arch(e)ric

Yes, the first year of my graduate architecture program is done. It’s been a challenging yet rewarding school year. Looking over the course of the school year, there have been some really good times and also some not so great times. So, what was my high and low of the entire school year? I had my low during the first semester in which I was stressed, confused, and doubtful. I questioned my decision to drop everything and pursue architecture and even questioned whether I wanted to even finish the semester. Luckily, I didn’t cave into those doubts. My high of the school year came after my final review of this second semester. It went really well, got some great feedback and criticism. However, it was when one of the reviews made the comment, “this is much better than your previous career, huh?” to which I responded, “much better,” and he said “good because it looks like you’re having a lot of fun.” It was that comment that reinforced the fact that I am having fun and that enthusiasm is emitted through my presentations and demeanor.
I’m one third of the way done with school, 33 1/3% complete. No one ever said it was easy becoming an architect.

About a month ago, I wrote a short post about updating my resume, portfolio and the importance of networking. I spent most of my spring break getting my resume and portfolio up to date. It’s always a work in progress so I’m still doing updates and revisions based on feedback I get. I hit the pavement hard during the career fair and also just reaching out to people and building those relationships. All the hard work and diligence paid off. 

I was humbly surprised to get two interviews for summer internship positions. Now, I’m just now wrapping up my very first year in architecture school. Without any previous architectural experience, I was completely riding on my first semester’s work, but also broad professional experience in business and technology. Two St. Louis firms, Hastings + Chivetta and Christner, Inc., both called me up and wanted to chat in person. Both interviews went extremely well. I was even more surprised when I received offers from both firms for a summer internship. 

I decided to pursue the opportunity with Christner. The opportunity there is working with their planning group in which a lot of up front analysis work is done prior to design work. This type of work aligns with some of my previous experience in consulting. I think this will be a fantastic first step into the real-world of architecture. A great group of people and I’m looking forward to working with them. 

In the words of the one hit wonder, “it’s the final countdown.” I only have about 3 weeks left in the semester. I can’t believe how fast this semester has gone let alone this entire school year. My studio project, a 20,000 sq ft. research facility west of St. Louis, is going pretty well, but there is still a lot of work to do before I’m ready for final review. Refining plans, sections, physical models, and renderings. I’m getting stressed just typing that, but disciplined planning and execution will make it a much less stressful situation.  Projects are also coming due in my architectural representation class and my environmental systems classes. This semester has been vastly different from the fall and as I said at the beginning of the semester, it was mainly due to a different approach and attitude. It’s the final push to summer for which I have some exciting plans!