I’m not going to start with the cliché ‘I have always dreamed of becoming an architect’ because, let's be honest, that’s very rarely true and I am no exception to that! Amongst us undergrads there’s a huge range, some may have an inkling that architecture is for them and some aspire to become the next Norman Foster. Wherever you find yourself, we are all trying to navigate this whirlwind journey together.
Realising that I wanted to study architecture was not something that happened overnight- it was very much a gradual process. I, like many others, went through the typical job aspirations: teacher, doctor etc but understanding what I was good at and what I had an interest in was when I landed on becoming an architect. I said I wouldn’t use a cliché, but I have always been fascinated with houses! I was forever doing craft and exploring my creative side and as I have grown older, I have developed a real interest in social and cultural ideas. For me, architecture was the perfect combination of things that I enjoyed and had a genuine interest in. Who knew that the hours spent doing craft sets I got for Christmas would lead to a career in architecture!
The campus style of university was one of the main contributors when I was choosing a university. I love the fact that everything you need is basically a 10-minute walk and if you love your sleep as much as I do, it is particularly useful when you want to roll out of bed 15 minutes before your lecture! Bath is undeniably beautiful and who doesn’t want that on your doorstep? Coming from a city with minimal greenery- the scenery is refreshing. Bath has a fantastic reputation for architecture, and I would be lying if I said it didn’t play a part in my decision, but it is so much more than just this. You often hear people saying that you need to get a ‘feel’ of the place and this rung true when I visited on the open day. It was the first university I visited and every other open day I went to was measured against Bath...none of them compared! Bath’s architecture course is described as a ‘thin sandwich’ (where the placement year is split into 2 lots of 6 months- one in year 2 and one in year 3). As architecture is such a practical subject this was a huge bonus as it allows for two industry experiences where I can understand how different firms work and broaden my knowledge of what it takes to work as an architect.
Many of you may know that architecture is a longgg course- the minimum you can do it in is 7 years. Currently my aim is to complete all the stages and become a qualified architect but who knows, something else might spark my interest along the way and I may change direction after my first 4 years. I am open to change and I just want to enjoy as much of my career as possible- after all, 7 years is a long time to do something I am not completely passionate about. But its early days, I have only been studying for a month and the placements in the second and third year will be a true indicator of the industry and whether it is for me or not.
I am taking each day at a time and I’ve got a long journey ahead of me. But maybe one day you will come across a building designed by me and remember that it's okay not to have a definite plan because you will not be the only one!
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