<p>I would like to chime in here to every student pursuing Architecture and their supportive Parents. </p>
<p>During this important time of the year, many have received or are still waiting for acceptances to colleges/universities. Soon the answers are all in, of course some may be to your dismay, but the shift turns to the difficult choice of decision making on where to attend. With the academic focus being solely on Architecture, tunnel vision walks hand-in-hand down the aisle with you as far selecting a prospective school; giving blind assumption that once I attend that school, I will graduate with a longed-for Arch degree. This seems to be the right way to think and the path Arch Major applicants should follow.</p>
<p>Other posts have touched on the aspect of an Architecture focused student needing to have a passion (politically correct term for total sacrifice & commitment) which obviously everyone at this stage thinks yes, thats me! all the while truly not knowing or experiencing the realities of what is to come. Then, there are a good amount of posts on CC which point out the fact that there is a substantial percentage of students who drop out either at the beginning or later in the game when switching your major is not an option unless you start college life all over again. Those who do it sooner can easily regroup than the latter. I can hear every eager Architecture prospect saying Oh, thats not going to be me because I want this too much!.</p>
<p>My D followed this exact path. She was aspired to choose Architecture toward the end of grade school and stuck with that so-called passion right on through her Senior year in HS. She voluntarily pursued a HS internship with a global Architecture firm to experience what this career was like. My background is Construction and Building Code Inspector which was an asset in being able to nurture her passion with vast amounts of relative information. The path was just so right and the next step was to select colleges and get accepted so the passion could be fulfilled.</p>
<p>As a Parent it is so exciting when your child chooses a career and actually follows through with that desire to the doorsteps of college. It is such a relief that there is a focus versus entering college and having no clue as to what major/career path to take. Many college students go on to graduate that way. The bigger problem comes when a career focus blinds you into complacency. When youre mind is set to something, you choose not to see or dig deeper as to what negatives come with the territory. Excitement clouds any hint of doubt. This can get the best of many who feel they have done their homework and then some. </p>
<p>Im sure you all have either seen some statistics, percentages, posts here on CC of the drop out rate in Architecture or how many sleepless nights are spent in studio. Tell me, who really pays attention to any of this when excitement and passion has a stronghold? Yes we read and researched things to a degree but filtered the negative things from our minds. BIG MISTAKE! </p>
<p>It is the middle of the 2nd semester and we are going through a re-assessment at this time with our D continuing with Architecture due to certain signs that were of great concern. We have eliminated the possibility she is just going through a phase, wanting to give up based on an unsubstantiated feelings. She had basically gone without sleep during the weekdays (2-3 hours every 48 hours) throughout her entire 1st semester while having to crash on weekends and missing out on college life. She had met many new friends initially; however, as the curriculum took hold, she found she could no longer have the time to join them in ECs let alone even for a meal at the dining hall. Her project deadlines have consumed her life at college. Sleepless nights, although portrayed on YouTube as a funny thing, should actually be taken as a serious risk which leads to poor eating habits and likely depression. Obviously, there are students who tolerate this kind of life through the whole 5 years, but as my D says, You get this strange sense when you walk by the Upper Class classrooms and they have alot less studio desks than the Freshman spaces. Who really truly takes this into account when choosing to pursue Architecture?</p>
<p>Our dilemma has caused me to do some research as depression is a very serious problem that I will not ignore. I have witnessed a side of my D that I have never seen before. I searched the internet about depression and the Architect. The numerous articles, blogs and posts in forums blossomed to open my eyes in a way they should have been going into this from the very beginning. I concluded that the negative aspects of an Architect can easily become reality because of the nature of the business career having poor rewards. Yes, there are those who become renowned, but equally, there are those who become movie stars.</p>
<p>My D is in the middle of her 2nd semester and can no longer drop the classes so she will need to finish out the year to maintain a good GPA. Due to the fact that Architecture cannot bring the promise of higher starting financial reward such as Engineering, Medical, or Law students can come to reap, we are seriously in agreement with our D to walk away from Architecture and pursue the Business Major academics. It is SOOOO relieving to know that her University offers such a great variety of academics to pursue numerous career paths. I look back at the college visits and application process, thinking, had she attended some of the other schools she would have not had the options that she has now to easily switch to a desirable major. A few of the schools would have forced her to transfer which greatly places at risk the entire Financial Aid picture.</p>
<p>My long post is not to discourage those students whose passion (remember - a politically correct term for a rude awakening) is to pursue Architecture. My main point is to stress that when consideration is given to which college you select to pursue this particular degree, make sure that they also offer a diverse curriculum in case you need it to fall back on in the worst case scenario. HAVE A BACKUP PLAN. You may be one of those students who also drops out of Architecture. Each individual is different and wont know until they experience this intense career Major. ALSO, do some homework because you may not like what you see and shift gears before you make a rash decision. Search the internet for topics on Architect Depression and what the life of an Architect is after graduating or completion of internships. Make sure youre investment of time and mental health is the sacrifice you are willing to make in this particular career. Dont forget to consider your possible sacrifice of a college life!</p>
<p>I wish all Architecture students the best of luck and admire your passions. Most important of all, if at any time your mental health becomes overwhelming, please DO NOT HESITATE for a moment to let your Parents know how you feel. DO NOT feel you must continue in a state of depression because you DIDNT WANT TO LET THEM DOWN. Expressing your feelings the moment you begin to question things is VERY important! </p>
<p>Parents should take any negative discussion about Architecture SERIOUSLY as it could be an early warning sign. There is a real big difference between an off-the-wall comment such as it makes me feel like quitting vs. I cant take this anymore. Listen, listen carefully and become involved as soon as any negative direction begins. Taking charge of a situation early on can help save a direction from getting ugly.</p>
<p>Thanks for reading through this long post! </p>
<p>Now, do some more research and most importantly just choose the right college/university that may not be too focused or limited. There are just too many good ones out there offering Arch degrees while having diverse curriculums to fall back on as well.</p>