For the Future Student

By: Brittney Mount

Am I really done with school FOREVER in three months? I thought when I graduated with my bachelors degree I wasn't ready, and now here we are, three months from the rest of my life. What a blast I have had. I have to say my years here at Southern have been nothing short of interesting. As draining, physically and emotionally, as it has been if you sent me back four years I would do it all over again.

If you are a student looking for guidance on whether you want to start the road to becoming an architect I would like to give you just a few warnings based on real life experiences.

1.     Be aware, the road is long, you have four years of undergraduate school, two years of graduate school (15 months at SIUC), three years of interning, and six ARE exams ahead of you before you can even have the ability to call yourself an actual architect.

2.     Be aware, it will be extremely exhausting, you will literally forget what sleep is a few times. You will scream at your roommate for claiming they are tired because they only slept for five hours last night.. Because they couldn't stop watching a show on Netflix.. They don't know what tired is.

3.     Be aware, your studio desk will become your dinner table, your bed, basically your second home. Pick a window seat.

4.     Be aware, you'll know the janitorial staff by name, along with their family member’s names.

5.     Be aware, your peers are who you spend the most time with, learn to love them.

6.     Be aware, cutting yourself while making a model is not an excuse to not get it done.

However..

1.     Be aware, it will be over before you know it and you will miss it before it's even done.

2.     Be aware, you'll adjust and figure out that sleeping for four hours between all nighters will make you more productive. And your roommate will forgive you and buy you a pack of red bulls.

3.     Be aware, you'll find yourself going to studio even when you don't need to be there because that's where everyone else will more than likely be.

4.     Be aware, you'll look forward to catching up with them.

5.     Be aware, friends that are not in architecture will not be welcomed with open arms, and they will never understand the bond architecture students have.

6.     Be aware, cutting yourself while making a model will make for an interesting time lapse video..

My final words of wisdom, if it’s what you want to do, you will enjoy your decision to attend architecture school.