Year 12s: what will be the first way you research your future options? >>

Can somebody help pleaaaseee???

how passionate do you have to be to study architecture and is physics THAT important. I want to study it but I'm stuck because I feel like Im not as passionate as I should be. Someone helpppp
My second option is Spanish and all my teachers suggest I go with instead of architecture because I have a good chance with Cambridge and im passionate for Spanish but im still undecisive

Reply 1

Clearing and Applications Advisor

Physics isn’t required at all for 95% of architecture degrees.

Reply 2

Gavin2016

Agreed, physics isn't a big thing for architecture or AT courses.

I would say consider also what you want to do when you leave uni for a job. Whatever job you do you'll be doing that job all the time and hence doing that work all the time. If something ends up doing your head in its not going to be a joy. Unless you're lucky many Architecture practices aren't joyous places to work. They need to get buildings built for clients and deal with all the problems that go with that all the time. So most practices it's pretty much heads down quietly working unless you're very lucky and get a practice with a bit more buzz.

In other words sone practices may be a bit gloomy as people may not talk to you much and at worst you could be faced with a day full of problems.

This kind of shows how some end up feeling about it:

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.dezeen.com/2016/07/06/architecture-ranks-fifth-jobs-most-likely-suicide-centers-disease-control-prevention-usa/amp/

Now I wouldn't say an Architecture course isn't fun to do depending on where, who with and the person themselves, but I think it's a difficult one to find enjoyment in after uni. I only worked in practice very briefly but decided more joyful options were around.

(edited 2 years ago)

Reply 3

Gavin2016

This is what apparently some Architecture students go through, fortunately not quite my experience though I did do many hours at home and a couple of all nighters but that was due to someone else in a group project screwing up and leaving me to fix the mess or facing possible fail grades or as bad as in a third year module so an unpleasant place to be in though I managed to turn it around enough.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.dezeen.com/2019/07/16/burn-out-design-education-mental-health/amp/

Again I would emphasis that I think the above article is at the extreme and most architecture students/courses won't be as extreme as in the article. More likely it will be fairly long hours with most free time taken up but working at a fairly steady pace. I usually got enough sleep most of the time.

There is of course rudimentary physics in Architecture but this is kind of linked to the ideas of tension and compression in buildings, basic structural forms and structural logic. That's as far as most Architecture courses go beyond that it's over to Engineering degrees. Architecture courses are more about Design, a fair amount of Art and a lot of work on the computer these days, CAD, Photoshop, etc. In practice they'll only go so far as basic structures, anything more unique and they'll pass it over to engineers to do the science side of it, the calcs. They won't want that responsibility themselves on their books and even some basic structures they'll need to go to an Engineer to work out elements of it.

Architecture courses can be fun and enjoyable but I think you need some natural ability in what you are doing in it to enjoy it. I enjoyed doing designs, thinking them up, working on them and wasn't too bad in other areas. Some people get on Architecture courses though and they can't think up designs or if they do not very good ones. Some don't have it in them to improve either. Quality of a design may vary but the ability to come up with something that isn't half bad each time I think is kind of essential. So I would sit down and see if you can come up with a few ideas in your head that seem reasonable enough for a few imaginary proposals you could give yourself, nothing extreme. Sketch it out if you like, it doesn't have to look good as a sketch just so long as you generate an idea that wouldn't look too bad if worked up into a final building. That's just the start of it though, there's more to learn but I think it's often the essence of if you might enjoy an Architecture course at all. After that there is the job and chances are most probably preferred the Architecture course to doing the job lol.