importance of GPA as an architecture major

College Majors Architecture Major
1

<p>I just finished my first semester as an architecture major (switched from engineering), and I am a bit saddened to see I received B's in my design and studio classes. I am so confused with the grading in the school of architecture because it was different from what I was used to (not graded on exams/ nothing you can really 'study' for). Yes I keep hearing GPAs don't matter once you graduate, but my OCD tendency is making it hard for me to cope with the fact I got 2 Bs esp. in my major because I think that a high GPA will open a lot of doors for you.</p>

<p>I'm not really sure what my question is...I would like some advice about anything related to this.</p>

<p>What do you think of this phrase?</p>

<p>A’s will stick to Academia, B’s will go into practice, and C’s will be come CEOs</p>

2

<p>GPA is only important to some extent. College GPAs are extremely hard to “decipher” because there are variances in the types of classes, levels of the classes, the professors teaching the classes, and many more. If you plan on going to graduate school, GPA is more important than if you’re going straight into a career. Also, don’t worry about not getting straight As, because it’s widely accepted that college is challenging for many students.</p>

3

<p>GPA in architecture school is only useful for one thing: getting into grad school. And if you are in a B. Arch program, you don’t need grad school.</p>

<p>If you interview for a job and they ask about your GPA, run away. Any design firm that cares about what grades you got is someplace you don’t want to work.</p>

<p>There is some truth in that phrase, but I’ve always heard it as people who get A’s work for the people who got C’s in Architecture school. And for very good reason: to get an A in studio, you need to be meticulous, you’ve got to put in thousands of hours on a project, you’ve got to go days without sleep. People who get A’s are usually good designers, and typically head-in-the-clouds type.
People who get C’s do just enough to get by. In practice, that means doing enough to submit for permit on-time. When your projects are on-time and under budget, you get promoted/rewarded.</p>

<p>However, if your the type that requires everything to be perfect, which is needed to get A’s in studio classes, you end up spending too much time on the details. You are a designer. There is nothing wrong with being a designer, you can co-run a firm as a designer.</p>