Since I decided to study architecture four years ago, people always asks me : why do you choose architecture? You're gonna sleepless and restless! Is studying architecture gonna be hard for you? You'll have no life, et cetera. But, is that so? Praise the Lord, I am alive until now and I'm still healthy. Maybe, studying architecture isn't as terrifying as what's on people's perspective. They could be wrong but also they are true. As a final year of architecture student, I am going to talk about the myth and also the fact of studying architecture.
Reminiscing good old days when I was a senior high school student, I'd decided to continue studying at architecture major in university. I'd never known before about architecture. All I know was an architect designing beautiful building. Just it. Because in high school I love art class and my art teacher said I have a talent in art and also I had good score in every subjects, I decided to list architecture major as my undergraduate study in university.
When I told people I was gonna studying architecture, most of their reactions were negative. They warned me that I'm gonna torture my body and my life quality will be decreased because architecture is notorious as the hardest and busiest major. People said I'm gonna deal with assignments during four years of study and will have just couple of hours to sleep. Honestly, I'd been doubted my own choice for picking architecture as my future but I didn't have any thoughts about another major or what I wanna be in the future, so I ignored what people said and convienced myself to go on my choice.
Well, almost what people said to me are true. But I've never regreted my choice.
First year was the hardest. But precisely, four years of studying are all hard. For the first time of all my life, I had to sleep at dawn everyday and woken up at morning. It was really hard for me because I used to have 6-7 hours of sleep and never slept under 12 PM (actually I had but I didn't have to wake up at morning). During my first year, I had to learn how to draw architectural using perspective method and different kinds of coloring methods. I was introduced about the basic architecture and taught the famous architects in the world whom influencing architecture era and style.
In the second year, I got used to how architecture students work and do their projects, so lack of sleeping time wasn't any big deal for me anymore. On my third semester, I was taught how to use architecture software for doing architectural projects. And the result was I knew how to operate several architectural softwares (AutoCAD, Sketchup) and design softwares (Photoshop, CorelDraw). I think it's a great opportunity for lifetime because not only we learnt about architecture things and the software but also we learnt the sense of design and how to operate design software. It's a plus skill for your CV anyway.
Third year became the climax of studying architecture. I had to do two months of internship in a architecure firm and also (because of the architecture UGM's tradition) I had to prepare an architectural exhibition. The exhibition was planned since a year before and we should picked a emerging issue in Yogyakarta and solved it with architecture. Third year was a very thrilling, exhausted, yet pleased year during my studying. I got new experiences and I was very proud because my idea was presented during the exhibition.
Fourth year was memorable and crazy because I had to propose and did my thesis (architecture final project). There were so much bitter sweet moments I've been through. In this year, I did a lot of thoughts about what should I do after I graduate. It's really great if you already make a plan after graduate, either if you want to be architect or not. And for the student like me who still confuse what I should do next, it's kinda worrying because your mind and soul will be poured into the final project but you still have to think about your future.
During your studying (and it's applied for every university in the world which has architecture programme), the most crusial subject is studio. In every semester, studio has the biggest portion of the semester credit and it always be the number #1 exhausted and important subject. Every semester, the studio topic is different and the difficulty will be increased throughout the semester.
At first semester, I thought it was the most absurd studio because I had to make different models using different materials like membrane, paper, cardboard, etc. Second semester, I was taught about designing one until two-story building. My studio assignments were designing house, small library and fast-food restaurant. Third semester, I learn about how to make a design in sloped terrain and for studio I designed a guest house located in sloped terain riverside. It was quite challenging because I shall thought about the structure system and the leveling.
Fourth semester, I designed a government office in Yogyakarta. It was based on real project. In this semester, I learn how to make DED (detail engineering design) and had to make this semester studio with DED. Honestly, until now, I still couldn't make a good DED because, believe me, it's super hard.
Fifth semester was different from previous semester because I designed multi-story building which is hotel. I found myself enjoy designing hotel because hospitality design always be my favorite. In sixth semester, I designed resort in Parangtritis beach, Yogyakarta with theme : sustainable culture on futuristic architecture. In seventh semester, my studio was re-designing Indonesia-Netherlands's cultural house in Amsterdam. It was interesting project because I had to design in another country that has different climate with Indonesia.
Personally, architecture is 'that hard'. It needs extra effort and you have to sacrifice a lot of things until you graduate from this school. But, it's all worth it. I learn how to design well, my aesthetic sense is developed well, I learn public speaking and presenting my ideas in front of another people, I've become more critical and I learn how to operate several software that might be useful for my future career if I don't wanna take architect path. Even thought you don't wanna be an architect, I believe that your skills you'd been developing in architecture school will be neccessary useful for another career besides architect.
I wanna advise you that if you are planned to pursue your high education in architecture, take it. All of those sleepless night are really worth it. Don't you mind what people said because those could be total wrong unless you've tried. And also, if you're finally make your step in architecture school, please use your student status to join student organization, events, or extracurricular. What I regret the most is I wasn't that active during my uni day (but I still managed myself to join in some organization eventho it was a small scope). You have to be social and experienced because it's going to be useful in the future. The main reasons why I wasn't that active because architecture seized my time and my life. But, don't follow my mistakes. Use your uni-life to get more experience as you could because I believe it will help you someday in the future.
Ia studying architecture really that hard? Maybe yes, maybe no.
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