Studio
As the leaves are turning colors and snow is suddenly appearing out of nowhere, on campus, midterm is approaching. This past week, NDSU celebrated Homecoming 2019 with many thrilling campus events and meal deals. When the parade approached at the end of the week, we were unfortunately hit with a snow storm and the parade was cancelled. For me, this gave me some more time to work on my studio project as our midterm presentation is just around the corner. Because our studio time is such a large part of the NDSU Architecture experience, I thought I would give you a taste of what it is all about.
One of the studio spaces in Renaissance Hall
When it comes to the structure of the Architecture program here at NDSU, we have it set up in a unique way. First off, all the curriculum is compacted into eight semesters to get your Bachelor of Science in Architecture. One more year is tacked on to the end to fulfill your Master of Architecture degree. Compared to many other schools, our program is quite a bit quicker while still providing an excellent and rigorous educational experience.
Starting out the curriculum, you take Pre-Architecture classes that put you through many challenging courses in order to narrow the selection down to the most qualified and dedicated students. At the end of that first year, you apply to the program and sometime during the summer, you are notified if you made it in. For my class, the department accepted 65 applicants for our year. After you are accepted, you have a straight shot to the Master’s degree.
For the first year, you aren’t assigned a studio desk as the studio classes are separated among the many students in different smaller spaces. All the first years still have 24-hour access to the Architecture building, Renaissance Hall, so they can work in their studio classrooms outside of class hours. After you are accepted into the program, you have a dedicated desk in your studio space where you can keep your materials and supplies the whole semester. At the beginning of each new semester, you will be assigned to a different section of the studio and will get to move desks as well.
My studio desk setup in the midst of midterm
Being my favorite class, Studio is where you get to take what you have learned from your other classes and apply it. The studio environment is one like no other, where you get to be among your other classmates all working on something you are all passionate about. It is an incredible environment where you can draw inspiration from others and see what everyone is up to just by glancing around you. Currently, I am working on a partner studio project where my partner and I are seated right next to each other which improves communication and efficiency for our project. One of my favorite things to do is to walk around to other people’s desks and talk to them about their projects and what they’ve been up to. With all the time we spend together in our studios, we really do become so close, we’re basically like a big, creative, procrastinating, dysfunctional family.
By the time we graduate with our Masters, we will be inseparable, unfortunately we all must go our separate ways. Studio isn’t solely the place where you become a family and create friendships that will last forever, it is also a place to make connections that will build your network and a place to learn things every day through each other. NDSU Architecture isn’t the only Architecture department in the country to have this conglomerate studio experience but in my opinion, with our tight-knit environment, we do it the best.