...Don't forget to shower! Nobody likes a stinky student.

if you can see yourself doing anything besides architecture, then its not for you. This would be a good time to change majors and pursue a career in hotel management.

For those of you doing this major to prove a point or make your parents happy, if you're going to stick around, at least keep the stupid questions to yourself during the history lectures.

And finally for those of you who will stay and love it, abandon all hope now, and don't forget to bookmark this site.

coffee!!

-don't be one of those people who thinks they're a good student just because they sleep in studio under their desk every night

-wear shoes, or socks at the very least

hang out with the law and business students...hopefully find a wealthy spouse

^^listen to rfuller. Really, if you can imagine yourself doing graphic design, or development, or being a park ranger, go do that. Architecture's only worth it if you really, really, really, really love it.

don't go to studio drunk and play with mallets AND other's models.

First semester design studio is really hazing, its in this environment where they scrape the cream off the top and allow them to continue with their education.

This maybe the first time you recieve a grade lower than a B, expect Fs inintially but again its all hazing.

You can sleep, but it may help you not to, you'll develop a work ethic where you can sleep only after surviving first semester.

It is all downhill from first semester.

Learn to drink heavily, it will come in handy.

Try not to miss classes by oversleeping, for a while there i went to bed at 7 or 8 (in the morning) and woke up around 4. This means i never saw the sun past November as I was in NYC (and still am)

watch out for noise hair...it seems like you're pretty younhg right now (and i stress pretty) but next thing you know, you're still at the drafting board and suddenly there's more hair in your nose than on your head.

Sub out your projects if you really want to learn anything worth while.

Sublet your apartment -- you won't need it.

^same goes for the car

On the contrary: You will definitely need your apartment. It's great for sleeping (not optional) and, as I mentioned above, showering. Cooking a meal, if you're capable, can be a great way to stay healthy and relaxed after a long day in studio.

one of my buddies subbed out his computer aided design projects to the homeless student who lived in our student lounge. He got a B. My friend said it was the best $500 he ever spent.

If you're attending TTU, then you should join DBIA. We really need the dues.

Personally I think this ¨you must have 24/7 passion for architecture or it ain't for you¨ is a load of BS. No point trying to do good work by living in a vacuum...

agreed.

It's not that you won't be able to cut it if you aren't 24/7 passionate (heck, I'd settle for 20/6 passionate), it that if there's something else lurking in the back of your mind that you kind of want to do too, then at some point when you're fed up with long hours or low pay or shitty bosses, you'll end up wishing you'd done whatever it was instead.

all the stuff in the back of my head actually pays less

well you're just screwed then, aren't you?

how about when your getting critiqued. any tips?

One fancy model is all you really need to impress a jury, everything else is extra.

Learn to bullshit (they don't know what tectonic/didactic/ontological/etc, etc means either, just go with it!)

Crits are like plays, you're the actor, they are the audience, give them a show, be lively and energetic.

Do not ramble on for 45 minutes about your project, they have XX more kids to crit, and your peers and they will hate you for taking forever to present. You know your presentation is perfect when you don't even have to say a word.

If you get an asshole don't be afraid to fight him/her, in any case others will help your cause. Play the hero, not the villian.

'Play the hero, not the villian.'

That's good stuff, Apurimac.

Thanks, I've survived a few firing squads in my day. I think I'd actually like to be on one at some point.

Oh, and kids don't dangle any low hanging fruit during a crit either. Like putting an Olympic-sized pool in your natatorium when the project brief and everyone else did half that. (Guilty, but i had good reason and a good project, but it was a crappy crit.)

I with everything Apurimac said.

I'd say in addition to the short, clear, and concise talks, it never hurts to have a sense of humor. I always found that having a grin on my face while getting slam dunked by the firing squad helped tremendously. Get defensive only if you can combine a sense of humor to it.

They aren't up there to get rid of you, they are up there to make you think about stuff.

Otherwise if you don't pull of the balancing act, you'll walk into a crit with one black eye and leave with another and two new assholes.

If you get up there are completely freeze up, a starting point that will usually lead you somewhere meaningful is, "My first impression of the site (or program) was...."

"When I forst visited the site, I was struck by ... a bus!"

d'oh! 'first', not 'forst'!

Damn,

I just re-read my last post. Am I always this incoherent when I'm at work?

at crits dont sweat not being done with the required images, models turn ins etc- just present something good. A million times people busted ass to meet the required submissions, and the top project was always the person who just did a model really well, or a overly conceptual graph/ chart - to this day i still dont get it, but no use fighting it, when in Rome...

to add further - its all about presentation - if you present conceptually the questions will be conceptual, if u present technical the questions will be technical. And most importantly - the crits are done by people who this is their only chance to sound important.

work in the studio, not @ home.

YEAH AND MOST OF ALL HAVE FUN±!

exactly!

a studiomate once advised: if it's late at night and the only places open and convenient are fast food restaurants, order the burger with the most amount of vegetables to give you energy...this is before mcdonalds and such started selling salads...

why should you freeze in a crit. take some fucking notes with you. you are presenting something to other human beings. they aren''t gods or superheros. get over that fast. type your ideas up in an outline and give it to the critters. if you have a decent idea and you present decently don't worry. if you get into a pissing match over style then they aren't doing their jobs and call em on it. dig in be strong its not fucking american idol. kick some ass and have some freaking confidence!

yeah, good advice vado.

take @ least 5 to 10 minutes before your crit and jot down points that you want to address on your project. i would even present with my sketchbook so i could jot down key points the jurors said. what good's a crit if you don't remember what they told you afterwards?

during a crit, smiling is very good, also don't be defensive and argue everything a critic nitpicks- just nod your head and say 'interesting, interesting' then ask then a deep question about how to implement '______' during your next project or for the final review... also, even if you didn't sleep all semester, make sure to get a full nights sleep before presenting, shower, brush teeth and change clothes.

listen to your professors and try to do (at least a little) of what they say. Even if you dont agree with them and think they are full of shit (which they very well could be), they want to feel like they are helping you...so let them. It is only school, you are there to get out (and maybe learn something in the process).

I know first hand what happens if you constantly disagree with your professors and think that they are full of shit...you dont graduate

Also, bringing chocolate mocha mousse cheesecake, port, and Stilton cheese to a crit wont get you anywhere with your professors (your classmates will love you, though)

I agree with treekiller...I was up for 3 days straight before my final senior thesis crit...At the point that I was supposed to present, I could not talk or think at all...just stood there. My body was so drained

also all projects should use french newwave cinema as a starting point. example, if your project is x, use godard's masculine/feminine as a program generator. "yes this concept for my (fill in blank) is inspired by the still valid and omnipresent observations made by godard referencing the collison of market driven economics/capitalism ie coca cola and the material criticism of such realities ie marxism. any questions? good.

vado

are you smoking pot?

dont wear all black to your crit...

Get a friend, or anyone else to take notes during YOUR presentation. And don't be afraid to critique other's work, or point out something they did well when they are being hammered on. Don't be afraid to get out of your chair and point at other people's work either.

Hang your drawings on the wall and stand back from time to time. If you can't read them from 10 feet, the jurors won't be able to either.

Stick to your original concept, but push and pull it to make it better. Listen to suggestions given by others. Its really sad when a project falls just short of great because the student didn't try a suggestion.

Think about how to organise and display your presentation before you pin it all up. Don't put your model in front of the best drawing you have. You can use it to hide drawings you don't want to talk about. Also, hang those closer to the floor, and furthest from eye level. Stand in front of those too, but DON'T stand in front of things that are important to your concept. Present with your face forward. If you must point to your drawings, do it like a weather man.

And buy a "Chopper."

ah, the chopper. a lifesaver!

design studio is about the EVOLUTION of your design. The professors are interrested in seeing you confront a problem, design your way through it, and confront the next problem. They dont want you to change course in the middle of the project for the hell of it.

Even if you realize that you have the most amazing idea the night before your crit, DONT CHANGE YOUR PROJECT AT THE LAST MINUTE.

When presenting your project, you may want to include some initial concept sketches / models that will help show the evolution of your thinking...this also helps if you dont have many finished models / drawings

familiarize yourself with this place:

the model shop.

SOBO IS GOD

damnit.

the model shop