the university really, BA courses will tend more towards abstract thought processes and designing like RCA, AA and UCL to name a few, others like Cardiff, Nottingham (I think) and Bath will start off more mathematical to give you a good grounding and then start doing design projects with real-life considerations.

You should have a few essays to submit each year, primarily for any history of architecture modules. Structures and Environmental Engineering modules will be exam-based and mainly mathematical, but it varies between universities.

For Bath I've found it to have a good balance of science and art, the first year shares lectures with the civil engineers so you do structures (which is basically just the A-level Maths M1 module and then ramps up a little bit). As you go up the years you have fewer and fewer lectures and exams until you're basically just doing studio design work on your buildings, with the occasional lecture on specific topics as well as faculty lectures and a few essay submissions

Your A-levels are pretty on-point, you'll find your Further Maths way more advanced than the stuff you'll handle at university since a) they have to teach you alongside students without a heavy maths background and b) its just not needed, the engineers handle the specific calculations and architects are really just required to have a general idea of what will stand up, and what won't

Thank you for your response! This was very helpful Bath is one of my aspirational uni's and I would like to apply to Cardiff as well. Did you do an art foundation to get into Bath?
I'm on the fence at the moment about either civil engineering, structural engineering, or architecture recently as I enjoy my mathematical subjects just as much as art, so I'm going to see how my work experience goes in the summer.

Nah I did Maths, Physics, Geography and Art so I didn't need a foundation course, I generally give advice to dissuade art foundation students from taking architecture because the act of taking one sort of implies art isn't a core interest.. and trying to engineer yourself into studying architecture is a dangerous game to play as most end up hating it as a result

I never looked too hard into engineering, but I have a friend who did civil engineering and recently went out to Canada and is loving it, so if you're currently trying to weigh "engineering vs architecture" as "dry vs fun" or anything like that don't, cos engineering is pretty damn good fun (plus pays mighty fine)

I'm doing good thanks, I'm designing a microalgae wastewater treatment plant in Poland for my final 6th year project

I think the most important thing is to examine on a fundamental level whether architecture is something that really excites you (which I appreciate is difficult when you've never studied it!). It's a sad situation, but architects don't have a whole lot going for them at present and its a difficult thing to enjoy if you don't find designing and being creative super fulfilling.

The profession is in a tricky situation at the moment of trying to prove its own value in a construction industry that is focused on cash flow and the bottom line, the value architects bring is difficult to quantify and we've not really moved out of our comfort zone to find more revenue-generating responsibilities. The result is architects are somewhat expendable and don't generate the salaries that other long courses do.
Expect to get very jealous of business and finance students who study for 3/4 years and then get a graduate job earning twice as much as you

Personally I'm looking at shifting from being a 'pure' architect to a developer-architect, which allows you to generate your own work and be less dependent on other people deciding they want to pay you!

TL;DR would be if you would like a job that allows you to work (mostly) anywhere in the world, experience lots of different walks of life, learn about all sorts of clients (I've become an expert in designing fire stations!) and like to learn new things then architecture can be a great career. However if you are more interested in earning an enviable wage then you should bail now haha

This probably wasn't the sort of answer you were looking for, but its the bedrock consideration to make and part of the reason I originally made this thread was to better inform prospective students about what they're signing up for!

Nah I did Maths, Physics, Geography and Art so I didn't need a foundation course, I generally give advice to dissuade art foundation students from taking architecture because the act of taking one sort of implies art isn't a core interest.. and trying to engineer yourself into studying architecture is a dangerous game to play as most end up hating it as a result

I never looked too hard into engineering, but I have a friend who did civil engineering and recently went out to Canada and is loving it, so if you're currently trying to weigh "engineering vs architecture" as "dry vs fun" or anything like that don't, cos engineering is pretty damn good fun (plus pays mighty fine)

Hi I've applied to Bath for architecture however I'm now considering transferring to civil engineering. I was wondering if it's common for students at Bath to transfer between civil and architecture and also how likely you are to be allowed to do so?
I'm predicted A*A*A (A I'm maths) so I'm pretty sure I'll also meet the civil grade requirements.
Thankss

Congratulations on getting to your 6th year. I was thinking -'what are the years in office like ....what do you do?' Can you answer for me?

We had a number of transfers in our first year, both from architecture to civil engineering, and vice versa

I'm not sure if it is the same still, but when I was in 1st year there didn't seem to be a problem, I think they see it as one of the benefits of having a merged civil and architecture course for the first semester, students can see both sides of the coin and figure out which is best for them!

Depends on the university really, BA courses will tend more towards abstract thought processes and designing like RCA, AA and UCL to name a few, others like Cardiff, Nottingham (I think) and Bath will start off more mathematical to give you a good grounding and then start doing design projects with real-life considerations.

You should have a few essays to submit each year, primarily for any history of architecture modules. Structures and Environmental Engineering modules will be exam-based and mainly mathematical, but it varies between universities.

For Bath I've found it to have a good balance of science and art, the first year shares lectures with the civil engineers so you do structures (which is basically just the A-level Maths M1 module and then ramps up a little bit). As you go up the years you have fewer and fewer lectures and exams until you're basically just doing studio design work on your buildings, with the occasional lecture on specific topics as well as faculty lectures and a few essay submissions

Your A-levels are pretty on-point, you'll find your Further Maths way more advanced than the stuff you'll handle at university since a) they have to teach you alongside students without a heavy maths background and b) its just not needed, the engineers handle the specific calculations and architects are really just required to have a general idea of what will stand up, and what won't

FYI RCA does not have any Bachelor level courses

Note for people new to the TSR forums, if you quote this original post (using the button in the bottom-right) when asking your question then I'll get an alert, it'll mean I see your question far quicker

Summer exams are looming on the horizon, and there's a distinct smell of caffeine in the air...

Thankfully I'm on placement, and as such have nothing to do in my evenings! Therefore I invite everyone considering architecture and wondering about preparing for first year to AMA, and I'll do my best to help

Can't 'really' offer much in-depth knowledge about universities other than my own, but subject/career specific questions are a-ok. Additionally, if any other Part I/II/III students want their names listed here as sources of uni-specific help, then quote me and I'll add you onto the original post!

Hi!
I know you said that you may not be able to help with specific uni's / courses but another knowledgeable opinion is never a bad thing.... I am trying to decide between BA Architecture at uni of liverpool or Newcastle uni, which in your opinion is the better and most reputable course? In short... Where should I go?!?!?! Can't decide for the life of me. Thanks in advance!

Hi I'm an international student and I've got an offer to study architecture at Bath, Cardiff and Sheffield! I got an interview with Bartlett and Cambrdige but didn't get an offer so I was pretty sad for the past 2 months but now I'm looking forward to bath! I most probably and gonna firm bath

Just wondering, where did you do your placements? Do any of the students go for placements in USA/Asia? How's life as an architecture student in bath compared to other unis (if you have other arch friends in other unis and know a bit about that ahha just curious) and what should we bring from home for our first year?


Thanks you!! I'm pretty excited for bath!!

Awesome! Good luck where are you from?

I did my placements in Dubai (2nd year) and Leicester (3rd year) - then in the half year before going back to Bath for my MArch I worked in London.
The strategy was to work in Dubai for little profit but for a big portfolio boost (also the economy in the UK at the time was totally screwed), then in Leicester living with my parents for a big money earner, and then London to develop contacts and see the 'big city'

The placement system may be getting changed to 2 years at uni, 1 year placement and then a final year of uni, but the current sandwich system has a few positives and negatives:

P - you can experience two practices before graduating, which allows you to compare small vs. large, intl vs. home, corporate vs. creative etc.
P - more practices may mean getting exposure on more software packages, increasing employability
P - more practices may mean more business contacts for work after graduation
P - you can apply professional working methods earlier in your uni work (this is BIG, because your graduate work will almost always outrank graduate work from any other university's students.. you've had an extra year of learning after all, but employers don't account for this when doing a face-value comparison of work in portfolios)
P - more experience in applying for jobs, selling yourself in interviews etc

N - you aren't in a job long enough to be given extensive responsibilities, rather than 3 months of menial tasks and 9 months interesting you are more likely to get [3 months boring, 3 months interesting] x2
N - finding people to rent your room in Bath and finding new houses on 6-month intervals is time consuming and potentially expensive if you fail to sort it properly (rare given the house shortage in Bath but still a possibility). Also complications with internet tariffs etc, that normally run on 9, 12 or 18 month deals.

So yeah, it's mainly career positives and practical negatives, so if everything goes correctly it works out better than a standard course in my opinion, but it has its risks. I think the potential replacement system will be better, as you'll still apply the professional learning to your final year but won't have to mess around with renting issues so much...

For your first year you won't have to bring anything particularly special yourself, the uni offers a starter pack of pens, pencils, scale rulers etc. We were told to buy all the drafting stuff like Rotring pens, drawing tables and so on... don't bother they're so slow and a total waste of money. As a general rule sketch by hand (for creativity and fluidity) and draft by computer (for speed, accuracy and replication).

A top tip is to buy Pentel Sign Pens, you sketch with these on tracing paper and the drawing WILL look amazing. That's probably the best secret tip I know, everyone in my year owns at least 3 sign pens so get those if they're not offered in the starter pack

My working tools now are:

- Pencils (mechanical and normal)
- Sign pens
- Tracing paper - buy it in low GSM (thin) rolls of tracing, not in sheets which are more expensive and limit messy creativity
- Scale ruler (three-sided)
- Metal cutting ruler
- Scalpel
- Glue (UHU, superglue, wood glue/PVA)
- Cutting Mat
- Laptop with AutoCAD, Sketchup, Adobe Creative Suite (don't buy them just get student versions or get )

Wow! Thanks so much for all the info!! Alright I'll make sure to get some of those pens before I start! I'm from Malaysia one last thing, is the course at bath relatively wholesome? I know many people say it's more technical than other unis but it still encompasses design and creativity right? Wow Dubai! That seems fun yea I kinda want to experience two different places to work but I guess I'm not too sure yet 😅 Oh and also, I know life as an arch student is lots of late nights and stuff but do you still have time for sports/clubs? If I buy a new Mac in July, would that me more useful or will they ask me to buy a PC? (Sorry for so many questions! I have very few seniors doing architecture so I'm kind of a lost sheep!!)

*this is more personal and you can choose to ignore it if you want no worries! * did you apply for places like the Bartlett or AA? Are you happy at bath rather than other unis? 😅 I'm still a bit bummed out about Bartlett hence idk what to think about uni

Yeah it's very well-rounded, I guess the main emphasis is on providing reasons for all your design decisions? That can range from very functional reasons through to artistic ones - so long as the design is well-rounded and is backed up with solid reasoning

You'll have time for sports yes I know people who've done sports throughout their course with very good time management, others like myself did sports in the first 3 years and then focused for the final year (which is the only marked year anyway)

Macs or PCs are fine, each have the required software and interface fine with the uni systems you'll need so go for whatever suits you, probably 60-70% of the faculty are on Macs?

I didn't apply to the Bartlett or AA because they didn't suit my style, I applied to Cambridge, Sheffield, Nottingham and Kent (as my failsafe). Notts and Kent offered me spots early on, though Sheffield and Cambridge rejected me.. I wasn't too bothered because Sheffield was behind Notts or Bath in my preferences, and Cambridge was an outsider with me going for a very competitive college.. so Bath was really the course I was most set upon achieving

I'd bear in mind the old adage, no matter which university you end up at.. once you get to the end of the course you'll fiercely defend it as the best choice you could've made you never know whether Bartlett would result in better prospects or not so it's not something I'd let bother you!

Ohh I see! Hahaha thank you so much )) I'm really kinda excited now! Just gotta focus on my a levels and fulfill that offer! Thanks again! You really helped me get a bit more info since I can't attend the info day myself!! Good luck in your final year ))