Life of an Architecture Student.
Life of an Architecture Student - I
Introduction:
This is for all those who are thinking about pursuing architecture or are curious about how it is for architecture students. I decided to pursue architecture soon after my 11th. I was confused between designing and architecture but I knew for sure that I wanted to do something in Arts field.
I talked to lots of people in architecture field before deciding on architecture. A lot of them straight up said "Don't". I should've listened to them. There were also few who said that I'll be able to do it and if I like it then it's not that hard. I went through the syllabus for various designing degrees and architecture degree and I felt architecture provided a wider study. It teaches designing a building to designing a table and everything in between. So, that's why I decided on architecture.
Inspiration:
Why arts? Why architecture? I've liked arts since I was a child. There's this quote "If you do what you love, you'll never work a day in your life." _Marc Anthony. Hence in the effort of not working a day in my life I chose to make career out of my hobby.
I've never looked at or thought of buildings before I decided to do architecture. I never entered a building and went "what great columns it has" or even during day to day activities I never thought "what nice window coping this cafe has" or "this building justifies it's purpose." Never. Not one thought but in 11th when I was on the brink of choosing my career and I saw architecture as one of the options, I started noticing buildings. I noticed how buildings are such a huge part of our society. I mean apart from the fact that we'd be homeless without them, they also have such a huge impact on our society. A building defines the area it is in. A good building is directly proportional to good standard of living. As an architect you get to impact the society and the people living in your building.
An architect's art isn't showcased in galleries but on streets with thousands of viewers everyday and that's such a huge accomplishment. I started noticing columns in a building, the window copings, the doorways, even slabs and every building amused me. So many varieties, so many options, so many colors and so many features. OH MY GOD! I was officially into architecture. Probably the most toxic affair of my life.
How's Life:
Life's anything but good. It started so smooth, like any toxic relationship where you are blinded to all the flaws in the beginning. First year went so easily. Maybe because it was online due to covid or maybe because it was our honeymoon phase. First year included basic assignments which were easy to do. It went by so fast, didn't even realize how we finished a year so soon.
By second year. you could feel the heat. My few batchmates dropped out at the beginning of year. There are tons of assignment from all subjects. We don't just have to draft drawings, make models but also make journals with notes and question/answers. We don't just have to face the jury, which were personally chosen by Voldemort to torture our soul but we also have to write 3 hr. long papers every sem. Please, why didn't anyone warn me. Wait, they did. So, anyway that's how second year was. Me starting to realize how much I f* up and coming to terms with it. This is what it is and you have to deal with it.
Third year, that is fifth sem. I was prepared, I knew what every sem. puts me through. I know the procedure. I've touched the rock bottom and now I have nothing left to do but climb up. Oh, but my poor self, It gets much worse. You dig through the rock bottom and get much lower and that my dear readers is first step to build a foundation of a building.
By third year I had forgotten why I was into this course. My life only revolved around assignments and exams. Even on days I had opportunities to witness great architecture, I chose to rather stay home and complete my never ending assignments. It wasn't about architecture, buildings, impact on society, beauty all that romantic stuff anymore. It was only about deadlines, assignments, redo, notes. It hurt when I realized that. This isn't me. I had started hating architecture. If it wasn't for my assignments I didn't even looked at buildings and this time it wasn't because I was ignorant but because I was fed up. I had been force feeded architecture and now I had lost interest in it. That's the thing, when you turn your passion into your work, you lose your passion. It fizzles out under all the pressure.
After Effects:
Everyone who's been in a toxic relation knows how much it drains you. I was am in a toxic relationship with architecture that I do 10 hr. a day, everyday and it doesn't gets easier. You think it cannot get worse and it does only to spite you. Few things I realized:
- I lost my friends. By the end of first year I realized, I haven't been in touch with them for so long. I know they tried reaching me but I kept denying because of all the assignments I have to complete and all the deadlines. We went from meeting at least once a month to just on birthdays, A sad life only gets worse with no friends.
- I lost touch with my family. Before, we used to sit together after dinner, talking about this and that. Now, I immediately get back to my work after dinner. There were days, where I had dinner in my room. I didn't know that it was brother's exam or my dad was planning to take this trip until days after it happened. They used to complain a lot saying "This is not a hostel, it's a house. You can't just come out of your room for food" and I used to yell back "I'll spend time with if you complete my assignments". I obviously regret it.
- I forgot my social skills. Only people I talked to were my batch mates, professors and the stationer. In these two years, I had talked to stationer more than I had talked to my friends. At social events which my mom used to drag me to, I will be seating in a corner by myself wishing I was rather home doing my assignments.
- I think my physical health was affected the most. I completely stopped paying attention to my body. I was seating on a chair for hours doing assignments. There was no exercise involved of any kind and it took a very bad toll on my physical health. When I realized that it's bad and I have to do something. I joined gym with my god like friend and quit in 2 months because it got so hectic that I started falling behind in my class.
- Sleep schedule was a term I forgot existed. There were days I slept at 3am and got up at 6am for college. There were also days I had no sleep because of the stupid never ending assignments. This wasn't the problem just with me but also with all of my other batch mates. There were few exceptions who never took sleep for granted and slept appropriate hours but they were also those who never submitted complete work. So. it's either get good sleep and get whacked by dementors during submission or submit complete work as walking dead. Your choice. The professors were completely fine with this. Whenever anyone complained about lack of sleep, they replied "Welcome to architecture"
- I missed on so many events. I didn't get to enjoy my cousin's wedding or my favorite Ganpati festival or beautiful Diwali festival for two years. Why not you ask, because every time there were more than one holiday, our professors lined submissions of eight subjects from the day our college reopened. So I spent all time during these holidays working on my portfolio for submissions. What a vacation! My blood used to boil when we got back to college and our professors asked "So, did you enjoy your holidays?" The things I could've said them if it didn't have consequences.
What Next?
Currently, I've restricted myself by putting a specific number of hours on my work. No matter what it is, I'll only work this many hours and not one minute more. I'll figure out to complete my given assignments in that time. I take breaks where I talk to my mom and she tells me all the latest gossip about everyone and she is a very trusted source of mine. I also sit watching T.V with my family after dinner for at least an hour, where I make sure I annoy my brother as much as I can. I try to initiate hang outs with my dear friends, who didn't give up on me. I plan to workout every day but on days I'm too drained, I just take a walk. Sleep over everything, I reinstated a strict curfew on myself to sleep by 12, and whoever thinks 12 is still too late. I'm working on it. Baby steps!
Hopefully, architecture gets easier. I'm learning to put boundaries on my self where I don't drain myself too much. Trying to keep my work and personal life different. I don't know if architecture will be worth all this sweat. If all these efforts I'm putting will be be fruitful. But this is me giving my best and hoping for the best.
Great
ReplyDelete