RECAP: Virtual Alumni Panel
- pennarchtank
- Apr 28, 2020
- 24 min read
Updated: Nov 1, 2020
A huge thank you to all who were able to join ArchTank’s first ever Virtual Alumni Panel on April 25, 2020. It was a great event and we appreciate the participation of all the speakers and attendees. We hope our panel of alumni have been able to impart some insight about architecture, careers, and life in general. For those of you who were unable to attend, we have transcribed the majors points from our discussion. Read through to learn more about graduate schools, non-architectural industries, and job tips!
SUMMARY OF QUESTIONS ASKED:
(search Q# to jump)
Q1: Alumni introductions
Q2: What did you find most useful about your undergraduate experience for your career path?
Q3: How did you decide whether to continue higher education or gain experience working? For those in graduate school or are about to go, what is your advice on the application process? How did you decide which school to go to?
Q4: To the alumni who did not continue in the architecture field, what was it like transitioning into a different industry like product design or real estate?
Q5: What advice do you have for applying for jobs?
Q6: Where do you see the industry going after COVID-19?
STUDENT QUESTIONS:
S1: What would you improve about the Penn undergrad program?
S2: What are some skills you acquired from undergrad that has been helpful professionally, design-wise, life-wise? Were there any skills you wish you had cultivated?
S3: To Charlotte: Do you think your interdisciplinary background put you at a disadvantage? Or was it an advantage?
If you have any additional questions for the alumni, please reach out to the ArchTank team at pennarchtank@gmail.com for the relevant contact information.
Q1: Can each of the alumni introduce themselves? Tell us a bit about how you got to where you are today.
Ian
I graduated from the Penn undergrad program in 2016 after doing the Intensive major – I absolutely loved it. I decided after undergrad to go directly into grad school, but in between undergrad and grad school, I worked in NY in workplace consultancy. I am in grad school at Harvard currently. I’d say my background at Penn allowed me to take electives that explored different parts of the design field. I focused on real estate and finance and technology electives when I was at Penn. I will be graduating [from Harvard] in December.
Brent
I graduated in 05, I was an undergrad architecture major. I am now in France, in the French Alps. I had practiced architecture for a year, but decided that I wanted to pursue a degree in industrial design. So I applied and went to the Academy of Art in California to get an MFA in industrial design. I don’t know if many people know this but a famous shoe designer was actually an architect, Tinker Hatfield. As a Project Manager right now, I’m more of a storyteller at this point. I found myself really focused on design and zoomed in on the product for many many years. Now, I’m more zoomed out and get to see who a product serves and how it exists in the world.
Ying
I graduated last May in 2019, and I’m currently working in Philadelphia.
Maria
I also graduated last May in 2019, and I dipped my foot in the working world for 8 months before getting laid off at the end of March. I had applied to grad school and will, hopefully, be going to MIT in the fall.
Charlotte
So I didn’t major in architecture at Penn, I was a major in Art History and Political Science. I tried out architecture in my senior year, and actually did another semester to do another studio class. After, I was a cheesemonger in Chicago before applying to the M.Arch program at MIT and getting in. I am now in my 2nd year at MIT.
Thuy
I graduated in 2016. It’s interesting because in my year, it was the first time Archtank was coming into existence. I majored in Architecture at Penn, but I also did a lot of coursework in Urban Studies and Computer Studies, which was an asset for grad school and life in general. I just wrapped up my M.Arch at MIT in February. I moved to Portland, OR and will be starting a new role at an architecture firm there.
Daniel
I graduated in 2015 and moved to NY to work in small design shops: one was very academic and the other was more development-focused, which inspired me to pursue a Masters in Real Estate Development. Right now I’m a manager at RXR Realty, and so I am in contact with contractors, architects, and engineers.
Alex
I also graduated 2015 with Daniel and Brian. I was one of the few that year that did the History and Theory concentration in the undergrad program . Doing this allowed me to explore other interests outside of design. It was a great liberal arts program. It was actually a lot of summer undergrad experiences that led me to the real estate path. After an internship sophomore summer, throughout junior year, I learned a lot about the real estate side of architecture and leveraged the resources at Penn to land a job at PGIM real estate, which is where I still work now.
Brian
I also graduated in 2015 and ended up in real estate. After graduating undergrad, I took a job at a real estate company in DC. After 4 years there, I wanted to try something more creative and see how technology affects real estate. I’m currently doing my MBA at Wharton, and next year I will be trying a degree in the Design school on Urban Spatial Analytics.
Erisa
I graduated in 2019, moved to LA to work at wHY architecture as a Design Coordinator, which is a really vague role. Primarily, I was an assistant to the Creative Director, otherwise I would help with other smaller design tasks.
Lizzy
I also graduated in 2019 with a minor in Art History. I am in my first year of my M.Arch at Penn. I had interned at a small housing firm before and, more recently, at Tesla where I helped the architecture team with factory design and plans for a new factory. I will be working at a firm in DC this summer.
Q2: What did you find most useful about your undergraduate experience for your career path?
Ian
Two things: one was the small cohort that architecture and the program provided at Penn, and two, the exposure to the larger university as a whole. This was actually one of the reasons I chose to go to Cambridge [MA] for grad school: I had access to the university and multiple schools within the university, such as the business school. I remember a course at Penn taught by Adam Grant that was great. The small cohort of architecture also gives you a strong network of people.
Brent
I look back at Penn very fondly. I just had flashbacks to how powerful it was to be part of something that was blossoming at the time – Architecture had just got back onto the curriculum in 2001 when I started undergrad there. What drove me while I was there was the inner competition of the studios. While at the time, it was a bit tiring as a student, that competitive edge allowed me to be inspired by and impressed by my fellow students. Now, what drives me is that competition to beat myself with each product.
Ying
I like the arts and creativity, and I see myself doing something that has to do with my creativity and analytical skills. This just has been my interest and I thought I might as well pursue it in school. I enjoyed spending a lot of time in the studios. In my freshman year, I was part of the Global Architecture Brigades, and we got to go to Honduras to build a water structure. I got to know a lot of the upperclassmen during this, like Ian. Sophomore year, I did a lot of outreach with ArchTank. My favorite part were the internal events, like Dumpling Night. I’m proud of establishing that tradition.
I wouldn’t say that I’m an extreme extrovert, actually I’m an extreme introvert, but I wanted to advocate for a cause I cared about. My coursework in Urban Studies and my thesis helped me out a lot.
Maria
My thesis was the most fundamental part of my undergrad education experience, because it gave me the opportunity to delve into something that I entirely constructed with my advisor. It was something where I didn’t have a design brief to start with. My thesis had to do with the sea-level rise in London, and this was based on my experience studying abroad at the AA. This was a way to continue my experience from abroad and bring it back to Philly. Doing the thesis also helped me join the Penn program in Environmental Humanities, and I got to be in contact with people and fields that were more directly tied to sustainability. It also financially helped me travel to London over spring break and do interviews and aluminum castings – which I then brought back to Philly. I would say the thesis was a springboard for all of my graduate applications, and it gave me the foothold to know what I was interested in.
Charlotte
I dipped my finger in a lot of pools. I didn’t know where all interests were going at the time, but now I see them coming back into my architecture work – I do see my political science and art history backgrounds coming back to my current studies. Props to you all who are doing undergrad and grad architecture programs, I don’t know if I would’ve survived both. Studios are hard, but super fun. And the studio culture is an amazing, collaborative experience.
Thuy
Life at Penn and during undergrad was so multifaceted, and not just curriculum wise, but also in terms of extracurricular and friends. I was in the PURM program and worked for Orkan Telhan. It opened my eyes for the first time to the fact of doing research in design fields that are alongside architecture, like doing electronic stuff that related in some way. This was my first exposure to doing serious research and it helped a lot later at MIT where I worked with professors on different topics. If you’re early on, I advise you to take full advantage of any opportunity Penn has for travelling. I did the semester abroad at AA, I did a summer program in France program – I know there were some for Italy and Greece. I really encourage travelling.
Daniel
I have 3 specific or program-specific things that come to mind: One, the history and theory program; it teaches you how to think of architecture at a level that most of your peers are not at. Richard also curates your program for this; Two, the emphasis on drawing, and this still sticks with me today. I remember when my portfolio was being reviewed for jobs and grad school, my ability to articulate intense design programs in drawings was what made me stand out among the other applicants. And three, the intensive major and being in touch with my graduate peers. This really helps springboard you into the professional world and gives you skills that will carry into your career. Like Thuy said, the travel abroad and semesters abroad are invaluable, especially the people you meet and the things you learn.
Alex
I would say it was the incredibly well-rounded time I had at Penn, especially the way the program is set up with the liberal arts integration. A large part of why I wanted to work in real estate was because of its strong connections to architecture and placemaking. I still go to a lot of OACs and design meetings with architects. I have a great appreciation for what the architects do after having been through that.
People in the business side of things react positively to those who have an architecture background – if you are in the business of space, you need to know about space. Aside from architecture, there are so many other things you can explore as an undergrad. I encourage people to take advantage of everything and all the resources around you. Pull on the threads that are interesting to you.
Brian
Even if someone is sure about architecture, it doesn’t hurt to take other classes in other schools, especially classes about real estate. People in real estate and architecture speak different languages, and you are in a valuable position if you can speak both. You can make things happen and understand the nuances of the project. Again, I recommend taking classes outside of architecture. I think the biggest asset of the undergrad program was what the major provided in terms of being comfortable with ambiguity. Even the first project we did where we had to create a system of measurement using our bodies – I had no idea what we were doing at the time but it was informative in the end.
Erisa
The thing that stuck to me, while working on my thesis, was how the thesis allowed me to focus on specifically what I was interested in. My thesis helped me figure out what I wanted when I was working. When looking for jobs, I was looking specifically for interdisciplinary firms that would incorporate different aspects of life into design. While I was doing the research for my thesis, I came into contact with a lot of different people and even ended up having a phone call with the Creative Director at my current job where I got his thoughts on my thesis. This was how we connected and landed me my current job.
Lizzy
I have to say also the well-roundedness of the program and how interdisciplinary it is. Also the connections with studiomates and professors. I was able to see different disciplines and elements of architecture that I didn’t see before. I had some experience with research as an undergrad, working with some professors on campus. I had worked with Ying on a project about city resilience, and all of these projects had helped me find things that I was interested in both in and outside of architecture.
Q3: How did you decide whether to continue higher education or gain experience working?
For those in graduate school or are about to go, what is your advice on the application process?
How did you decide which school to go to?
Ying
I get this question a lot, people always ask me “Should I go straight to grad school or not?” I didn’t, and I took the year to work. When I came on board for my firm last July, I worked on the new patient pavilion behind the Penn Museum. It was an IPD project so all of the architects, engineers, and construction workers were on the same page. Everyone was in a large location somewhere working together. This was great because a lot of architects who are on their way to registration need experience hours, and a lot of people struggle with the CA hours. But for me, this gave me more CA hours than I needed. And it was very unconventional CA hours, because I was new and they needed my drafting skills. My manager is so sweet and it’s been a pleasant experience.
Just recently, I was brought onto another project because of COVID, since my firm is focused on healthcare architecture. It’s not like I’m particularly passionate about healthcare architecture, but this was the job that interested me the most. During undergrad, the class I took with Patrick – the Building Integrated Systems course – was so useful. Revit is the future of the architecture practice and I was able to show the ground-up drawings I made from that class in my portfolios for job applications. Patrick goes over everything nicely, and even if it’s not at a level of proficiency, you still get exposed to it. I’m very familiar with Revit now, and honestly, with help from Youtube and Google, you can figure things out on your own.
Work has been a mind-switch from school. Studio was hard, and I’m doing easier things now for work but also getting paid. I also wanted to work immediately for people skills. School made me aware of how people perceive me, especially as a woman of a minority class in construction. It’s not too noticeable but some prejudices still come through. Also, yeah you have diversity in school, but they are all around the same age as you. At work, you work with people who are much older and at different stages in life. It gives you new perspectives from the diversity you see in schools. Being at work also gave me a lot of connections, the architecture circle in Philly is really small and interconnected; I was also working with architects in Foster + Partners. When working with the higher up people in the firm, I built up a lot of connections and references for grad school. The person who interviewed me was actually a Penn undergrad who graduated in 1981. She had gone to Yale for her grad school and that’s one of the reasons why I chose Yale over Harvard.
I don’t think you can grow as much if you were to go from school to another school. I wanted a change in environment to get changes in perspectives. I’ve learned so much about financial independence, relationships, and life. I wanted to go from school to work then back to school to grow and really be independent for a year.
Maria
Before applying to grad school, I took time in between working and graduating from Penn to prepare for the GRE and figure out whether to apply in Europe or in the US. I had applied to Bartlett and got rejected, but the silver lining to this was that it allowed me to figure out what program I wanted to attend. It also gave me time to prepare my portfolio and have a statement to jumpstart the next process for the US grad school applications. I had my portfolio ready a whole year ahead of the grad school applications, and this was great psychologically.
I ended up applying to 7 programs in the States and was planning on applying to 3 others in Europe, but I didn’t follow through with these because I had already gotten accepted in the US. I had a difficult time in the beginning drafting statements and figuring out what part of the programs I was excited about. I was sorting through all of the information about the schools, and you have to be honest with yourself about what excites you in creating and what excites you in learning.
Ying
I agree on building thoughts early on about grad school. The portfolio is a constant process, I’ve been working on my portfolio since graduation. In choosing where to go, I knew specifically where to apply – I think Maria and I applied to the same 7 schools in the States – and once I applied, I knew I had done the process honestly to myself. My decision was very simple, I chose the one that offered me the most money. I mean if they offer you the most money, they must like you the most.
Lizzy
I stayed at Penn for my Masters, and I did so based on a couple of reasons. Looking at the schools I was considering, Penn had the best option in developing my interest in architecture and the fields relating to it. Particularly, because Penn has strong programs in city planning, landscape, and environmental building. I did do the Intensive major as an undergrad and that let me take more electives my first year of grad school. It’s a very intensive architecture program but it’s a great experience. I have to say one of the best things is the people that are there; there are a lot of other students who have a strong background in architecture and have experience in the field. My friends and colleagues are great resources in terms of discussions and the development of projects.
Charlotte
I have to say everyone applying now is much more prepared than me. Yeah, I did my research, but I didn’t know what was coming. I chose MIT because it was where the students were genuinely excited about the projects they were working on. They would pull me into their studios and show me their models, and being in that kind of environment of intense creativity is incredible. I love collaborating with people and have learned so much from my peers. Another thing about MIT is that only 30% of MIT grads go to become architects, more go into design in a broader sense, and I wanted that flexibility. Compared to the other great schools, MIT seemed more flexible to me.
On the finances and scholarships point brought up – with COVID things will change – but you have the power to negotiate. So schools will offer you one financial package, and it is totally in your power to negotiate a better financial deal. The faculty know you and your portfolio, so if they send you an acceptance, they want you there. It is worth remembering that finances shouldn’t be your biggest obstacle, I was able to negotiate my finances and many others have too.
Ian
Visiting schools is helpful and Linkedin, you know shooting a message through there. Also asking alumni directly about their personal experiences one on one is super helpful.
In terms of Harvard, I chose it mainly because it houses all of its programs in one roof, like urban planning and architecture.
Erisa
I am taking 2 gap years and will be applying this coming cycle. I had heard from other alumni that it is best to take 2 years. I’m doing this mainly to figure out what I am most interested in and within architecture. It is such a broad field, and it helps to have a specific focus. When you are working, you have so much free time. I don’t think I’ve had this much free time in my entire life! And it really allows you to explore other creative fields, and it’s helping me go back to grad school.
Thuy
All of the schools are great, they advertise all the same things. The things you learn to become an architect exist everywhere from every great program. Where you will be the happiest and most productive is something more personalized.
Brian
My first degree I’m doing right now is my MBA. It is a business degree and it brings in many different backgrounds, but it’s a good experience to get a bit of a more broad exposure to business thinking beyond real estate and just to meet an incredible network of people from interesting backgrounds. The network is valuable really.
My other degree is in Urban Spatial Analytics over at the Design school. It’s a very new program by a guy called Ken Steif, and it’s a more technical degree on GIS software, a little on Python and programming. It’s focused on spatial applications and it’s related to data associated with cities. I’ve never learned to program so I’m interested to see how it goes.
Q4: To the alumni who did not continue in the architecture field, what was it like transitioning into a different industry like product design or real estate?
Brent
There are 2 big things that led me to deviate from the traditional path. One, I needed a faster-paced path. In product design, we would be working on a new project every 6 months. I like doing fast-paced iterations. And second would be I have a strong passion for sports. I use the creativity of architecture to make products that help athletes reach achievements. I’ve progressed in my career to the Project Manager role, and like I said before, zooming out for this role has been nice. I talk more about the product eco-sphere now rather than the product itself.
Daniel
I did a bit of a 180 or side step. When I left Penn, I wanted to be an architect and only an architect working from the ground up. I had a bit of a narrow-sided approach to the professional world, but as I got exposure to firms and other creatives, I got to see other positions and the nuances of architecture. I did my MS in Real Estate, and that’s given me new skills.
A lot of the professionals in real estate like the architecture background. Construction people can take on a site where things are more nuanced or spatially oriented. I would say open your mind to the things out there other than architecture. It’s a long, winding road, and there’s always time to go back to building nice buildings with sophisticated designs.
Brian
A lot of people make the mistake of assuming that they aren’t qualified for jobs. I thought I only had 2 options: architecture or real estate. I thought that to get a job in real estate, you only needed to take a few classes to know the language of real estate, and it’s true. You just need to put in a bit of time to understand real estate.
When I was preparing for interviews for the Project Management role I’m doing this summer, all of the questions were design questions – like one was “propose a new design for an airport.” I would say it has all the same types of thinking as in undergrad architecture. It may feel like there is one path, but there is more than you realize.
There’s a need in other industries for someone who is creative, and so take the risk and try something different outside of school. You don’t have to get the perfect job after graduation – don’t worry too much about that. Do something exciting or new that can be an asset in other interviews – like how Charlotte was a cheesemonger.
Charlotte
Yeah to talk about the cheesemonger, it’s actually the most brought out thing in my interviews. I design cheese plates, and there’s actually a cheese spread in my portfolio. It’s also a great conversation starter.
Brent
I think what you learn in architecture about how to analyze questions and how to ask the right questions gives you a step up in the competition against other product designers and managers. You need to ask the right questions about the consumer and user. I would also say to take a step back from what you are learning in school and think about what you are learning and how that applies to other careers.
Q5: What advice do you have for applying for jobs?
Brent
Thinking back 15 years is a bit difficult haha. What I remember is a few final architecture projects I included in my portfolio to grad school. I also did side projects during undergrad – at the time, there were websites for design competitions, and they give you inspiration for building a project. Some of those competitions fed my portfolio, and yeah I did those competitions for fun, but I took them seriously. My advice is to keep an open mind more so than being so pinpoint focused. As a student, you may have a good idea, but there is so much more out there. Also ask other students to review your portfolio if you can.
Ying
Yeah, I applied to 50 jobs and only heard back from 6 of them. But just don’t doubt yourself. You go to Penn, and people know that. Sometimes they don’t get back to you and that’s okay. Keep your options open, I never imagined myself at a corporate firm. I also didn’t even know that I would be interested in healthcare architecture. It looks like I just settled for this job, but when I started it, it was an amazing firm. I also have the stable cashflow of a corporate firm, so I won’t be laid off. All of the principals are women, which is great in this field. I’ve heard a lot of people say they are not interested in corporate firms or large firms, they think they will be doing repetitive work all the time. But corporate firms are not necessarily what you are getting into. Just choose what is best for yourself. My overall experience has been great so far.
Alex
Yeah I do hire a lot of people actually, although more on the real estate side. I wanted to say, especially now during this COVIC pandemic, be patient. People are dealing with stuff. And the opportunities might not be there but keep faithful, and be persistent. And just hang in there.
From a hiring perspective, we look for what stands out to you. I actually just hired an intern class and an MBA intern, they will be doing a virtual internship. I know a lot of firms are dropping those programs just because of what is going on. You go to a fantastic school and a fantastic program. When looking for internships, it’s okay if you don’t find something right away and take the summer off. These are extraordinary circumstances.
Brian
I would say to really emphasize what is interesting and unique about yourself. I have read a lot of applications in my previous job, and one candidate I remember had started an alligator belt business. It had nothing to do with the position, but it was interesting and everybody in the office thought that it was very entrepreneurial. He got the job largely because of this, and not because he knew how to answer the textbook questions.
Again, emphasize your uniqueness. Focus on building communication skills. So much about your ability to succeed is not always the quality of your ideas, it’s the way you deliver those ideas and that’s really an art. This was something I struggled with because I hated public speaking; it was a real phobia in school. I remember being in a crit and being totally uncomfortable and not wanting to be there. For me, it took a lot of repetition to get over this – I actually joined a public speaking club in DC and practiced doing it over and over again. I think, as long as you can communicate your story in an effective way, you will be very successful.
Q6: Where do you see the industry going after COVID-19?
Alex
There are all of these emerging trends; retail concepts are being quickly adapted. Communication-wise, one of the silver linings of this thing is the fact that we are sitting here digitally over Zoom. If this whole thing never happened, I probably would’ve never been able to do this panel. So it really is a silver lining. One of the things the program has given us is the ability to think critically about issues and solutions – we can see problems in 4 dimensions.
Daniel
I can talk a bit on the construction side. We are starting to communicate within the company about the tenants in the buildings; we have to think about what happens when they all come back, especially in NY. Buildings have to rethink infrastructure, and the open office plan, which is so modern, will be wiped out the window. With all this, there is going to be a rethinking of how we interact with each other, both at the scale of the desk and infrastructurally. Like the subway, being able to travel underground, is not a very viable option right now. There needs to be creative thinkers at every level thinking about how we live.
Ying
This will definitely impact how we go about city design and public design. Also other problems, like the homeless people – what do we do about them in this situation? I’m taking a lecture on Cities and Urban Design in COVID-19 Pandemic to learn about all of this.
Maria
In regards to the smaller firms, they are forced to furlow all employees. I decided to leave permanently when I got laid off, because I was on OTP. My firm was also on the activism side, and it’s sad seeing how that industry and the whole building industry fell apart so quickly. I’m interested in seeing what grassroots space and movements pop up from this. It is an opportunity for a broader shift environmentally and sustainability wise. I think it will redefine fundamental things about the build environment.
Student Questions:
S1: What would you improve about the Penn undergrad program?
Daniel
Nothing in the program was problematic, I just wish there more opportunities for other creative outputs instead of just studio classes. At Columbia, one elective was a Maker class and you just tinker with things in the Shop. And these became portfolio fillers. They would let your mind ease off studio and do something fun and not very time-consuming.
Erisa
For me, some of the most valuable things learned weren’t things that were taught in studio. I remember talking about random architecture things with Maria, very vague philosophical theories. And I really appreciated the conversations in studio and that happens organically, it’s not something you can enforce.
There were some random skills I picked up along the way, like running a laser-cutter. I was a TA at a summer architecture camp at Penn and the TAs needed to use the laser-cutters for the students. Because of this, I was able to bring it to my firm where there is a laser-cutter just sitting there but no one knew how to use it. I recommend you to take advantage of random things that come your way.
Maria
Working at a small firm had allowed me to be in charge of the representative and grammatical stuff being put out on the website and in front of clients. I think the program should have a greater emphasis on personal style in drawings. It is valuable and important, and I think you should try to get a representative style early on. I encourage people to express themselves more in drawings and representations.
Thuy
What I had hoped was there was a more writing-based discourse. We are communicating with visual means, and in an age of such overwhelming visual stimuli, it would nice to move back into a medium that is not consumable in 5 seconds. The program could have ways to communicate with each other in more thoughtful or meaningful ways, like a publication or online forum. But overall I was happy with the design curriculum, it really prepared critical and design thinking.
S2: What are some skills you acquired from undergrad that has been helpful professionally, design-wise, life-wise? Were there any skills you wish you had cultivated?
Thuy
I would say without a doubt, the Negotiations course, I recommend it for everyone. It’s an important skill in your life, you use it everyday. There are some amazing faculty at Wharton and it was a really fun class. There really is no excuse not to do it.
Alex
The strength of the program is its position in Penn and its openness in curriculum. You have the ability to explore other things, and there are 101 ways to acquire skills you think you are lacking. One of the most valuable things for me was going through the crits and being uncomfortable. I had to learn how to perform and communicate under pressure, and as uncomfortable as it was, it was important and applicable. It helps you work through the anxiety of public speaking in a safe way.
Maria
A huge skill in the working environment is writing, writing of projects or websites. Both writing and being able to articulate my opinion in front of my boss and coworkers have helped me make a claim at the firm I was working at.
Brian
Don’t be afraid to cultivate passions outside of the classroom. School puts you in such a linear mindset, and this can make you neglect things or interests that don’t necessarily fit into your career path. But for your own happiness and future success, I would pursue those things. Like this past summer I decided to do something completely different. I went to Japan and did a 10-day meditation retreat. It was a totally different experience but it was rewarding. And I never expected it to have benefits professionally. It grounded me internally and I talked about that experience in interviews. Don’t be afraid to pursue passions even if they don’t seem to line up with your career.
S3. To Charlotte: you had a non-linear path to grad school, do you think your interdisciplinary background put you at a disadvantage? or was it an advantage?
Charlotte
I actually see my non-architecture background as an advantage. Yeah, I struggled the first year of grad school just because of the intensity of it and the core classes of M.Arch programs. The core classes are as bad as people made them out to be, and others were more better prepared for them than me. But after getting through that struggle, my different backgrounds are becoming a plus again, because I have skills in other subjects. Studio is great, but it only gets so far. It’s great to push studio further and out.
Through different disciplines, I’ve collected multiple different methods of problem solving. I know there are some architecture programs where you only have studio – I have friends who have never written an essay before. I think my background is definitely a positive thing but it did make it harder at times. But what’s most important is that you’re having fun – architecture is a fun discipline. If you’re not having fun, take a step back and see what you can do to change that.
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