<p>I'm a sophomore in high school, and I'm really into photography (check out my photos at Flickr:</a> Photos from Josh McElwee Photography. I'm taking my first drafting class during the second semester. But I can't really draw at all. I have some kind of fine-motor definicy in my hands, and any kind of drawing has always been impossible for me. Even my handwriting looks terrible, and my hands tire easily. My question is, do I still have a shot at architecture? My grandfather and uncle are mechanical engineers, and my other uncle is a builder, so I've learned stuff from them. Oh, and I'm not good at math. I'm in Algebra 1 my sophomore year. Does anybody have advice?</p>
<p>as far as drawing goes, i liken it to writing. but people write their entire lives and are schooled from a very young age, so naturally everyone who goes to school can write well. for drawing, the tools of observation and actually training your mind to see are skill sets very rarely developed - thus very few can render objects from life well, and thus why people with innate talent make it look somewhat easy. </p>
<p>but i think everyone here will stress you need not be an "artist" per se to be an architect, but you do need to be able to represent yourself in two and three dimensions. as physics people say math is only a tool to higher physics, i would say drawing is only a tool to architecture. its the idea that matters, but your representation of the idea is whats going to help a portfolio, future jobs, etc, and ultimately help you get feedback from others and work out your own solution to the problem.</p>
<p>from all that i've read, arch schools really want to see free hand drawing. that means maybe sketch your hands a few times, a hat, a tree, anything. it doesn't have to be a finished, killer, beautiful drawing, theyr trying to judge your ability to represent what your thinking and seeing. for someone who didnt use photos in their portfolio, like me, i had to show ideas through my drawings and my ability to sketch in general. for someone like you, you might be able to show creativity and ideas through photography, rather than drawing (just as it is hard to solve physics problems without math, so too is it hard to represent ideas by drawing if you cant draw). but from what i understand, it is still highly important that you show them some ability to coordinate your mind and your hands.</p>
<p>so to answer your question: yes, of course you still have a shot in architecture! just stay with it. read about it, experience buildings and spaces, and maybe next year do a summer program. decide if its what you want to do. from what i've gathered, passion, dedication, and hard work will take you a long way, especially in architecture. being slightly behind in math may only keep you out of some of the very top programs, but i dont think its something that would keep you out of architecture in general. if you're unsure about it and want more time to develop your abilities, intellect, anything, remember you dont need to go into it right out of high school. you can get a BA in whatever, then get a masters somewhere.</p>
<p>good luck!</p>