Keep track of your time smartly
Acknowledge and accept that you will spend the majority of your waking and even a significant chunk of your sleeping hours in the studio. What you should do is start early in the morning, so you’ll be out of the studio by evening.
Maintain a Regular Sleep Schedule
For architecture students, sleep is a touchy subject, and you will get to spend a lot of time debating its importance. Listen to what your mom is always telling you: sticking to your usual schedule is critical. “All-nighters often do more harm than good, rarely does inspiration strike after midnight,” said Life of an Architect blogger Bob Borson. If possible, always prioritize getting a good night’s sleep and utilize your time wisely.
Stay caffeinated
Don’t resist it; you’ll be ingesting a lot of coffee until you receive your degree, or license, whichever comes first. It is totally understandable if you will need a lot of caffeine to stay awake while rendering plates and projects. Whatever the situation may be, make sure you have something pretty healthy on hand to help you get through those final exam periods. And if you’re one of the few people who can run on “natural energy,” know that a lot of students are envious of you. Also, remember not to get too much caffeine intake as it can be harmful to your health. Know when it is enough.
Make New Connections
Make acquaintances outside of the place where you spend 95% of your time. Join a club and participate in non-academic activities. Remember to schedule some time for yourself as well. Except for deadline week, set aside one night per week to unwind. Your sanity will reward you, even if it’s simply a night on the couch watching Netflix, reading a good book, or taking long naps.
Make “Ctrl+S” a habit
Learn how to use Control + Save. Make a mental note of this shortcut as this will be a great lifesaver. Always have a hard drive on hand and back up your files. Our computers are frequently pushed to their limits, resulting in crashes. After 72 hours of rendering, don’t let that fatal error wreck your project.
Pay Attention to Your Vocabulary
Space and building are two different architectural terms. Just remember that speaking like an architect to non-architects can make you appear arrogant. Although having a verbose language in architecture can be useful in the future, hold it in for now. Also, stop using the term “juxtaposition” so casually.
Understand the Codes
Most students don’t know building codes until their fourth year, but you should be familiar with them before then. While you may think that drafting is the most important skill in architecture, safekeeping your programs is also an important thing to learn. The most skilled architects understand how to keep people safe.
Being successful in architecture takes a lot of dedication and effort. Make sure to learn how you can be an effective student first by browsing through MSM Unify.